Nothing like an ending to get a, ahem, Fandom, riled up, and so, I think we can all agree, the most logical way to move forward is for all Content to be eternal, unending, unceasing, flying past on a truly infinite infinite-scroll, so that all serialised storytelling forms up like the news, from which this week’s links, below, is sourced, and we never have to think on the finality of life when consuming Aht again, it will, instead, simply serve, at long last, the unceasing tech company hunger to Pull Down to Refresh, damn the consequences to the Creator. And what did I think to the Chainsaw Man finale, you ask? I’ll never tell, mate ;)
Keep your homunculus in doors and under a blue glass case
This week’s news.
• Returning once more to the digital frontier, it was announced this week that OpenAI is shuttering its video-generation platform, Sora, six months after its launch as a standalone app, with Disney subsequently terminating its $1 billion licensing agreement with OpenAI, but presumably not rerouting that $1 billion into the pockets of human creators, as, apparently, generative AI is still hip and happening to your average denizen of the executive class.
• Elsewhere, Penguin Random House finalised its absorption of Boom! Studios into its wider corporate body, announcing a new restructuring of the publisher, along with more layoffs at the company, three weeks after Embracer put out similar statements regarding top level changes at Dark Horse.
• In other news, Silver Sprocket announced over the weekend that its San Francisco storefront would be closing effective Monday, March 23, with employees at the store launching a GoFundMe to cover living costs after being laid off "very suddenly” — Zach Rabiroff and Tate McFadden’s 2025 feature for TCJ on Silver Sprocket’s recent financial troubles can be read here.
• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared this week of the passing of writer and artist Sam Kieth, creator of The Maxx, who has died at the age of 63 due to Lewy Body Dementia.
• News was also shared of the passing of cartoonist Hermann Huppen, creator of Jeremiah and The Towers of Bois-Maury, who has died at the age of 87.
Augur of Abundance
— Zé Burnay (@zeburnay.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T10:22:53.387Z
This week’s reviews.
TCJ
• Leonard Pierce reviews the vivid mood of EPHK’s Harpy — “The good news is, the art is more than good enough to sustain the slow patches in the story. Harpy is a gorgeous book, and EPHK's visuals explode every time, even when his writing fizzles a bit. The colors pop and shift constantly, always reflecting the mood; the effects and sounds are often pitch-perfect, drawing from both western and eastern comics traditions in a wildly successful fusion.”
• Tegan O’Neil reviews the subtle bite of Keiler Roberts’ Preparing to Bite — “Did I underestimate it? Probably. From what I understand the book’s release was heralded with significant discourse, regarding the cartoonist’s premature retirement and then coming out of retirement with another book. All very Jay-Z, from a distance, making a big deal about walking away and then coming back with another book.”
AIPT
• Christopher Franey and Michael Guerrero review the emotional depth of DC’s Green Lantern #600.
• George Loftus reviews the new tone of Ryan North, Gavin Guidry, et al’s Flash #31.
• Chris Showalter reviews the classic riffs of Elliot Kalan, Carlos Olivares, et al's Harley Quinn #60.
• Colin Moon reviews the overwhelming scope of Marvel Comics’ Imperial.
• Collier Jennings reviews the enchanting darkness of Tyler Boss, Martin Simmonds, et al’s Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera #2.
• David Brooke reviews the compelling imagination of Nick Cagnetti and Daniel Ziegler’s Spirit of the Shadows #3.
The Beat
• Steve Baxi reviews the refreshing uniqueness of Dan Watters, Hayden Sherman, et al's Batman: Dark Patterns.
• Joe Grunenwald reviews the well-crafted synergy of DC and Marvel Comics’ Superman/Spider-Man #1.
• Jordan Jennings reviews the odd pacing of Peter Murrieta, D.E. Schrader, Ben Herrera, et al’s Rafael Garcia: Henchman #1.
• Tim Rooney reviews the madcap fun of Gabe Soria and Gideon Kendall’s MegaGhost #1.
• D. Morris reviews the blockbuster action of Deniz Camp, Jonas Scharf, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, et al’s Ultimate Endgame #3.
• Zack Quaintance has reviews of:
- The unencumbered surprises of Wesley Griffith’s The Jump.
- The smart confidence of Alejandro Arbona, Gavin Guidry, et al’s Lake Yellowwood Slaughter.
- The gritty action of Mark London, Jamie Infante, et al’s Honor & Curse: Eternal #1.
Book and Film Globe
William Schwartz reviews the visual accentuations of Steve Lafler’s Crazy for You, adapting the work of Paul Theroux.
