August Roundup

August has been a big month in the world of comics, with major developments and industry shakeups. Children’s Book Week turns 80 this year, running from August 16 to 23 with the adventurous theme Book an Adventure! A reminder that captivating stories can hook you young and stay with you forever.

On the digital front, GlobalComix rolled out major platform upgrades, doubling down on creator-first tools and expanding its feature list. Meanwhile, Webtoon’s new partnership with Disney made waves by bringing Marvel, Star Wars, and other iconic titles into the vertical scroll format—reshaping how fans experience these universes.

But it’s not all celebration. The Artists’ Union has officially announced a boycott of the 2026 Angoulême Festival, citing serious concerns over governance, a bold move that’s stirring global conversation about power dynamics in comics culture.

Missed San Diego Comic-Con 2025? There was plenty to catch online: from towering Galactus cosplays and wild LEGO builds to surprise title drops that got fans buzzing.

And in publishing, Dr. Werthless a sharp graphic novel critique of Frederic Wertham’s legacy—is reigniting debate around comics and censorship, reminding us that the medium’s past is as complex as its future.

Whether you’re binge-reading webtoons, rewatching panel highlights, or deep-diving into graphic history, one thing’s clear comics are always evolving—in how they’re made, shared, and understood.

NEWS

• Nancy Powell writing for The Beat published an excellent wrap up of a San Diego Comic-Con panel discussing how to fight back book bans by reframing the conversation.
• Brigid Alverson talks with Harold Schechter and Eric Powell for PW about Frederic Wertham and their new graphic novels Dr Werthless. 
• Scholastic’s Graphix keeps expanding their manga offering and have now announced Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants will be republished as a manga. We think ‘this will be popular” is the understatement of the year.
• Ash Holland has published an excellent article on Publishers Weekly exploring libraries and librarians who are supporting and building community when it comes to diverse titles. 
• The manga and anime market has seen huge growth in the last few years but concerns are being raised that the number of creators working in manga and anime hasn’t kept up pace. Is a shortage of creators going to be a problem? Hannah Diffrey explores the issue on Screen Rant.
• Brigid Alverson talks with Harold Schechter and Eric Powell for PW about Frederic Wertham and their new graphic novels Dr Werthless. 
• Artists’ union confirms 2026 Angoulême boycott, citing ongoing governance concerns
• Image Comics honored Australia’s Comics Etc. with its Retailer Appreciation Award at SDCC 2025 for excellence in service and community.
• Missed SDCC 2025? Here’s a quick peek at the highlights: stunning Lego displays, incredible Galactus cosplay, and surprise comic reveals—all bringing the comic spirit alive in full force.
• Webtoon’s and Disney are partnering to bring popular Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney comics to Webtoon’s digital platform, expanding access to beloved stories in a new format.  
• GlobalComix launched a major PanelFlow upgrade with ethical, non-generative AI tools—boosting precision and control for comic creators.
• IDW Publishing has launched its own channel on the live‑auction platform Whatnot, offering weekly live shows featuring exclusive, signed comics and popular titles. 
• Short-form “Video Episodes” are bringing popular series like The Mafia Nanny and Star Catcher to life with animation, sound, and voice acting, as part of a new initiative from Webtoon 
• This feature from The Comics Journal explores how post‑World War II American comics responded to the atomic bomb—either warning against its devastation or using it to reinforce Cold War resolve.
• Brigid Alverson argues that digital access to comics is revolutionizing literacy by providing scalable, engaging story formats that meet diverse student needs in modern classrooms.

COLLECTIONS

• The Harvey Awards nominations have been announced and what a list! The Awards will be presented at New York Comic Con. 
• The Ignatz Awards’ nominees have been announced so if you’re looking to expand your collection and reading with some indie graphic novels, this is the list. And congratulations to Rachel Ang! 
• The Stacks is comics’ answer to the Criterion Closet—creators pick and discuss favorite books in a curated corner of Third Eye Comics.
• Thoughtful reviews from Comics Worth Reading feature a variety of unique and charming comics. Their August 2025 column highlights titles like The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien—a great pick for fans of creative nonfiction and stories
• No Flying No Tights’ latest Staff Picks features graphic novels ideal for laid-back reading, wherever you are.

