Sunset, a drink (apple juice), and a book. Up in the UK’s Lake District ahead of LICAF - which officially kicks off tomorrow night

Some award coverage

Movie Review: LOKAH offers a promising glimpse at a new interconnected cinematic superhero universe While Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman have been the tentpole superhero movies of the year, a surprise new contender has stepped up to the genre plate – and isn’t even based on pre-existing…

Interview!

The Muppet Show is coming back: YAY! …as a one-off special: oh.

Little bit of award coverage

Matt Haasch, the founder of independent manga publisher Star Fruit Books, lost his battle with cancer earlier this week

With Brass Sun returning to 2000 AD after a lengthy hiatus in a couple weeks, I have been revisiting the series

(…and 41% acknowledged comics were for both adults and kids)

This news caught me by surprise enough to give it a writeup. www.comicsbeat.com/2000-ad-to-r...

Peter Kuper receives Entomological Society Award for INSECTOPOLIS

“HULK WANTS GOOD FOOD - - LIKE BEANS!” - Incredible Hulk # 192

Which 'kidult' hobbies do Britons think are childish? Advent calendars: 60% more for kids / 37% equally for kids and adults Disney: 57% / 38% Cartoons: 53% / 44% Dinosaurs: 35% / 59% Video games: 32% / 54% Theme parks: 32% / 62% Model trains: 26% / 48% / (22% more for adults) D&D: 15% / 27% / (30%)

51% is lower than what I was expecting for the UK

Do Britons think Doctor Who is childish? Entirely/mostly for children: 22% Equally for children and adults: 48% Entirely/mostly for adults: 21% yougov.co.uk/society/arti...

Corto Maltese is coming back to print in English www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

By the by - there is an award for comics translated into English. Check out the Sophie Castille Awards. It’s decided by a jury rather than a public/pro ballot. Since it started, it now has versions for multiple other languages, promoting cultural comics exchange www.sophie-castille-awards.org

Always fun to have a look at what critics overseas are digging. This award is focused on comics first published in English that made an impact with critics when translated to French. www.comicsbeat.com/french-criti...

Was browsing the WH Smith’s before my bus from London Victoria. Spotted a surprising little US import. £15 is a tad steep though. Pre-covid I would pop over to this section when passing through in the off chance of spotting a scifi short fiction anthology (usually Analog). Not seen it since

Some award coverage with a casual deep dive into the Ignatz Award nominations

Back on my Übel Blatt omnibus reading. The series still has some pacing issues and can still get convoluted with lore but there is a surprisingly brave narrative swing in vol. 4 that shattered my assumption of how the overall story will pan out. The explicit stuff is still weird.

Angoulême: Boycott Still On, says Artists Union: Authors union STAA vows to press ahead with its boycott of the 2026 Angoulême Festival despite some recent steps by the event owners

Top shelf material at service station.

I really liked most of the games in the Nintendo Indie World Showcase. My 3 highlights: - HERDLING: shepherding mythical beasts through the mountains - TINY BOOK SHOP: cozy management sim where you set up your own little bouquiniste/second hand store - WELL DWELLER: metroidvania from Islets dev

End of the road for Boundless as the successor to crowdfunding publisher Unbound calls it quits after five months www.comicsbeat.com/unbound-succ...

Angoulême Festival’s rolling crisis. www.comicsbeat.com/angouleme-fe...

Been digging the Georges Simenon novel “The Strangers in the House” [Les Inconnus dans la maison]; translated by Howard Curtis. I have some issues with the plot in the final act but as a character study it is great. And the early part of the book oozes grot and ugliness.

Two thoughts on FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS - It absolutely nailed the fundamentals of the comic: Science fiction. Adventure. Family. - It felt more plot focused, so characterisation was rather patchy in places. Two characters, one pivotal felt underbaked Overall, liked it.

End of Fantastic Four movie, when Jack Kirby’s name shows up in the credits, an MCU fanboy in the cinema loudly exclaimed “Who the f—- is Jack Kirby!?” as if it wasted their time. They stayed all the way through the credits to get their fix too.

Score! I thought I would never find a copy of @jamiesmart.bsky.social ‘s Dandy collection in the wild. (Still one copy left at London Paddington Station WH Smith btw)

Gave the Pokemon Go Road Trip London event a try. Zero shinies, first rain in weeks…but a decent view

Hilarious out of context comics lines are the best. Reminds me of the Black Knight scene in Monty Python. “Tis but a scratch” Source: Astro Boy Vol 3 (The Strongest Robot on Earth), by Osamu Tezuka; translated by Frederik L. Schodt

Source: goodereader.com/blog/manga-a...

Photos: Cape Graphic Novels makes a splashing return to form with ‘Mini-Con’ at Foyles London Cape Graphic Novels makes a splashing return to form with ‘Mini-Con’ at Foyles London. Check out these photos from the event!

Today’s little pet project: modifying my 2019 Switch Lite. After almost six years of heavy use the joycons have some drift, the battery doesn’t hold as much of a charge and the front shell is definitely showing a little wear. I’ve travelled the world with this thing and still hope to.

Playing catchup with 2000 AD. I’m a couple months behind again. Digging GHOSTED and those Dan Abnett written JUDGE DREDD one-shots are exceptional. Often my favourite kind of Dredd stories are where he is hardly in them. Instead the story is focused on Mega City One or some other character.

Taiyo Matsumoto’s "Tokyo These Days" wins the 2025 ACBD Asia Critics Prize at Japan Expo, honoring top Asian comics translated into French.

Ironheart had some major plot holes and weaknesses in the last couple episodes which bugged me but overall I liked the show. Would have also been nice not to have the big reveal spoiled. Overall 6/10. Curious to see where it goes.

Perusing the NYT 100 best movies of 21st century so far is fascinating. I tend to struggle to pick things off the top of my head. I don’t even know if I can immediately think of 10. These ones might make mine Portrait of a Lady on Fire A Serious Man Thelma (2017) Gravity

Nothing like reading a harmless bit of Astro Boy on a sticky summer’s eve…

Finally saw first three episodes of Ironheart. First episode was a bit of tedious setup but the second and third episodes give the show a sense of depth and - yes - heart.

Been dipping in and out of Glastonbury coverage but Nova Twins were definitely fun to watch. TV on the Radio also good.

Was a bit so-so about the Rogue Trooper movie stills (trying to keep my expectations low) but one thing that didn’t quite work for me was how the main character looked. Couldn’t put my finger on it until someone pointed out why: his eyes. He has human eyes.

French critics assocation ACBD pick some familiar names in 2025 Summer Selection The Association of French Comics Critics and Journalists ( ACBD ) announced their ten essential reads for summer 2025 and three familiar US books caught the attention of the organisation so far this year

Trying Etorouji Shiono manga series Übel Blatt. Apart from occasional (often random) sexual content, this series reads pretty much along the lines of a dark fantasy shonen series. The opening chapters were slightly convoluted but I got into the rhythm of it. The setup is interesting enough.

Roll up, roll up

Personally, my favourite aspect of this year’s American Manga Awards is the addition of Best One-Shot Manga. Sometimes the most interesting stories are told in a single volume but they often get overlooked by longer works (many of which seemingly never end)

LUZ graphic novel TWO GIRLS NUDE wins ELLE Comics Prize Another win for Luz graphic novel Deux filles nues [tr. ‘ Two Girls Nude ’] as it was announced as the fourth recipient of ELLE France’s annual comics prize last night.