Author Archives: Comics Forum

Americas

United States

Culture

New Yorker cartoonist, Roz Chast, won the National Book Critics Circle autobiography prize for Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?. Link (12/03/2015, English, WG)

Education

The Smithsonian and Stan Lee have teamed up to offer a free online course, The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture, which begins in May. Link (English, WG)

Obituary

Golden Age comics artist, Irwin Hasen, has passed away at the age of 96. Link (16/03/2015, English, WG)

Harold “Fred” Fredericks, who drew Mandrake the Magician from 1965 until 2013 also passed away. Link (13/03/2015, English, WG)

Research

Details for the conference, Frames: Jewish Culture and the Comic Book, which takes place at Princeton University between the 9th and 10th April, can be found through the link. Link (English, WG)

Moving Panels:Translating Comics to Film, by Logan Ludwig, has now been published through Sequart. Link (English, WG)

The Future of Comics, the Future of Men: Matt Fraction’s Casanova, by Geoff Klock, has been published through Sequart. Link (English, WG)

Asia

Japan

Culture

From the 25th April until the 5th July, Kyoto International Manga Museum is holding the exhibition “Liánhuánhuà: China’s Unknown Manga?” There will be a gallery talk on the 25th April, and a related academic symposium (The Many Faces of Liánhuánhuà: Exploring common ground with other genres) on the 30th May. Link (English, JBS)

The Kita Kyushu Manga Museum, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the series “Cooking Papa” by Ueyama Tochi, is holding a special exhibition, “Cooking Papa and friends from Kyushu/Fukuoka”, from the 30th May until the 7th July. Link (Japanese, JBS)

On the 16th April, a public symposium with manga artist and “infamous” vagina artist Rokudenashiko (Megumi Igarashi) with as a theme “What is obscenity?” will be held at the Japan Education Center (Tokyo, Chiyoda ward). Link (27/03/2015, Japanese, JBS)

Obituary

Manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi has passed away. Link (English, WG)

Europe

Austria

Culture

Another television film on Nicolas Mahler was shown on the 15th March. Link (German, MdlI)

France

Culture

André Franquin’s long-running series Gaston Lagaffe is to be adapted for cinema by French distributor UGC. Link (18/03/2015, French, LTa)

Ninety-nine early Bécassine strips, which originally appeared from 1905-1914, are to be republished for the first time by Gautier-Languereau. Link (24/03/2015, French, LTa)

The title and release date of the next Astérix album have been announced. The book, written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad, will be entitled Le Papyrus de Caesar and released on the 22nd October. Link (31/03/2015, French, LTa)

Germany

Business

Manga sales in German-speaking countries have increased by 15% from last year, reports GfK Entertainment. Link (05/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Comic sales in general have increased in Germany, resulting in a turnover of € 255 million in 2014, according to buchreport. Link (10/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Publisher Lappan was acquired by Carlsen. Link (30/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Culture

This year’s Preis der Literaturhäuser award goes to Nicolas Mahler. Link (German, MdlI)

The 2nd Düsseldorfer Comic und Manga Convention took place on the 29th March; guests included Anne Delseit and Ulf K. Link (01/03/2015, German, MdlI)

An exhibition on The Beatles in comics is going to be shown in Munich from the 7th May until the 9th July. Link (02/03/2015, German, MdlI)

A Nick Knatterton exhibition is shown in Saarlouis until the 10th May and in Bamberg from the 23rd May. Link (09/03/2015, German, MdlI)

The award, Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis, now accepts comics as nominations in its literature category. Link (12/03/2015, German, MdlI)

After Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung dropped all its comic strips, it now runs Volker Reiche’s Strizz again. Link (16/03/2015, German, MdlI)

The exhibition on Western comics, Going West!, is shown in Troisdorf until the 26th April; an interview with its curator Alexander Braun has been published. Link (17/03/2015, German, MdlI)

A Ralf König exhibition is being shown in Kassel until the 17th May. Link (19/03/2015, German, MdlI)

The annual meeting of the Deutsche Organisation der nichtkommerziellen Anhänger des lauteren Donaldismus (D.O.N.A.L.D.) took place in Schwerin on the 21st March. Link (22/03/2015, German, MdlI)

