Hello again! Kate here, with your news round-up for the third week of January. I didn’t see a ton of news, so I’m just going to focus on a few big things — two that are notable, one that will make you angry — and then end with a sad/happy thing.
First, everyone should know that the top three Webtoon comics are by three K-pop groups and that the BTS Webtoon has 9.3 million views and almost a million subs after a week. (The article says 15 million but I just logged on to Webtoon and it’s only 9.3 million. Only. Also Batman: Wayne Family Adventures has 20.1 million views but only around 800,000 subs — and it’s up to 27 episodes). While I will never get into K-pop, I am damn impressed at these numbers and this trend. Any time someone says comics are dying they need to remember that Webtoon is a thing.
Next, the GLAAD Award nominees have been announced, and below are the nominees for Outstanding Comic Book and Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology. I don’t know why anthologies and original graphic novels are in the same category, but I remember when the number of GLAAD nominated comic books was in the single digits. Like, three. And now there’s 10. And so many that they had to create a separate category so they can nominate more than 10. In 2001, Judd Winick’s Pedro and Me was in the same category as The Authority — and won. If you want to look at the years past and think about how awesome it is to be where we are right now, I recommend checking out the Wikipedia page of nominees and winners.
Outstanding Comic Book
- Aquaman: The Becoming, by Brandon Thomas, Diego Olortegui, Skylar Patridge, Scott Koblish, Wade Von Grawbadger, Adriano Lucas, Alex Guimarães, Andworld Design (DC Comics)
- Barbalien: Red Planet, by Tate Brombal, Jeff Lemire, Gabriel Hernández Walta, Jordie Bellaire, Aditya Bidikar (Dark Horse Comics)
- Crush & Lobo, by Mariko Tamaki, Amancay Nahuelpan, Tamra Bonvillain, Nick Filardi, Ariana Maher (DC Comics)
- The Dreaming: Waking Hours, by G. Willow Wilson, Javier Rodriguez, Nick Robles, M.K. Perker, Matheus Lopes, Chris Sotomayor, Simon Bowland (DC Comics)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, Cory Petit (Marvel Comics)
- Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour, by Tee Franklin, Max Sarin, Erich Owen, Marissa Louise, Taylor Esposito (DC Comics)
- Killer Queens, by David M. Booher, Claudia Balboni, Harry Saxon, Lucas Gattoni (Dark Horse Comics)
- Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, by Alyssa Wong, Minkyu Jung, Ray-Anthony Height, Federico Sabbatini, Victor Olazaba, Rachelle Rosenberg, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)
- Superman: Son of Kal-El, by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Steve Pugh, Clayton Henry, Gabe Eltaeb, Hi-Fi, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Steve Buccellato, Dave Sharpe (DC Comics)
- Wynd, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Andworld Design (BOOM! Studios)
Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology
- Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms, by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise, Oscar O. Jupiter (Oni Press)
- DC Pride [anthology] (DC Comics)
- Eighty Days, by A.C. Esguerra (Archaia/BOOM! Studios)
- The Girl from the Sea, by Molly Ostertag, Maarta Laiho (Graphix/Scholastic)
- Girl Haven, by Lilah Sturges, Meaghan Carter, Joamette Gil (Oni Press)
- I Am Not Starfire, by Mariko Tamaki, Yoshi Yoshitani, Aditya Bidikar (DC Comics)
- Marvel’s Voices: Pride [anthology] (Marvel Comics)
- Renegade Rule, by Ben Kahn, Rachel Silverstein, Sam Beck, Jim Campbell (Dark Horse Comics)
- The Secret to Superhuman Strength, by Alison Bechdel, Holly Rae Taylor (Mariner Books/HMH)
- Shadow Life, by Hiromi Goto, Ann Xu (First Second/Macmillan)
Now for the thing that will make you angry. The A.V. Club, which has done a little comics coverage over the years, just lost 7 employees because they refused to move to L.A. from Chicago without a cost of living adjustment. This Twitter thread covers the full situation and why it’s extra shitty for everyone.
Last month, G/O management told its seven Chicago-based A.V. Club employees that they either had to move to Los Angeles to work in the company’s new office there or lose their jobs. The employees were not offered cost-of-living increases. 1/X https://t.co/uzqIZUJVhE
— Onion Inc Union (@OnionIncUnion) January 6, 2022
Thankfully, they have a union and they are going to be able to get severance packages, but it’s still a fucking shitty thing to do in a pandemic and we need more Jorts the Cat pro-Union energy in 2022.
And now that you’re fully enraged, let me turn your attention to something wonderful but nonetheless sad, because of the circumstances for why it’s happening.
Beloved comics artist George Perez disclosed in December that he has inoperable cancer and is retiring from public appearances basically to make sure his estate is in order, which, if you didn’t love him before, is reason to in and of itself. There’s been an outpouring of love in response generally, but last week, Jim Lee posted photos on Twitter and Instagram that show DC Comics basically having its own George Perez day in their Burbank offices.
Spent an extraordinary special lunch this week with the legendary artist George Pérez, equally legendary writer @marvwolfman & long time amazing DC comics editor/writer/exec Mike Carlin. It was part of a day of honoring George & giving him the proverbial keys to the DC offices pic.twitter.com/7HfOTaCaMZ
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) January 22, 2022
What makes that especially emotional for me is the fact that his friends are there, too. Sometimes comics is good, people. But sometimes it’s sad. This same week, another iconic figure was lost. French illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières passed away at 83.
RIP Jean-Claude Mézières, the French illustrator who has inspired many artists and filmmakers.
He created, with Pierre Christin, Valérian and Laureline, which became Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).
He worked on The Fifth Element too (1997). He was 83. #TSSN pic.twitter.com/S0KC70V2rl— The Spaceshipper ? (@TheSpaceshipper) January 23, 2022
When Betty White passed away weeks before her 100th birthday, people talked about how important it was that she was appreciated in her lifetime. We’ve lost so many other figures since then who never were afforded the same courtesy. But it’s heartening to see Perez given his due, now, before it’s too late.
Tell the ones you love that you love them, friends.
