Category Archives: News Review

Africa

South Africa

Culture

Moray Rhoda and Neville Howard, behind the comics anthology Velocity, were invited to present a panel on African and Australian comics at the San Diego Comic-Con on the 18th July. It was a historical first, as no South Africans have ever presented a panel talk at the San Diego Comic-Con. Link 1 (18/06/2013, English, MR), Link 2 (English, MR)

Americas

Canada

Business

With developer David Mirvish’s sale of “Honest Ed’s” (which features strongly in Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim), Toronto comics shop “The Beguiling” may also be affected. Link (English, PW)

Culture

Vancouver Comics Arts Festival is set to go for the third year in a row on the 24th and 25th May 2014. Link (English, PW)

The Joe Shuster awards for Canadian cartooning will take place on the 24th August. Link (English, PW)

Research

After the success of the Comics and the Multimodal World conference this year, Graphixia will run another conference at Douglas College next year, possibly in May or June. (PW)

Comics and the Multimodal World presenter, Susan Kirtley, won an Eisner for best educational/ academic book. Bart Beaty, one of the keynote speakers was also nominated for the same award. Link (English, PW)

United States 

Business

Diamond News reports on their top 100 comics based on total unit sales of products invoiced for June 2013. Leading the way was the new Scott Snyder/Jim Lee book Superman Unchained from DC Comics. Link (05/07/2013, English, MB & EG)

Diamond News reports on their top 100 graphic novels based on total unit sales of products invoiced for June 2013, with the latest Walking Dead volume at the head. Link (05/07/2013, English, MB) 

Online merchant Amazon has launched its own graphic novel imprint, Jet City Comics, which promises to have books by the likes of George R.R. Martin and Neal Stephenson available by the end of the year. Link (09/07/2013, English, EG)  

Marvel Comics has launched the Marvel: Share Your Universe campaign, which is meant to provide an easy way to bring younger readers and viewers to the fictional world of the popular publisher. Link (09/07/2013, English, EG) 

Based on the success of last year’s Infinite Comics, Marvel has launched their first few weekly all-digital series starring heroes Wolverine and Iron Man. Link (09/07/2013, English, EG)

Culture

The San Diego Comic-Con was held in the middle of July, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) posted an article covering their “Draw Your Favorite Character from a Banned Book” panel. The panel included Jeffrey Brown, Chris Burnham, Terry Moore, Tim Seeley, Jeff Smith and Eric Powell. Link includes several photographs from the event. Link (26/07/2013, English, MB)

 Education

History of Comics Online Class is a 14 week online course on comics being offered by the Sequential Artists Workshop. The course begins on the 27th August. Link (English, WG)

Jobs

Independent comic book and graphic novel publisher Fantagraphics, based in Seattle, Washington, is currently looking for individuals with an interest in learning more about the business from an editorial position. The deadline for consideration is the 15th October. Link (English, MB) 

Law & Politics

Graphics designer and author of Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe, Tim Leong, has created a new infographic that traces the main themes that libraries have cited in order to challenge and ban certain comics such as Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Maus, Sandman, and others. Link (16/07/2013, English, MB) 

Research

A call for papers has been posted for an essay collection entitled “Comic Continuations and Adaptations.” Editors are seeking papers that explore adaptations and continuations of comic books and graphic novels into other media, especially television, film, and the novel. Abstracts are due by the 1st September. Link (11/07/2013, English, MB)

There is a call for papers for a special issue of Studies in American Humor set for autumn 2014 entitled “MAD Magazine and Its Legacies.” Queries and abstracts are due by the 1st October. Link (29/07/2013, English, MB & EG)

The Southwest Popular/American Culture Association has posted a call for papers for their upcoming 35th annual conference that takes place between the 19th and 22nd February 2014, in Albuquerque. Of interest is the Graphic Novels, Comics, and Popular Culture panel hosted by Robert G. Weiner. The deadline for abstract submission is the 1st November. Link (15/07/2013, English, MB) 

“The Comics of Hergé” is a proposed volume in a new book series, Critical Approaches to Comics Artists (University Press of Mississippi), edited by Joe Sutliff Sanders. Those interested in contributing to the volume should send a 500 word abstract by the 1st January 2014. Link (11/07/2013, English, WG)

Redrawing French Empire in Comics by Mark McKinney has just been published by Ohio State University Press. Link (English, WG)

Michael Dooley interviewed Kathleen McClancy and Joyce Havstad about the Comic Arts Conference at San Diego Comic-Con. Link (10/07/2013, English, WG)

Asia

Japan

Business

The 84th Comic Market will be held in Tokyo, from the 10th to the 12th August. Link 1 (Japanese, JBS), Link 2 (English, JBS)