Broken Frontier
• Edward Picot reviews the visual attractions of Ariela Kristantina et al’s The Girl Who Draws on Whales.
• Andy Oliver has reviews of:
- The remarkable experience of A.T. Pratt’s Big Apple Matinee.
- The tactile presentation of Jules Valera’s A Very Fragile Release Coming Along as a Light Breath.
- The beautiful rendering of André Caetano's Short Stories.
Four Color Apocalypse
Ryan Carey reviews the singular realisation of Josh Bayer’s Utzy & Dusty; and the hodgepodge strengths of 2dcloud’s Mirror Mirror #4, edited by Airplane Mode.
House to Astonish
Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men #27, Cyclops #2, and X-Men of Apocalypse #3.
Journal of Borderlands Studies
Misty Prigent reviews the engaging perspective of Juliet Fall’s Along the Line: Writing with Comics and Graphic Narrative in Geography.
Journal of Modern Italian Studies
Sabrina Fava reviews the nuanced reconstruction of Zane Elward’s Comic Fascism. Ideology, Catholicism, and Americanism in Italian Children’s Periodicals.
School Library Journal
• Alicia Abdul has a starred capsule review of the heartfelt resonances of Nikki Smith’s Midsummer Sisters.
• Emilia Packard has a starred capsule review of the powerful narrative of Sherine Hamdy and Myra El Mir’s Landing in Place.
• Taylor Skorski has a starred capsule review of the accessible appeal of Jarrett Lerner’s Lake of Slime.
Solrad
Hagai Palevsky reviews the contrasting immediacy of Olivier Schrauwen’s 29,000 Years of Bad Luck.
Help shape one of Toronto's most beloved cultural institutions!TCAF is seeking new Board members with experience in finance, fundraising, and nonprofits. Familiarity with publishing, art festivals, and a love of comics are all appreciated. Apply by April 25: www.charityvillage.com/job/board-me...
— Toronto Comic Arts Festival (@torontocomics.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T15:43:25.746Z
This week’s interviews.
TCJ
Valerio Stivé interviews Tanino Liberatore about Ranxerox, linking up with the Cannibale crew, changing social and market mores, and movie poster disagreements — “Yeah, but that’s how we were. Everything felt so obvious to us, almost taken for granted. Then other people made us superstars. When Frigidaire came out, and the French publishers saw it too, they bought Ranxerox the moment they saw it. But for us, everything we were doing it was no big deal, it didn't mean shit at the time.”
AIPT
• Chris Coplan talks to Ben Abernathy about Super Creepshow and the importance and endurance of horror stories, and to Nicole Goux and Dave Baker about Punk'n Heads and long-lasting creative collaborations.
• Chris Hassan interviews Tim Seeley about Inglorious X-Force, getting a team together, and exploring the storyline of Kamala Khan’s future presidency.
• David Brooke speaks with:
- Franklin Jonas about Fireborn and finding your voice while moving between creative mediums.
- Matthew Rosenberg about Spawn and bringing new readers into the fold.
- Zoe Tunnell about Seven Wives and cult research.
The Beat
Dean Simons talks to Ben Smith, Oliver PIckles, Michael Carroll, and Tom Foster about New Adventures From The Trigan Empire and continuing a classic story for a new generation.
CBC
Michelle Villagracia speaks with Emilia Strilchuk about Be Yourself! Oh, Not Like That, the cathartic nature of comics making, and creative inspirations.
Fanbase Press
Barbra Dillon interviews Nick Ward about Peculiar, collaborating with Marcelo Santana on the book, and actions having consequences.
GraphicMemoir
Jonathan Sandler talks to Nadine Tarkovian about Armaveni, and the decision to make a book contextualising the Armenian Genocide for a contemporary audience.
The Hindu
Chintan Girish Modi speaks with Sarnath Banerjee about Absolute Jafar, the India-Pakistan relationship, and the anti-life equation of AI.
ICv2
Milton Griepp interviews Lunar Distribution’s Christina Merkler and Cameron Merkler about the company’s growth over the last few years, and bringing new publishers into the fold.
Nerdist
Tai Gooden talks to Sebastian A. Jones about The Untamed, the origins and evolution of the book, and adaptations of comic stories to different mediums.
The Observer
Killian Fox speaks with Kristen Campbell about Eulogy for a Centipede, winning the Rachel Cooke Graphic Story Short Prize, and cartoonist inspirations.
