Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com

Photo courtesy of Oni Press Hey Mary! Screenplay: Andrew WheelerArtist: Rye HickmanColorist: Hank JonesAuthor: Frank CvetkovicPublisher: OnipressPublication date: April 2025 The Oni Press graphic novel by Andrew Wheeler and Ry Hickman explores the complexities of coming out as gay while being Catholic, and the heartbreak of knowing that the church you love may never love you back. In a time of transition for the Catholic Church, especially in the midst of reactionary tremors in the United States, Hey Mary! It feels tragically timely. Talented artists find universal truths in the specific. “Hey, Mary!” The truth is that it’s the tension…

Audiences are counting down the days until Rob Liefeld makes his long-awaited return to YUNGBLUD. If you need proof, look no further than today’s announcement that YUNGBLUD #1 is already sold out at the distribution level and will be back in press before fans get their copies next week. In a statement, Image Comics urged fans to contact their local comic book store to pre-order and promised to quickly put this week’s issue back into print to meet reorder demand and fill the supply gap for retailers. Longtime Liefeld fans will definitely want a copy of the second printing cover,…

Needless to say, Marvel has grappled with problematic aspects of Iron Fist in recent years, a character steeped in white savior and cultural appropriation tropes. These endeavors include handing over the mantle to superhero Lin Li, known as the Swordmaster, and the original Danny Rand taking on new missions in the recent Undead Iron Fist miniseries. Today, the publisher announced Deadly Hands of K’un Lun, a five-issue miniseries written by writer Yifan Zhang (Eternals: 500 Years’ War) and artist Paco Medina (Venom, Spider-Boy), to be released in February, and the long-awaited next chapter in Lin Li’s journey as the new…

Alex Hood, who draws under the handle Haus of Decline on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Bluesky, is one of the internet’s most prolific, weird, and funny cartoonists. Hood’s cartooning shows a mastery of comics akin to Nancy’s Ernie Bushmiller, or Krazy Kat’s George Herriman. Her style is simple and cartoony, relying on largely minimalist figures with heavy black ink linework existing in large, white voids. Most Haus of Decline comics are four-panel gag strips similar in form to other newspaper strips, although their content would likely bar them from any widely circulated paper. In much the same way that…

Sweet Shop is one of the newer digital comics players in the space, starting beta testing this week with “24 of the best shitty publishers” signing on. Publishers that have signed on include Image Comics, Kodansha, Fantagraphics, Dark Horse, IDW, Manga Mavericks, Ignition Press, and Panic. Image Comic will be available in the beta at launch, and the full publisher list will be available at Sweet Shop. The invite-only beta launches simultaneously on Android and iOS, but as of this writing, the app is still awaiting approval. Features available at launch include in-app purchases, offline reading, the ability to download…

In some cases, more is better. Author Jordan Thomas and illustrator Chris Matthews seem to agree with this sentiment, and their new comicology series, Exorcism Island, finds the church rounding up the most difficult active possession cases on an island for a no-holds-barred exorcism session. This is an interesting concept that finds traces of Lost, The Expendables, and good old possession movies in its formulation. The story follows Father Gigi Amato, who is sent to a Caribbean island to join a group of exorcists against the most resistant demons in recorded history. Amato is still processing an earlier encounter that…

Mad Cave Studios has announced Maverick, a new YA publisher graphic novel. The film follows a group of “content kids” (children who grew up in front of social media cameras) through their teenage years. Today, The Beat has all the details about this timely new release titled “I Didn’t Ask for This.” This timely read comes from Next Generation Indie Book Award-winning author Jennie Wood, GLAAD Award-winning illustrator Josh Cornillon, colorist Michael Wiggam, and letterer Charles Pritchett. Although this story is fictional, it is based on the real-life experiences of child influencers who have become the subject of heated online…

One of the great secrets of American comics is how rich the Athens GA comics scene is. Home to University of Georgia and SCAD alumni, this college town is home to a diverse array of talent, with cartoonists as diverse as Drew Weing, Eleanor Davis, Joey Weiser, and Lee Gatlin. It may not be America’s biggest comic book production center, but it definitely ranks among the best. The best place to discover this treasure trove of talent is the semi-annual mini-comic anthology published by the community ‘Bezoar’. Bezoar serves as a perfect resource for comics being produced not only in…

misery of love Cartoonist: Ivan AragbeTranslator: Donald Nicholson SmithPublisher: New York Review BooksPublication date: July 2025 Yvan Aragbe continues his exploration of race relations and traditional family relationships in France in Misery of Love, a spiritual sequel to his widely acclaimed graphic novel The Yellow Negro and Other Imaginary Creatures. The story follows the dreamlike memories of a woman named Claire who is forced to spend time with her family during her grandfather’s funeral. Moving between memories of the past and the brutal reality of the present, the story is haunted by the legacy and impact of France’s colonial conquest…

If you’re looking for WLW graphic novels to add to your print library, we have good news! TOKYPOP has announced that it will publish a paper version of WLW’s popular manga “Unnie, I Like You!”. TOKYOPOP Editor-in-Chief Lena Atanasova announced the news in an exclusive interview with The Beat, revealing that the company has partnered with Webtoon to release a full-color graphic novel version of creator Jongushi’s webcomic. “We are excited to release the first full-color GL webcomic version of ‘Unnie, I Like You!’” said Atarasan. “This is a light-hearted, slice-of-life romance between two women who are very different from…