An exhibition of Belgian independent comics is shown in Rostock until the 19th April. Link (30/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Law & Politics

The student who destroyed items of a comics exhibition in Duisburg in 2013 was sentenced to a fine. Link (24/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Research

This year’s conference of the German Society for Comics Studies (ComFor) is going to take place in Frankfurt from the 4th until the 6th September. The conference theme is history in/of comics; the deadline for submissions is the 15th May. Link (05/03/2015, German, MdlI)

A PDF documenting the event “Webcomics im Focus” at last year’s Comicsalon Erlangen has been published. Link (12/03/2015, German, MdlI)

An encyclopedia of piccolo comic books is going to be published in June. Link (27/03/2015, German, MdlI)

Graphisches Erzählen. Neue Perspektiven auf Literaturcomics, a collected volume on “literature comics”, has been published. Link (German, MdlI)

Portugal

Culture

Penin Loureiro is organising a comics course in Bordalo Pinheiro Museum in Lisbon. The course is divided into two modules, with 4 sessions each. The course begins on 11th April and ends on the 30th May, and is taught by various comic authors and artists. Link (28/03/2015, Portuguese, RR)

The Galeria da Real Fábrica de Panos in Covilhã is hosting an exhibition of comics panels by the author Pedro Emanuel, about “O Magriço”, the legendary knight of Penedono. The exhibition, organised by the Department of Architecture of the University of Beira Interior. It can be visited until 24th May, from Tuesdays until Sundays, from 9.30am until 12.00pm, and from 14.30pm until 18.00pm, and entrance is free. Link (18/03/2015, Portuguese, RR)

The IPDJ in Viseu is hosting an exhibition dedicated to Spider-Man. The exhibition titled, “50 anos do Homem-Aranha” (50 Years of Spider-Man), can be visited until the 6th April, and admission is free. LInk (20/03/2015, Portuguese, RR)

From the 9th April until the 24th April, the Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Sociais de Leiria (in Leiria) will host an exhibition dedicated to the centenary of Jijé, with free entry to the exhibition. Link (Portuguese, RR)

Spain

Culture

The 33rd edition of the Barcelona International Comic Fair will be celebrated from the 16th to the 19th April. Link (03/03/2015, English, EdRC)

An exhibition celebrating the 50th of Quino’s character, Mafalda, can be visited in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) from the 17th March to the 31st May. Link (15/03/2015, English, EdRC)

A film adapation of Vázquez’s classic, Anacleto: Agente secreto, will be released in September. A trailer is already available. Link (18/02/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Bernard Willem Holtrop has won the International Humour Award Gat Perich. Link (30/03/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

UK

Culture

Details of Dee-Con 2015, which takes place at the University of Dundee on the 4th April, can be found through the link. Link (English, WG)

Research

The British Consortium of Comics Scholars (BCCS) has organised the BCCS Day with a Comics Tea Party, a symposium which will take place in Brighton on the 30th May. Link (English, WG)

Oceania

Australia

Culture

A launch party was held at Silent Army, in Melbourne on the 27th March for the release of #Takedown by David Blumenstein, Guzumo by Matt Emery, Drawn Onward by Matt Madden, Mowgli’s Mirror by Olivier Schrauwen, and Blammo 8 1/2 by Noah Van Sciver. Link (English, ALM)

Research

The programme for the Inkers and Thinkers Symposium, to be held 15th-16th May, was released on March 21st. Link (21/03/2015, English, ALM)

*                    *                    *

  News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk) Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan),  Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Austria & Germany), Amy Louise Maynard (ALM, Australia), Renatta Rafaella (RR, Portugal),  Lise Tannahill (LTa, France). Click here for News Review correspondent biographies. Click here to see the News Review archive. Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.

