A comic about the hearing-impaired

ABS-CBN announced a Filipino comic about deaf people is being adapted to theater:

A comic book by Deaf Filipino artist CJ Reynaldo that uses humor to introduce Filipino Sign Language and explore the experiences of Deaf people will be adapted for the stage by Apothecary Productions in November.

“Whatcha Saying?” follows CJ, a Deaf freshman student navigating life in a hearing world. When he meets his schoolmates Liam and Sarah, the three find ways to communicate as they explore friendship, love, identity and college life.

Published by Komiket, the graphic novel was a finalist at the 39th National Book Awards. Its stage adaptation will be performed in Filipino Sign Language, Tagalog and English, with a running time of about 45 to 60 minutes.

As somebody who believes theater's an important medium that shouldn't be overlooke in an era where cinema long became entrenched, they have a great idea to turn this into a stage play. And the subject of hearing-impairment is important too.

Upcoming anthology spotlights musicians

DJ Mag announced the publishers of Heavy Metal magazine are putting out an anthology based on a music duo next year:

A new comic anthology exploring the world of Daft Punk is set for release in 2027.

Published by French science fiction magazine, Métal Hurlant, the 272-page edition features 26 comics and six articles inspired by the legendary electronic duo, with contributions from more than 30 comics creators. The collection brings together original stories, archival material and essays exploring science fiction, technology, and electronic music.

Available to pre-order via publishers Humanoids, the anthology features work the likes of Laura Pérez, Malachi Ward, Jonathan Djob Nkondo and Zep, as well as contributions from French artists Mœbius and Philippe Druillet.

Music does make a good wellspring for exploration in comicdom, so good luck to them in marketing this.

The history of the Super Why cartoons and comics

Animation Scoop interviewed Angela Santomero, an animator who created the Super Why cartoons 2 decades ago on PBS, and which has been adapted to comics as well:

Jackson Murphy: You created “Super Why!” back in 2007. What have you loved about the overall impact this brand has had over the last 20 years?

Angela C. Santomero: Oh my God. You’re gonna make me cry. It was my Master’s Thesis when I was at Teachers College at Columbia University — the idea that we did have a longitudinal study that proved that kids were learning to read from the show, but also, of course, that they were loving the show and loving to read. All of the stories that I’ve heard from parents over the past 20 years have been amazing.

Provided it's not something where wokeism was forced upon it, it'll make a great source for adaptation to comics, and a good source for children's reading.

JM: So there’s been such a rise, I feel like, in the last 20 years, since “Super Why!” started, of comic book movies. Superhero movies. And kids really being interested in this look and this style of storytelling. Have you seen that firsthand, especially now diving into the new show?

AS: Yeah. And what’s so fascinating is we wanted to bring that idea to preschoolers — you could start reading with a comic book and that it is just as legitimate as reading a… chapter book. We did an episode on the original show that was written by Alex Breen, who’s also a co-creator on this series. Kids LOVED the comic book aspect. We had so much fun with the villains — mischievous, really. That idea of how we can get kids to read and the skill to learn to read and all those tools through this format became something we really got excited about to do as its own series.

JM: Were there fascinating aspects for you and your team of specifically bringing this look to life? Did you look at a lot of comic books and study that?

AS: Yes. We’re so research-based, so we dive in from a content analysis, “What’s been done for preschoolers?” Or the fact that five year olds are watching Batman. How do we deliver on that level of action adventure to really make sure we’re delivering on that comic book sensibility, but also be true to the mission of the series, which is to teach kids to read?

I take issue with the part about having fun with the villains, however, because again, that's taking a serious risk of glorification of badness. And youngsters are watching Batman cartoons? Well of course I realize the animated series of the 1990s was a Saturday morning style product, but all the same, should the Masked Manhunter be considered totally children's material? In the comics, it's been far from that for a long time. There was an animated Superman series that came at least a few years after Batman's began, and I honestly wonder why that doesn't get the same regard as Batman's cartoons. Just because it may have less episodes, that makes it less important? Please.

JM: I’ve seen some activities online / social media for “Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures”. What goes into marketing these days with activities for kids?

AS: A lot of it is reaching out to the parents and making sure the parents understand the depth of what we do and how much fun / how much your kids will love it. Social media is about engaging. “Which character are you?” And while we’re doing that, we’re explaining who the characters are so parents have that tidbit of information to think, “Maybe I should be putting this on for our kids.”

It all depends on if they retain any suitability level that was kept before, and don't succumb to the whole notion of promoting LGBT ideology in the cartoons and comics proper. Then, they'll have a valid entertainment product for children alright. As for social media, I hope they realize it's not all fun and games. There's all sorts of predators and other horrific people lurking about there, and if any sane countries are drafting laws to prevent children from becoming vulnerable, that's important. Even if they're talking about marketing to adult parents on social media, it's still strongly advised to be careful in how you deal with the topic of social media.

