Joe McCulloch is here to help, with his weekly guide to the most interesting sounding new comics releases, and an essay on pre-Tezuka manga by Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama.
Elsewhere:
—News. R.I.P. historian/writer/cartoonist/editor/filmmaker/etc. Bhob Stewart. Expect more coverage at this site soon. In the meantime, Potrzrebie, his long-running blog, is a treasure trove of the kind of cultural information most readers of this site would be interested in, and gives a hint at his wide-ranging interests.
Kevin Melrose writes about some of the reaction to South Carolina lawmakers' efforts to withdraw funding from two colleges for including gay-themed books in their curricula (one of the books is Alison Bechdel's Fun Home.) Heidi MacDonald writes about fundraising efforts for Bill Mantlo, spurred on partially by the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The Hollywood Reporter writes about the legal conflict between Disney and Stan Lee Media. Robyn Chapman has launched The Tiny Report, a site/blog devoted to "micropress" comics.
—Interviews & Profiles. BuzzFeed talks to Hayao Miyazaki. Brigid Alverson talks to Charles Forsman about the new Oily Comics Spring Bundle offer. Heidi MacDonald interviews scholar Paul Gravett. Tell Me Something I Don't Know interviews Copacetic Comics owner Bill Boichel.
—Digital. Diamond Digital is shutting down, and Brigid Alverson provides analysis. Ryan Estrada sold his comics through comiXology Submit, and shares the economics of it. Bruce Lidl talks to Chris Ross of Top Shelf about their decision to offer DRM-free graphic novels.
—Reviews & Commentary. Noah Berlatsky and Shaenon Garrity write about Bloom County. At Flavorwire, Kevin Nguyen tries to pick what comics he'd add to the literary canon.
—Giving Opportunities. Worthy comics bloggers Rob Clough and Mike Lynch are both asking for financial help.
—Funnies. John Porcellino shares some old sketchbooks.
