June 8, 2020 Johanna Comic News 2 comments

Marvel Releases Free Comic Book Titles in July, FCBD Still TBD

This is the problem with tying your Free Comic Book Day titles into storylines and events. That’s what a big superhero comic publisher has to sell, though — continuity and a shared universe. Free Comic Book Day has been indefinitely postponed. As “comics’ national holiday”, organizers need to be sure that all stores that want to can participate. More importantly, big group turnouts are a bad idea right now, and there’s no vision for when they will be safe again. […]

June 8, 2020 Johanna Comic News Leave a comment

Whatever Happened to Infinite Comics?

Matt O’Keefe at ComicsBeat has a wonderful overview of the infinite comic format — the way comics can become more digitally, using layers but (unlike motion comics) allowing users to set their own pace. My favorite part of this piece was when he answered a question I’ve had for a while, talking to Mark Waid about what happened to Thrillbent (2012-2016). There’s also good information about ComiXology’s effects on the format and much background on Valentine, Alex DeCampi’s trailblazing comic […]

June 7, 2020 Johanna Books About Comics 2 comments

Back Issue #120 Has LSH Info, Interview With KC

Legion of Super-Heroes fans, you’ll want to make sure to check out Back Issue #120, an issue of the comic history magazine dedicated to “heroes of tomorrow” — which means lots of Legion! KC Carlson (my husband and former long-running LSH editor) was interviewed for the lead article, a history of Mon-El/Valor. KC remembers how he first hired Adam Hughes and Stuart Immonen. Writer John Wells also talked to Mark Waid for the piece (and magazine editor Michael Eury is […]

June 7, 2020 Johanna Other Prose Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS

The latest Pop Classics storybook from Quirk Books is my favorite. Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS is, as with the others, illustrated by Kim Smith, who has a gorgeous, approachable, colorful style. The other credit is “based on the series by Chris Chibnall”, which means it’s the thirteenth Doctor, with a likeness to Jodie Whittaker. I’ve previously covered The Karate Kid and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and this follows the same pattern: The movie books retell the story, but the […]

June 7, 2020 Johanna DC / Vertigo One comment

A Brief Complete History of Minx, DC’s Imprint for Girls

Minx was DC’s imprint aimed at teen girls, first announced in 2006. It ran for two years before being shuttered in fall 2008 due to distribution struggles (not reaching the bookstores they aimed for) and potentially, lack of interest. I thought I’d sum up its history and releases, now that it would have been old enough to have read itself. DC was somewhat late to the party, since Scholastic had already launched Graphix and there were tons of girls reading […]

June 7, 2020 Johanna TV News 6 comments

Ruby Rose Quits Batwoman

This is one of those “shame we’ll never know” stories. The star of Batwoman, Ruby Rose, has left the show, and no one’s saying why, although there was a significant on-set injury during a stunt, and the typically regressive superhero audience harassed the actor off of Twitter. Warner will be replacing the lead role with a new, original character. According to Decider, “Ryan Wilder is about to become Batwoman. She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing […]

June 7, 2020 Johanna Other Leave a comment

SPX Cancelled for 2020

The premier American small-press convention has been cancelled for this year. The Small Press Expo, held every September in Bethesda, Maryland, has been called off in 2020 due to COVID-19 (as it should be, given the amount of uncertainty). (By the by, I miss the spxpo.com URL, which has apparently been abandoned and claimed by squatters.) Their festival prize, the Ignatz Awards, will be streamed, held virtually. How voting will happen is still to be determined. Interested and eligible artists […]

June 6, 2020 Johanna Andrews McMeel 2 comments

Unicorn Bowling

Unicorn Bowling is the ninth in the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series. (I’m behind; there have been two more books out since this one: The Unicorn Whisperer and Camping with Unicorns.) Most collect the comic strips; a couple are original, longer stories, but this isn’t one of them. That means this book is 170 or so pages of everyday witticisms, with a continuing theme following through at most four or five strips. It’s welcome light entertainment, particularly given how fresh […]

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