Here's also an interview from Total Licensing:

There are worrying statistics around the level that children are reading at. How will the show help that?

Those statistics keep me up at night — too many of our children are reading below grade level. But here’s what thirty years has taught me: kids don’t dislike reading. They dislike feeling powerless.

When a child uses her letter sounds to defeat The Eraser, or unscrambles words to set things right, reading stops being homework and starts being a superpower. Every episode is built on the real foundational skills — letter and letter-sound knowledge, phonological awareness, phonics and decoding, spelling, vocabulary — but children experience them as play. If we make reading feel powerful at four by being Super You, they’ll love it at fourteen.

Have you worked with researchers, parents and educators on the show?

Always — that’s non-negotiable for me. Everything I’ve ever made starts with watching real children. We worked with PBS KIDS to do formative research with kids and parents in scripting: if a four-year-old doesn’t get it, we go straight back to the drawing board. And we worked with top-tier literacy advisors to make sure every skill in every episode is the real deal. Our children deserve nothing less than our very best.

I should certainly hope she's worked with parents, and sane parents too at that, because in this day and age, it's vital that an atmosphere that's safe for children in animation and comics be retained. If anybody thinks animation can be used for telling adult stories, it should be in what's written and marketed for adults, and not children. I'm sure it's possible to make different types of cartoons and promote them for different audiences without any confusion, and if marketers haven't done it yet, they'd do well to distinguish between age gaps now.

I wish Santomero well in promoting the comics adaptations, and hope she retains a family friendly angle that I assume the cartoons followed as well. Then, reading can become an important challenge for children even on paper.

Comics could help overcome reading gaps

That's what a professor in Texas is arguing, according to ABC7-KLTV:

As students across East Texas continue working to rebound from pandemic-era learning loss, one local educator says the secret to closing the reading gap might be found inside comic books.

Dr. Gina Doepker, a professor of literacy education at the University of Texas at Tyler, believes graphic storytelling could be an unexpected solution to helping struggling students catch up.

“If we can get students hooked on books like comics, then that is going to increase their motivation, their engagement, their skills like fluency and comprehension,” Doepker said. [...]

In a world where children grow up surrounded by smartphones and tablets, Doepker says today’s students are naturally becoming visual learners. Because of that, leaning into visual literacy through comic books and graphic novels makes practical sense.

The format helps eliminate the intimidation factor often felt when opening a text-heavy page. Whether it is fiction favorites like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Captain America, and stories about dinosaurs, or non-fiction titles explaining the U.S. Constitution, comics meet children right where their interests are.

The demand among young readers is already evident. A study by Libraries Connected found nearly 80% of libraries identified children ages 6 to 11 as their most frequent comic book borrowers.

Interesting they bring up the Constitution, because with the way the USA suffered in the past decade with cancel culture and other terrible PC issues, it's something children could definitely learn about now in comics format. Of course, bad ideologies can't be made a component of whatever comics children are expected or encouraged to read if the study's to be carried out successfully. And newer Marvel/DC comics don't make good examples for children either; some are actually too "adult" for them at this point too, like more modern Batman books. Perhaps creator-owned/independent comics would make a better choice. And if parents check the content carefully to make sure there's nothing inappropriate for children, then, things'll work out for the better.

A comic about city zoning

National League of Cities announced a comic about the process of city planning and zoning in places like Boise, Idaho:

One of our biggest challenges was effective communication. Zoning codes are complex documents that rely on technical terms, making it difficult to summarize important information and avoid the “jargon trap.” We also struggled to help people visualize changes that sound abstract when described in words, like decreasing a minimum lot size.

Conventional city planning wisdom is that people tend to oppose change simply because we fear the unknown, but our experience was different: while there was plenty of disagreement about specific changes to the code, there was broad agreement that we were ready for change. People were concerned about housing affordability for future generations and excited about the possibilities of growth, such as new transportation options and neighborhood-scale businesses within walking distance of home or work.

Those shared values became an important part of the rewrite, and we did not want to lose sight of them. Technical documents are good at explaining what the rules are, but not why those rules exist. So we set out to create something that could explain the code and tell its story: an illustrated comic book as the zoning guide.

Why a Comic Book?

The narrative format of a comic book allowed us to tell the story of the zoning code and provide a context for regulations rather than simply explain them.

It’s true that comics are fun, but they are much more than that. By design, comics excel at fitting a lot of information into a limited space. Perhaps more importantly, they are not meant to be read once and “understood,” but enjoyed again and again. They are surprisingly well-suited to engaging with complex topics, because rather than oversimplifying, they allow the reader to absorb information at their own pace. For a topic like zoning, this gradual learning can be more effective than expecting someone to understand a technical document in one sitting.