Culture

On the 7th September, Kyoto International Manga Museum will hold a ‘konkatsu‘ (marriage activities) singles party where people interesting in manga and anime, who are looking for romantic partners, can get to know each other. Link (Japanese, JBS)

On the 17th August, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, author of many critically acclaimed manga in the gekiga genre, will speak at the Kyoto International Manga Museum with manga critic Tomofusa Kure and Kazuma Yoshimura (professor at the Faculty of Manga, Kyoto Seika University). Link (Japanese, JBS)

Law & Politics

The head of the editorial department of Core Magazine, Akira Ota, and two others have been arrested by Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department for distributing obscene images in Comic Mega Store and Nyan 2 Club. Both publications employ a mosaic censoring technique over the explicit content, but officials deemed the censorship insufficient. Link (25/07/2013, English, MB)

Europe 

France

Culture

Albert Uderzo, illustrator of the Astérix series, has been named an Officer of the Légion d’honneur. Link (14/07/2013, French, LTa)

Germany

An exhibition on Italian comics was held in Munich until the 21st July. Link (09/07/2013, German, MdlI)

A roundtable on web-comics with Flix and other artists has been announced to take place in Cologne on the 23rd September. Link (29/07/2013, German, MdlI)

Ireland

Culture

The Dublin Comic Mart took place on the 3rd August. Link (22/07/2013, English, SC)

Jobs

A comics artist is wanted by to create a comic book on the history of Cork for an exhibition. Link (27/07/2013, English, SC)

The Netherlands

Research

“The Ethics of War and Conflict in Graphic Narratives” is a workshop being organised for the European Association for American Studies (EAAS) annual conference, which takes place between the 3rd and 6th April 2014. 300-500 word abstracts are due by the 1st October. Link (12/07/2013, English, WG)

There is a call for papers for the conference, Backroom Business: The Production of Periodicals, which seeks to explore every aspect related to the production of European periodicals, from the early eighteenth century to the present day. Proposals are due on the 1st October for the conference that takes place on the 10th and 11th April 2014, in Radboud University. Link (26/06/2013, English, WG)

Switzerland

Culture

An exhibition on Tibet in comics opens at Museum Rietberg, Zurich, on the 14th July, accompanied by two lectures in September. Link (01/07/2013, German, MdlI)

UK   

Culture

Organisers of the 9th Art Award, that will take place at the Edinburgh Book Festival this August, are seeking crowd funding to publish an anthology which will contain extracts from the shortlisted works that are in the running for the award. The donation cut off is the 9th August. Link (English, WG)

Details for Stripped, the comics focused event at the Edinburgh Book Festival (10th – 26th August), can be found be found on the website. Guests include Chris Ware, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Joe Sacco,  and many more. Link (English, WG)

Education

Damon Herd has teamed up with the DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) for a one week creative work shop on the history of superhero stories, taking place between the 5th and 9th August. The workshop is aimed at 11-16 year olds, and will be introduced by Dr Chris Murray of the University of Dundee. Link (English, WG)

Research

The newly created Journal of Illustration is to be published by Intellect. Link (English, WG)

There is a call for papers for the collection Bad Signals: Collected Essays on the Work of Warren Ellis, edited by Hallvard Haug, and Tony Venezia. The proposed anthology which will focus upon any aspect of Warren Ellis’ work, and 300 word abstracts are due by the 13th December. Link (23/07/2013, English, WG)

The comics conference, Transitions 4, will now take place on the 26th October. Link (English, WG)

Damon Herd provides a illustrated blog for the Laydeez do Comics Glasgow event that took place on the 25th June. Link (02/07/2013, English, WG)

The journal European Comic Art Volume 6, Issue 1, has recently been published. Link (English, WG)

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

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Shelley Culbertson (SC, Ireland), Eric Ganeau (EG, North America), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Moray Rhoda (MR, South Africa), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France), Peter Wilkins (PW, Canada).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

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

Americas

Canada

Research

Graphixia has published a report on the conference Comics and the Multimodal World that took place at Douglas College between the 13th and 16th June. Link (18/06/2013, English, WG)

United States 

Business

Diamond Comics announced their top 100 comics for May 2013. The Brian Wood/Olivier Coipel all-female X-Men #1 comes in at the top spot. Link (07/06/2013, English, MB & EG)

Diamond Comics released their list of the 100 bestselling graphic novels of May 2013; in the lead is BOOM! Studios’ Adventure Time: Playing with Fire. Link (07/06/2013, English, MB & EG)

Within two weeks of its release, Warner Bros. new film Man of Steel has surpassed the half-billion dollar mark at the box office, though it has not found the success of this year’s earlier Iron Man 3. Link (30/06/2013, English, EG)

Archaia Entertainment, home of award winning Tale of Sand and Mouse Guard, has been acquired by Boom! Studios this past week. Link (24/06/2013, English, MB)