Rappler
Juno Reyes talks to Richard Mercado about Coming Out Perfect, taking inspiration from real-life experiences, and rooting the book in Filipino culture.
Southern News
Valentina Toro shares conversation from a recent talk from Jules Bakes and John Guillemette about Sea Legs and Gina School, and the accessibility of graphic novels as a storytelling form.
SYFY Wire
Josh Weiss interviews Jeff Marvin about Hunters of Sheydim, assimilation of culture into language, and the differences in demons between mythological frameworks.
Valley News
Alex Hanson speaks with Stephen R. Bissette about becoming Vermont’s latest cartoonist laureate, and the cartooning tradition in Vermont.
Cover for my next monthly zine. Join my patreon zine tier for one shipped to you every month, until i die from exhaustionwww.patreon.com/c/MichaelKup...
— Michael Kupperman (@mkupperman.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T18:23:59.128Z
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, it’s March Madness for this month’s Arrivals and Departures, as RJ Casey sets up the bracket for this year’s tournament, laying up thoughts on Waylon Wewer’s Cat & Dog Pig & Frog #2, Julliette Collet and Nate Garcia’s Pummel Me Tuna!, Blaise Moritz’s Lady Macbeth Has an Olfactory Imagination, and Madeline Guido’s Cowgirls — “I can’t categorically plant my flag on the side of clarity but I can say that I’d rather read a simple narrative than Garcia and Collet limping through lackluster adventures in disassociating. In spite of all this, I haven’t lost hope! It was just a short time ago that this duo of natural born earthshakers not only had their finger of the zeitgeist but were the ventricles making the medium’s heart beat.”
• Also for TCJ, our esteemed editors present an excerpt from Kelly Goto’s Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist's Perspective of the Japanese-American Experience, a paperback version of which was released this week — “These comics chronicled the lives and stories of early Japanese settlers and their American-born offspring. Through his work, [Sam Goto] captured elements of culture, nostalgia, and history, while infusing his characters -- Shigeru Tomo and his alterego Samurai Shigeru -- with the samurai values of courage, respect, and continuous improvement and compassion.”
• For the soon-to-be-renamed Cartoonist Cooperative, Jectoons (aka Emiliano Carrasco) writes on the contemporary culture of corporate ownership of creative endeavours and IP control, and makes suggestions for system dismantlement to move away from this.
• Over at ICv2, David Harper profiles Virginia’s Hello Comics and the businesses owners, Dave Murray and Kate DeNeveu, and logs their retail Hits and Misses in 2026.
• Closing out the first quarter of the year-that-is by looking back on the year-that-was, contributors to Yatta-tachi run down their favourite manga titles of 2025, with thoughts on Oreco Tachibana's Firefly Wedding, Rinteku's Love in the Palm of His Hand, Inuhiko Doronoda's Spacewalking with You, Shirato Sanpei's The Legend of Kamui, Fumiko Takano's Miss Ruki, Kazumi Yamashita's Land, Kodansha's Young Magazine US, Midori Yuma and Mamenosuke Fujimaru's The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Hiroka Samura's Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze, Mamita's 10 Things I Want To Do Before I Turn 40, Fumi Yoshinaga's Tamaki & Amane, Ryuhei Tamura's Cosmos, and Masaoki Shindo's RuriDragon.
• For Shelfdust, Hank Kennedy writes on the anti-war history to be found in Bill Mantlo and George Tuska’s Iron Man #78, as billionaire playboy weapon designer Tony Stark grapples with the realities of American interventionism in Vietnam.
• Autobiographix’s Amaris Ketcham shares the importance of physical teaching materials, and of making one’s own, for print media courses, looking ahead (in zine form) to an upcoming academic trip to Japan.
• More mindful discussion from the Mindless Ones, as A Brief History of British Comics hits the big time with 2000 AD, appreciation is paid to Mariam Tovmasian’s We Can Plan a Murder and Start a Religion, and consideration is given to the Marvel Comics/DC cultural dichotomy.
• Paul O’Brien’s cataloguing of the villains of Daredevil continues, for House to Astonish, as Ann Nocenti’s run is still idling in low gear, with the appearance of The Cavia Killer, but the engine’s beginning to warm up.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as fallout from the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran continues (along with the inevitable grifts), and ICE’s deployment to airport security duties proved fertile illustrative ground.
21 Mar 2026
— actual heathcliff comics (@realheathcliffs.bsky.social) 2026-03-21T18:54:28.612Z
No more links this week, all done, but, oh go on then — I give it, let’s say... 7/10.