PODCASTS

• In the second episode of the Comics Librarianship series Iurgi sits down with Matthew Noe, who is the Lead Collection and Knowledge Management Librarian at Harvard Medical School and the Treasurer for the Graphic Medicine International Collective. Matt published an excellent article on graphic medicine in the recent Booklist’s Guide to Graphic Novels 2025. In this conversation Matt discuses the growth of graphic medicine, why it’s such an important field of study, genre and community and his thoughts on graphic medicine now. You can listen to it on the Podcasts tab on this website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

NEW GRAPHIC NOVELS

Junior

• Dream on By Shannon Hale, Marcela Cespesdes (Roaring Brook ) [9781250843067]
• Double Booking: When and Where Wolf? by Chas! Pangburn, Kim Shearer, Nic Touris (Papercutz) [9781545818336]
• Dracula’s Brunch Club by Brian Gonsar, Keenan Gaybba (Oni Press) [9781637158401]
• The Land of Unfinished Dreams by Marco Ventura, Marco Ferraris (Top Shelf) [9781603095556]
• Oddity Woods by Kay Davault (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) [9781665915830]
• Spoops The Little Spirits of Halloween By: A.J. Locascio, Laurie Conley [Random House] (9781603095617)
• Alexis Cool as a Cupcake The Graphic Novel by Coco Simon (Author), Glass House Graphics (Simon Spotlight) [9781665971485]
• School Dance (A Graphic Novel) By Sarah  Sax (Random House) [9780593306963]
• Minecraft The Manga, Vol. 2 By Kazuyoshi Seto (VIZ Media) [9781974747153]

YA

• The Age of Video Games: A Graphic History of Gaming from Pong to VR and Beyond by Jean Zeid, Emile Rouge (Andrews McMeel Publishing) [9798881601539]
• The Rabagoo Race by Garresh (Living the Line) [9781961581067]
• Hirayasumi, Vol. 6 By Keigo Shinzo (VIZ Media ) [9781974755493]
• Tall Water by SJ Sindu & Dion MBD (Harper Alley) [9780063090156]
• True Colors by Elise Gravel (Drawn & Quarterly) [9781770467996]
• Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 27 By Gege Akutami (VIZ Media ) [9781974755592]
• Sugar Shack By Lucy Knisley [Random House] 9781984896902
• The Forest of a Thousand Eyes By  Frances Hardinge, Emily Gravett [Amulet Books] (9781419777783)
• This Place Kills Me A Graphic Novel By  Mariko Tamaki, Nicole Goux (Abrams)
• [9781419768453]

Adult

• Absolute Batman Vol 1: The Zoo by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta (DC Comics) [9781799505259]
• Avengers: The Veracity Trap by Chip Kidd & Michael Cho (Abrams ComicArts) [9781419770678]
• Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor by Kristina Gehrmann (Andres McMeel) [9798881600266]
• Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, adapted by Frédéric Rébéna (NBM) [9781681123615]
• Buff Soul by Moa Romanova (Fantagraphics) [9798875000683]
• The Complete Hate by Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics) [9798875001093]
• Cannon by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly) [9781770468023] [Australian creator]
• He Rolled Me Up Like A Grilled Squid by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly) [9781770467804]
• Ionheart by Lukas Kummer (Top Shelf) [9781603095587]
• Miss Ruki by Fumiko Takano (New York Review Books) [9781681379401]
• Moon Prince by KeithFraser Mutch (Fantagraphics) [9798875000751]
• Rowlf And Other Fantasy Stories by Richard Corben (Dark Horse) [9781506749839]
• The Stoneshore Register by G. Willow Wilson, M.K. Perker (Dark Horse) [9781506748573]
• Tarot: A Graphic History by Valentina Grande (Leaping Hare Press) [9781836002734]
• Trumpets of Death By Simon Bournel-Bosson (Lerner Publishing Group) [9798765644324]
• The Moon Prince By Kevin Fraser Mutch (W W Norton & Company) [9798875000751]
• Aquinnah By Matteo Casali (Random House) [9781506737003]
• Midst Tales from the Cosmos By Alejandro Aragon, Jasmine Walls, Colin Lorimer (RANDOM HOUSE) [9781506742564]
• Ionheart By: Lukas Kummer (Random House) [9781603095587]
• Drome By Jesse Lonergan (Castle Point Books) [9781250386939]