ALIA Graphic Podcast: Recent Episodes

ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics

The Official ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics Podcast

We are proud to present a special recording of an event from Melbourne Rare Book Week.

Georgina Chadderton is an Australian cartoonist. Her work has been featured in outlets including The Nib and Voiceworks magazine. They are a cofounder of Papercuts Comics Festival, an independent annual celebration of graphic novels held in Adelaide. When they’re not drawing, Georgina enjoys eating pizza and playing roller derby.

In this event recorded at Melbourne City Libraries, part of Melbourne Rare Book Week, Georgina talks in depth about Oh Brother and the ten year process of making her first graphic novel.

00:00 James Baker’s intro for the episode

01:14 Georgina introduction and talks about Oh Brother

09:14 Georgina discusses the process of making Oh Brother

32:45 Questions and answers

For more from Georgina check out her website: https://www.georgerexcomics.com

To stay up to date with Melbourne Rare Book Week: https://rarebooksmelbourne.com/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

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We are proud to present a special recording of an event from Melbourne Rare Book Week.

The comic book form is used as a narrative medium by creators to tackle social, historical and personal histories: protesting about the Vietnam War in Mirranda Burton’s Underground; Napoleon Bonaparte’s Tasmanian imprisonment in Jamie Clennett’s The Diemenois; and growing up with an autistic sibling in Gina Chadderton’s Oh Brother. These creators present illustrated readings from their work, then engage in a discussion about comics and the real world, and how their books have enabled the two to converge and converse.

Chaired by Bernard Caleo, this is a recording of a Melbourne Rare Book Week presented in partnership with the Melbourne Athenaeum Library and ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics on Thursday July 30, 2026.

00:20 Welcome and acknowledgement of country

01:20 Bernard Caleo introduces the night and discusses comics and the real world

13:11 Mirranda Burton reads from Underground

18:49 Mirranda in conversation with Bernard

22:59 Jamie Clennett reads from The Diemenois

30:17 Jamie Clennett in conversation with Bernard

33:51 Georgina introduces Oh Brother

38:50 Georgina reads from Oh Brother

43:34 Georgina in conversation with Bernard

47:44 Mirranda, Jamie and Georgina in conversation with Bernard

To stay up to date with Melbourne Rare Book Week: https://rarebooksmelbourne.com/

To stay up to date with the Melbourne Athenaeum Library: https://melbourneathenaeum.org.au/library/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month’s roundup podcast Iurgi and Luke discuss the latest news, their recent reads and their picks from the new titles out this month.

We start with the intro and some news in brief then:

08:31 Recent reads

18:14 News

40:44 New titles

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ALIA Graphic group with the support of library staff from all over Australia, who volunteered for the judging panel, recently announced the Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025. Three titles for each category (Junior, Young Adult and Adult) that represent the best of the best. Being already halfway through the year, we thought it was worth looking at what’s been published in 2026 so far. Again, all these graphic novels have been created by, at least one key Australian creator (writer or artist), they’re published in a library friendly format (they’re either graphic novels or perfect bound trade paperbacks) and they are widely available through library suppliers.

In this episode Iurgi, James and Marissa discuss the titles published in the first half of the year. You can find the full list of titles with the publisher blurbs, ISBN number and more information here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/new-graphic-novels-by-australian-creators-in-2026-first-half/

You can listen to creator chats with some of the creators mentioned in this episode in our archive.

Episode 139 Aśka and the Frienship Paradox here.

Episode 136 Gregory Mackay and Anders' Adventures here.

Episode 135 Wendy Tyrer and The Curator here.

Episode 134 Campbell Whyte and Luna Express here.

Episode 131 Andrea Innocent and Lamington Left Behind here.

Episode 128 Georgina Chadderton and Oh Brother here.

Episode 82 Chris Gooch and In Utero here.

Episode 76 Mat Groom and Inferno Girl Red here.

Episode 58 Jon Sommariva and Neverlanders here.

