- 2017 Aug 22
Corbyn the Barbarian Comes to Comics
After sifting through more than 100 submissions, a comics anthology is set to shine a new light on U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
- 2017 Jun 21
The Big Money Is in Kids’ Comics
Abruptly, the most important sector in the world of sequential art has become graphic novels for young people, Abe Reisman writes.
- 2017 May 16
Marvel Cancel's 'Black Panther' Spinoff
Ta-Nehisi Coates's police brutality comic 'Black Panther and the Crew' will end after six issues due to "poor sales after two issues."
- 2017 Apr 13
X-Men Illustrator Under Fire
Marvel had distanced itself from Indonesian artist Ardian Syaf after his images referenced religious and political divisions in his country.
- 2017 Apr 04
Marvel's Diversity Gaffe
A Marvel executive suggested this weekend that the publishing company’s newest superheroes may have caused a slump in comic book sales.
- 2017 Feb 21
African Comic Books Find Their Footing
The locally produced titles are beginning to catch on with readers.
- 2016 Dec 16
The Rapper and the Superhero
The Wu-Tang CLan's Method Man wrote a Ghost Rider Christmas comic, so those stockings pretty much stuff themselves.
- 2016 Oct 27
Trolls Force Cain Offline
Bestselling author Chelsea Cain has deleted her Twitter account after facing a barrage of mysoginistic comments over her new comic book for Marvel, 'Mockingbird.'
- 2016 Sep 28
Shirley Jackson, Illustrated
An excerpt from Jackson's grandson Miles Hyman’s full-color graphic adaptation of "The Lottery."
- 2016 Jun 29
Wonder Woman's Heroic Feminism
Wonder Woman became the feminist hero the ’70s needed after years of weird writing decisions.
- 2016 May 26
Captain America, Secret Nazi
Marvel's executive editor Tom Brevoort sits down with 'TIME' for a chat about a divisive new narrative.
- 2016 May 06
The NPR Guide to Free Comic Book Day
For the 15th anniversary of Free Comic Book Day, a guide to what's out there and what to know about it.
- 2016 Feb 05
Where Are Women in Comics?
France's great comics event in Angouleme stirred serious criticism for being dominated by men.
- 2015 Dec 09
Margaret Atwood Goes Graphic
Dark Horse Comics will publish a series of graphic novels by the award-winning Canadian author, starting with 'Catbird' in the fall of 2016.
- 2015 Oct 13
Marvel Comics Embraces Female-Led Titles
With 17 female-led titles today, the women of Marvel are growing with every passing year.
- 2015 Oct 08
Feminist Comic Book Finds Devoted Fans
When comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick got the opportunity to reimagine Captain Marvel as a blonde, blue-eyed fighter pilot named Carol, she made changes to the character that some fans didn't like.
- 2015 Oct 02
Looking at Banned Books
How comics are fighting a hail of critical fire.
- 2015 Sep 23
Ta-Nehisi Coates to Write Marvel Comic
The recently named nominee for this year's National Book Award for Nonfiction has been approached to take on a new Black Panther series set to begin next spring.
- 2015 Sep 04
Alan Moore Launches Electricomics
Alan Moore and a team of international creatives aim to redefine what comics are in the 21st century with Electricomics, a free app featuring four experimental tales available now on iTunes.
- 2015 Sep 02
'Hunger Games' Star to Launch Comic Book
Amandla Sternberg, the 16-year-old who starred in "The Hunger Games" as Rue, is spreading her message about intersectional feminism with a new comic book.
- 2015 Jul 27
Crowdsourcing Women's Comics
Authors are turning to the Web to spread the word about new, woman-focused comics.
- 2015 Jul 08
Bond Is Back
James Bond returns to comics after 20 years.
- 2015 Jul 06
Gay Comic Characters Zap Stereotypes
As the comic book industry prepares to gather at Comic-Con International, which begins Thursday in San Diego, publishers big and small will be promoting a wider selection of gay-themed comic books.
- 2015 Mar 18
Violent 'Batgirl' Cover Pulled
A 'Batgirl' comic book cover portraying the character with Joker makeup on and gun held to her head has been pulled from shelves after stirring controversy online.
- 2014 Nov 12
Flynn's Comic Book Story
Fans of Gillian Flynn’s dark view of a marriage in 'Gone Girl' may want to read 'Masks,' her first comic book story, to be published by Dark Horse Comics in February.
