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A classic bumper catch-up edition of this (and last) week\u2019s links, below, as I return from Scotland with an average daily step count of 17,000, an average daily Irn Bru count of 1, an average daily muddy pawprint on my trousers count of 7.5, and an inbox count that I\u2019m trying my best to not even contemplate for fear of the irreparable psychic damage it would cause to me and to those in a one mile radius around me. 72 shopping days until Christmas, let’s goooooo.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n kitchen duty<\/p>\n \u2014 ascalaphid (@ascalaphid.com)<\/a> 2026-09-28T02:40:13.404Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This week\u2019s news.<\/b><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Opening things up with a return to the comics crime files, as an individual was arrested in Portland<\/a> last month after stealing books from Floating World Comics while brandishing a knife during a chase with security in the Pioneer Place Mall \u2014 Floating World celebrated its 20th anniversary this summer, and had moved to its new location<\/a> in Pioneer Place in August, after its former location at the Lloyd Center Mall closed down.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Checking in with how things are going with regards to the finances of the Webtoon market, as it was announced last month that Kakao would be shutting down Tapas<\/a>, the digital comics platform it bought in 2021, as the company consolidates its operations to support its focus on the jangling keychain of AI development, with the former allure of infinite #content revenue now apparently pass\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy news, a phrase which may now be the most-often used in the last few years on the Links round-up, as The Beat<\/i><\/a> and ICv2<\/i><\/a> covered a fresh settlement proposal between owners of inventory currently in limbo who had not been included in the previous<\/i> settlement proposal, which is currently being contested by the ever-fascinatingly named Sparkle Pop LLC, for, seemingly, not being invited to whet their whistle \u2014 Brigid Alverson\u2019s recaps for TCJ<\/i> of how we got to now start here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Comics prizes news, as the 2026 winners of the Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards were announced<\/a>, with Craig Thompson named as Best Cartoonist, Deniz Camp named as Best Writer, Javier Rodriquez named as Best Artist, and Mike Kunkel\u2019s Herobear and the Kid<\/i> named as Best Original Graphic Novel, amongst others.<\/p>\n I am SO THRILLED to announce the AMAZING lineup of writers that will be featured in The Comics Courier Issue 5. This issue is gonna be \ud83d\udd25www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/tif…<\/p>\n \u2014 Tiffany Babb \ud83d\udd1c NYCC (@explodingarrow.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-09-30T19:07:43.296Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This week\u2019s reviews.<\/b><\/p>\n TCJ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Tegan O\u2019Neil reviews the genre convictions of Henry Barajas, Rachel Merrill, et al\u2019s Death to Pachuco<\/i><\/a> \u2014<\/i>\u00a0\u201cBut trust: it comes together in the last chapter. The last chapter is strong enough, downright thunderous, to put the whole series in a better light. When you\u2019re done and looking back it just works. It throws a lot at you and expects you to keep up, and if you do keep up you\u2019re rewarded with a real knockout ending. I mean it! Real breath kicked out of your chest hours.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Kevin Brown reviews the conveyed emotions of Frederick Nowland\u2019s Major Taylor: The World\u2019s Fastest Man<\/i><\/a> \u2014<\/i>\u00a0\u201cNoland also uses color to offset different sections of the story. When he provides context, he often slides into more subdued colors, sometimes using only black and white, such as when he provides the overall context of cycling. However, when he shows races or important moments in Taylor\u2019s lives, the pages are much more colorful, a fitting choice given how much people\u2019s perceptions of color impacted Taylor\u2019s life.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Tom Shapira reviews the shallow approach of Joe D\u2019Esposito\u2019s The Outsider<\/i><\/a> \u2014<\/i>\u00a0\u201cKrigstein was one of a kind. Which means Joe D\u2019Esposito’s new comics biography has its work cut out for it \u2014 trying to tell the story of a master of the medium, within the medium he mastered.\u00a0 An unconventional, or a “convention defining” artist deserves something that tries to live up to their standards. <\/i>The Outsider is a fairly tame work, holding back where its subject struggled to break forward.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Brian Nicholson reviews the unapologetic presentation of Rotem Anna Diamant\u2019s Dancing With The Sheyd<\/i><\/a> \u2014<\/i>\u00a0\u201cDiamant doubles down on the strange and indigestible as an assertion of otherness. Distanced from Canadian society by Jewishness and queerness, and estranged from family members\u2019 ideas of Jewishness due to her anti-Zionism, the book asserts her own sense of identity most strongly through the peculiarities of drawing.