Episode 51 Jessica Walton and Aśka and Stars in Their Eyes here.

Episode 40 Alyssa Bermudez and Big Apple Diaries here.

You can also find the ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 list here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/notables-lists/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat James sits down for a conversation with Aśka, the creator behind The Friendship Paradox, out now through Allen & Unwin.

The Friendship Paradox is a young adult graphic novel where high school is over and Dash is excited to spend their gap year working for the local science museum, travelling and teaching kids about physics. Maybe they'll even make a friend. People are part of the universe, so the laws of physics should also apply to them, right?

Except Dash discovers the workplace is just as challenging as school - relationships are confusing, students don't follow the rules and co-workers aren't what they expect. Then Dash meets Kay. Can opposites really attract? Or will Dash's attempts to use physics to understand their world repel a potential friend?

The conversation focuses on science communication, balancing communicating the science with telling the story of Dash, Kay, their adventures and their developing friendship and more.

Aśka also gives us a quick update on PCAF and recommends three titles to read:

Wake Up Pixoto by Weng Pixin

Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn

Manta by Jorden Allen-Barr

For more from Aśka check out their website: https://askastorytelling.com

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month’s roundup Marissa and Iurgi go through some of the latest news, their recent reads and their favourite picks from this month’s crop of new titles.

01:04 News in brief

04:22 Recent reads:

Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi
Who Made Me a Princess? by Spoon, Plutus
The Top Dungeon Farmer by Lim Hyeong, Lee Ha-kyung, sdcknight
I Killed the Main Player by Greenkirin, HELP.ME
The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide by Greenkirin, Korita
The Royal Tea by Captain Juuter
Duchess’s Lo-Fi Coffeehouse by Nuova, Nyangmi.Page.IIAKI, Kimdimsum
Night Shift in Another World by Cooljamon, Sadsnake
Criminal Volume 5 The Sinners and Volume 6 The Last of the Innocent by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Vol 14 by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
The Friendship Paradox by Aśka.

14:07 News:

A debut manga about a second-hand bookshop owner has won the top prize at Japan’s prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes, highlighting new talent and stories centred on book culture.

Rainbow reads - since June is Pride Month, several organisations have put together lists of not-to-miss LGBTQ+ titles. School Library Journal, NY Public Library, Global Comix; NYPL’s list of suggested reads for adults included Australian author Campbell Whyte’s recent release Luna Express, set in Perth and featuring magical girls kicking butt in the moonlight

A panel explores graphic medicine, showing how comics communicate health experiences, combining storytelling, art, and science to humanise illness, support education, and connect audiences.

Lee Lai’s graphic novel Cannon continues to win. Taking the top prize at the 2026 Doug Wright Awards, highlighting excellence in Canadian comics and celebrating emerging and established creators.

For people living in Melbourne, there’s a new indie comics festival in town. MAKE, the Melbourne Alternative Comics Expo will be taking place in October. The full program is not out yet, but the festival has announced it will go for three days.

ALIA Graphic’s Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 list is out now. This year, for a second time the notables were judged by a judging panel from all across Australia. Library staff who put their hand up to help us judge and decide the most outstanding graphic novels by Australian creators from last year. The ALIA Graphic committee wants to sincerely thank everyone who volunteered, read the graphic novels and gave us their thoughts and reviews. We really appreciate it and congratulations to all the Notables and to all Australian creators. Check out the notables list here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/notables-lists/

28:30 New titles:

Billie B Brown’s Secret Mystery Club Book 1: Spooky House by Sally Rippin, Aki Fukuoka (Figment Books)

Lore Olympus: Volume Ten by Rachel Smythe (Inklore)

Encore! by Miles Toriko Burks (HarperCollins)

Unordinary Vol. 4 by uru-chan (Harper Collins)

Ichi the Witch Vol. 2 by: Osamu Nishi, Shiro Usazaki (VIZ Media)

Fish and Water by Gengoroh Tagame (Pantheon Graphic Library)

Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden (Drawn & Quarterly)

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat Mia sits down for a conversation with Li Chen the creator of the delightful Detective Beans series. Li Chen, from New Zealand, always loved drawing and has been working as a full-time comic artist since 2012. Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat was her first graphic novel and she's just published the third book in the series: Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery.