- 2014 Oct 27
How Archie Went From Dull to Daring
Archie used to be the safest, squarest comic book franchise out there. But in the past few years, something changed.
- 2014 Oct 20
U.K. Names First Comics Laureate
Graphic novelist Dave Gibbons will become the U.K.’s first comics laureate, a position that will now be appointed biennially.
- 2014 Aug 25
Superman Comic Soars to $3.2M
A copy of 1938's 'Action Comics' No. 1, which features the first appearance of Superman, sold for a record-breaking $3,207,852 to an unnamed buyer on Sunday.
- 2014 Aug 22
Spider-Woman Art Gives Marvel Pause
A senior Marvel executive has said that "a conversation about how women are depicted in comics is relevant at this point" after the comic-book publisher provoked outrage by revealing an illustration of Spider-Woman drawn by a renowned erotic artist.
- 2014 Jul 15
Details on Archie's Death
The famous freckle-faced comic book icon is meeting his demise in Wednesday's installment of "Life with Archie" when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first openly gay character.
- 2014 May 20
Snowden, Comic Book Hero?
The graphic novel "Beyond: Edward Snowden" will hit shelves later this month, exploring the NSA whistle-blower's motivations for taking part in the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history.
- 2014 Apr 11
Will Amazon Hurt Comic Shops?
What Amazon purchasing Comixology means for your local comic book store.
- 2014 Apr 09
Why Archie's Death Is So Sad
Alyssa Rosenberg reacts to the news that Riverdale's Archie Andrew's is going to die (at least temporarily), at the "Washington Post."
- 2013 Apr 30
Comics Publishers and Blacklisting
The Outhouse, a satirical comics news site known for snark, complains that DC Comics has notified them that the site has been blacklisted and will not be allowed to interview DC Comics' artists.
- 2013 Apr 29
C2E2 in Pictures
The Beat serves up photos from the recent Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) held this past weekend.
- 2013 Apr 27
Live Streaming From C2E2
Many of the panels and presentations at this year’s Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo will be streamed live over the web.
- 2012 Dec 28
Nonfiction Chicken
Cartoonist Paul Karasik captures the details of small scale chicken processing on Martha’s Vineyard.
- 2012 Dec 26
Thinking About Digital Comics
Longtime digital comics developer Ron Perazza and artist Daniel Govar have launched the Comic Book Think Tank to develop new kinds of comics storytelling in digital media.
- 2012 Dec 22
Comixology Submit Goes Live
The digital vendor has launched Comixology Submit, a new digital comics self-publishing service, and posted the first 14 comics to be released through the program.
- 2012 Dec 14
Man Booker Kind of Wants Graphic Novels
While the director of the Man Booker Prize, the prestigious UK book prize, told the Guardian that publishers should consider submitting them, he also makes it clear it’s unlikely that a graphic novel would win.
- 2012 Nov 21
'EW' Calls Lee Most Powerful In Comics
The magazine delivers the title in a profile of Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics and superhero artist.
- 2012 Sep 17
Los Bros Rule at SPX's Ignatz Awards
Love & Rockets’ creators Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez grabbed three awards and Anders Nilsen’s Big Questions won the Outstanding Graphic Novel prize at the Ignatz Awards, presented annually at the Small Press Expo to the best in small press and self-published comics.
- 2012 Sep 10
The 2012 Harvey Awards
Ramon Perez won two Harvey Awards (best original graphic novel and best story) for Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia) and Kate Beaton won three Harveys (best online work, best humor and best cartoonist) for Hark! A Vagrant (D&Q), over the weekend at the The Baltimore Comic-con.
- 2012 Aug 27
Bryan Lee O’Malley Speaks
In an interview conducted by Chris Randle, Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of the bestselling six volume graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim, talks about the Scot Pilgrim books, the 2010 film and Seconds, his new graphic novel slated to be published in 2013.
- 2012 Aug 24
SPX 2012 Programming
The programming slate for SPX, aka The Small Press Expo, held Sept. 15 and 16 in Bethesda Md. and one of the premier festivals for indie and self-published comics publishing, is now online with a stellar lineup on British Comics, Los Bros, Dan Clowes, Chris Ware and more.
- 2012 Aug 23
Japan’s Comiket Convention
Comiket, the biggest convention of self-published manga/comics, aka doujinshi, in the world, attracts more than 550,000 manga fans to the Tokyo Convention Center.
