Culture

Daniel Clowes new graphic novel Patience drops in late winter and it's sure to be the comic book event of the first half of...

UPDATE: Gfrorer's account has been reinstated but I'll leave this up as a cautionary tale. Twitter has had a harassment problem for a long time....

Based on the astounding social media attention to my last post about Ariell R. Johnson and her Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, it seems you want more Ariell. So I am very happy to oblige with the above video of Johnson talking at the Ignite Philly event last fall. Johnson talks about her own life as a nerd, who was the black Thundercat and her discovery of Storm, the first black superheroine she encountered: "When I found out about Storm I gripped on tight to her and never let her go."

Gene Luen Yang has racked up a lot of honors for his work—first graphic novel to be shortlisted for a National Book Award (for...

I can't think of a better story to end this year with than that of Ariell R. Johnson, reportedly the East coasts first black...

It's becoming a tradition like plum pudding and A Christmas Story: Kate Beaton's annual comics about her family from her trip home for Christmas. I'm not sure how they're tagged but if you click around her Tumblr you'll see them all. Kate's family is no more odd or endearing than anyone's and that what's make these so universal. IF these don't give you that fuzzy holiday feeling, nothing will.

And by few I mean a handful. Michael Cavna reports on this in a powerful piece called Why are there no staff black cartoonists at a time when we need them most? He spotlights a few of the black cartoonist who have a voice, including Keith Knight, Darrin Bell, and, Congressman John Lewism who thought not actually a cartoonist has certainly become a voice in comics. But the numbers are still awful:

In an interview with Vulture, Mike Mignola reveals that his much-lauded Hellboy in Hell series will end with issue #10 which comes out early...

Okay this one isn't exactly fun, but it is powerful. Baseline Blvd is a story about grief and

Black Santa's Revenge from David F Walker on Vimeo. If you're in the mood for something a little more cheeky for your holiday viewing,...

It's December 29th and most of you are on holiday or traveling around or sitting at your desk counting the minutes until you can leave. I'm in the middle group—traveling— and for those of you in the latter group, today were just posting some fine reading. The provenance of some of these is, um, hazy, but no judgements. Just entertainment!

Merry Christmas from everyone at the Beat to all of you. Wishing you a peaceful, happy holiday and all the presents you asked for. If...