In this conversation they talk about:

The origin and influences of Detective Beans
How Li Chen started making webcomics
How well Detective Beans has been received
Li Chen coming to Australia
and more!

For more on Detective Beans visit: https://detectivebeans.com/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

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In this episode Luke sits down for a chat with Gregory Mackay the creator of the Anders graphic novels, a delightful series for young readers (and for all ages really).

They discuss:

the newly published Anders and the Mountain, the fourth book in the adventures of Anders series,
the themes and inspiration behind the Anders series
the publication of Anders in French and French comics culture
other work that Gregory is doing (which is not for children)
and Gregory mentions what he's reading now, which is not children's books

Anders and the Mountain is out now through Allen & Unwin: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Gregory-Mackay-Anders-and-the-Mountain:-Anders-4-9781761066238

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat Marissa sits down for a conversation with Wendy Tyrer who recently publisher her first graphic novel, The Curator with a new publisher of Australian graphic novels: Perentie Press.

In The Curator, artists are mysteriously going missing all over the world. But Mimi, a struggling art student working at the National Gallery of Victoria isn’t worried about her own safety. After meeting Simon, the sophisticated curator of the Master Portraits exhibition, Mimi is unwittingly pulled into an extraordinary adventure. What she uncovers will challenge everything she knows, and force her to make a life-changing decision.

For more from Wendy Tyrer visit her website: https://wendytyrer.com/

For more from Perentie Press visit their website: https://perentiepress.com/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat, Iurgi sits down to catch up with Campbell Whyte, an excellent cartoonist from Perth who also moonlights as educator at the Milk Tooth School of Art and Stories and is also the Chairperson of the Perth Comic Arts Festival. He somehow found time to join us today to talk about Luna Express, an excellent graphic novel set in Perth that is full of teen angst, social commentary, magic and lots of heart.

01:58 What’s happening with Campbell and his many hats

03:46 Looking back at Home Time

07:47 Setting comics in Perth

11:24 The origins, ideas themes of Luna Express

19:55 Campbell talks about his approach to art and his need to work in different art styles

26:41 The influences on Luna Express, from Sailor Moon to Ranma, from Steve Ditko to Katsuhiro Otomo and more

42:55 Next projects on the horizon

48:33 Campbell gives a run down on what to expect at the Perth Comic Arts Festival in July. The festival will be held at the State Library of WA in Perth.

52:27 Campbell gives a final recommendation to read

To stay up to date with Campbell Whyte’s check out his website: https://campbellwhyte.com

To stay up to date with the Perth Comic Arts Festival and to book events check out their website: https://pcaf.org.au

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's roundup, Iurgi and James discuss all the latest. They start the episode with some of the news in brief. Then...

04:49 Recent reads

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Punderworld by Linda Sejic
Talgard by Gary Proudley and various artists
Pigeons! A Fable For Our Times by Marc Chalvin
System Preference by Ugo Bienvenu

11:13 News:

We’re including more reviews and interviews on our roundups
Review of Gemma Correll's Anxietyland
Interview with Frank Quitely
The Nib and Ink Festival all throughout May. You can still join the last few events, including a panel talk with Reimena Yee, Scott McCloud and Nick Sousanis on Understanding Comics. Iurgi, mistakenly thought that it was a week earlier but it’s on Sunday May 31 at 8AM AEDT. All the panel talks are being recorded and published on the Ink and Nib Festival’s YouTube channel.