As a bonus, comics stretch your investment: a single panel can later become part of a presentation, handout, classroom activity or social media post.

Of course. Obviously, the medium's been worth using for purposes like explaining the process of how to build cities and avenues for a long time, and projects like these, so long as they don't preach biased politics, can certainly come in handy. Good luck to them with marketing their look at how zoning's built.

A father-son partnership develops stories for inspiration to the Black community

The Philadelphia Tribune wrote about a father and son who've produced their own independent comics to serve as inspiration for the Black community:

Inspired by a collective classroom project, Leo J. Neal, then age 7, created a superhero comic book. Now, with the help of his father, Christopher B. Neal, the two have collaborated on “The Amazing Adventures of Captain Cold” where they aim to tell stories that uplift the Black community.

I hope DC doesn't intend to cause even an iota of trouble for them just because they're using a character name similar to that of a notable supercrook from the Flash. What I certainly do know is that in the past decade, there were at least a few cases where Marvel and DC tried to do stuff like trademarking the very word "superhero" to limit competition, and that was wrong. If we're past that issue, that's a good thing. They probably did it partly out of their failure to admit they were ruining their own products. Thankfully, the trademark was cancelled about 2 years ago by the US trademark board.

For the most part, Chris, 42, said he lets his son, now 9, bring his imagination to the books.

“I’ve been intentional about him (Leo) moving forward and for him to be a Black voice in this space,” said Chris. “His characters are Black characters that are his idea. He was intentional about that, because representation matters. I wanted to lean into his interests.”

Yes, it matters, but it shouldn't come at the expense of established white characters, as was the case at both DC and Marvel in the past 2 decades, all for wokeness that was devoid of entertainment value. Here, the considerable difference is that the guys producing these indie comics are creating their own protagonists, and not forcing them into the costumes of established mainstream characters artificially. That's why creator-owned comics like these have more potential today. Now, if only somebody would consider why specific nationalities and their cultures matter too.

Leo said he enjoys writing the comic book. “It’s not that hard with my assistant (his father),” he said.

The son won a 2026 Fan Award for Best Work for “The Amazing Adventures of Captain Cold.” According to Chris it showed Leo how much people loved his book.

“Manifesting his ideas and see how it makes sense,” explained Chris. “Our hope is to lean more into community service, activism, awareness. Where we see this going is him leaning into the ideas that he has.”

The dad explained that their journey and the stories they tell show that Black people can be owners of different mediums and portray who they are and what they represent. In addition, the dad said he has learned from and been inspired by his son’s creativity and passion.

Okay, that fan award hopefully makes clear DC's staff know better than to cause any trouble for them, which would be pretty rich after DC methodically destroyed their own quality over the past quarter century and more, all for the sake of political agendas and other repellent directions. I appreciate that a youngster's able to prove he's got potential for storytelling, and maybe when he's several years older, he'll find fortune the way some veteran writers like Marv Wolfman and the late Len Wein did when they were in their late teens. And there is an important idea to be found in how Black citizens can own businesses that include mediums.

Interestingly enough, this article also tells that:

When they’re not writing or creating, the father and son volunteer at Whosoever Gospel Mission, a Christian nonprofit on Chelten Avenue and other organizations. They’ve also started a garden and play tennis.

Religious adherence of this sort is something the mainstream's practically been blacklisting, and quite possibly erasing altogether from storytelling over past decades, unless it's Islam that's the focus. I think it's good the father-son duo are contributing to Judeo-Christianity in a time when leftists have gone out of their way to belittle it for the sake of degrading agendas. If faith is also an inspiration in their writings, that's another plus. As is playing sports like tennis. So good luck to them in developing more comics stories. The creator-owned industry could sure use more to help build it up.

Hair color style drawing from the comics

New Beauty tells of a hair stylist/colorist who took some inspiration from the dark haired color certain superheroes are known for:

Call it Blue-Black, “comic-book color” or the “Superman shade”—a rich, jewel-toned black with a cool, glossy blue undertone, emerging as one of the must-haves this fall in Los Angeles, according to celebrity colorist Chad Kenyon, who is fielding the fever.

“I thought about Superman and Wonder Woman’s comic book hair color and made them more editorial,” says Kenyon of his unexpected source of creativity.

Kenyon began developing the look in 2025 and says it has since moved from concept to a look he’s asked to create across every type of client. “I'm doing it for celebrities such as Taylor Ortega, from her series with Dan Levy streaming now on Netflix, as well as content creators and civilians alike.”

