ALIA Graphic August 2020 Roundup

 

Boom Studios has had its biggest ever pre-order, Image comics has overtaken Marvel, DC in their most recent sales rankings (as reported by bleedingcool.com), and DC had its first online convention with DC FanDome.

So much news to share this month! The team at ALIA Graphic are super excited for the new original series by award winning Australian writer Tom Taylor and fan-favourite artist Daniele Di Nicuolo, Seven Secrets. We are really looking forward to the collected edition coming to libraries in a few months.

DC FanDome was a big hit this month with great promotion and advertising for all their upcoming projects. Lots of movie and video game news and teasers, and an announcement that Milestone Comics, DC’s Legendary imprint centred around the experiences of characters of colour, will return in 2021.

We also have a fabulous new Creator Chat this month with Cameron Davis, author of Rose and Dahlia, Blow the Cartridge, Presidog and more. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date with Creator Chats, comic-related videos, webinars, and talks. Prefer to listen? Our monthly roundups and chats are also available on Apple podcasts.

 News

• Frank Herbert’s Dune is seeing a lot of movement these days. A movie, a graphic novel adaptation of the original book, and a prequel series of comics to cite a few. The Beat published a good wrap up: SDCC ’20: Frank Herbert’s DUNE Universe is Expanding Like No Other 
• Dark Horse Comics have announced that Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a graphic novel spin-off entitled Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy.
  
  
  
• Asterix and Obelix is a favourite of many and has been for decades. With the series being relaunched by Papercutz in the US, Publishers Weekly discusses race and representation in these classic comics. Are the Asterix and Obelix comics racist, should they be changed, or should they have some sort of disclaimer? Something to ponder.
• Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s Gideon Falls (Image Comics) has an end date. The creepy horror series will come to an end in December with an 80-page finale.
• DC News: DC Fandome delivered a whole lot of news about the James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut and Matt Reeves’ The Batman, among many others.
• Marvel News: With The Eternals movie coming out next year, Marvel is relaunching the comic with Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribić, and Matthew Wilson. Nia DaCosta (Candyman) will direct “Captain Marvel 2” for Marvel Studios.
• Dark Horse: Dark Horse Comics will distribute print editions of ComiXology Originals collections to retail, beginning March 2021. Titles will include: Eisner Award-winning Afterlift, Breaklands Vol. 1, Youth Vol. 1 and The Black Ghost Vol. 1.

Collections and PD

• This month, the ALA’s Booklist offered two graphic novels related webinars: A Novel Form: Graphic Novels Part II and Booklist’s Graphic Novel Panel Part II. Follow the link, register, and you can access the archived versions.
• BookRiot have a great article called A Brief Guide to Comic Book Art Styles by Giovanna Centeno which discusses the many different styles used in comic publishing.
• ICv2 published an interesting article discussing the change from monthly comics to graphic novels, from Marvel and DC to Scholastic’s Junior and YA graphic novels. Superhero Comics May Have Finally Met Their Kryptonite by Rob Salkowitz.

Media

• We published a new ALIA Graphic Creator Chat with Cameron Davis of Rose and Dahlia. We talk comics, Rose and Dahlia and food (Also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts)
• The San Diego Comic Con @ Home had lots of great events and we created a playlist on our YouTube channel with some of our favourites. One of the highlights for us was the Graphix/Scholastic panel: Graphix Get Drawn In.
• Kapow! has published an excellent video interview and profile of Safdar Ahmed who will be publishing his first graphic novel, an expanded version of his highly acclaimed Villawood: Notes From an Immigration Centre, next year through Twelve Panels Press. You can read lots of Safdar Ahmed’s webcomics on his website.
• The AIPT Comics Podcast recently had a great interview with Tom Taylor and Danieli Di Nicuolo about their new series Seven Secrets. This is Melbourne-based Tom Taylor’s first creator-owned series after The Deep and we can’t wait for it.
• The I Read Comic Books Podcast is always a good listen. In this 250th episode, they discuss some great new releases and they have a very cool discussion about comics they didn’t think they would like but they ended up liking. A great topic for discussion.
• The latest episode of the Serious Issues Podcast from Sydney’s Kings Comics is wholly dedicated to Manga. A great listen.