Americas

United States

Culture

The New-York Historical Society has awarded its annual American History Book Prize to Jill Lepore’s  The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Link (17/02/2015, English, WG)

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum will celebrate women’s history month and their international holdings with the opening of World of Shojo Manga! Mirrors of Girls’ Desires. The exhibition takes place between the 28th March and the 5th July. Link (English, WG)

Research

The MLA Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives has published a call for papers for three panels at next year’s MLA Convention in Austin, Texas (7th to the 10th January 2016). The panels are Satire and the Editorial Cartoon, Latina/o Comics, and Charlie Hebdo and its Publics. Link (14/02/2015, English, WG)

Scholars Kathryn La Barre, Carol Tilley, and John Walsh are collaborating on a digital archive analysing comics readership from 1961-1973. Link (03/02/2015, English, WG)

Asia

Japan

Culture

Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Library is showing the exhibition “Mihara Jun, Revival Festival” between the 8th February and the 31st May. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Education

The works of students graduating from Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Manga and Graduate School of Manga will be exhibited at the Kyoto International Manga Museum during Anime Week (18th to the 22nd February). During this period, access to the museum is free. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Europe

Austria

Culture

Nextcomic Festival is going to take place in Linz from the 19th until the 27th March; guests include Anke Feuchtenberger and Nicolas Mahler. Link (19/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Belgium

Obituary

Belgian artist Géri, known for his work on Tintin magazine, has died aged 80. Link 1 (05/02/2015, French, LTa), Link 2 (05/02/2015, French, LTa)

France

Culture

Joann Sfar, creator of The Rabbi’s Cat, has began publishing columns and illustrations in the French edition of the Huffington Post. Link 1 (05/02/2015, French, LTa), Link 2 (05/02/2015, French, LTa)

Obituary

Jacques Kamb, cartoonist for the newspaper L’Humanité and bande dessinée artist for Pif Gadget, has died at 81. Link (06/02/2015, French, LTa)

Germany

Culture

Scott McCloud is going to present his latest comic, The Sculptor, in Berlin and Leipzig from the 11th-13th March. Link (05/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Guests at Leipzig Book Fair and the simultaneous comic festival, The Millionaires Club, from the 12th until the 15th March, include Achdé, Judith Park, and Sascha Hommer. Link (12/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Comicfestival München is going to take place from the 4th until the 7th June 2015. Guest country is the UK; guest artists include Frank Quitely, Don Rosa, and Bryan Talbot. Link (19/02/2015, German, MdlI)

An exhibition on Atze and Mosaik is shown in Leipzig from the 24th February until the 18th March. Link (23/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Brigitte Helbling and Sarah Burrini are going to talk about contemporary comics and their production in Stuttgart on the 14th April. Link (26/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Research

There is a Call for Papers for the second issue of Closure. Kieler e-Journal für Comicforschung; the deadline is the 11th March. Link (08/02/2015, German, MdlI)

Greece

Culture

The Athens Comics Library, the first comics library in Athens Greece, is now open. Link (15/02/2015, Greek, LTs)

Hungary

Culture

The Hungarian comic artist and designer Zorro the Bianco’s exhibition, Are You In Our Story?, was opened as part of the LGBT History Month on the 18th February at Roham Bár, Budapest. Zorro’s work was featured in the 2014 campaign film of the LGBT History Month. Link 1 (Hungarian, ES), Link 2 (Hungarian, ES)

Netherlands

Research

The inaugural Amsterdam Comics international conference, Comics Interaction, will take place between the 1st and 3rd July in Amsterdam. Abstracts are due by the 17th April. Link (English, WG)

Portugal

Culture

On the 19th February the Latvian magazine S! published an issue inspired by the book Livro do Desassossego by Fernando Pessoa. The issue includes some comic works from 17 portuguese authors and an introduction by Marcos Farrajota. Link (26/02/2015, English, RR)

Spain

Culture

The winners of the 2015 prizes of the AACE (Asociación de autores de comic de España -Spanish Comics Authors Association) have been announced. Link (11/02/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The third edition of KBOOM!, an event about comics and self-publishing, will take place in Espai Jove La Fontana (Barcelona) on the 14th and 15th March. Link (24/02/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The IVAM (Institut Valencià d’Art Modern -The Valencian Institute of Modern Art) is hosting an exhibition by Francesc Ruiz about Valencian comics, from the 19th February until the 30th August. The Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia will also celebrate a seminar parallel to the exhibition from the 4th to the 6th March. Link (22/02/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

A crowfunding project is looking for contributions to produce a documentary about the comics industry in Spain. Link (20/02/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Sweden

Research

There is a call for papers for a conference regarding the Future in Comics. The event will take place in Stockholm between the 3rd and 5th September, and abstracts are due by the 15th April. Link (English, WG)

*                    *                    *

  News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk)

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan),  Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Austria & Germany), Renatta Rafaella (RR, Portugal), Eszter Szép (ES, Hungary), Lise Tannahill (LTa, Belgium & France), Lida Tsene (LTs, Greece).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

Click here to see the News Review archive.

Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.

Americas

Canada

Research

Twelve-Cent Archie, by Bart Beaty, has now been published through Rutgers University Press. Link (English, WG)

United States

Business

DC and Marvel top the charts for the Top 100 Comics for the month of December based on total unit sales invoiced for the month. Batman #37 finished first for DC, and was followed by Amazing Spider-Man #11 and Shield #1 in second and third respectively. Link (English, MB)

Image’s Saga Volume 4 hit number 1 for the Top 100 Graphic Novels for December, with Marvels’ Captain America Peggy Carter Agent of Shield #1 in second, and Just the Tips from Image taking the third spot. Link (English, MB)

Diamond Comics reported the Top 100 Comics for 2014 and Marvel almost completely shut out the top ten slots. The top three spots went to Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel), Walking Dead #132 (Image), and Rocket Raccoon #1 (Marvel). Link (English, MB)

All four volumes of Saga placed in the top ten slots for the Top 100 Graphic Novels for 2014. Saga Volume 3 (Image), Saga Volume 1 (Image), and Walking Dead Volume 20: All Out War Part 1 (Image) took first through third respectively. Link (English, MB)

Diamond Comics provided a year-end reporting of unit and dollar shares and top comic book publishers by retail market and unit market share. Link (English, MB)

Research

Central Michigan University’s Third Annual ComiConference will be  held on the 3rd March. Link (English, WG)

The Journal of Comics and Culture, a new peer-reviewed academic journal to be published by Pace University Press, has announced its first call for papers. Abstracts of 500 words are due by the 15th February. Link (06/01/2015, English, WG)

The new issue of the International Journal of Comic Art (vol.16, no.2) is now shipping. Link (05/01/2015, English, WG)

The Comics Arts Conference is now accepting proposals for its 2015 meeting at Comic-Con, taking place between the 9th and 12th July. Submissions are due by the 1st March. Link (English, WG)

There is a call for papers for the conference, Comics in Medicine & Teaching: Rethinking Comics as a Therapeutic and Educational Tool. The event will take place at the University of Nebraska between the 9th and 10th April, and proposals are due by the 23rd February. Link (26/01/2015, English, WG)

Asian Comics, by John A. Lent, has now been published through the University Press of Mississippi. Link (English, WG)

A second edition of The Power of Comics, authored by Randy Duncan, Matthew J. Smith and Paul Levitz, has been published by Bloomsbury. Link (English, WG)

Asia

Japan

Business

The (domestic) market for Japanese manga boomed to about 28.13 billion Japanese yen in 2014, over a quarter of the total book market. Link (23/01/2015, Japanese, JBS)

Culture

Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Library is showing the exhibition “Mihara Jun, Revival Festival” from February until the 31st May. Link (Japanese, JBS)

The Exhibition “Black Jack Stories; Doctors’ Choice”, show medical professionals’ perspectives on Tezuka Osamu’s classic Black Jack, at Kyoto International Manga Museum from the 28th February until the 10th May. Link (English, JBS)

Education

The work of students graduating from Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Manga and Graduate School of Manga will be exhibited at the Kyoto International Manga Museum during Anime Week (between the 18th and 22nd February). During this period, access to the museum is free. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Law & Politics

A manga published on the website of Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry caused commotion on social media by suggesting that the solution to the aging population crisis that the country faces is for young people to get married and have more children. Link (20/01/2015, Japanese, JBS)

Europe

France

Business

Bande dessinées from publishers Flammarion, Gallimard and Les Humanoïdes Associés are now available on digital comics platform ComiXology. Link (29/01/2015, French, LTa)

Culture

There is no date set for the publication of the next issue of Charlie Hebdo. Link (31/01/2015, French, LTa)

The release date of the next Asterix album has been announced at Angoulême: it will be released on the 22nd October. Link (30/01/2015, French, LTa)