Culture

The Comics Grid report on the 2nd Annual Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, which took place on the 15th and 16th June. Link (25/06/2013, English, WG)

Education

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. announced their Diamond Graphic Novel Common Core List, a selection of 98 graphic novels designed to fit into the United States’ Common Core curriculum of education standards. Selections are divided by age and include such works as Johnny Boo Does Something, Scary Godmother, and Underwater Welder. Link (27/06/2013, English, EG)

As part of their Workforce Development & Continuing Education program, the University of Akron is offering a five-week course titled “Creating Great Characters and Funny Comics” which will begin on the 11th July. Link (English, MB)

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Dark Horse have published the “CBLDF Presents Manga: Introduction, Challenges, and Best Practices” handbook. It is designed for interested librarians and educators to navigate the field of manga by providing a historical framework in which to discuss the genre and issues faced by the manga industry today. Link (26/06/2013, English, MB)

Jobs

The Savannah College of Art and Design has posted a full time teaching position, Professor of Sequential Art, to commence this autumn. Candidates should hold an undergraduate and graduate degree in sequential art or a related field. Link (English, MB)

Obituaries

Kim Thompson, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of this year, has passed away aged 56. He was co-publisher of Fantagraphics Books, and instrumental in translating and bringing European graphic novels to American audiences. Link (19/06/2013, English, MB & EG)

Research

The Columbus College of Art and Design announced Mix 2013: CCAD’s Celebration of Comics, the second annual symposium bringing together academic and artistic perspectives. The event will take place between the 27th and 28th September, in Columbus, Ohio. Proposals were due June 24th, but the announcement includes early event details. Link (04/06/2013, English, MB)

The Comics and Comic Art area chair is now accepting abstracts for the PCA/ACA National Conference being held at the downtown Marriott Chicago, between the 16th and 19th April 2014. The deadline for abstracts is the 1st November, and travel grant requests are due on the 15th November. Link (English, MB)

The Superhero Reader, edited by Jeet Heer, Kent Worcester, and Charles Hatfield, has been published through the University Press of Mississippi. Link (29/06/2013, English, WG)

Asia

Indonesia

Culture

As reported a few months ago, the Comics Alternatives: From Graphic Diary to Manga Style conference was held at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung, from the 13th to the 16th June. It was a lively conference with many discussions held during and after the panels. Countries (both researchers and artists) represented were Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Germany. Link (English, LCT)

An exhibition of horror comics by established and young Indonesian artists was held at Kedai Kebun Forum Gallery in Jogjakarta between the 8th and the 30th June. A series of talks on comics was also conducted at the space. Link (English, LCT)

Japan

Culture

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is exhibiting a large collection of ballet manga, original ballet manga art, and related items between the 13th July and the 23rd September. Related talk shows, events, and work shops will also be held. Link (English, JBS)

On the 20th July there will be a talk featuring manga artist Miki Tori, at the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library. Tori will talk about her experiences as a Meiji University student, when she was a member of the Sakyo Komatsu (a Science Fiction author) research group. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Europe 

Denmark

Culture

The International Comics Festival in Copenhagen took place between the 1st and 2nd June. Link (English, RPC)

The Danish comics Pingprize awards took place on the 1st June. Link (Danish, RPC)

France

Business

US-based digital comics platform Comixology has launched in France, welcoming 14 French publishers onto the platform, and some 400 titles. The 14 publishers make up 40% of France’s BD/Comic/Manga/Graphic Novel publishing market. Link (19/06/2013, English, LTa)

Culture

The head of the International Bande Dessinée Festival (FIBD) at Angoulême has quit his post with a year of his mandate left to run. Gérard Balinziala, who has been director of the festival since 2009, will be succeeded in an interim capacity by Patrick Auzou until 2015, when Balinziala’s term officially ends. Link (02/07/2013, French, LTa)

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) will stage a major exhibition on Astérix from October 2013 until January 2014, based around Albert Uderzo’s donation of original artwork. Link (03/06/2013, French, LTa)

Germany

Culture

The second “Graphic-Novel-Tage” were held in Hamburg from the 10th to the 13th June; guests included Luke Pearson, Max, and Nicolas Mahler. Link (07/06/2013, German, MdlI)

An exhibition and symposium on “Autorencomics zwischen Bildgedicht und Graphic Novel” took place in Saarbrücken. Link (German, MdlI)

Research

The proceedings of the 2011 ComFor conference have been published. Link (24/06/2013, German, MdlI)

Publisher De Gruyter has released From Comic Strips to Graphic Novels: Contributions to the Theory and History of Graphic Novels, edited by Daniel Stein and Jan-Noel Thon, as part of the Narratologia series. Essays explore comics (strips and books) and graphic novels from several theoretical and historical perspectives. Link (English, MB)

