The Best Comics of 2022
STOP, THE YEAR CANNOT END UNTIL WE HAVE DECLARED THE BEST COMICS.
Features
AfterShocks and Tremors
A recent bankruptcy filing by a comics publisher has resulted in multiple stories of non-payment to creators, some of whom question whether they will ever see compensation for the work they have performed.
Excerpt: John’s Worth
Check out this extended look at Jon Chandler’s latest graphic novel, John’s Worth, courtesy of Breakdown Press!
Titan Comics
We head to Dallas to speak with Jeremy Shorr about Titan Comics for our ongoing look at comics retail. Do all those movies and television drive sales? Why didn’t Jeremy ever watch Endgame? This back issue expert has some stories to tell!
“Put Your Raygun To My Head”: An Interview with Michael Allred
The beloved cartoonist Michael Allred talks about his work on David Bowie, his work adapting the Book of Mormon, and how it all got started: curated single issues, courtesy of a cool sibling.
I Will Stop The Cavalry – This Week’s Links
It’s the Polar Express! It is here to take me to Hell.
Remembering Aline Kominsky-Crumb
Colleagues, admirers, peers and publishers assemble here to pay tribute to the late Aline Kominsky-Crumb, an icon of the American underground.
Disgusting Pong: Kevin O’Neill Takes One Final Trip Down the Bile Tubes
This week sees the release of the final new work by the late UK comics great – one that cautions about the state of the future between epic, triumphant farts.
“It’s A Miracle That This Book Even Exists”: An Interview With Gale Galligan
Gale Galligan catches up with Gina Gagliano about a lot of things—their yo-yo and dance-focused book Freestyle, what it’s like adapting The Baby-Sitters Club, travelogues and diary comics, how seriously Jon Arbuckle is taking his craft—but at no point do the two discuss having alliterative initials. We’ll get you next time!
Olden Times And Ancient Rhymes – This Week’s Links
Trying again to make this damned AI write this for me. Hang on… NEVER MORE VIOLENT HAS BEEN THE BARBAROUS BEARING OF A CRUEL DESTINY. Argh, I entered “fun and laughs”…
“Super-Masturbation” Special Move: Ikegami Ryōichi’s Supaidāman
In which Natsume tackles one of the most unusual moments in Marvel history: the time the official early ’70s Spider-Man manga had Spidey engage in self-gratification right on the page. And yet, this too was part of history’s tide…
Wig Shop
Jeff Alford, the human being behind Wig Shop, shares how his retail journey as a cool website featuring comics he likes and wants to get behind has transitioned from a fun hobby to a legitimate business over the last few years.
Diane Noomin’s Memorial Service at SVA, November 10, 2022
John Kelly reports from a memorial service for the cartoonist and editor Diane Noomin, held in New York City on November 10, 2022.
Aline Kominsky-Crumb, 1948-2022
An obituary for one of the revelatory talents of autobiographical cartooning, and an icon of the underground era.
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect – This Week’s Links
The legend returns… and boy does he have news for you!
Dialogue Balloons: Cartoonists From Brazil
Jason Novak’s new column, Dialogue Balloons, begins with a trip down South…to Brazil, to discuss the scene, the comics, the politics and more with seven of Brazil’s finest cartoonists!
“Medi-Cal Was Outlawed Yesterday”: Dori Seda and the Reverberations of Reaganomics
Edward Dorey takes a long look at a cannibalism-themed 1986 short by alt-comics legend Dori Seda, and teases out the wider implications of conservative ideologues feasting on a nation’s health.
Excerpt: PANDORA: The Receding Sound of Footsteps
A full story from the new collection of misty, lyrical manga by Hagiwara Rei, coming next year.
“Fun Doesn’t Mean It Can’t Be Intelligent”: A Conversation with Ram V
Jean Marc Ah-Sen sits down with one of the rising stars of English-language genre comics, who holds forth on creativity, accessibility, and what comics need for the future.
Lucca Comics & Games 2022
What’s it like attending the second-largest comics show on Earth? Valerio Stivé reports from Lucca Comics & Games 2022… the “Comics” part, at least.
An Appreciation of Kevin O’Neill, 1953-2022
David Roach looks back at the work of Kevin O’Neill, one of the most unique artistic voices in British comics, whose influence will forever be felt, even as his style remains impossible to imitate.
Drew Friedman’s Maverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground Comix: “A masterpiece, a treasure, an encyclopedia”
John Kelly didn’t just read Drew Friedman’s new book of portraits, he asked seven of the subjects what they thought of their depictions. Plus: Friedman himself sits down for a new interview.
In The Flagon With The Dragon – This Week’s Links
Throw your phone and its broken apps into the sea and go (to the library, where there is another computer, and) click these links!