The only thing that's a shame here is the citation of figures working on a channel as awful as Netflix happens to be. But wow, what potential there could be in drawing inspiration from hair colors, and regarding the color blue, I think I've sometimes noticed it somehow turning up on characters whose hair is black, perhaps an oddity in how some colorists accidentally make mistakes with certain colors in past decades. Batman's certainly been drawn at times with the color blue on his costume in past decades, though that was bound to be more deliberate. But it was okay, and a welcome contrast to the black shade some artists and writers in later years thought was such a big deal, in all their obsession with the darkness.

Anyway, I'll wish good luck to the stylist in his new goal of developing hairstyles and colors inspired by comicdom. It could have potential, though it's still no substitute for quality in the comics storytelling itself.

An artist from North Carolina who may respect what the Punisher was created for

Queen City News spoke with artist David Vandyke, who created a comic titled Mercer. What's interesting for starters is that:

In an era of digital art, he works by hand.

“I like the tactility of it, like I like feeling the paper,” Van Dyke said.

He's got a great idea there. While it's always possible to turn out good art with computers, old-fashioned techniques still matter, and can still result in something to appreciate.

He draws a comic book series called Mercer, which he co-created with Jason Seibel.

“It’s basically if the Punisher was a demon hunter type thing,” he says.

Whatever one thinks of the premise of Mercer, what Vandyke says here does seem to indicate he has respect for what the Punisher was created for, certainly far more than some of the leftists who messed up Frank Castle since the turn of the century, not the least being the late Gerry Conway himself.

Vandyke had a very terrible misfortune in the past 2 decades that influenced his decision to become an artist:

He has come far from the chilling conversation he had 21 years ago.

“The doctor literally came into the room and said, ‘Your life as you know it is over,’” he remembers vividly.

Vandyke broke his back in 2005 while working as a mechanic in Gastonia.

“I heard a pop, and something moved out of the corner of my eye, and I just turned and caught it,” he said of a devastating shop accident. “It was like a 400-pound transmission—and I caught it at a dead stop—and it annihilated the bottom two discs in my back.”

That crushed his dream of a drumming career.

At the same time, he was almost in denial.

“This is my identity; this is everything I’m supposed to be. Like, what do you mean [doctor]?” said Vandyke.

But one night, he picked up a pencil and reinvented himself.

“Like before music, what did you want to be?” he asked himself.

The answer is a comic book artist.

Instead of dwelling on depression and anger, he practiced drawing as his body healed.

“You determine your story,” he says.

I'm terribly sorry he suffered back injuries, and hope he's recovered as best as possible since. Taking up an artist's career is certainly a great way to make a comeback, and I wish him well in his new career.

The Comic Hero University store in Los Angeles

Voyage LA interviewed the manager of Comic Hero University, a specialty store, and he tells them that:

We’ve been impressed with Comic Hero University, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Comic Hero University has always strived to be a place that breaks the stereotypes of comic book stores. We want to create a place that is community-first, business second (without sacrificing the business part so we can keep our doors open). We have a large number of products- comics, toys, and collectibles- to entice people to come inside, but the real gem is the people that work here who actively want to create the best experience for anyone new to the industry. One thing we did during the pandemic was create a pay-it-forward program where people could donate money to the business, and we’d use that money to buy comics that we could give away to kids (community first, business second). That program got national press at the time and helped us get through the dark pandemic days. We continue to run our business with the intent to bring new readers and kids who struggle with reading and comprehension, with the hope to build and create lifelong readers and help end the battle against illiteracy.

Here is a link to news report from NBC in regards to our program:

How do you think about happiness?

The moment I see a child pick up a comic for the first time and know that we have created a lifelong reader fills me with joy, as it gives what I do direction and purpose. People’s genuine joy and appreciation fill me with pride, knowing that I did a job well done.

Provided the comic in question is suitable for children, certainly it's something to feel great about. I just hope he doesn't rely heavily on Marvel/DC, based on where they've been going over the past quarter century, and there's plenty of independent creations that could use some notice, whatever age they're aimed for. That could, for all we know, be the way to avoid too many stereotypes about comics stores.

The winner of this year's Fnac France Inter Comic Award is a story about an illustrator

Fnac Darty, a site run by the French books and music retail chain, announced their choice for this year's comics award under their sponsorship:

The graphic novel *Au-Dedans* (Editions 404) has just been named the winner of the 7th edition of the Fnac France Inter Comic Book Award. This debut graphic novel by Will McPhail, an illustrator for *The New Yorker*, is a refreshing and moving story centered on Nick, a withdrawn young city dweller who slowly begins to open up to the world.

Nick is an illustrator whose life oscillates between his personal projects and a day job at an advertising agency. He spends his time in cafés and craft beer bars, aware that something is missing from his life: other people and their inner worlds. Much more than a critique or a simplistic autobiographical account of a millennial’s life among other millennials, this slice of Nick’s life focuses on the divide that separates us all from one another.