New releases

               

Junior and YA

• Agent Moose - Mo O'Hara, Jess Bradley (Feiwel & Friends)
• A Map to The Sun - Sloane Leong (First Second)
• Beetle and the Hollowbones - Aliza Layne (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
• Bigby Bear: The Explorer - Phillippe Coudray (Humanoids)
• The Daughters of Ys - M. T. Anderson, Jo Rioux (First Second)
• Displacement - Kiku Hughes (First Second)
• Grumpy Unicorn Hits the Road - Joey Spiotto (Graphix)
• Kerry and the Knight of the Forest - Andi Watson (Random House)
• Little Josephine: Memory in Pieces - Valerie Villieu, Raphael Sarfati (Life Drawn)
• Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge - Grace Ellis, Brittney Williams (DC Comics)
• Lumberjanes: Birthday Smarty - Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, AnneMarie Rogers, Maarta Laiho (Boom! Box)
• Teen Titans Go! To Camp - Sholly Fisch, Macelo DiChiara (DC Comics)

General Adult

• Broken Frontier - Various creators (A Wave Blue World)
• Carthago: Origins - Christophe Bec, Ennio Bufi (Humanoids)
• Child Star - Brian Box Brown (First Second)
• DCeased: The Unkillables - Tom Taylor, Karl Mostert (DC Comics)
• Ghostwriter - Rayco Pulido (Fantagraphics)
• The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fred Fordham, Aya Morton (Simon & Schuster)
• Invisible Differences: A Story of Asperger’s, Adulting and Living a Life in Full Color - Julie Dachez, Mademoiselle Caroline (Oni Press)
• In Vitro - William Roy (Humanoids)
• Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics - Tom Scioli (Random House)
• Medicine: A Graphic Story - Jean Noel Fabiani, Philippe Bercovici (SelfMadeHero)
• Metal Hurlant: Selected Works - Various creators (Humanoids)
• Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen - Helen Mullane, Dom Reardon, Matthew Dow Smith (Humanoids)
• Pulp - Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (Image Comics)
• Retina - Benoit Riviere, Phillippe Scoffoni (Humanoids)

 

Creator Chat with Cameron Davis of Rose and Dahlia

In this creator chat we talk to Cameron Davis. He has been publishing comics for more than ten years and Cameron works with a cartoonish all ages style with a very broad appeal. 

We discuss how he got into comics, why he decided to transition from game developed to comics and what that transition was like. We also discuss some of his influences and the origin of his most popular comic book series: Rose.

Finally, we discuss his newest release "Rose and Dahlia" and, since so much of Rose revolves around food, we also discuss some yummy curries.

Thanks for listening to ALIA Graphic Podcast. Hit the subscribe button on our YouTube page and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter: @ALIAGraphic, email us at aliagraphicinfo@gmail.com and check our blog, aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

Graphic Novels to dive into this National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features more than 1000 events around Australia, including those delivered by universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums, and science centres.

The theme for National Science Week 2020 is Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans.

The team at ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics have been busy this month putting together a selection of graphic novels and non-fiction titles that would make great reading this National Science Week.

There are comics inspired by science, others that have inspired scientific enquiry, and non-fiction graphic novels about science that make reading to learn so much more enjoyable! Here are a few of our favourites:

"There is evidence that reading can increase levels of all three major categories of intelligence. I believe my discovery of Spider-Man and other comic books turned me into a straight-A student." Science writer Dan Hurley, The Guardian, 2014. 

