Welcome back for another month of ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics' roundup of all the latest news, media and professional development opportunities from the world of comics.
It's been a big month for awards with the Eisner, Aurealis and Comic Arts Awards of Australia (formerly Ledger Awards) all being announced. These events were of course hosted online again this year due to the continuing pandemic, along with San Diego Comic-Con's slightly underwhelming event.
And July was ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics' first online bookclub! Thanks to everyone who joined the Zoom - we can't wait to see you again next month when we discuss some comic versions of other media. Just follow the link here to book your spot. So, without further ado, here is this month's roundup!
News
- UniSA published an excellent article by a bunch of their academics about comics. “Comic book and Superheroes: Escapist fantasy, a moral code, or literary Trash?” is an excellent read.
- The Eisner Awards have been announced. Follow the link for all the winners.
- The Aurealis Awards for Best Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction were announced early in July. The winner of the Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated work was Under Earth by Chris Gooch. You can check out all the winners here.
- Disney attempted to trademark Loki the Marvel movie character, upsetting many fans.
- For the second year in a row, the streets of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter will be quiet this July as Comic-Con goes online again.
- The data is out thanks to Comichron and ICv2. Comics and graphic novels sales hit a new high in 2020, despite the pandemic. Also, after a dip in popularity in the early 2010s, anime viewership and manga sales reached an all-time high in 2020 with Manga sales soaring to an all-time high in 2020. You can read more on this topic here.
- A recent Hollywood Reporter article looks at how creators are paid for adaptations of their work at Marvel and DC, especially for characters and storylines they created.
- Something is Killing the Children, a Boom! Studios horror comic and one of the biggest indie titles currently on shelves is being adapted into a series thanks to Netflix and the makers of The Haunting of Hill House.
- Congratulations to all 2021 Comic Arts Awards of Australia recipients!
Collections & PD
- The ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable is building quite a library of panel talks and programming. You can access their archive here.
- No Flying No Tights is always an excellent resource and they have recently updated their suggestions for ‘Core Lists for Libraries’. Highly recommended!
- The Manga for Libraries catalogue by Viz Media is out and it’s worth checking out.
- The Penguin Random House LibraryCon archive is out.
- The New York Public Library has an excellent Beginner’s Guide to Manga worth exploring.
- A great selection of classic Manga adaptations.
Media & Resources
- Three new graphic novels written by young Aboriginal people in Alice Springs and produced by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in partnership with Stick Mob and Gestalt Publishing and launched for 2021 NAIDOC week. The three graphic novels are written and illustrated by Declan Miller, Seraphina Newberry, Alyssa Mason and Lauren Boyle. Listen to the interview on NITV Radio.
- The Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians is online, and the recorded sessions are available for viewing. We’ve also made a playlist with some of the best San Diego ComicCon @ Home panel talks in the online event.
New Releases for July 2021
Junior
- Batman Adventures: Riddle Me This! - Scott Peterson(DC Comics)
- Black Sand Beach 2: Do You Remember the Summer Before? - Richard Fairgray (NZ) (Holiday House)
- Cardcaptor Sakura Collector's Edition 9 - CLAMP (Kodansha Comics)
- Curse of the Crystal Cavern (Pathfinders Society book 2) - Francesco Sedita (Viking)
- Dinosaurs Before Dark: Magic Treehouse - Jenny Laird(Random House)Mel The Chosen - Rachele Aragno (Random House Graphics)
- The Fox & Little Tanuki - Tagawa Mi (Tokyopop)
- Goosebumps Secrets Of The Swamp - Marieke Nijkamp (IDW Publishing Children’s)
- Max Meow Book 2: Donuts And Danger: Donuts and Danger - John Gallagher(RH USA Kids)
- Miles Morales: Shock Waves - Justin A. Reynolds, Pablo Leon (Scholastic)
- Plants vs. Zombies Volume 18: Constructionary Tales - Paul Tobin(Dark Horse Books)
- Sonic The Hedgehog: Bad Guys - Ian Flynn(IDW Publishing Children’s)
- Sue and Tai-Chan Volume 3 - Konami Kanata (Kodansha Comics)
- Super Geeks 2 : Planet Pancake - James Hart (Puffin)
- Tiny Titans: Pet Club! - David Lebovitz, Franco Aureliani(DC Comics)
Young Adult
- Attack On Titan 33 - Hajime Isayama (Kodansha Comics)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 5 - ALAN GRANT(DC Comics)
- The Black Ghost - Monica Gallagher, Alex Segura (Dark Horse Books)
- Dark Nights: Death Metal: War of the Multiverses - Various (DC Comics)
- Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy - Jody Houser, Adriana Melo, Mark Morales (DC Comics)
- Hellboy Universe Essentials: Hellboy - Mike Mignola, Various (Dark Horse Books)
- Justice League : Galaxy of terrors - Simon Spurrier, Jeff Loveness, Aaron Lopresti, Robson Rocha (DC Comics)
- Sabrina: Something Wicked - Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish, Andy Fish (Archie Comics)
- A School Frozen In Time, Volume 1 - Mizuki Tsujimura (Vertical Inc.)
- Shikimori's Not Just A Cutie 4 - Keigo Maki (Kodansha Comics)
- Stone Star Vol 1: Fight or Flight - Jim Zub (Dark Horse Books)
- Stranger Things: Science Camp - Jody Houser, Edgar Salazar, Keith Champagne (Dark Horse Books)
- Superman Vol 4: Mythological - Brian Michael Bendis, various artists (DC Comics)
- Weathering With You, Volume 3 (manga) - Kubota Wataru (Vertical Inc)
- The Witch And The Beast 5 - Kousuke Satake (Kodansha Comics)
- Devil’s Candy, Vol. 1 - by Rem (Creator), Bikkuri (Creator)
Adult General
- Berserk Deluxe Volume 8 - Kentaro Miura (Dark Horse Books)
- Celestia - Manuele Fior (Fantagraphics)
- Injustice: Year Zero - Tom Taylor, Roge Antonio (DC Comics)
- Raptor: A Sokol Graphic Novel - Dave McKean (Dark Horse Books)
- Everyone Is Tulip - Dave Baker (Dark HOrse Books)
- One Line - Ray Fawkes (Oni Press)