At Library Journal’s “Library Con Live,” Lion Forge Unveils Plans to Publish Graphic Anthology to Benefit Victims of Hurricane Maria

from press release

Just over two months since Hurricane Maria plowed through Puerto Rico with a destructive force that left island residents desperate for survival or forced to flee to the U.S. mainland, the island is still struggling to rebound. Yesterday, the St. Louis publisher announced their commitment to relief efforts with the publication of Puerto Rico Strong, a comics anthology from some of today’s top talent!

Puerto Rico Strong is a comics anthology that explores what it means to be Puerto Rican and the diversity that exists within that concept, from today’s most exciting Puerto Rican comics creators. All profits will go to towards Disaster Relief and Recovery Programs to Support Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Strong is co-edited by Lion Forge’s own Desiree Rodriguez, alongside Marco Lopez, Neil Shwartz, and Derek Ruiz. 

Happy Halloween folks! If you are looking for a comic book series to read this haunting season look no further than Victor LaValle’s Destroyer (BOOM! Studios). After I read the first issue of this comic I immediately went to comixology and downloaded as much of the series as I could. Written by Victor LaValle (The Changeling) and drawn by Dietrich Smith (Shaft: Imitation of Life) with cover art by the amazingly talented Micaela Dawn, the story is an updated version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

(This post originally appeared on Bookriot)

When Benjamin Franklin decided to draw his famous “Join or Die” artwork and submit it to the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, he started what is now known as the modern-day political cartoon. Since then, political cartooning has not only provided a way for artists and writers to express themselves, but they also have been able to do so freely under the First Amendment.

From the President’s tweets to natural disasters to the resurrected argument refuting science and claiming that the world is actually flat, there is literally no shortage of material for the satirical medium. And they are no longer regulated to just the back of the newspaper. Now political comics are available in webcomic format, as ebooks and yes, even in print. Many artists are using their talents to criticize, protest and report. Often with a bird’s-eye view of society.

The first time I saw Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer was when I got wind of the kickstarter in 2016. The title alone got my attention. I thought if Abraham Lincoln can fight Vampires, then why not right? Jump forward to 2017 when I met creator David Crownson at Khem Fest and was again intrigued by the storyline. Coupled with Courtland Ellis’ art, I was excited to review this new indie offering.

This is the first year that the Ringo Awards are being presented at Baltimore Comic-Con. If you remember, last year was the final year for the Harvey Awards as they were sold to ReedPop.  I personally think that BCC wanted to continue to capitalize on an awards show venue that has really put them on the map and drawn crowds and interest there year after year. Enter: The Ringo Awards. This year, for the first time, the Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards are to be presented on the evening of Saturday, September 23, 2017 as part of  The Baltimore Comic-Con. The Ringo Awards has completed the 2017 nomination process, which was inclusive of fans and comic book professionals alike, and both communities showed strong support. According to the Ringo Awards staff, the voting deadline was extended to accommodate as many interested participants and provide sufficient voting time for the final ballot. The augmentation in participation during the nomination extension ended up being significant.

I’m really excited to finally talk about this project. I wrote a few entries and I think Sheena did a great job of making sure that plenty of Black female comic creators were highlighted. Check out the press release below!

(from press release)

Image Comics announced at this year’s Rose City Comic Con an all-new ongoing series from David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene that will launch in 2018 titled, BITTER ROOT.

BITTER ROOT is set in 1920s with the Harlem Renaissance in full swing. The new series will follow

(originally posted at BookRiot)

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s Bitch Planet is probably the most feminist, satirical, diverse and visceral story that I’ve read in awhile. The series, described by DeConnick herself as a “dystopian sci-fi take on the exploitation genre” started off in December 2015 and has published 10 issues (and two trade paperback volumes) to date. Taking a brief break from the series, DeConnick and De Landro decided to create an anthology series recruiting other artists and writers to contribute to the series.