Norway

Culture

The Oslo Comics Expo took place between the 7th and 8th June. Link (Norwegian, RPC)

Sweden

Culture

There is an exhibition at the design center in Malmö entitled “What up North?”, which takes place between the 3rd May and the 8th September. Link (Swedish, RPC)

UK

Culture     

The Guardian reports on how Hari Kunzru creates a “walk-in” graphic novel with his exhibition, Memory Palace, at the V&A in London. Link (18/06/2013, English, WG)

Education

A series of comics drawing workshops have been developed as a collaborative project between Cardiff University’s Centre for Language and Communication Research and the South African charity Whizzkids United, to produce a comic book in which teenagers tell their own stories to support HIV/AIDS education. Link (English, WG)

Research

There is a call for papers for a special collection within the open access journal Writing Visual Culture, titled “Writing Visual Culture: Digital Comics.” Abstracts of 200 words for papers of 3000 to 6000 words should be submitted by the 19th August. Link (21/06/2013, English, WG)

The Comics Grid announce a special collection celebrating 100 years of George Herriman’s Krazy Kat. Submissions can examine any aspect of Herriman’s creation, and submissions are due by the 1st October. Link (English, WG)

*                    *                    *

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

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Rikke Platz Cortsen (RPC, Scandinavia), Eric Ganeau (EG, North America), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France), Lim Cheng Tju (LCT, Singapore).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

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

Americas

United States 

Business

Diamond News announces their top 100 comics based on the total unit sales of products invoiced for April 2013. DC Comics’ Batman #19 leads the pack. Link (03/05/2013, English, MB & EG)

Diamond News announces their top 100 graphic novels based on the total unit sales of products invoiced for April 2013. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead maintains a dominant position. Link (English, MB & EG)

Marvel Studios released the next part of their Avengers film saga, Iron Man 3, on the 3rd May. By the 28th May, it became the fifth-highest grossing film of all time, netting over $1 billion worldwide. Link (28/05/2013, English, EG)

Culture

The event “Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero” will take place on the 4th June at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art (New York). The event is a celebration of 75 years of Superman. Link (English, WG)

Peter David, writer of series including Hulk, X-Factor, and Star Trek, will be giving a talk at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art on the 5th June. Link (English, WG)

The ABC television network has officially picked up Joss Whedon’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television show, which will feature several characters from his Avengers movie, and see them combating super-threats on the small screen beginning this fall. This reflects Marvel’s recent venture in growing a superhero film universe; now branching into television also. The first trailer for the show was released earlier this month. Link (15/05/2013, English, EG)

Education

Danny Fingeroth has set up an online comics writing course. Link (English, WG)

Obituaries

Twelve-year-old Zachi Telesha, who created and published his comic book “Hero Up!” about crime fighting superheroes, died of bone cancer on the 29th April. Link (08/05/2013, English, MB)

Research

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization has recently published an anthology on Daredevil (The Devil is in the Details: Examining Matt Murdock and Daredevil), and another on Grant Morrison and Chris Weston’s The Filth (Curing the Postmodern Blues: Reading Grant Morrison and Chris Weston’s The Filth in the 21st Century). Link (English, WG)

ImageTexT issued a call for papers for a special issue entitled “Comics and Post-Secondary Pedagogy.” Submissions are due by the 20th July. Link (29/03/2013, English, WG)

The Northeast Popular/American Culture Association (NEPCA) has posted their call for proposals for their autumn conference being held between the 25th and 26th October at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. There is a dedicated area chair for “Comics and Graphic Novels.” The deadline for proposals is the 10th June. Link (English, MB)

The Third Triennial Academic Conference at the Festival of Cartoon Art has released its call for papers which focus on comics studies. The conference will take place between the 14th and 15th November at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at The Ohio State University. The deadline for submissions is the 1st July. Link (English, MB)

The Institute for Comics Studies has released a call for papers for  three major U.S. comic conventions: the New York Comic-Con (comic-con website), C2E2 in Chicago, and Project Comic-Con (comic-con website) in St. Louis, Missouri. The deadline for proposals for the New York event is the 15th July, and the dealine for proposal for the Missouri event is the 1st August. Link (24/05/2013, English, MB & EG)

Ohio State University’s Jared Gardner has issued a call for papers for a forthcoming anthology entitled “The Comics of Charles Schulz: The Good Grief of Modern Life.” The collection forms part of the Critical Approaches to Comics Artist, published by University Press of Mississippi. The deadline for abstracts is the 31st October. Link (30/05/2013, English, MB & EG)

Asia

Japan

Culture

On the 8th June, the acclaimed special effects director of Nippon chinbotsu (Japan Sinks), Mr. Teruyoshi Nakano, and Mr. Naofumi Higuchi; film critic, and director in his own right, will give a running commentary on Nippon chinbotsu during a screening of the film, at the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Law & Politics