Amanda Emmert Talks Comics Retailing
Amanda Emmert, executive director of ComicsPRO, the comics shop retail association, discusses owning Muse Comics and Games in Colorado Springs, and being a woman in the comics business.
A Comic Book on Consciousness
Wisconsin Public Radio is teaming up with science comics writer Jim Ottaviani and artist Natalie Nourigat on a Kickstarter project to produce a comics series to accompany WPR’s six-part radio series on the Science of Consciousness.
- 2012 Aug 13
Joe Kubert, An Unparalleled Life
The Beat reflects on the life of the late comics artist Joe Kubert, who began working in comics in the 1930s and continued producing inventive, influential comics right up until the day he died.
Joe Kubert, 1926-2012
Tom Spurgeon’s obituary for Joe Kubert, co-creator of iconic comic book soldier Sgt. Rock and one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, died August 11 at hospital in New Jersey. He was 85.
- 2012 Aug 10
MoCCA Moves to Midtown
The Beat interviews Society of Illustrators’ president Anelle Miller about taking over the collection, assets and programming of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.
Jaime Hernandez on NPR
NPR talks to Jaime Hernandez about indie comics, superhero comics and his new work, God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls from Fantagraphics, a typically inventive combination of both.
- 2012 Jul 23
ICv2 Talks to Comic-Con's David Glanzer
Comic-Con's David Glanzer talks with ICv2.com about the recent show and plans for WonderCon and Anaheim Going Forward.
Video: PW's Panel on Comics & Journalism
The Publishers Weekly panel at the San Diego Comic-Con: PW's Calvin Reid moderates Serious Pictures: Comics and Journalism in a New Era with Stan Mack, Susie Cagle, Ted Rall, Ed Piskor and More.
- 2012 Jul 17
MoCCA Closes Space But Plans Revival
New York's Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is closing its space after a decade in SoHo. MoCCA chair Ellen Abramowitz says the museum will return and its programs and the annual MoCCA Art Festival will continue.
Chris Ware's SPX 2012 Poster
Chris Ware, author of the forthcoming Building Stories (Pantheon), has designed a vivid new poster for this year's Small Press Expo 2012.
- 2012 Jun 30
San Diego Comic-Con Programming Is Live
The San Diego Comic-con International has posted its schedule of events for this year’s Wednesday night preview (July 11) as well as programming for Thursday, with the rest of the schedule to be posted shortly.
- 2012 Jun 29
Siblik Leaves Top Cow
Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik says he’s leaving the house for a new job at another comics publisher, to be announced during the San Diego Comic-Con in July. Top Cow social marketing coordinator Jessie Reid will assume Sablik’s marketing duties.
- 2012 Jun 28
Black Comics Characters
Jerry Craft’s Mama's Boyz: The Big Picture and Wilfred Santiago’s 21: The story of Roberto Clemente are among the books on School Library Journal’s list of graphic novels with African American characters.
- 2012 Jun 25
‘Brave' the Interactive Comic
If you loved the new Pixar movie Brave, Disney has just released an interactive comic based on the hit animated film for the iPhone and iPad. $1.99 on iTunes.
Freemium is the Future
How does publishing a free webcomic help professional cartoonists? Emmy award-winning comics artist Dean Haspiel gets thoughtful responses from cartoonists Josh Neufeld, Gabrielle Bell, Jennifer Hayden, Mark Waid and others.
- 2012 May 28
Self-Immolation in Tibet
Cartoon Movement, a global web platform for comics journalism, posts a bracing and innovative web comic by Dan Carino on the rise of self-immolation among Tibetan activists to protest China’s rule.
Making Manga in the U.S.
About.com manga guide Deb Aoki has organized a five-part series that examines the difficulty non-Japanese creators in the U.S. have trying to make a living creating manga.
- 2012 May 27
Tr!ckster Returns to Comic-con
Tr!ckster, the hit comics symposia, bookstore, bar and off-the-convention-floor hangout at last year’s San Diego Comic-con International, will be back this year at a new venue.
- 2012 May 25
'Poorcraft': Comic Book on Money
C. Spike Trotman, creator of the graphic novel series, Templar, Arizona, has just self-published Poorcraft: The Funny Book Fundamentals of Living Well on Less, a Kickstarter project she produced with Diana Nock.
- 2012 Apr 25
Joe Sacco Wins Oregon Book Prize
Comics journalist Joe Sacco’s powerful history of a 1956 massacre in Palestine, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan Books), a 2009 PW Best Book, was awarded the Oregon Book Awards’ biennial Graphic Literature Award.
