Jennifer de Guzman
Bring on the Spam Musubi: The State of Asian Representation in Comics [Roundtable]
Journalist and editor Jennifer de Guzman convened some up-and-coming Asian-American writers for a roundtable discussion about the state of Asian representation in comics. Amy Chu is the current writer on Poison Ivy, a former writer on Sensation Comics, and the co-creator of her own self-publishing i…
There Is No Greater Thrill Than Making Something That’s Yours: An Interview with Faith Eri…
In interest of full disclosure: I am an unabashedly biased about Faith Erin Hicks, whose work I’ve loved for more than ten years now. Every since I found a mini-comic called Zombies Calling in the submissions when I was editor-in-chief at SLG (Slave Labor Graphics) Publishing, I knew she was …
Thirty Names, Without One Woman: Comic Book Creators Withdraw from Nomination for the Ang…
The Angoulême Grand Prix is a prestigious lifetime achievement award for comic book creators; this week, the Festival d’ Angoulême announced the 30 nominees for 2016, the Grand Prix’s 43rd year, and already several have withdrawn their names from consideration. The reason? Of…
Reading with Mr. Ambassador: Gene Luen Yang Is First Graphic Novelist to Be Named National…
The Library of Congress, the Children's Book Council, and Every Child a Reader announced this week that Gene Luen Yang has been appointed the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. An Eisner Award winner for The Eternal Smile and American Born Chinese, a Printz Award wi…
The House That Silence Built: Harassment in the Comics Industry
On October 1, Graphic Policy published a story by Janelle Asselin that alleged a history of harassment and inappropriate behavior committed by Dark Horse executive senior editor (formerly editor-in-chief) Scott Allie. In it, Joe Harris, who writes The X-Files comics, claimed that at the Hilton Bayfr…
Literature’s Deep Debt: Ten Literary Luminaries Who Love Comics
Comics are often set in opposition to “serious” literature, but that convention is one that has long been flouted by highly esteemed, award-winning authors who grew up reading comic books and aren’t ashamed to talk about their continued love for the medium. Some of them have eve…
When Comics Hurt: Artists on Their Drawing Injuries
Some weeks ago, a tweet from Jamie McKelvie, artist on the tremendously popular series The Wicked + The Divine and Phonogram, caught my eye. Writing about the physical difficulties of a heavy drawing schedule, McKelvie said he felt he could keep drawing for only 15 more years. Just a few tweets away…
‘GloomCookie’ Author Serena Valentino on Wicked Disney and the Elegance of Villains [Inter…
GloomCookie, created by writer Serena Valentino and artist Ted Naifeh, featured a villain who was the evil queen of the goth club scene, so when Disney Press introduced a series of middle grade novels about their animated feature films’ villains, who better than Valentino to tell the tale of …
Small Press Expo Announces 2015 Ignatz Award Nominees
Small Press Expo (SPX) has announced the nominees for the 2015 Igntaz Awards. It’s a diverse line-up with three nominations each for Sophia Foster-Dimino, Ethan Rilly, and Caldecott Honor and Eisner Award-winner Jillian Tamaki, as well as two nominations each for Sophie Goldstein, Kris Mukai …
Is the World Ready for a Hapa Psylocke?
With Psylocke featured in the upcoming film X-Men: Apocalypse, we can expect some extra attention to fall on Marvel’s striking, purple-haired mutant who wields a telekinetic katana. And with that attention, the problem of racial identity in the character’s backstory is getting some new…