The LDP, Japan’s ruling party, is seeking to amend Japan’s child pornography laws. Critics are concerned that the bill would not differentiate between images of actual and fictional children. Link (28/05/2013, English, JBS)

Research

During the 6th and 7th July, the Japan Society for Studies in Cartoon and Comics will hold its 13th yearly convention, at the Kita Kyushu Manga Museum. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Philippines

Culture

Mini-Komikon Night was held at the inaugural Little Lit Festival, organised by the National Book Development Board, on the 31st May 2013. Link (English, LCT)

Singapore

Culture

Three stores in Singapore took part in Free Comic Book Day on the 4th May. Two comic shops and the Kinokuniya book shop at Ngee Ann City gave away comic books and had cosplayers to liven up the day. Kinokuniya also had the launch of The Girl Under The Bed (Epigram Books), by Dave Chua and Xiao Yen, that afternoon. Link (English, LCT)

Europe 

Belgium

Obituary

Fred Funcken, a seminal figure in Franco-Belgian bande dessinée, has died at the age of 92. He collaborated for many years with his wife Liliane on titles such as Le Chevalier Blanc and Jack Diamond; he also worked for Spirou and Tintin. Link 1 (17/05/2013, French, LTa), Link 2 (30/05/2013, English, LTa).

Croatia

Culture

The exhibition “Komikaze vs Comicaze” is being held at the Munich Comic Fest. It presents comics made by the Croatian collective Komikaze and the German collective Comicaze. It lasts from the 28th May to the 9th July. Link (27/05/2013, Croatian, LO)

The comic book and cartoon artist Nedeljko Dragić has received the lifetime achievement award “Andrija Maurović” for his contribution to comic art. Link (21/05/2013, Croatian, LO)

Denmark

Culture

The exhibition “Konfrontation” is taking place between the 25th May and the 23rd June, at the Den Frie Udstilling. Link (Danish, RPC)

The exhibition “Ozamu Tezuka magaens mester” is taking place at the Storm P. Museet between the 9th May and the 22nd September. Link (Danish, RPC)

Research

There was an event about comics and didactics at the University of Copenhagen on the 31st May. Link (29/05/2013, Danish, RPC)

France

Culture

Lewis Trondheim, author of Lapinot, Donjon, and winner of the 2006 Angoulême Grand Prix, has written a radio comedy for Arte. Luc, starring Eric Elmosnino (Gainsbourg), will be broadcast in October 2013. Link (06/05/2013, French, LTa)

Obituary

BD author Kline, aka Roger Chevallier, the illustrator of Loup Noir, which appeared in Pif Gadget between 1969 and 1980, died on the 16th of May. He was 91. Link (23/05/2013, French, LTa)

Finland

Culture

The exhibition “Art farming” by Estonian artist Kristel Maamäki, is taking place at the Comics Centre in Helsinki. The exhibition will be on until the 31st July. Link (Finnish, RPC)

Research

NNCORE (Nordic Network for Comics Research) has published the program for their Helsinki conference that took place between the 23rd and the 25th May. Link (English, RPC)

Germany

Culture

An exhibition at Weserburg Bremen explores the influence of comics on high art. Link (14/05/2013, German, MdlI)

The 6th Dresdner Comicfest took place on the 25th May, and guests included Schlogger and Tim Gaedke. Link (25/05/2013, German, MdlI)

Research

A workshop titled “Vom Schund zum Bildungsmedium” on comics in political education was held in Berlin between the 25th and 26th May. Link (21/05/2013, German, MdlI)

Greece

Culture

Some political cartoonists exhibited their work during the annual Book Exhibition in Athens. Link (Greek, LTs)

There was a party and comics exhibition in Thessaloniki, organised by Inkorrect team, on the 16th May. Link (Greek, LTs)

There is a comics exhibition from the Greek artist Apostolis Ioannou. Link (07/05/2013, Greek, LTs)

A comics competition has been organised by the Sunday School of Immigrants. Link (19/04/2013, Greek,  LTs)

Ireland

Culture

The 2D Northern Ireland Comics Festival took place at the Verbal Arts Centre between the 1st and 2nd June. Link (English,SC)

Macedonia

Culture

The Comic Centre of Macedonia – Veles – has announced a competition for the 11th Comic Showroom VELES 2013. The competition is open to all comics artists, who must submit a 1-6 page comic to be considered for an award at the event. The deadline for entrees is the 25th September. Unfortunately no details are currently available on their website for the current competition, however last years call for entrees (quite similar to this years) is still available. Link (English, WG)

Norway

Culture

A free comics festival took place in Østfold between the 25th and 26th May. Link (Norwegian, RPC)