Akira author Katsuhiro Otomo has been awarded this year’s Grand Prix at Angoulême. Link (29/01/2015, English, LTa)

Germany

Culture

This year, the Christoph Martin Wieland translator award will be given to a comics translator for the first time. Link (08/01/2015, German, MdlI)

The festival, Comicinvasion Berlin, is going to take place on the 18th and 19th April; sponsors are sought for a new artists’ award. Link (19/01/2015, German, MdlI)

An exhibition of emerging comic artists is going to be shown in Mannheim from the 7th February until the 8th March. Link (29/01/2015, German, MdlI)

Research

The Winter School Mediality and Multimodality across Media, which took place in Tübingen from the 28th until the 30th January, included several presentations on comics. Link (15/01/2015, English, MdlI)

A call for papers for a workshop on Mediality and Materiality in Contemporary Comics, which is going to take place in Tübingen from the 24th until the 26th April, has been published. The deadline for submissions is the 15th March. Link (16/01/2015, English, MdlI)

Alev Gönc gave a lecture on WWI and WWII in comics at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg on the 29th January. Link (26/01/2015, German, MdlI)

Portugal

Culture

The municipality of Odemira is organising the 9th edition of BDTECA, that consists of a series of activities related to comics. These include exhibitions, fairs and a contest. The event began on the 12th January with the launch of the annual comics contest, and will end in March. Link (02/01/2015, Portuguese, RR)

The Bookstore Europa-América in Lisbon is hosting an exhibition by the Portuguese comic author Fernando Relvas. The exhibition can be visited until the 6th February and visitors to the exhibition can buy some original comic panels from the author. Link (21/01/2015, Portuguese, RR)

Spain

Business

The publishing house Caramba!, which specialises in humour comics, will now continue working under the publishing house Astiberri. Link (16/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The web Mangaland has published figures about manga sales in Spain. Link (11/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The web Guía del comic has published figures about comic sales in Spain. Link (21/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The website, Whakoom, has published a report about the state and future of digital comics. Link (19/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Culture

Paco Roca, Miguel Gallardo, Zinni Quiros and Ángels Gónzalez Sinde discussed the Oxfam project, Viñetas de Vida: dibujantes on tour, which sent some comic artists to international development projects to later portray their experiences in the form of a comic. Link (14/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

The Spanish satirical on-line magazine Orgullo y Satisfacción has published a free special issue after the Charlie Hebdo killings. Link (09/01/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Switzerland

Culture

The 25th Fumetto festival in Lucerne will take place from the 7th until the 15th March. Link (12/01/2015, German, MdlI)

UK

Culture

On the 7th March 2015 the University of Dundee is hosting the event, Comics, So What?, which seeks to engage the public in the appreciation of comics and graphic novels, and to draw attention to Comics Studies in the UK. Link (English, WG)

Education

The Centre for Language and Communication Research (CLCR) at Cardiff University is seeking applications for one Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) three-year PhD studentship to commence on the 1st October 2015. Although the list of areas covered does not specifically mention comics and graphic novels, Down The Tubes report that the CLCR welcomes applications in this area. Applications are due by the 9th March. Link (24/01/2015, English, WG)

Research

The latest issue of European Comic Art (vol.7, no.2) has now been published. Link (English, WG)

Oceania

Australia

Culture

Melbourne comics creator Katie Parrish has been made the art director of literary journal The Lifted Brow. Link (English, ALM)

The Ledger Awards are accepting nominations for the 2015 ballot. The Ledger Awards will also be compiling “The Ledger Annual”, an anthology that celebrates the best novice comics creators in Australia. Link (English, ALM)

Applications have now opened for residencies at the Comic Art Workshop, which will be in Maria Island, Tasmania, from the 1st to the 14th of November. The workshop directors are Pat Grant and Dr Elizabeth MacFarlane, with Leela Corman and Tom Hart leading the classes. Link (English, ALM)

*                    *                    *

 

News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk)

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany & Switzerland), Amy Louise Maynard (ALM, Australia), Renatta Rafaella (RR, Portugal), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

Click here to see the News Review archive.

Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.

