August 27, 2025
The comics giant has three new trade paperbacks featuring familiar superheroes on the shelves this month—but the origin stories within are anything but familiar. DC executive editor Chris Conroy speaks with PW about why the publisher’s Absolute Universe has struck a chord with fans. more 
U.S. comics fans will soon be able to experience the adventures of Hugo Pratt’s iconic seafarer like never before thanks to a new publishing program at Fantagraphics, which aims to make the entire Corto Maltese series available across six deluxe full-color hardcover editions. more
As the bankruptcy hearing over the fate of the remaining assets of Diamond Comic Distributors unfolded this month, the court approved the sale of Diamond UK and blocked a bid by Diamond to sell the publishers’ inventory it holds rather than return it. more
The cartoonist revisits her 30-year-old oeuvre and legendary character Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist, whose rage-filled adventures are collected in a new book from New York Review Comics. more
The graphic novel illustrator makes her prose debut with House of the Beast, a dark fantasy about a poor girl plotting revenge against her noble father with the aid of a dangerous god. more
The bestselling Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series is getting a graphic novel makeover with art from Douglas Holgate, the illustrator of the bestselling Last Kids on Earth graphic novels. Explore the latest in the series, now as a full-color, puzzle-packed, fun-filled adventure! (Sponsored) More
Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy were among this year’s winners, which were announced on August 16 at Seattle Worldcon. more
Kodansha and Square Enix each took home two of the night’s six awards, which were launched last year to honor outstanding achievements in the world of Japanese comics. The ceremony, held August 21, coincided with the first day of this year’s Anime NYC convention in New York. more
Calvin Reid, Heidi MacDonald, and Kate Fitzsimons react to a new Webtoon/Disney vertical scroll comics deal, KPop Demon Hunters, changes at Crunchyroll, and more.
Meg Lemke speaks with the actor, activist, and Eisner winner, also known as Sulu from Star Trek, about his new graphic memoir, It Rhymes with Takei, out now from Top Shelf. more
Meg checks in with Eric Reynolds, VP and associate publisher at Fantagraphics, and Sam Kusek, Kickstarter senior outreach lead for comics. more
Kit Anderson’s graphic novel Second Shift offers a dream-like science fiction tale that captures the slowly disorienting mental states of workers on a high-tech base on a faraway planet. Established by the megacorporation Terracorp, the base is staffed by three workers and monitored by a verbal AI system called Station that also manifests itself as a chatty shapeshifting hologram companion to the workers. Station provides updates on maintenance and offers a selection of immersive role-playing VR environments that seem to slowly replace whatever sense of reality the long-isolated workers have left. In this 12-page excerpt, we meet workers Birdie and Heck as their colleague Porter prepares to go into her scheduled artificial deep sleep. Second Shift by Kit Anderson is out now from Avery Hill Publishing.
The Kwong brothers spin up a relentless action-adventure fantasy. The lush, mostly black-and-white art lands like a cross between fantasy manga like Berserk and vintage Metal Hurlant comics. Though the frenetic pace can be frustrating, it’s a bold burst of imagination. more
In this soulful comics anthology co-edited by Latinx comics scholar Aldama and children’s book author Sánchez, Latinx creators celebrate the communal powers of food and sports, while also pointing to societal forces that attempt to diminish these touchstones of identity. It’s a joyful mosaic of diverse comics storytelling. more
Wolfe, creator of the Disney Food Blog, considers the Disney Adult phenomenon in this defiant debut intended as a response to online ridicule of the group. Fellow die-hards will take solace from Wolfe’s candor. more
Set in a literal cola war, this laddish corporate-espionage thriller from writers Johnson and Palmiotti and artist Santacruz revels in execution-style shootings and pinup-style nudity. It’s all so over-the-top that it vaults past satire and into absurdity. There’s fizz in this giddy nihilism, but nobody would claim it’s good for them. more
The Scream film franchise reinvented and revolutionized the horror genre, according to this thorough debut study from entertainment journalist Cullins. Filled with poignant analyses and extensive interviews with the cast and crew—including David Arquette, Neve Campbell, and Parker Posey—Cullins’s tribute makes clear the staying power of the films. Scream fans will have a blast. more
- Professional Programming at NYCC ’25: Comics industry programming at this year’s New York Comic Con will include a four-hour drill-down on comic book retailing, a full day of programming for librarians and educators, and more.
- ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Goes Graphic: Louisa Joyner at Faber acquired world all-language rights to Sarah Maxwell’s graphic novel adaptation of Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman from Claire Paterson Conrad at Janklow & Nesbit UK.
- Ignatz Awards Finalists: Michael D. Kennedy and Connie Meyers are among the 50 nominees across 10 categories for the 2025 Ignatz Awards. Winners will be announced this September at this year’s Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Md.
- RIP Nancy Burton: The Comics Journal celebrates the life and work of the renowned underground cartoonist, who recently died at 84.
- Alien Books Addresses Transphobia: The publisher has issued a statement regarding transphobic dialogue in Valiant Beyond (Bloodshot #1), reports Graphic Policy.
- Scholastic Bets Big on Telgemeier: Comic book creator Raina Telgemeier’s memoir Facing Feelings has landed a 200,000 print run from Scholastic Graphix, according to Bleeding Cool.
- ‘Black Mirror’ Gets Graphic: The U.K.-based indie publisher Twisted Comics will adapt the Netflix series into a graphic novel, per Forbes.
- AI Protest at Canada Con: At FanExpo Canada in Toronto, artists and fans demonstrated against an AI portrait booth, attracting a police presence, per Bleeding Cool.
- Comics Aren’t Just for Fun: CBC explores how comics and graphic novels can introduce otherwise reading-averse children to literature.
- AI Comes for Comics: Animation magazine considers the vast trove of manga and anime IP that has been scraped by generative AI.
- Double the Chainsaw Man: A new Chainsaw Man anime will air alongside the upcoming compilation film, which will premiere worldwide on Crunchyroll next month, reports ScreenRant.
- The Legacy of Old Master Q: PostMag looks at how Alfonso Wong’s beloved comic strip still resonates with generations of Hong Kong comics fans.
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The Fanatic Editor: John Maher
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Editor Emeritus: Calvin Reid
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