News

The jury for next year's MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence -- a prize for cartoonists has been announced and it's stellar:  Charles Burns, Annie...

I'm devastated to learn of the death of Brian Jacoby, the owner of Secret Headquarters, a comics shop in Tallahassee, FL. Jacoby was admitted to the hospital last week with blood clots in both lungs and a leg, and he died suddenly on Thanksgiving night. Jacoby tweeted his health experiences and hospitalization on his Twitter account—painful reading now, but his humor even in illness is evident. The above photo is taken from his Twitter account.

The nominees in the four juried categories of the FIBD 42 have been announced, 35 "Official Selections", 12 in the "comics for young readers" category, 10 in the "best reprint" category and 5 in the "mystery novel" aka Polar category (all descriptions are my own.) "Polar" which you see so often in various listing at Angoulême, as best I can make out, tarnslates as a "light mystery" or thriller category....kind of the popular genre in Franco-Belgian comics, as opposed to say, superheroes. If I'm wrong, please someone correct me.

Sharon Sakai, wife of Usagi Yojimbo artist Stan Sakai passed away this morning after a long battle with a brain tumor. Sakai wrote on...

The combination fan wish fulfillment and classic writer comeback that is Convergence—DC's two month fill in event slated for next March and April while the company moves—have been announced, via The Nerdist and IGN. Once again it's old home week with Marv Wolfman writing the Teen titans, Len Wein writing Swamp Thing, and artists including Tim Truman back at DC for one last go round. This was originally going to be an event that featured a lot of younger creators, and there is one—EGOs artist Gus Storms is drawing the Legion.

I'm hitting the road for Thanksgiving frolic, so we're shifting into exciting HOLIDAY mode at the Beat! Oh there will be some news stories, and some GIft Guide suggestions, but also a lot of art and comics recommendations that I've been stockpiling for no good reason. Also, Beat contribours will be along with their own gift guide suggestions.

by Zachary Clemente "The last story of the Greatest Generation" Don't let the semi-snarky headline fool you - I love me some Hickman Madness. Secret with artist Bodenheim...

Rat Queens co-creator Kurtis J. Wiebe has posted a statement regarding his co-creator Roc Upchurch's recent arrest for domestic violence after attacking his ex-wife. The upshot: Upchurch is off the book.

The US branch of the international literary organization PEN America is holding an auction of "Firest EDitions/Second Thoughts" tpo help support its mission of...

I've long been awaiting Jeff Trexler's analysis of the Marvel/Kirby Settlement, and he starts a two-part piece with Should the Kirby Family Have Settled? In case it hasn't been explicitly stated enough, it was Trexler's exploration of the potentially ground breaking work for hire aspects of the case that Kirby family attorney Marc Toberoff seems to have used to get the Supreme Court to even look at the case. To allow it to go to decision would have established an important precedent—but it was extremely risky for the Kirby heirs:

Over at PW I reported on Consortium starting to distribute Alternative Comics and Secret Acres to bookstores. They currently distribute Uncivilized, Toon Books, Nobrow...

Last year the Society of Illustrators inaugurated a comics art competition similar to the one for illustrators they've been running for many years. (Disclosure: I was...