Serbia

Culture

The international comics fest in Belgrade will take place from the 26th to 29th September. The awards “Grand Prix” and “Young Lion” will be given to the best artists. The application deadline for potential participants is the 15th August. Organisers will soon announce further information about the application procedure on their Facebook page. Link (English, LO)

Spain

 Education

A summer course on comics will take place in Madrid, between the 22nd and 26th July. Registration is now open for the “Images and Migrations of Comics” course. It will be a week long course that provides a formal approach to comics by renowned Spanish experts and academics. Discussion groups will provide students with a better understanding of the unique characteristics of the medium, as well as offer an insight into their favourite works. PDF: Link (Spanish, EC)

UK   

Business

While the downthetubes website is currently running a minimal service due to funding, a link to British comic sales figures can be found in one of their blog posts. Link (17/05/2013, English, WG)

Culture     

The 9th Art Award is a newly developed award to be given to this year’s best English language graphic novel. The winner will be announced at a ceremony during the Edinburgh International Book Festival. More information, and details on submission for the award can be found on their website. Link (English, WG)

Entry into the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize is now open. Link (12/05/2013, English, WG)

Research

David Small is giving a keynote address at the conference A Narrative Future for Healthcare on the 19th June at Kings College, London. Link (14/05/2013, English, WG)

A series of Laydeez do Comics events have been announced in the cities, London (17th June), Leeds (22nd July), Glasgow (25th June; coinciding with the IBDS conference), and Brighton (5th July; coinciding with the Fourth International Conference on Comics and Medicine). More details on these events can be found on their website. Link (English, WG)

There is a call for papers for a forthcoming collection entitled “Global Manga: The Cultural Production of Japanese Comics outside Japan.” Chapter proposals are due on the 31st August. PDF: Link (English, WG)

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

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Esther Claudio (EC, Spain), Rikke Platz Cortsen (RPC, Scandinavia), Shelley Culbertson (SC, Ireland), Eric Ganeau (EG, North America), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Luka Ostojic (LO, Croatia), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France), Lim Cheng Tju (LCT, Singapore), Lida Tsene (LTs, Greece).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

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

Americas

Canada

Culture

Calgary Comic Expo took place between the 26th and 28th April. As seen from the CTV story, the emphasis in this expo is moving from comics to other forms of entertainment. Link (26/04/2013, English, PW)

Research

Damon Herd has designed the poster for the upcoming conference, Comics & the Multimodal World, taking place at Douglas College in June. Link (03/04/2013, English, WG)

Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia, hosted its first comics conference. Link 1 (English, PW)

The complete program for the conference, New Narrative VI: Seeing is believing! Voir c’est croire!, has been published online. The event will take place on the 10th May at the University of Toronto. This coincides with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (11th-12th May). Link (English, WG)

United States 

Business

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. reports on their 100 best-selling comics for March 2013. Link (English, EG & MB)

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. reports on their 100 best-selling graphic novels for March 2013. Link (English, EG & MB)

Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources reports that parent company AOL has shut down the three time Eisner Award nominated blog, ComicsAlliance, as of the 26th April. Link (29/04/2013, English, EG & MB)

Culture

Comic-Con International has announced the 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees, including the categories of Best Comics-Related Book and Best Educational/Academic Work. Link (16/04/2013, English, EG)

The Comics Beat hosts a transcript of a 2013 Diamond Retailer Summit speech from Image Comics publisher, Eric Stephenson. Stephenson talks about “the way forward” for comic shops and promises major announcements during a one-day Image-hosted event in San Francisco on the 2nd July. Link (25/04/2013, English, EG)

Chicago Tribune reporter Christopher Borrelli reports on the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. Link (28/04/2013, English, EG)

The comic book genre takes the stage in the production “Adventures of a Comic Book Artist” between the 2nd and 5th May, at the Children’s Theater at The Phipps Center for the Arts, in Hudson, Wisconsin. Link (English, MB)

Free Comic Book Day takes place across the United States on the 4th May. The event is annually held on the first Saturday of May, with most comic book retailers participating. Location finder and details of national/global events are included on the website. Link (English, MB)

The Big Wow Comic Fest is being held at the San Jose Convention Center on the 18th and 19th May. A Creature Features Show has been added to this year’s con experience. Link (English, MB)

Denver Comic Con (DCC) will be held between the 31st May and the 2nd June, at the Colorado Convention Center. Link (English, MB)

Boston Comic Con will be held in a new location this year: Seaport World Trade Center. The event takes place between the 3rd and 4th August, and single and weekend tickets are available. Link (English, MB)

Law

The adult manga magazine Comic Megastore has been suspended pending a police investigation for obscenity. Also under investigation is the magazine, Nyan 2 Club, which collects reader submitted erotica. Link (25/04/2013, English, MB)