It sounds like something even Japanese mangakas could explore, and just the kind of idea even USA creators should. Congratulations to the artist who conceived the tale.

NY creator develops comic based on experience with ADHD

WBNG-12 news talks about a creator from New York who produced a superhero tale building on his experiences with ADHD and bullying:

A Central New York comic book creator spent a decade developing a superhero series inspired by his own experiences with ADHD and bullying, and says the project is aimed at readers who have ever felt like they didn’t belong.

Tyler Raymond is the creator of The Different, a comic series he says is built around the idea that being different is something to embrace, not hide.

Story behind the series

Raymond says growing up with ADHD and being bullied in high school drove him to create something that could uplift others.

“School isn’t easy, especially when you’re different,” Raymond said. “So being the kid that talks too much, it was particularly hard to find friends. I wanted to make something that uplifted others and reinforce the idea that it’s okay being different. And we should all love ourselves for who we are and accepting our flaws because what other people might see as different, I see as something we should embrace and accept.”

The comic’s premise

The series follows five young heroes — Inferna, Celestial, IL GELO, The Stone Golem and Blueprint — who gain extraordinary powers from mysterious alien energy crystals buried beneath the Earth. The team protects Manhattan while navigating personal struggles and learning to function as a family.

Raymond says the central conflict goes beyond fighting villains. In the world of The Different, people fear the heroes trying to save them because of their powers.

“People treat people that have superpowers differently,” Raymond said. “So in Manhattan, when these heroes are saving people, they actually get negative responses, and these people fear them and treat them differently because they have superpowers. So I wanted to make a niche little parallel there. It’s a coming-of-age story; it’s about a group of strangers becoming family and working together to do good while also handling the adversity of being different.”

It's the kind of premise the X-Men for one was known for, but as anybody well-versed in recent history knows, Marvel's since gone downhill with comics like those years ago. So it's to be hoped this independent comic will prove a good successor for mainstream comics that lost their way. I just hope it doesn't build upon extreme left-wing ideologies, metaphorically or otherwise. That will only ruin it.

A clue how AI doesn't make the best source for recommendations

A writer at Tom's Guide says he asked ChatGPT to list some comics recommendations based on an analysis of his personality. The results are about what you could expect:

After ChatGPT dove into my biggest personality traits, it also pointed out that I value consistency, enjoy larger-than-life characters, am a truth-seeking individual, love character archetypes like “The Enlightened Warrior” and more. With a full read of who I am and what I’m into, the chatbot finally listed out an array of perfect comic book reading material split out across the roadmap I presented it with:

5 'start here' comics: Kingdom Come, Batman: Year One, Invincible, Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.
5 Comics that challenge my worldview: Transmetropolitan, V for Vendetta, The Invisibles, Maus and DMC.
5 Comics that perfectly match your interests: Planetary, Batman: The Court of Owls, East of West, Saga and Black Science.
5 underrated gems: The Manhattan Projects, Tokyo Ghost, The Human Target, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode and Global Frequency.
5 comics that could become lifelong favorites: Planetary, Kingdom Come, Watchmen, Invincible and Batman: The Long Halloween.

And no Superman in sight. Come to think of it, no Robin or Huntress in sight either. Indeed, why don't the spinoffs from Batman's world count? And if larger than life matters, why not Colossal Boy from Legion of Superheroes and Nuklon from Infinity Inc, based on their enlarging powers? I also don't find the citation of Warren Ellis-penned GNs appealing either, nor the citation of V for Vendetta and Saga. Also note that Marvel seems to be out of these results, and that too is decidedly troubling.

So what's the use of AI if it's going to offer such predictable results? What's so wonderful about all this darkness in selection either? This is just miserable, and while DC/Marvel, lest we forget, collapsed years ago, that an AI program would be so obvious should make clear AI's not the best at everything when it can only recommend a majority of dark titles.

Comic cookbook about cocktails

The Des Moines Register wrote about author Sarah Becan, who's developed a GN about the origins of and recipes for cocktails, similar to one that was spoken about here earlier:

Becan has spent months researching not only the cocktail recipes themselves, but also their origins. In her illustrated graphic novel "Let's Make Cocktails!", she's collected dozens of standouts for everyone to enjoy. [...]

"Hands down, the best part of making these books is seeing when people make recipes from the book and show it to me, knowing that I was part of making that bowl of ramen possible or I was part of making that drink possible," Becan said.

Who is author Sarah Becan?

Becan began illustrating food because she was thinking about how food and self-worth tied together, she wrote on her website. She got her start creating an autobiographical webcomic titled "I Think You're Sauceome," and would draw meals she and her partner would have in restaurants around Chicago.