The Invisible War: A Tale on Two Scales - Ailsa Wild, Briony Barr, Gregory Crocetti, Ben Hutchins, Jeremy Barr (Scale Free Network)

Medicine: A Graphic History -Dr. Jean-Noël Fabiani and Philippe Bercovici (SelfMadeHero) 

Heroes of Science: Who Changed the World -Dave Shephard and Emily Sohn (Graphic Greats Series)

Graphic Science: Seven Journeys of Discovery - Darryl Cunningham (Myriad) 

Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes and Scams - Darryl Cunningham (Myriad)

Heroes of Science: Who Changed the World - Dave Shephard and Emily Sohn (Graphic Greats Series)

Heretics!: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy - Steven Nadler, Ben Nadler (Princeton University Press)

Keeping our focus towards the oceans, the following comics all have a definite saltiness about them:

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 - Lauren Tarshis, Gervasio, Jok (Graphix)

Low. Volume 1, The delirium of hope - Rick Remender (Image Comics)

Dept. H: Vol. 1: Pressure - Matt Kindt (Dark Horse)

For younger readers, the Science Comics series by First Second offer a complete introduction to a wide range of science topics in a beautifully illustrated graphic format. Currently I am reading Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks and in one night I have learned so much about corals and other cnidarians (that’s right! I learned a huge word from this adorable comic). I have also had a good giggle while reading. The excellent imagery and sassy narrating character make absorbing the knowledge contained in this graphic so easy and enjoyable. 

Fish Feud! (Squidding Around) - Kevin Sherry (Graphix)

Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean - Maris Wicks (First Second)

Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter - Joe Flood (First Second)

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #1) - Ben Clanton (Tundra Books) and WINNER - Eisner Award 2017, Best Publication for Early Readers.  

The deep. 1, Here be Dragons - Tom Taylor (Gestalt)

Still aren't sure that graphic novels and Science Week go together? Believe it or not, numerous inventions and scientific investigations throughout the years have been inspired by comic books. Think about exoskeletons based on Iron Man's suit; 2-way wrist radios (smartwatches) based on Dick Tracy; grappling hooks - thanks Batman; and spider silk, well, we can't swing from the rooftops with it, but scientists are investigating how it can be used as a biodegradable glue alternative. 

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" Thomas A. Edison.

Introducing the Australian Comics and Graphic Novels Database

At ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics, we are very happy to announce a database of Australian Comics and Graphic Novels for Libraries. This is the result of a partnership with Queenie Chan (who’s been the main driving force behind this), Stephen Kok and ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics.

The database/website has been created by Queenie Chan, who has been involved with the Comic Con-Versation Festival for a number of years in producing a yearly list of recommended titles suitable for libraries. As the list has grown and in partnership with ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics, a decision was made to make the list a live database for librarians, libraries and educators. 

The database will compile titles that are recommended by the ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics, the Comic Con-versation Festival and have won awards such as the Ledger Awards for Excellence in Australian Comics and the Aurealis Awards for Best Graphic Novel / Illustrated Work.

This is a great partnership that aims to raise the profile of Australian creators and titles. Creators and publishers can add their own titles by filling the form in embedded on the website. Volunteer librarians will manage and update the database. 

The titles added to the database must be suitable for libraries and available for purchase with library suppliers such as James Bennett, ALS, DLS, Peter Pal, etc. They also must:

• Have an ISBN number
• Be perfect bound or hardcover (no floppies)

Iurgi Urrutia (ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics Convenor) says: 

“Australia and New Zealand are home to a great range of talent in the comics medium. We have creators working for Marvel and DC producing some of the most successful, best selling superhero comics. We also have outstanding independent creators publishing with U.S. publishers. We have creators producing outstanding junior graphic novels and a great range of talent who are producing independent work that may not be as easy to find but is incredibly rewarding to read.

With the recent increased interest in comics and graphic novels world wide we are in a great position to champion comics and graphic novels from our part of the world. We believe that we’re entering a new exciting era and we look forward to seeing this exciting database grow.” 

We believe this will be of great benefit to libraries, librarians and educators. Visit the database and if you're an Australian creator with suitable titles for libraries please add your book to the database. 

About  the Australian Comics and Graphic Novels Database

The database is now live. The website may still change and we hope to add more functionality. You can visit the website/database here: https://www.ozcomicsdb.com

If you can donate anything or become a patron, it will ensure we can cover hosting and domain costs to keep the website/database going into the future. All proceeds will go towards the maintenance of the database.

Become a Patron on Patreon.