Hello again! It’s been a bit of a quiet week in comics after we all found out Jonathan Kent is gay. And thank goodness for that.
My favorite story from last week is the announcement that Tokyo Pop is going to be partnering with a brand new retailer. Yep, you guessed it–
–Cracker Barrel.
We're teaming up with @CrackerBarrel to bring Disney The Nightmare Before Christmas manga to their stores!
Keep your eyes peeled for it next time you stop by ? pic.twitter.com/FozQqateqO
— TOKYOPOP (@TOKYOPOP) October 20, 2021
For people who have never lived near a Cracker Barrel this may seem a little strange, but this is not unlike the move DC Comics made a couple of years ago to bring comics into Wal-Mart. There are many small towns out there that will have a Cracker Barrel and a Wal-Mart but not a Target, or a Barnes and Noble. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho does not have a Barnes and Noble–but they do have a Cracker Barrel. Ironically, I live in one of the only five states to not have a Cracker Barrel (along with Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, and Wyoming).
And yes, clearly this is about Cracker Barrel changing its image, since they are the brand that will benefit most from this partnership. This isn’t the 2013 Cracker Barrel that partnered with Duck Dynasty. This is the 2019 Cracker Barrel who banned an anti-gay pastor from their restaurants. And if you want to make your queer goth Midwest teens feel comfortable when they have family dinner, having a TokyoPop Jack Skellington display in the Country Store is not a bad first step. And for kids and teens desperately seeking something that their Christian parents will allow them to buy, it might be “manga” and it might be “goth,” but it’s also Disney. I hope it sells out and they do a whole series.
The other big story is that it’s con season, and therefore Awards season, so here are the 2021 Ringo Award winners. The list of all nominees is available on the Ringo Awards website, and you can watch the full ceremony on YouTube. Also, check out WWAC reviews of these award winners:
Best Webcomic, Fangs: Review by Emily Lauer
Best Anthology, Be Gay, Do Comics: Review by Louis Skye
Ringo Spirit Award, Folklords: Reviews of Issue #1 and Issue #2 by Adrienne Resha
Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
Stan Sakai
Best Writer
James Tynion IV
Best Artist or Penciller
Jamal Campbell
Best Inker
Sanford Greene
Best Letterer
Aditya Bidikar
Best Colorist
Tamra Bonvillain
Best Cover Artist
Peach Momoko
Best Series
Usagi Yojimbo (IDW)
Best Single Issue or Story
The O.Z. (Self-published, Kickstarter)
Best Original Graphic Novel
Pulp (Image)
Best Anthology
Be Gay, Do Comics (IDW)
Best Humor Comic
Metalshark Bro 2: Assault on Hamzig Island (Scout Comics)
Best Webcomic
Fangs (Tapas)
Best Humor Webcomic
Sarah’s Scribbles (Tapas)
Best Non-fiction Comic Work
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (Abrams Books)
Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel
Twins (Scholastic Graphix)
Best Presentation in Design
Dave Cockrum’s X-Men Artifact Edition (IDW)
Jury Awards
The Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award, Joe Quesada
The Ringo Spirit Award, Folklords by Matt Kindt and Matt Smith
The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award, Gene Ha
Fan Awards
Favorite Hero, Persephone from Lore Olympus (Webtoon)
Favorite Villain, Emma from My Deepest Secret (Webtoon)
Favorite New Series, Midnight Poppy Land (Webtoon)
Favorite New Talent, Lilydusk
Favorite Publisher, Rocketship
It was FanExpo this weekend in Toronto, so check out WWAC’s Instagram for some amazing cosplay photos and Louis Skye’s Con Diary!
That’s it for me until next month, friends.