Becan said restaurants started noticing her drawings and approached her to make art for commercial work. That eventually led to Becan becoming the illustrator for "The Adventures of Fat Rice" in 2016.

From there, the publisher kept in touch with Becan, later asking her to create a full-length comic book for ramen recipes. That's how the "Let's Make" series was born, with spotlights on ramen, dumplings, bread and now cocktails.

Becan has been nominated twice for the Ignatz Award, a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding comics and cartooning.

Again, I think the subject is a good one provided it's not alcoholic beverages they're promoting, and so long as it's fruit and vegetable-based, that's what'll make this latest comics cookbook a good one. The comics about ramen and bread are certainly bound to be good choices, and there's plenty of bread recipes I do like, such as onion, sourdough and French rolls.

Monaco's soccer youth federation celebrated 50 years with an interactive comic

AS Monaco announced an interactive comic to celebrate 50 years of its soccer academy training:

Have you ever dreamed of stepping into the shoes of a player joining AS Monaco's youth academy? Now you can, thanks to our interactive comic book created especially for the Academy's 50th anniversary. From a welcome by Sébastien Muet to the triumph on the pitch at the Stade Louis-II, including the moments of doubt, each page lets you discover all the stages experienced by a resident of La Diagonale.

Soccer's definitely a sports topic the USA comics medium could emphasize more often. Good for the academy they thought of this.

Britain now has a town dedicated to the art form

The BBC recently announced there's a township in England that's been named as a comics-themed town:

Barrow-in-Furness has been named the UK's first "comic book town" in a bid to get more people reading.

Along with a new comic book festival, educational projects in primary schools and community activities will come to the Cumbrian town this year as part of the initiative.

The Lakes International Comic Arts Foundation (LICAF), which leads the project, said its research showed children's writing and reading ability could increase considerably when comic books were used in the classroom.

LICAF's director Julie Tait said the campaign recognised "the power of comics to transform reading and creativity".

"Special educational needs children particularly benefit, comics switch on in their brains in different ways," she said.

Okay, congratulations on what they've achieved. But it's to be hoped whatever they offer in education will have real value, and won't be some woke monstrosity that comes off more as indoctrination than education. Otherwise, whatever point this news is supposedly trying to make will be meaningless.

Henry Brown's new GN, "Threat Quotient", which combines past inspirations with modern metaphors

A graphic novelist named Henry Brown's written on Hollywood in Toto about his new comic titled "Threat Quotient", and what his inspirations were for developing it. In the following paragraphs, he says:

In the midst of the Covidiocy lockdowns, that old comic book flame reignited. I still remembered most of the characters I conceived, and an idea for a sprawling superhero epic that I never began.

Over the years, when driving long distances or performing monotonous tasks, the old ideas bubbled up to the surface of my mind. In my daydreams I had revised scenes, plot elements and character concepts.

Not because I always believed I’d be able to use them, but because there’s a creative algorithm in the firmware of my brain I’ve never been able to turn off.

I got a fire lit under me in 2021 and first attempted to create a space opera comic. That’s a story unto itself I won’t unpack here. But despite how disgusted I was with the Big Two comic book companies and the disappointing cinematic adaptations of late, I still wanted to revisit the stories that had evolved through the years in my imagination.

Well if what he's saying is that he wanted to draw inspiration from them from a time when Marvel/DC still mattered, that's a great idea. And of course, it's a terrible shame it came to the situation where they went downhill into PC by the early 2000s, and what I think is particularly grating in hindsight is that people like Bill Jemas had to be the ones to save Marvel from bankruptcy. Some Marvel fans might agree it would've been far better if they'd folded than have to endure the humiliation Jemas and Joe Quesada put them through a quarter century ago, and similar points can be made about DC under Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns.

Anyway, what inspired Mr. Brown to develop this GN was the Korvac Saga:

As a boy, my intention was mostly just to concoct a tremendous super-slugfest. I had the last issue of the Korvac Saga in my collection and was impressed by the heroism of Earth’s (Marvel’s) mightiest heroes standing together against world-destroying power with a forlorn hope of survival…but fighting anyway because they saw it as the right thing to do. [...]

My experience and observations of the world around me filled in those blanks. What could inspire actual heroes to fight such a battle? That’s easy: freedom.

It rhymes with the scenario we are facing in Current Year America. There are people near the reins of power who think good governance is:

• Sending agents to murder a pet squirrel or investigate a garage pull-down cord
• Arresting citizens for sharing memes or for praying near an abortion clinic
• Chargd for holding church service or walking their dog outdoors during a universal lockdown for a flu bug with a 99 percent survival rate

The enemy is too cowardly to overtly fight to deprive us of our individual rights—they would take our freedoms through deception, subterfuge, psychological manipulation, lawfare and fraud. They’ll try to avoid an actual fight until we’re helpless to resist.