Research

There is a call for papers for a collection entitled The Ages of Iron Man: Essays on the Armored Avenger in Changing Times. Essays should focus on Iron Man’s comic book adventures and should look at a single period of comic book history. Abstracts are due on the 15th July. Link (15/04/2013, English, EG & MB)

Columbus College of Art and Design, located in Ohio, released a call for papers in conjunction with their 2013 Celebration of Comics Symposium. Bone creator Jeff Smith will be the keynote guest at the symposium. Link (23/04/2013, English, EG)

ImageTexT (Volume 6, Issue 3), has recently been published. It focuses upon Shakespeare and visual rhetoric. Link (English, EG & MB)

There is a call for papers for a collection entitled “Spyfi & Superspies: A Collection of Essays Analyzing the Cultural Response to the James Bond Phenomenon”. The editor seeks submissions that explore and analyse the influence of the James Bond franchise on popular culture (including comic books). Abstracts are due on the 1st June. Link (30/04/2013, English, MB)

Technology

Apple has a program patent which can link a person’s in-game choices to populate a post-game comic book that could be published on the cloud, and then downloaded to various devices. It is still in its conceptual stage, and it is uncertain whether the product will be marketed in the future. Link (23/04/2013, English, MB)

Asia

Indonesia

Research

The 5th International Scholarly Conference will be held at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and is co-organised by Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center (IMRC), Goethe Institut, and Lim Cheng-Tju. The conference takes place between the 14th and 16th June, with a pre-event on the 13th June. Link (English, JBS)

Japan

Culture

On the 5th May, manga artist and illustrator Katsuya Terada will hold a live drawing event at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Link (Japanese, JBS)

On the 25th May, Yoshihoro Ikegawa, producer of Koro Koro Comics Archives, and Nobuhiko Saito, manga editor and researcher, will talk on manga as a satisfying hobby, at the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library. Link (Japanese, JBS)

Philippines

Culture

Summer Komikon 2013 took place on the 13th April in Pasig City. According to the organisers, there were more attendees this year based on ticket sales, up by 250 from last year’s 2000. There were also more exhibitors and new artists taking up tables to sell their own comics. The Summer Komikon (in April each year) is starting to eclipse the main Komikon event in November. There is talk of getting a bigger venue for next year. Link (English, LCT)

Europe 

Belgium

Research

The conference, The Cultural Standing of Comics: Ambiguities and Changes, took place between the 2nd and 3rd May, at the Université catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve. Link (French, WG)

Croatia

Culture

The comic book and street art festival Ohoho! took place in Zagreb from the 18th to the 20th April. Underground writers and illustrators from Croatia, and the surrounding region, exhibited their work. Photos from the festival are available through the link. Link (20/04/2013, Croatian, LO)

On the 23rd April, World Book and Copyright Day saw a talk organised in Booksa, the book club in Zagreb. The participants discussed Croatian self-published comic books from the 1990s. Link (22/04/2013, Croatian, LO)

Denmark

Culture

The nominations for the Ping prize have been revealed. Link (16/04/2013, Danish, RPC)

Danish magazine nummer9 reports on the accusations of racism in Danish cartoonist Jakob Martin Strid’s Mustafas kiosk, which is no longer published in Sweden. Link (19/04/2013, Danish, RPC)

Research

The sixth newsletter for NNCORE (Nordic Network for Comics Research) about conferences and workshops has been published this month. Link (English, RPC)

France

Business

Zep’s  Une histoire d’hommes will be the first album published by Ecole de Loisirs’ new BD publishing division Rue de Sèvres, in September 2013. Link (30/04/2013, French, LTa)

Eight of the major French publishers attempted to reproduce America’s Free Comic Book Day, on the 5th and 6th April; each offering a complete album, to be distributed by booksellers. Though some major publishers stayed out of this first attempt, and the operation was not exempt from criticism, it appears to have been successful. Its impact on sales is of course impossible to gauge at this point. Link (12/04/2013, French, NL)

Culture

The Musée des Arts Décos in Paris is hosting a Winshluss exhibit from the 17th April to the 13th November. Winschluss received the Grand Prize in Angoulême in 2008 for his wordless album, Pinocchio. He also co-directed Persepolis with Marjane Satrapi. The exhibit features original art, but also toys, posters and dioramas created or selected by the artist. Link (French/English, NL)

Spirou, an emblematic character created by Rob Vel in April 1938, is now 75. He is still one of the most recognisable characters and brands in the French-speaking comics market, and on the 21st April, Dupuis (which publishes Spirou magazine as well as the character’s albums) organised a grand celebration in Brussels’ Atomium. The commemoration also gave Dupuis the opportunity to formally present Spirou.Z, its online magazine. Link (24/04/2013, French, NL)