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n AIPT<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 <\/b>Colin Moon reviews the impeccable cartooning of Noah Van Sciver\u2019s\u00a0The Mess<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2022 <\/b>Jonathan Waugh reviews the gory surprise of Kieron Gillen, Geraldo Borges, et al\u2019s Alien vs. X-Men #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>David Brooke reviews the worthy celebration of Marvel Comics\u2019 Amazing Spider-Man #1000<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Rory Wilding reviews the accessible appeal of DC\u2019s Batman of Two Worlds #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Collier Jennings reviews the self-contained storytelling of Erica Schultz, Valentina Pinti, et al\u2019s Vampirella x Witchblade #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Kevin Clark reviews the dark delights of Eric Powell\u2019s Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Lily Abreu reviews the kid-friendly horror of Jeremy Melloul, Adam Seats, Rebecca Nalty et al\u2019s Adventure Time Halloween Special: Those Who Fight Monsters<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Arts STL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Sarah Boslaugh reviews the realistic struggles of Archie Bongiovanni\u2019s <\/span>Leo Rising<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Beat<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Mike Donachie reviews the swashbuckling satisfaction of Ian Edginton, I.N.J. Culbard, et al\u2019s Brass Sun, Volume 1 \u2013 The Wheel of Worlds<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Kathryn Hemmann reviews the gothic grandeur of Riotbones\u2019 Strange Cases<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Zack Quaintance reviews the clever return of Chris Condon, Jacob Phillips, et al\u2019s That Texas Blood \u2013 Hell Comes to Allison Ranch #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Gianni Palumbo reviews the stellar start of Eliot Rahal and Mattia Monaco\u2019s Crimes Against Nature #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Khalid Johnson reviews the layered horror of Nero Villagallos O\u2019Reilly, Francesca Ciregia, et al\u2019s Hellraiser: Resurrections \u2013 Hell\u2019s Council #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Jordan Jennings reviews the phenomenal update of Jim Zub, Jesus Merino, et al\u2019s Conan \u2013 Tides of the Tyrant King #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Tim Rooney reviews the playful experimentation of Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Michael Avon Oeming, et al\u2019s Ghost of a Ghost #1<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Lawrence Marable reviews the faltering momentum of Bryan Edward Hill, Valentine De Landro, Nico Leon, et al\u2019s Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Diego Higuera reviews the intoxicating creativity of Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, et al\u2019s Absolute Wonder Woman #24<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Broken Frontier<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Harish P. I reviews the visual appeal of Jean Cremers\u2019 Across the Widest Sea<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>translated by Joe Johnston.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Edward Picot reviews the inventive playfulness of Tor Freeman\u2019s Boss of the <\/i>Underworld: Shirley vs. Seven Deadly Dangers<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Swati Nair reviews the powerful message of Arianna Irwin, Prenzy, et al\u2019s Penelope\u2019s Escape from the Platypusary<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Lindsay Pereira reviews the delightful absurdity of Mark Alan Stamaty\u2019s Who Needs Donuts?<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>and the deep research of Frederick Noland\u2019s Major Taylor: The World\u2019s Fastest Man<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Andy Oliver reviews the haunting atmosphere of Roman Muradov\u2019s All the Living<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>and the intricate otherworldliness of Kristina Stipetic\u2019s The Flesh of the World<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Comics Grinder<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Henry Chamberlain reviews the sparkling originality of Karl Stevens\u2019 <\/span>Pepper<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Four Color Apocalypse<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ryan Carey reviews the competent execution of Sam Grinberg\u2019s <\/span>Scumburbia: Sleepover<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span><\/i>and the honest conclusion of Whit Taylor\u2019s <\/span>Fizzle #7<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n FreakSugar<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Jed W. Keith reviews the unsettling horror of David Dastmalchian, Leah Kilpatrick, Soo Lee, et al\u2019s <\/span>Kingdom of Earth #1<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n From Cover to Cover<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Scott Cederlund reviews the layered explorations of Deniz Camp, Javier Rodr\u00edguez, et al\u2019s <\/span>Absolute Martian Manhunter<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Harvard Crimson<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Micaela S. Arenas reviews the cartooning expertise of <\/span>Yokai: Shigeru Mizuki\u2019s Supernatural Parade<\/span><\/i><\/a>, translated by Zack Davisson.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n House to Astonish<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Paul O\u2019Brien has <\/span>capsule<\/span><\/a> reviews<\/span><\/a> of Marvel Comics\u2019 <\/span>DNX #1, X-Men #37, X-Men: Outback #3, Wolverine #28, Generation X-23 #8, Bishop #4, Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Gambit: Gone #1.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Blair Davis reviews the impressive scope of William Grady\u2019s Redrawing the West: A History of American Comics and the Mythic West<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Antonio Mirizzi reviews the multifaceted portrait of Nicolas Labarre\u2019s Moebius<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0<\/b>Mahriana Rofheart reviews the important work of Michelle Bumatay\u2019s On Black Bandes Dessin\u00e9es and Transcolonial Power<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Kirkus Reviews<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Have starred capsule reviews of:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Publisher\u2019s Weekly<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Have capsule reviews of:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Solrad<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ryan K Lindsay reviews the beautiful reminders of Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Elijah Rosenberg, Andy MacDonald, et al\u2019s <\/span>\n
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