Last week, Nola Pfau created a brand new banner for Previously and I’m just gonna take a minute to brag about it because look at it? Isn’t it awesome! We’ve appreciated all the banners we’ve had in the past for our comics news column, but we figured it was time for a change, and Nola stepped up. She might not brag about it herself, but I certainly will!
And now, on to the news.
Vital Statistics
Following its 2017 struggles, comics and graphic novels had their best sales year ever in 2018, bringing in $1.095 billion. This includes the addition of crowfunded works from the US and Canada, which likely offered a significant bump in the numbers as creators continue to use resources like Kickstarter to fund their projects. The numbers, as compiled by Cv2 and Comichron, indicate that graphic novels dominate the market, so I guess trade waiters like me aren’t ruining the industry after all.
NEW: The annual @Comichron report with @ICV2 for 2018 finds strong growth for the $1.095 billion comics and graphic novel market, with all formats (comics, GNs, digital) growing. A rebound from 2017. Great year for the book channel. See our report here: https://t.co/mr8pbOIma8 pic.twitter.com/2rl43f3Hou
— Comichron.com (@comichron) May 2, 2019
Reports of His Death Have Been…
CBR reported the death of Michael Davis, co-founders of the historic Milestone Media, and had to shortly retract the obituary when Bleeding Cool reported that the tweet indicating he had passed on was the result of hacked social media accounts. An important reminder to verify your sources, folks. First doesn’t mean anything if your news isn’t accurate or worse, is harmful.
Truth and Reconciliation
Truth and reconciliation efforts in Canada continue, striving to shed light on the wrongs of the country’s painful past and work toward a better future that acknowledges the vital existence of indigenous people. This Place: 150 Years Retold, out this month from Highwater Press is an anthology of 10 graphic stories by indigenous writers and artists that was conceived and produced as part of the continued effort to reveal the painful history of Canada’s indigenous people.
Quick Hits
– Looking for advice on writing comics? Greg Pak has just launched a Patreon offering just that
– shing yin khor’s first graphic novel, The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 will soon be released to the world
– Love to see comic stores that are welcoming for the whole family
– And She-Ra continues to be awesome:
Thrilled to announce LEGEND OF THE FIRE PRINCESS, an original graphic novel with NEW content including a BIG REVEAL! Written by @gigideegee & art by @PlinaGanucheau (including this beautiful cover!). You can preorder here: https://t.co/4OGqPuOVf1 pic.twitter.com/VQxZDQhEaO
— Noelle Stevenson (@Gingerhazing) May 1, 2019