- 2012 Apr 23
Carla Speed McNeil Wins L.A. Times Prize
Carla Speed McNeil’s Eisner award-winning epic science-fiction graphic novel, Finder: Voice, a PW Best Book, was awarded the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels over the weekend at the L.A. Times Book Festival.
- 2012 Apr 14
‘Big Questions’ Wins Lynd Ward Prize
Anders Nilson’s massive and inventive graphic novel, Big Questions (D&Q), a PW Best Book, has been awarded the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, an annual prize for the “best graphic novel, fiction or nonfiction,” published in the previous calendar year.
- 2012 Apr 13
Superheroes Come to Life
Philly theater group Save the Day Productions’ Super Heroes Who Are Super!, is a word-for-word staged reading of superhero comic books that is both celebration and parody.
- 2012 Apr 05
The 2012 Eisner Award Nominees
Nominations for this year’s Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, the National Book Awards of the comics industry, have been posted. The Eisner Awards are presented each year at a gala ceremony at the San Diego Comic-Con International.
- 2012 Mar 25
Comics History at Columbia University
A photo of the organizers and distinguished subjects of Comic New York, a two day symposium on comics in New York City, at Columbia's Low Library with X-Men writer Chris Claremont pictured.
- 2012 Mar 23
C2E2 is Coming!
Programming has been posted for this year’s Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, April 13-15 at McCormick Place Convention Center.
Glanzer Talks Comic-Con
David Glanzer, Comic-Con International v-p, marketing and public relations, discusses the future of WonderCon and changes at the already soldout 2012 San Diego Comic-Con.
- 2012 Mar 04
2012 Comic-Con Sells Out
Breaking last year’s record of seven hours, the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International—attendance about 130,000—sold out in less than an hour after badges went on sale yesterday.
- 2012 Mar 02
Millar’s CliNT Mag Due May 9
U.K. Comics writer Mark Millar, creator of Kick-Ass and Wanted, is relaunching his slick comics magazine, CLiNT (#2.1), May 9 with a bunch of new stories by him (Supercrooks) and Monty Nero and Mike Dowling’s Death Sentence.
Will Eisner Week
Will Eisner Week, an annual celebration held the week of March 6 to honor the legacy and acclaimed works of comic book icon Will Eisner, is a collaborative project of the Will Eisner Family Foundation, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and a number of comics institutions.
- 2012 Feb 19
The $1M Kickstarter Comic
Rich Burlew, creator of the longrunning Web comic, Order of the Stick, has raised a $1 Million on Kickstarter to fund a reprint program for the seven volume trade paperback series.
- 2012 Feb 08
Then and Now: James Sturm on Jack Kirby
The Comics Reporter blog has posted a 2004 interview with cartoonist James Sturm, challenging him after he published a reimagined version of Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four.
- 2012 Jan 31
Angouleme Prize Winners
Cartoonist Jean-Claude Denis was awarded the Grand Prix—the festival’s lifetime achievement award—at this year’s Angouleme Festival, France’s gigantic festival honoring comics. North Americans honored at the festival include Art Speigelman, Frank Woodring and Guy Delisle.
- 2012 Jan 27
How to Save Manga Publishing
Although U.S. manga sales have dropped nearly 50% since 2007, manga expert Jason Thompson says the category is still popular—kids today just read it for free on pirate websites. Thompson takes a look at manga and offers some history and some hope for the category going forward.
- 2012 Jan 16
Comics People of The Year Awards
This year The Beat’s 2011 Comics Industry People of The Year Awards went to, among others, Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), DC Comics relaunch duo of Dan Didio and Jim Lee, and the late Sparkplug publisher Dylan Williams.
- 2012 Jan 13
DC's New, New 52
DC Comics has cancelled six series from the New 52, the much ballyhooed relaunch of its superhero universe, and replaced them with 6 new series, including Batman Inc. by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham.
- 2012 Jan 05
Self-Publish or Perish?
Cartoonist Dean Haspiel says today the imperative “Publish or Perish,” is directed beyond academia to cartoonists and creators of all kinds.
- 2012 Jan 02
The Golden Age of Graphic Novels Is Now
The Daily Beast/Newsweek surveys the explosion of creative vision and acclaimed new works in the graphic novel category 25 years after the publication of Art Spiegelman’s singular comics work, Maus..