Law

Digital BD platform Iznéo has removed 40% of their catalogue (2800 albums) from the Apple Store after Apple judged it “pornographic”. Affected series include Blake & Mortimer, Largo Winch, and XIII. Link (04/04/2013, French, LTa)

Rachida Dati, the former French minister of Justice, lost a case in which she argued that an album focusing on the identity of her child’s father – a much discussed mystery in 2009, when she was still a major political player – was libelous and should be banned from distribution. The court ruled on the 24th April that the album did not violate Dati’s right to privacy, especially since the former minister has been using her child’s image in the media herself over the last four years. Link (24/04/2013, French, NL)

Additional reportage, on the build up towards the verdict on the Rachida Dati case, can be accessed here. Link (23/04/2013, French, LTa)

Obituaries

Fred passed away on the 2nd April, aged 82. He was undoubtedly one of the most idiosyncratic and respected cartoonist in French bande dessinée. He made his name working in Hara-Kiri, where he created one of his masterpieces, Le Petit Cirque, a series of cruel and disturbing tales washed in gray tones. However, his most famous creation, Philemon, was not created in Hara-Kiri but in Pilote, in 1965. Philemon is a charming surreal series, in which the titular character wanders between worlds, visiting the letters of the words “Océan Atlantique”, to be found on most maps. The last Philémon album, Au train où vont les choses, was published last February. Link (03/04/2013, French, NL)

Finland

Culture

The Finnish Central Arts Council has appointed national arts councils for a two-year term. Appointments for the National Council for Media Art, Comics and Illustrations included comics artists Johanna Rojola, Ville Tietäväinen and Riitta Uusitalo. Link (25/04/2013, English, RPC)

Research

The program for the NNCORE (Nordic Network for Comics Research) in Helsinki has been published. Link (English, RPC)

Germany

Ireland

Culture

An audio recording from the comics panel at the Dundalk Book Festival has been posted online. Link (29/04/2013, English, SC)

Italy

Obituary

Roberto Giammanco passed away on the 16th April. He published widely on mass communication, including some research into comic books. Link (Italian, WG)

Norway

Business

The Norwegian media statistic say Norwegians read less comics. Link (16/04/2013, Norwegian, RPC)

Spain

Culture

Barcelona International Comics Festival took place between the 11th and 14th April. Guy Delisle, Liniers, Florent Chavouet, Gilbert Shelton, and Kevin Eastman, were just some present at the event. Highlights included the exhibition devoted to Josep Maria Berenguer (editor of La Cúpula); the round table discussion on criticism and analysis of comics today; and Jaume Vidal’s discussion with Florent Chavouet, Guy Delisle, and Liniers, about their portrayals of different cultures and realities. The Ateneum also offered parallel activities, like the interesting presentation by Vicent Sanchís about censorship on comics during Francoism. Link (Spanish, EC)

GRAF took place in Barcelona, on the 13th April. This encounter between artists, readers and publishers focused on independent creation, self-publishing, crowd funding, and the relation between comics and other arts. The event had a very dynamic, vibrant and inspiring atmosphere, hosting various round tables, discussions and exhibitions. Link (Spanish, EC)

Famous cinema and art critic Carlos Díaz Maroto discussed the origins of comics in relation to the origins of cinema at the National Library in Madrid on the 18th April. Link (Spanish, EC)

“Love in the time of hipsters” took place in Madrid on the 25th April. Exploring the latest and most controversial video clips, comics, and animated pieces, Elisa G. McCausland spoke about different manifestations of love in comics at La Casa Encendida. Link (Spanish, EC)

Sweden

Culture

The Stockholm International Comics Festival took place between the 26th and 28th April. Link (Swedish, RPC)

The nominations for the Urhund prize have been revealed. Link (27/04/2013, Swedish, RPC)

UK                 

Culture

Downthetubes provide a photo review of the University of Dundee’s Dundee Comics Expo 2013, which took place on the 30th March. Link (05/04/2013, English, WG)

Research

The call for papers for Transitions 4 has been published. Like previous years, the event will be a one-day symposium promoting new research and multi-disciplinary academic study of comics. Abstracts are due by the 30th July, for the event on the 2nd November, at Birkbeck, University of London. Link (English, WG)

Oceania

Australia

Obituary

Jim Shepherd, managing director of Frew Publications – the Australian publisher of The Phantom – passed away on the 15th April. Link (16/04/2013, English, WG)

*                    *                    *

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

Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Esther Claudio (EC, Spain), Shelley Culbertson (SC, Ireland), Rikke Platz Cortsen (RPC, Scandinavia), Eric Garneau (EG, North America), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Nicolas Labarre (NL, France), Luka Ostojic (LO, Croatia), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France), Lim Cheng Tju (LCT, Singapore), Peter Wilkins (PW, Canada).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

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