It's the last day of July and this month's Roundup is packed with news and interviews on diverse topics from graphic medicine to climate change; American middle school tales to whodunnit mysteries. There is so much that can be found in the comic form and a testament to their growth and popularity is new sales information courtesy of ICv2, as well as the news of Penguin Classics curating a line of graphic novels.
You can listen to our July Roundup podcast on Apple Podcasts here where we discuss the Eisner Awards, the Graphic Medicine Award, and some of our favourite reads from this month. San Diego Comic Con has just been and gone and you can listen to PW's More to Come podcast for a great wrap up here.
We are also excited to read three new releases by Australian creators that have come out this month - a fantastic achievement by these creators and an example of the talent and tenacity grown here at home.
News
Gemma Sou, an academic at RMIT, together with fellow academics Adeeba Nuraina Risha and Gina Ziervogel has published and made freely available an excellent comic illustrated by Cat Sims, entitled: Everyday Stories of Climate Change. The comic can be read online or downloaded. They have also published an accompanying teaching resource. This is a perfect resource for school librarians and educators.
Paul Gravett is one of the world’s most renowned comic journalists and writers and in his latest post looking at upcoming graphic novels he recommends, he’s included Safdar Ahmed’s Still Alive - which makes us incredibly happy! Now it’s got the ALIA Graphic and the Paul Gravett seal of approval.
The winner of the Graphic Medicine Award 2022 has been announced and the winner is Parenthesis by Elodie Durand. Follow the link for all the details.
Penguin Classics is getting into comics with the publication of a new line, Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, curated by Ben Saunders, professor of English and director of the Cartoon and Comics Studies minor at the University of Oregon. These single volume publications, starting with Captain America, Spider-Man and Black Panther, aim to collect the characters’ first appearances and classic stories in a single volume. Read this article on Publishers Weekly for more.
The Comics Beat has an awesome interview with Australian writer Tom Taylor and co-creator Daniele Di Nicuolo, as their best selling Seven Secrets series comes to an end.
Publishers Weekly has a nice interview with Svetlana Chmakova. Her fifth book in the popular Berrybrook graphic novel series, ‘Enemies’ will be out in September.
San Diego Comic Con has just come to a close and there have been a few announcements. DC has announced Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Tom King and Phil Hester are working on Gotham City: Year One, more to come!
The Maze Agency, originally published in 1988, has been picked up by Scout Comics, which promises new adventures.
Collections
ICv2 has published an interesting article about comic sales data for the U.S. Of course, we’d love to know comic sales data for Australia but, since that’s not available, the U.S. will have to do.
Webinars/Podcasts
The Secret Stacks podcast has an excellent episode with Sara Smith, school librarian and author of the awesome Graphic Library Blog. You can listen to the episode on the Secret Stacks blog here or on the Apple Podcasts feed here. And PW's More to Come podcast has an excellent wrap up of the San Diego Comic Con here.
NEW GRAPHIC NOVELS
Junior & YA
Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux (First Second)
Elusive Samurai by Yusei Matsui (Viz Media) - series debut
Fence Volume 5: Rise by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad (Boom! Studios) [Australian creator]
The Girl and the Glim by India Swift, Michael Doig (IDW)
Lore Olympus volume 2 by Rachel Smythe (Del Rey Books)
Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe by Shauna J. Grant (Scholastic - Graphix)
Nightwing: Fear State by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo (DC Comics) [Australian creator]
Teen Titans Go! Undead!? by Michael Northrop, Eric Owen, and more (DC Comics)
Welcome to St Hell: My Teen Trans Misadventure by Lewis Hancox (Scholastic - Graphix)
Zatanna The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden, Jacquelin De Leon (DC Comics)
Adult
Akkad Book 1 and Book 2 by Clarke (Cinebook)
As a Cartoonist by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
Blacksad: They All Fall Down by Juan Diaz Canales, Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)
BREAK: RUN by Nima Afshar (Three Fold Comics) [Australian creator]
Crush & Lobo by Mariko Tamaki, Amancay Nahuelpan, Tamra Bonvillain (DC Comics)
Dune: Tales From Arrakeen by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Adam Gorham (Boom! Studios)
Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak (Boom! Studios)
House of Slaughter Vol 1 by James Tynion, Tate Brombal, Chris Shehan (Boom! Studios)
My Perfect Life by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
One Beautiful Spring Day by Jim Woodring (Fantagraphics)
The Realist: Last Days on Earth by Asaf Hanuka (Boom! Studios)
Talk To My Back by Yamada Murasaki (Drawn & Quarterly)