Like so many children from marginalized groups, Maurice Broaddus wanted to see himself in the media that he saw on the screen or in the books he read He wanted to be able to see people who looked like him shaping the future, whether it be commanding starships or wielding magic. Like so many of…
Quaranzines Will Keep Us Connected: An Interview with Jenna Freedman
When I first started working on this project in those wild, precious, before-the-Pandemic times, I visited several zine libraries in person and online, and talked to the librarians, barefoot and degree-d alike, who run them. During this process, I quickly began hearing familiar names come up in conversation. Zine communities can often be niche and…
INTERVIEW: Marco Finnegan Reimagines LA’s Zoot Suit Riots With a SciFi Twist in Lizard in a Zoot Suit
Set in the 1940s against the backdrop of The Sleepy Lagoon murder and the subsequent Zoot Suit Riots in LA, Latinx cartoonist Marco Finnegan explores history, racism, and classism in his new young adult graphic novel, Lizard in a Zoot Suit from Learner Publishing Group. Despite the zoot suit being a major element of Black and…
INTERVIEW: Planet DIVOC-91 Tackles COVID-19 Through Webtoon
COVID-19 is hitting all of us hard in many different ways. As the medical and scientific community struggle to decipher the many moving parts of the disease, so too does the rest of the world struggle to navigate the new and dangerous world we live in, haunted by an invisible enemy. It’s all very frightening…
INTERVIEW: The Valiant Virtual Portfolio Review Wants You
With convention season on hiatus for 2020, publishers are seeking alternatives to their usual in-person plans. When it comes to portfolio reviews for potential new talent, Valiant Entertainment is going online with the Valiant Virtual Portfolio Review. Submissions are open now for aspiring interior artists, cover artists, colorists, and letterers. Selected applicants will participate in…
Svetlana Chmakova Goes Back to Nightschool With The Weirn Books: Be Wary of The Silent Woods
Award-winning creator Svetlana Chmakova goes back to nightschool with a new series, The Weirn Books: Be Wary of The Silent Woods. The first story, available now from Yen Press’ middle grade graphic novel imprint, JY, introduces us to Ailis Thornton and her cousin, Na’ya Leiburne-Thornton. Ailis is a 12-year-old weirn — a witch bound to…
Alex de Campi Goes Full Tilt Boogie in a New All Ages Adventure From 2000AD
Soaring off of the pages of 2000AD Regened comes Tee, a resourceful teen bounty hunter/hired help who, along with her grandmother and her cat, takes the spaceship, Full Tilt Boogie, on a sprawling science fiction adventure across the cosmos. Written by Alex de Campi, with art by Eduardo Ocaña and letters by Ellie de Ville,…
And Justice For All: Vita Ayala and Tana Ford on Livewire Volume 3: Champion
In case you weren’t paying attention, one of the best series of the last year ended recently: Valiant’s solo hero book Livewire. Penned by Vita Ayala with art duties rotating for each arc, Livewire ran for 12 issues on the heels of the Harbinger Wars 2 event and told a complex, thoughtful, and at times painful…
Four-Color Faves: Wendy Browne on the Legend that Is Dejah Thoris
Warrior. Princess. Scientist. Dejah Thoris has worn many hats — as has WWAC’s fearless publisher, Wendy Browne! Dejah and Wendy are two peas in a pod so it’s no surprise that Dejah is Wendy’s four-color fave. Dejah’s origins precede her appearances in the world of comics — she was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs (the…
Kaylee Rowena on The Scent of May Rain
The Scent of May Rain is a new graphic novella from Weekend Warrior comics, written by Mark O. Stack and Rae Epstein and drawn by Kaylee Rowena. The story follows the existence of a golem woman for a hundred years, exploring her changing sense of identity and purpose in society through her relationships with the…
Kate Karyus Quinn, Demitria Lunetta, and Maca Gil Bring Two New Heroes to Gotham in DC Kids’ Anti/Hero
Piper is a super hero-in-training who has a lot to learn about taking the law into her own hands. When she stumbles on Sloane mid-crime, their paths continue to collide and intertwine in unexpected ways. Through a Freaky Friday-esque switch up, Anti/Hero explores the gray areas of heroics and villainy, class struggles, family life, family…
Revisiting the American Century with Stephan Franck’s Palomino
Following up on the critical success of his Rosalynd Van Helsing series, Silver, creator Stephan Franck returns with Palomino, a noir-styled exploration of the lost subculture of LA’s country western music scene of the ’80s, the myths the era created, and the people who believed in the promises the lifestyle offered. “Cowboy culture is central…