Patrick Henry’s axiom, “Give me liberty or give me death,” is more relevant than ever.

What if there was a subculture that agreed with Henry, but could not be made helpless? Who would force their would-be masters to fight it out? That is a hill good men would be willing to die on.

I transposed the old story idea from my childhood world into the reality of 2021-ish, then tweaked that to accommodate the existence of superheroes and clear plenty of wiggle-room for creative license. The plot involves an international conspiracy to establish Orwellian control over the citizens of every country; a super-powered (“ultrahuman”) team to enforce compliance; and a resistance movement with a team of ultrahuman dissidents that comes together to oppose them.

Yes, that sounds interesting. Like a metaphor for modern issues with Islamism/Communism. We definitely need more stories like that now, and who knows if a tale like the Korvac Saga would be published today if the editors and publishers thought it even remotely resembled issues they now consider anathema for observation? That's why it's now up to independent creators to prove they have the courage to confront serious topics, in contrast to the modern mainstream publishers who've ruined everything. Good luck to Mr. Brown with his new GN project.

A medical comic about health disorders

The Korea Times wrote about a free medical-themed comic focused on tic disorders:

Woongjin Foundation has published a medical comic book explaining tic disorders and will distribute it for free, the foundation said Thursday.

The 80-page illustrated guide, titled "Understanding Tic Disorders," is the latest in the foundation's ongoing series, "Rare and Incurable Diseases Explained in Comics," which it has produced in partnership with medical professionals since 2008. This edition marks the 30th installment of the series.

Tic disorders affect the neurological system responsible for movement and sensation, causing affected individuals to repeat specific muscle movements or sounds involuntarily. The condition is visible enough that those around a patient can typically notice it. More than 10 percent of elementary school students experience tics at some point, though most cases improve as children grow older.

[...] The foundation's chairman, Shin Hyun-woong, said in the book's foreword that he hopes the publication will give tic disorder patients and their families "new hope and courage," while also helping correct misconceptions about the condition that have spread online and other forms of media.

This is what's great about the comics medium, when it can be employed for explaining serious scientific issues, including health-based.

The reception of comics in India, and what they were used for

The Print covered a convention panel in Delhi about the history of Indian comics, and what their reception was like:

For Mahima, who runs the operations of the Mehrauli Community Library, comics are not just fun books or distractions, but a bridge to literacy.

“Comics meet children where they are in their language, their humour and their reality,” she said, speaking at the roundtable discussion titled ‘Comics as Witness’ on 14 March at the Foundation For Indian Contemporary Art Reading Room in Delhi. [...]

According to Mahima, comics are changing how people read. “Comics invite collaboration unlike picture books where one person reads to another,” she said, adding that comics build read-aloud and performance skills as well as teamwork.

She said kids are most drawn to comics that use their language. “Once a child finishes one, they immediately hunt for the next in the series, building a consistent reading habit.”

‘A precious commodity’

India has a rich tradition of comics that cover diverse topics like mythology, social satire, and superheroes. But from the mid-1990s, its craze has been declining, said graphic designer Orijit Sen, who has authored River of Stories, considered India’s first graphic novel published in 1994.

“Comics were a precious commodity when we were brought up. However, it was not a respectable thing,” he added.

That's possibly similar to the reception in the USA, which extended to animation, and led to the latter being all but ghettoized until the mid-90s as just a "children's medium". Even today, depending what's involved, the perception hasn't changed much. It's just that now, comics and animation are viewed by leftists in the west as an ideal way to indoctrinate children with political propaganda, or certainly were in the past decade. Speaking of which:

“Translation is one thing to reach different communities,” said Mahanta. She highlighted feminist collaborations for making comics and how the medium can help visualise oral histories. [...]

Sabhaney said that since 1990, comic reading has decreased but more people are now reading graphic novels. “Creators have a set of stories that they want to tell. Comics are created for particular issues such as documenting protest,” she said.

If this were the USA, seeing them talk about feminism would be more concerning. I think even the late cartoonist Will Eisner once wrote he found feminism troubling, based on how it did more harm than good to women's status in the west. And what protests are we talking about? There are obviously legitimate concerns in India that require protest, and we can only hope this alludes the right kind of topics. I think an interesting point to glean from this article is that comics came to serve as political platforms based on how they were considered an underutilized medium. But of course, that shouldn't get in the way of building science-fiction and fantasy stories as well to go alongside such products.

When an audience member asked about comics moving online, Sablania said, “The dynamic of comics is changing. The creator wants to reach as many people”.

You just have to hope it's for the right reasons, no matter the country. So if comicdom's making a comeback in India, let's hope it gets somewhere on the right foot.

