PW Comics World: More To Come

Heidi’s visit to ComicsPRO, the annual comics retailers conference; a digital comics update, including reports on Webtoon Entertainment, Dark Horse Digital, and the Sweet Shop; a preview of the upcoming MoCCA Fest 2025 and MoCCA Week; a look at manga translator problems; and new inductees into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame

Meg and Calvin discuss Olivier Schrauwen’s ‘Sunday’ (Fantagraphics), a hilariously meticulous account of a day of meandering indolence, and Tessa Hulls' ‘Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir’ (MCD), a diligent and stirring account of multi-generational trauma in a family of Chinese immigrants.

Meg Lemke is named a 2025 Eisner Awards Judge and a recipient of the CBC Graphic Novel Advocate Award; the LA Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable 2024 list of Best GNs for Adults; updates on Diamond’s bankruptcy; ‘Fast Company’ on middle grade graphic novels; 2025 MoCCA guests; manga piracy; and tribute to K.C. Carlson and Turtel Onli.

Shaenon K. Garrity, PW manga reviewer and curator of the magazine’s biannual Manga previews list, joins Meg Lemke for a deep dive into PW’s picks for the top ten and long list of manga coming in Spring 2025. They discuss the breadth of notable titles from comics and general trade book publishers as well as manhwa, manhua, webtoons, and titles from related categories. Plus, Shaenon shouts out a few favorites from the 2024 “Must-Read” Manga list.

The Spring 2025 Comics and Graphic Novel Preview, compiled by GN reviews editor Meg Lemke, with Top Ten Lists for new adult, young adult, and children titles; a manga listing by Shaenon K. Garrity, and more; plus, Anouk Ricard wins the Grand Prix at Angoulême; the ALA Youth Media Awards; more on the Diamond bankruptcy; a tribute to Jules Feiffer; and a new Shagakukan manga app.

Cartoonist and animator Alex Krokus joins Heidi to talk about his two upcoming books: 'Loud & Smart & in Color' from Silver Sprocket, and 'My Father's Ghost' coming later this year from Chronicle. Alex talks about moving between animation and making comics and how he approached turning to comics memoir.

Diamond Comic Distributors filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the possible impact of tariffs on comics publishing; five comics trends to look for in 2025; the L.A. fires; the sexual misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman; The Beat’s Persons of the Year; and Jacq Cohen’s move to Abrams ComicArts.

Meg Lemke interviews cartoonist Rick Parker, also a writer, humorist and longtime artist for the Beavis & Butthead comics series, about his graphic memoir ‘Drafted,’ which tells the story of being drafted into the army during the Vietnam War and the trials and tribulations of basic training. PW's review calls the book a “cockeyed account of…wartime stories that tickle the funny bone and jab at the heart.”

A preview of the big themes likely in 2025: AI’s impact on comics publishing; distribution and Diamond; Book Bans and LGBTQ storytelling, book market growth; a surge in indie comics, manga, and webtoons; marketing and social media; Comics Arts Festivals, plus new books and new creators to watch.

The winners (there’s a tie) of the 2024 PW Graphic Novel Critics Poll; plus the Year In Review featuring a look back at the rise of book bans, Artificial Intelligence in comics, sales of graphic novels and periodicals, new ventures and expansions, distribution and retailing, webcomics, lawsuits, conventions, and in memoriam.