Independent comics are making waves this last week, with new projects in the works from Zainab Akhtar’s second volume of Critical Chips to a critical comics and essays zine about Joss Whedon and his problematic creation called We Told You So.
Critical Chips 2 is a zine full of comics, original illustrations, and essays examining everything from societal expectations of beauty to Batman and body language, and more. It’s 130+ pages, and put together by the woman who also runs Comics & Cola. Akhtar has nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter, which is how she has garnered so much support. The Kickstarter has been funded and ends on August 30.
We Told You So is accepting pitches right now until August 29, and looking for a quick turnaround time. This will be a comics and essays zine featuring work looking at many critical narratives that existed alongside Whedon’s work throughout the years. In the wake of his ex-wife’s letter and the shutdown of famous fan site Whedonesque, We Told You So shares lots about how troublesome his work has always been.
Sweethearts of 1989 or 1989nk is a positive LGBTQ / Trans comic about a young trans man who finds romance when he meets a handsome salaryman, and the universe pulls them together. It’s going to be a 48-page comic book drawn and written by Kale Jeffery. The Kickstarter ends on September 3rd and has already been funded. Donation is the only way to get a copy of this comic. Need more convincing? Try here.
On the less independent side of things, Marvel announced a new Star Wars title that will be more of young Luke, Leia, and the Rebel Alliance just after Rogue One in the Star Wars storyline. It seems this new series will focus on the impact of the mass murder at Jedha, and how it impacts the galaxy even on Tattooine, where a young Luke Skywalker resides. Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larocca, previously paired on other Star Wars titles, will work on the monthly comic.
In comics media this week’s release from Marvel, Defenders, fell flat for most of the folks who chose to watch it. The show combined the storylines of previous Netflix exclusives, from Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Audiences were disappointed in Danny Rand, how slowly the show progressed, and how boring it was. It’s hard to call this a comics based tv series when the original Defenders from the 70s were folks like Hulk and Dr. Strange.
Amazon Prime gets into comics-based tv with the new series The Tick, starring Peter Serafinowicz in a live action rendition of Ben Edlund’s comic series. It’s hard to be as good as Patrick Warburton was in the animated series, but many longtime Tick fans seem receptive.
The Jack Kirby museum started a special event based on the 100th anniversary of the famous comics creator’s birth. Jack Kirby is known for co-creating X-Men, Captain America, Hulk, and a lot more. The “Jack Kirby – 100 Years” exhibit will feature oversized copies of his prints, and on Sunday there was a talk about Kirby’s work during the opening reception. It is a limited time event meant to last only a few days, so if you’re in NYC get on that.
In other comics news, a comic about wine, teachers, and coping with life from IDW was reviewed as “magical”, and a monthly Minnesota publication shares online comics from 11 Twin Cities illustrators based on the theme “Summer of Love.”