- 2011 Dec 29
L.A.’s Golden Apple Is For Sale
L.A.’s iconic comic book shop The Golden Apple is for sale and can be purchased for $679,000 on eBay. One of the most famous comics shops in the world, The Golden Apple has been run by the family of the founder Bill Liebowitz since his death in 2004.
- 2011 Dec 28
Amazon’s Top Selling Digital Comic
The week after a record number of tablet e-readers were sold, the top selling digital comic on Amazon.com is How to be a Super Villain, a self-published kids’ comic in the manga style by Rachel Yu, a 15-year old author who has self-published 9 titles. Publishers take note.
- 2011 Dec 27
Is DC Planning ‘Watchmen’ Sequel?
Heresy? Rumors of a possible sequel to Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s superhero epic, continue to mount after a series of character designs by Joe and Andy Kubert for the rumored mini-series show up on Bleeding Cool. Alan Moore is not amused.
- 2011 Dec 22
Tintin: What You Need to Know
Before Tintin was a Steven Spielberg movie, it was one of the most popular boys comics adventure series ever.
- 2011 Dec 16
New Chairman at Wizard World
Wizard World, the longtime comics news, entertainment and convention business, has new charman after former CEO Gareb Shamus was removed by the Wizard World Board. The new executive chairman is Mike Matthews, who outlined a new post-Shamus path for company in an interview with The Beat.
- 2011 Dec 14
Graphic Novels on Oprah.com
It had to happen eventually. Oprah.com has compiled a list of graphic novels, “11 Books You Never Thought You’d Read (But Will Fall in Love With Instantly).” The list includes Anders Nilsen’s Big Questions (D&Q), Jim Ottaviani and Leland Merick’s Feynman (First Second) and Lynda Barry’s What It Is (D&Q).
- 2011 Dec 06
Moore vs. Miller
In this interview Watchmen author Alan Moore has a few choice words for Sin City creator Frank Miller in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Miller called the protesters, “nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob.”
- 2011 Dec 02
Judges for 2012 Eisner Awards
Judges for the 2012 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, the National Book Awards of the comics industry, have been chosen and they include PW Comics World writer Brigid Alverson.
- 2011 Nov 28
What’s Up at Marvel?
DC Comics has dominated the superhero headlines since the launch of the New 52 in September, now CBR’s Kiel Phegley takes a look at Marvel Comics—-including a recent spate of layoffs and the cancellations of some monthly titles.
- 2011 Nov 17
Gen Manga on Graphicly
Gen, a montHly manga anthology specializing in “indie manga from the Tokyo Underground,” is now available for digital download through Graphicly. In November Gen Manga Entertainment is releasing Gen 1 featuring 900 pages of content for $2.99.
Free DMP App for the iPad
Digital Manga Publishing has released a free app for the iPad and Android devices, offering access to its main list and to the Yaoi imprints, Juné and 801 Media. E-manga prices range from $8.99 to $12.99.
DC Releases ‘Perdition’ Sequel
DC’s Vertigo imprint has published Return to Perdition, a sequel to comics writer and novelist Max Allan Collins’ 1998 graphic novel Road to Perdition, which was made into the 2002 film starring Tom Hanks.
- 2011 Nov 13
Super Battle: DC vs. Siegel Estate
Over at The Beat, Jeff Trexler has witten an incisive legal overview of the ongoing copyright battle between DC Comics and the Siegel family, the estate of the Superman cocreator, examining DC’s legal strategy as well as related copyright issues in the recent relaunch of Action Comics, the comic book that launched Siegel & Shuster’s iconic Superman character in 1938.
- 2011 Nov 09
IDW Graphic Novels on the Kobo Vox
IDW is releasing about twenty full length graphic novels on the Kobo Vox, the e-book retailer’s new Android OS Tablet e-reader, including Darwyn Cooke’s Parker comics adaptations, Berkely Breathed’s Bloom County, Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn and James Patterson’s Witch and Wizard adaptations.
- 2011 Nov 04
Marvel Comics To Go ‘Day and Date’
Tech site Gizmodo says Marvel Comics is going “day and date,” and will begin releasing all its comics in print and digital on the same day. The switch will be staggered and should be complete by the end of March 2012.
- 2011 Nov 02
Darwyn Cooke on Adapting ‘Parker’
Cartoonist Darwyn Cooke answered questions about his graphic adaptation of novelist Donald Westlake’s iconic crime series, Parker, at the Long Beach Comic Con.