Africa

South Africa

Culture

Pop the Culture’s Kunjanimation Expo took place in Cape Town in November. It is a new initiative that looks at doing workshops and events to improve storytelling in comics, cartooning and animation. Link 1 (English, MR), Link 2 (English, MR)

Bliksem! South African Comic Art Exhibition is running until the 24th January. Link 1 (English, MR), Link 2 (Afrikaans, MR)

Americas

United States

Business

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man #9 and All New Captain America #1 took the top two spots for Diamond Comics Top 100 Comic Books for the month of November. Rounding out in the third spot was DC’s Batman #36. Link (English, MB)

The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning (Image) was the highest selling graphic novel for the month of November, according to Diamond Comics. Teen Titans Earth One Volume 1 (DC) and Saga Deluxe Edition Volume 1 hardcover (Image) were second and third respectively. Link (English, MB)

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) occurs annually on the first Saturday of May with comic book shops participating worldwide. A list of the 50 free comic book titles to be offered in 2015 has been released online and in the January issue of Diamond’s Previews. Link (English, MB)

Research

The 39th German Studies Association annual conference will be held in Washington, D.C. between the 1st and 4th October 2015 and will include the panel series, The German Graphic Novel, focusing on history, adaptations and pedagogy. Proposals are due by the 16th February 2015 and presenters must be members of the association. Link (English, MB)

Contributors are being sought for the Encyclopedia of World Comics: Manga, Anime, Tintin and More Comics From Around the Globe, a comprehensive A-Z of entries (500-1,000 words) and essays (1,500-2,500 words). The first wave of entries are due by the 1st March 2015, with full details and email address found through the link. Link (20/12/2014, English, MB)

Noah Berlastsky, editor of the blog The Hooded Utilitarian and author of several books, has penned Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948, a new publication from Rutgers University Press. Berlastsky’s book analyses the comics for themes that include lesbianism, cross-dressing, rape, and incest. Link (English, MB)

Exploring the comics of the 1940s and 1950s, Michael Barrier’s Funnybooks: The Improbably Glories of the Best American Comic Books focuses specifically on children’s comics published through Dell Comics. In particular, Barrier’s historical narrative tours titles such as Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Little Lulu, and Pogo from the likes of Carl Barks, John Stanley and Walt Kelly. Link (English, MB)

The annual edition of Mechademia 9 Origins, edited by Frenchy Lunning, turns the table around and utilises manga, anime and other texts in which to analyse and challenge the concept of “Japan” as a product rather than the producer. Link (English, MB)

There is a call for papers for the 6th International Conference Comics and Medicine, which takes place between the 16th and 18th July 2015 at the University of California, Riverside. The conference theme is “Spaces of Care”, and proposals are due by the 30th January. Link (English, WG)

A new critical anthology, The American Comic Book, has been published through Grey House Publishing and Salem Press. Link (English, WG)

Insider Histories of Cartooning: Rediscovering Forgotten Famous Comics and Their Creators, by Robert C. Harvey, has been published through the University Press of Mississippi. Link (English, WG)

Europe

France

Business

The annual report of the ACBD (Association des critiques de bandes dessinées) has been published for 2014. The report looks back on the state of the bande dessinée publishing industry over the previous year: notably, 2014 saw more titles published than in 2013, but smaller print runs. Link 1 (29/12/2014, French, LTa), Link 2 (French, LTa)

Germany

Culture

A Batman exhibition is shown in Cologne until the 5th February 2015. Link (01/12/2014, German, MdlI)

An exhibition on war illustration, including comics, is shown in Albstadt until the 19th April 2015. Link (11/12/2014, German, MdlI)

Tagesspiegel names its top 10 comics of the year; Irmina by Barbara Yelin takes the top spot. Link (11/12/2014, German, MdlI)

The comics festival, “Neue Wege”, takes place in Kassel from the 14th until the 18th January 2015. Link (15/12/2014, German, MdlI)

An exhibition of comics from the magazine, Le Monde diplomatique, is shown in Berlin from the 9th until the 31st January 2015. Link (22/12/2014, German, MdlI)

Education

A seminar for librarians on reading promotion through comics is given in Hildesheim, Nordenham, and Lüneburg on the 5th, 6th, and 7th May 2015, respectively. Link (German, MdlI)

