PW Comics World: More To Come

The upcoming New York Comic Con; plus fundraisers at Desert Island Comics and Silver Sprockett, and disaster support from BINC; the launch of the Comics Courier, a print critical journal; new hires at Tokyopop and IDW, and allegations of abusive labor practices at Chinese manhua publishers.

PW graphic novels editor Meg Lemke talks with Calvin about two graphic memoirs: ‘Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy’ by Sacha Mardou, a complex tale of multifamily dysfunction and immersive therapy; and ‘I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir’ by Maurice Vellekoop, a stylish reflection on a demanding father and surviving a homophobic society. Also at SPX, Meg interviews Dash Shaw about his new graphic novel ‘Blurry.’

A preview of New York Comic Con and the Brooklyn Book Festival; Meg and Heidi report on visits to SPX and Baltimore Comic Con; plus comings and goings at Boom! Studios and Bad Idea; and the launch of Ninth Circle, a new horror imprint at Image Comics.

Live from SPX 2024, Heidi talks with Ignatz winner Robyn Smith (‘Night Fever’), Luke Healy (‘Self Esteem,’ and ‘End of the World’); while Meg interviews Beth Hetland (‘Tender’), Tara Booth (‘Processing’), and Sig Burwash (‘Vera Bushwack’).

A tribute to the memory of comics artist John Cassaday (1972-2024); plus promotions and new staff cuts at IDW; webtoon licensing deals; news on manga piracy; AI manga translations; book bans; and upcoming shows and conventions, including SPX, Baltimore Comic Con, and the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Calvin and PW graphic novels reviews editor Meg Lemke discuss two graphic novels: Sole Otero’s ‘Mothballs’, a multigenerational saga about female disenfranchisement and despair, and Charles Burns' ‘Final Cut,’ a stylish meditation on the aimless friend-groups and awkward sexual encounters of the young, and the mesmerizing spectacle of movies and how they are made.

Calvin Reid, Heidi MacDonald, and Kate Fitzsimons report on the AnimeNYC (August 23-25), Flame Con (Aug 17-18), and Fanatics Fest (August 16-18) conventions; preview the upcoming CXC convention and salute Annie Koyama, winner of CXC's Tom Spurgeon Award; scratch their heads over a new publishing launch; pay tribute to memories of the late Joyce Brabner and Elena Salcedo; and look back on Disney’s acquisition of Marvel 15 years ago this week.

Calvin interviews writer Loo Hui Phang about her new graphic novel 'Erased: An Actor of Color's Journey Through the Heyday of Hollywood', created with artist Hugues Micol, an imaginative work that dissects the history of Hollywood filmmaking and its role in shaping American racial stereotypes. The book’s story is based around the fictional life and film career of a charismatic, polemical, indeed mythic, mixed-race character, who emerges from the Hollywood studio system in the 1930s.

This week on More to Come, co-hosts Calvin Reid, Heidi MacDonald, and Kate Fitzsimons report on the Harvey and Ignatz nominations, plus, New York Comic Con expands, Meg breaks down PW’s Fall 2024 Comics and Graphic Novel Preview, and we follow the money at DSTLRY, Colin Kaepernick and AI, VoyceMe, Zestworld, and Apple’s Patreon cash grab.

Calvin and PW graphic novels reviews editor Meg Lemke talk about two distinctive graphic memoirs: ‘The Heart That Fed’ by Carl Sciacchitano, a moving examination of his father’s traumatic combat service during the Vietnam War; and, ‘The Field’ by David Lapp, a lively recollection of a childhood summer in the Ontario suburbs.