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Hurtling towards September at a rate of knots, in this week\u2019s links, below, which means we\u2019re heading into autumn\u2019s comics festival and awards season, and then it\u2019s basically a hop, skip, and a jump into the festive period\u2019s end-of-year lists and planning ahead for January\u2019s New Year\u2019s resolutions \u2014 start playing the Oscars music, it\u2019s time for the 2026 retail year to begin moving to leave the stage.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Carnet #gouache #crayon<\/p>\n \u2014 Franck Bourgeron (@franckbourgeron.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-08-18T15:17:46.733Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This week\u2019s news.<\/b><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Beginning this week\u2019s selection in Japan, as Nippon.com<\/i> reports on the ongoing decline<\/a> of sales of print editions of sh\u014dnen magazines, with readers moving to digital copies of the publications, the market for which is also contracting<\/a>, as the Japanese government continues to support<\/a> the economic soft power export of manga and anime overseas, while aggressively pursuing anti-piracy campaigns to maximise the profits gleaned from this.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>More manga news, out of Europe this time, as the French government announced a Saudi Arabia-backed plan to build<\/a> a \u20ac6 billion manga-focused theme park, bankrolled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, currently chaired by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been accused of involvement in multiple human rights violations<\/a>, including the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Manga prizes news, as the winners of this year\u2019s edition of the American Manga Awards were announced, with Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki\u2019s Billy Bat<\/i> named as Best New Manga, Mokumokuren\u2019s The Summer Hikaru Died<\/i> named as Best Continuing Manga Series, and Machiko Ky\u014d\u2019s Cocoon <\/i>named as Best One-Shot Manga – Anime News Network <\/i>has a round-up of all this year\u2019s winners here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Cartoonists United announced that MB Carvalho is the 2026 recipient of the organisation\u2019s Digital Comics Residency<\/a>, which offers creators a $1,000 grant and the hosting of a digital canvas for publication of digital comics.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>In memoriam, <\/i>remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared<\/a> of the passing of comics letterer, and former design director of CrossGen, Dave Lanphear, who has died at the age of 58.<\/p>\n Cable. 6mm Pilot parallel pen with Platinum Carbon ink and Daniel Smith watercolors on Strathmore 500 series multimedia board.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jesse Lonergan (@jesselonergan.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-08-26T22:38:05.515Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This week\u2019s reviews.<\/b><\/p>\n TJC<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b><\/i>Ian Thomas reviews the nuanced arguments of Lefteris \u201cBoban\u201d Papathanasis, Mauro Vanetti, and Vangelis Zikos\u2019 <\/span>The Spectre<\/span><\/i><\/a> \u2014 \u201cAs comics go, The Spectre\u2014a collaboration between Greek and Italian creators\u2014offers a more swaggering and hopeful conception of an ascendant and effective Left than its North American counterparts. Left comics emanating from North America tend to focus, probably correctly, on the systems that immiserate and oppress people within its borders and throughout its empire. Racism is North America\u2019s Original Sin.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 <\/b><\/i>Marc Sobel reviews the elegant minimalism of Dash Shaw’s Like Swimmers<\/a> – \u201c<\/span><\/i>In the end, it\u2019s clear that Shaw is less interested in solving a murder than in questioning whether people, like works of art, can be reduced to a single identity. Just as the same image in Lichtenstein\u2019s painting acquires different meanings depending on who is looking at it, so do the people in our lives. By the end of her investigation, Kenzie realizes, too late, that \u201cthere are at least two sides to every person,\u201d and that there was much more to Howie than she, from her limited perspective as his older sister, ever knew.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n AIPT<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Collier Jennings reviews the satanic bloodshed of Patrick Horvath, Tyler Crook, et al\u2019s Archie in Hell #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Kevin Clark reviews the rushed adventuring of Marguerite Bennett, Laura Braga, et al\u2019s Witchblade\/Vampirella #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Crooker reviews the nostalgic refresh of Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo de Felici, et al\u2019s ROM Special #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Colin Moon reviews the satisfying symbiosis of Frank Tieri, Stefano Raffaele, et al\u2019s Alien vs. Captain America<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Robert Reed reviews the flawed fun of Ashley Allen Sumit Kumar, et al\u2019s What if…? X-Men #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Jonathan Waugh reviews the thrilling heroics of Ryan North, Gavin Guidry, et al\u2019s The Flash #36<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Diane Darcy reviews the emotional depth of Che Grayson, Scott Snyder, Bengal, et al\u2019s Absolute Catwoman #3<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 <\/b>Piper Whitaker reviews the singular experience of Raquelle Jac’s\u00a0Bimbo Agitprop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Beat<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Gianni Palumbo reviews the intriguing start of Rick Remender, Steve Epting, et al\u2019s Hammerfist #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Clyde Hall reviews the living world of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Pier Brito, et al\u2019s Denver #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Matt Ledger reviews the crossover celebrations of Matt Fraction, G. Willow Wilson, Giueseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn, et al\u2019s Batman: Bad Seeds \u2013 Sunset #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Tim Rooney reviews the lacking contrasts of Ashley Allen, Domenico Carbone, et al\u2019s Tomb of Apocalypse #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>E.B. Hutchins reviews the blossoming narrative of Kendra Wells\u2019 Real Hero Shit: Harder Than It Looks<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Broken Frontier<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Lydia Turner has reviews of:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Andy Oliver has reviews of:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cinema Sentries<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Kent Conrad reviews the unique wavelength of Jim Woodring’s\u00a0Quacky<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n House to Astonish<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Paul O\u2019Brien has <\/span>capsule reviews<\/span><\/a> of Marvel Comics\u2019 <\/span>Uncanny X-Men #34, Inglorious X-Force #8, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Bishop #3.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The List<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Eddie Harrison reviews the nimble tact of Bart Simpson\u2019s documentary <\/span>The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Solrad<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Jason Sacks reviews the rich layers of Noah Van Sciver\u2019s <\/span>The Mess<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Yatta-tachi<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Naja Beck reviews the fluffy cuteness of Toako\u2019s <\/span>I Fell for a Fujoshi, Volume 1<\/span><\/i><\/a>, translated by M. Skeels.<\/span><\/p>\n dear god please give me ten thousand dollars<\/p>\n \u2014 beck (@bitingteeth.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-08-27T01:32:27.515Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This week\u2019s interviews.<\/b><\/p>\n TCJ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Sacha Mardou interviews Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson<\/a> about My Beloved Other<\/i>, emigration stateside, structuring the memoir\u2019s narrative, and racist tropes in brand iconography \u2014 \u201c[Angela Watson:] Yeah, comics. Comics is not my world. Even though it’s part of my world, because I’m married to Nick, it’s not the same as being in the world of comic book publishing. I couldn’t ever see myself being part of that world, not directly, but now I am. It was quite overwhelming, at first, when we began putting it together, because I am a private person. Having to be vulnerable, to be that open, was challenging.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Robert Aman interviews Anton Kannemeyer<\/a> about Bitterkomix<\/i>, the historical and sociopolitical context of the magazine in South Africa, and working pseudonymously \u2014 \u201cI am very interested in history, and what happened in Nazi Germany is particularly instructive to me because I see parallels with the South Africa in which I grew up. It is very easy to sit in, say, Holland or Sweden and point a finger and say, “You were a bad white person, you shouldn\u2019t have elected that leader, you should have done this or that.” But people are indoctrinated; they behave in ways they believe are right. And then, later, you learn something else.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n AIPT<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n David Brooke speaks with <\/span>Benjamin Percy and Phillip Kennedy Johnson<\/span><\/a> about Marvel Comics\u2019 Midnight Universe, flavours of superhero horror, and building shared universes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Beat<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Fran\u00e7ois Vigneault talks to Frederick Noland<\/a> about Major Taylor: The World\u2019s Fastest Man<\/i>, the long gestation of the book, and the importance of bicycles to transport infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>AJ Frost interviews Aron Nels Steinke<\/a> about Mr. Wolf\u2019s Class: The New Student<\/i>, classroom dynamics, and pushing back against book bans.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Broken Frontier<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Lydia Turner chats with Katie Skelly<\/a> about\u00a0Heaven<\/em>, depicting camaraderie between working women, and determining the colour palette for the story.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Fanbase Press<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Barbra Dillon speaks with <\/span>Run and Guillaume Singelin<\/span><\/a> about <\/span>Loba Loca<\/span><\/i> and spinning things off from <\/span>MFKZ<\/span><\/i>, and with <\/span>Eduardo Medeiros<\/span><\/a> about <\/span>Battle in the Flower Gardens<\/span><\/i> and basing work on childhood memories.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Forbes<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Rob Salkowitz interviews <\/span>Roberta Gregory<\/span><\/a> about <\/span>Bitchy: The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCracken<\/span><\/i>, narrative surprises from collecting the strips chronologically, and the real-life inspirations for the comic.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Freaksugar<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Jed W. Keith talks to:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ICv2<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Milton Griepp interviews Tokyopop\u2019s <\/span>Stu<\/span><\/a> Levy<\/span><\/a> about manga market health in the U.S. and Europe, digital retail models, and profits and losses.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Publisher\u2019s Weekly<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Christian Holub chats with Alex Ross and Charles Kochman<\/a> about Marvel Dimensions<\/i>, jerry-rigging ideas together, and pushing back against superhero retcons.<\/p>\n\n
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