Obituary

Marie Marcks died. Link (08/12/2014, German, MdlI)

Research

The 10th Comic Kolloquium took place in Hamburg on the 11th December. Link (08/12/2014, German, MdlI)

Paul Gravett’s opening speech at the exhibition, Art-Comics: Artists’ Lives As Graphic Novels, in Ludwigsburg in November is available in English on his website. Link (10/12/2014, English, MdlI)

Hungary

Culture

Hungarocomix 2014, a one-day festival of Hungarian comics and their creators took place with great success on the 6th December in Budapest. Link (Hungarian, ES)

The first crowd funded comics project in Hungary entitled “Nyugat+Zombik” is about to start in January 2015. The one-month Indiegogo campaign aimed at collecting the one-year income of the creator, Olivér Csepella, but it closed on the 7th December with 232% of the desired support. The greatly anticipated graphic story features canonical Hungarian poets from the beginning of the 20th century fighting an invasion of brainless and aggressive ex-readers. Link (English, ES)

Italy

Research

There is a call for papers for the panel, The Sequential Art: Comics as a Cultural Nexus. It is attached to The Third Global Forum of Critical Studies: Asking Big Questions Again, organised by Euroacademia and taking place in Florence between the 6th and 7th February. Details can be found through the link. Link (English, WG)

Norway

Research

There is a call for papers for the NNCORE 2015 International Conference in Comics Studies, which will take place at the University of Oslo, between the 11th and 12th June. The conference theme is “War and Conflict in Sequential Art”, and proposals are due by the 15th February. Link (English, WG)

Spain

Culture

The exhibition, Mujeres de tinta. Antología de autoras de comic (1926-2014), which explores the work of Spanish women comic artists, was shown at the Pabellón de Cristal de Casa de Campo (Madrid) between the 12th and 14th December 2014. There was also a cycle of conferences on the topic at Museo ABC (Madrid) as part of the comics festival Expocomic. Link (09/12/2014, Spanish, EdRC)

Moi, assassin, the new work by Antonio Altarriba (El arte de volar) and Keko, has been awarded the Grand Prix de la Critique ACBD 2015. Link (07/12/2014, French, EdRC)

The exhibition, Gastronomía y tebeos, dealing with the presence of food in comics (mostly Spanish), is being shown at the Palacio de Villauso (Vitoria) from the 4th December 2014 until the 17th January 2015. Link (04/12/2014, Spanish, EdRC)

The exhibition, Mafalda 50 años, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Quino’s famous character, is being shown at La Térmica (Málaga) from the 11th December 2014 until the 15th February 2015. Link (01/12/2014, Spanish, EdRC)

Obituary

The illustrator and political cartoonist Máximo died on the 28th December. Link (29/12/2014, Spanish, EdRC)

UK

Research

Scholars Carolene Ayaka and Ian Hague have edited a collection of essays,Representing Multiculturalism in Comics and Graphic Novels, which delve into the representations of multiculturalism in the medium of comics. The collection is part of the Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies series. Link (English, MB)

The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship has published an open call for contributions to the journal. Link (English, WG)

Oceania

Australia

Culture

There was a lot of activity at Squishface Studio in Melbourne this December, with the art exhibition Yeeha! on the 1st, the Squishface Coaster show on the 7th, and the launch of Tim Molloy’s latest graphic novel Mr Unpronounceable and the Sect of the Bleeding Eye on the 13th. Grants are also available to cover printing costs for the Homecooked Comics Festival next year. More information can be found through the link. Link (English, ALM)

Pikitia Press have begun their annual ‘Year in Review’ interview series, with Matt Emery interviewing comics creators from Australia and New Zealand (scroll down). Link (English, ALM)

Alisha Jade has started a comprehensive directory of women making comics in Australia. Link (English, ALM)

Research

The ebook of Daniel Best’s study, Newton Comics – The Rise and Fall, is now available. Link (English, ALM)

*                    *                    *

 

News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk)

Correspondents: Michele Brittany (MB, North America & UK), Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Amy Louise Maynard (ALM, Australia), Moray Rhoda (MR, South Africa), Eszter Szép (ES, Hungary), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

Click here to see the News Review archive.

Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.