A case made for why GNs can be great for reading instruction that's spoiled by mention of a propaganda item

Education Week's writing about why graphic novels can be good for reading instruction assignments. There are some interesting points made, but towards the end, the impact is seriously dampened by the mere mention of a propaganda item that distorted history for woke political brownie points:

If the goal is for them to be familiar with the story or examine themes, they can read the graphic novel version. Some Recommendations include Brave New World: A Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham, Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by David Polonsky and Ari Folman, Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds, George Orwell’s 1984 by Matyas Namai, and Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith.

Well gee, this certainly isn't doing any favors by citing leftist animator Folman's questionable GN about Anne Frank as though that's perfect for schools and education. What's the columnist thinking? I'm sorry, but that spoils this whole essay, when there's bound to be other, more historically accurate GNs about Frank and other WW2 Holocaust-related subjects around. Even if the subject is obviously adult to the point where parental guidance would be needed, that Folman's GN exploits the misfortune of a young girl for the sake of LGBT propaganda and other forced smut ruins everything.

One of the worst problems with mainstream news writers like the one who wrote the essay for Education Week is that they always go almost entirely with the easiest of choices and examples, and never do deeper research to see if there's anything more challenging that could be brought up instead. Anybody who's not willing to sit back and determine if a comic like Folman's really makes the best recommendation for educational purposes has no business being in the school management system.

Of course comic readers can read more than just comics

A writer at the Blackshear Times spoke about a political argument he had with some online contact, who seemed to believe comic readers limit themselves almost entirely to that very medium, and have no interest in anything else:

You see, my worthy opponent informed me I live in “comic book fantasyland.” In a subsequent response they indicated I should stick to comics, because I “can’t understand political narrative.”

I can only guess they connected me with comics due to my profile pic, which features the heroes of a publication a friend and I successfully funded on Kickstarter last October. A brief online search of my name might also connect me with a handful of comic related websites and publications. Maybe they have even read my occasional columns about the comic book medium right here in this paper.

They probably thought they had scored some searing takedown, based upon a quick, surface level assessment of my online persona.

You see, the implication is that if you love comics you’re stupid. And if you aren’t stupid, then you are somehow immature or developmentally stunted.

It’s an old insult, as weak and tired as every other lame jab thrown at readers of every stripe no matter their preferred publication (books, newspapers, comics, etc.), most often by insecure people afraid someone knows more about something than they do.

They have good reason to worry too, because comic books lead to actual books. Now, my accuser probably hasn’t bothered with books in years, but when I look at my bookshelves I’m pretty content with what I see. There are plenty of titles which are close kin to comics; Conan, Tarzan, King Arthur and others, but there is also a lot of history, science, philosophy and biographies.

I myself have some Dungeons & Dragons/Dragonlance novels around the house written by Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman, from a time when PC wasn't being forced upon the franchise like it's been today. And I've also got books about real life subjects at home too, including a book or two by UK writer Melanie Phillips, and also the late Barry Rubin. (Update: my household's also got a book about French poetry by Kenneth Canfield, if poetry matters.) I've also read Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, and I've even recently gotten hold of a book by James Kakalios titled The Physics of Super-Heroes, to see what he has to say about the differences between fiction and real life when it comes to sci-fi writing in comicdom. And that just shows how, whether before or after, of course there are comics readers who do take interest in plain-text books. Why, even books with illustrations obviously count to boot, and I read some of Beatrix Potter's children's books like Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck in my youth too, along with Dr. Seuss. If those aren't stupid, why do some anonymous creeps think comics are? Do they also think the same about animation, even Japanese?

Another sad thing about people who put down comic books, which has plagued the medium's reputation for decades on end, is that they couldn't possibly care less if Superman and Green Lantern had remained in the grave after the 1990's Doomsday battle and Emerald Twilight, or if Identity Crisis had remained a full-fledged status quo, or that the Avengers storyline making Hank Pym look like an abuser remained stuck for a long time, that Scarlet Witch was made to look horrific as a result of Disassembled, or that Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson remain kept apart for nearly 2 decades now. Such people, without a doubt, have no appreciation for even the informative subjects that were examined in comicdom over past decades, like how drug abuse and racism are bad, and there were a few storylines that made points why sexual violence is wrong too. Could we perhaps guess why?

In the end though, some of these anonymous posters are people who're just looking for cheap, petty excuses to tell somebody else, "I don't like you", and that's very sad, because it does virtually nothing to improve a bad, divisive situation, and refuses to recognize that being a comics reader doesn't automatically prove you're "uneducated". Those who read comics are more than perfectly capable of reading plain-text books as well, including many tackling serious subject matters that comics are just as valid a medium to explore them in as well.