21:34 New titles, starting with a few new titles by Australian creators:

Anders and the Castle by Gregory Mackay (Allen & Unwin) [9781761066283] [Australian creator]

Anders and the Mountain by Gregory Mackay (Allen & Unwin) [9781761066238] [Australian creator]

Lamington Left Behind by Andrea Innocent (Figment Books) [9781761212819]

Treehouse by Trace Balla (Allen & Unwin) [9781761181252]

The Friendship Paradox by Aśka (Allen & Unwin) [9781761181689]

Inferno Girl Red Vol 2 by Mat Groom, Erica D'Urso (Image Comics) [9781534335080]

Spider-Verse Vs. Venomverse by Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Luciano Vecchio, Jim Towe (Marvel Comics) [9781302961558]

Batman: Detective Comics Vol 2: Elixir by Tom Taylor Mikel Janin (DC Comics) [9781799502654]

And our other picks for the month:

Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai Vol 6 Dragon Knights by Riku Sanjo, Koji Inada (Viz Media) [9781974762439]
Soviet Land: A Tragicomic Thriller by Pierre-Henry Gomont (Abrams ComicArts) [9781419788857]
The End of the Arab of the Future A Youth in the Middle East Vol. 1 by: Riad Sattouf, Sam Taylor (Fantagraphics) [9798875002373]
Aya and Her Magic Cat by Sam Ita (Tuttle Publishing) [9784805319987]
Dune House Harkonnen Vol 3 by Brian Herbert, Michael Shelfer, Kevin J. Anderson (Random House) [9798892158350]

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat, Iurgi sits down for a chat with Lee Lai who has just won the Stella Prize for Cannon. It was long overdue with Cannon being one of the most outstanding graphic novels of 2025. The chat was recorded before the Stella Prize winner was announced.

00:20 Introduction

05:39 Lee talks about the recent book tour in Australia

07:43 Lee looks back at the publication of Stone Fruit

10:53 Conversation turns to Cannon and where the ideas for it originated

17:55 Discussion moves to Cannon and Trish and their struggles and dilemmas

28:57 Lee reflects on taking inspiration from real life events and people and harnessing them for fiction stories

33:49 Conversation turns to the horror genre and horror comics with Lee declaring herself a new horror fan

40:49 What’s next for Lee Lai (that she can talk about)

44:01 Lee discusses what she’s reading and what she recommends, including a shout out to Fionn McCabe and Eloise Grills

This the second chat with Lee Lai on the ALIA Graphic Podcast, if you missed out the first time or you want to rediscover the chat when we talked about Stone Fruit, it’s Episode 29 on our feed or you can find it here: https://shows.acast.com/alia-graphic-podcast/episodes/29-creator-chat-with-lee-lai

For more info on Lee Lai check out their website here: https://www.instagram.com/_leelai/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this creator chat, ALIA Graphic convenor Sabina Wills sits down for a chat with Andrea Innocent to discuss her recently published debut graphic novel Lamington Left Behind, published by Figment Books.

00:20 Acknowledgement of country and introduction to Andrea Innocent

03:43 Andre talks about her relation to libraries

04:56 Andrea discusses the comics she read as a kid

06:40 The chat moves to the inspiration behind Lamington Left Behind and the development of the project

16:38 The discussion turns to the themes and ideas behind Lamington Left Behind

30:09 Andrea Innocent talks about her visit to the Takayna rainforest in Tasmania and what’s next for her

33:36 Andrea’s advice to an aspiring comic book creator

34:50 Andrea recommends Georgina Chadderton’s Oh Brother and Tove Jansson’s comics

For more from Andrea Innocent check out her website here: https://www.andreainnocent.com

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's roundup, Iurgi and Mia discuss all the latest.

02:09 Recent reads:

Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen

Once and Future Riot by Jean Sacco

Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill by Akagishi K

Cannon by Lee Lai

11:35 News:

DC’s Absolute Batman is super popular

Anti AI and Matt Kindt’s hand drawn comics

STEAM powered comics for middle graders

Podcast shout outs: The Readings Podcast with Mandy Ord, The Thick Lines podcast discussing Rachel Ang’s I Ate the Whole World to Find You and Tiffany Babb on the Off Panel Podcast discussing her brand new comics journalism zine: The Comics Staple

The Cartoonist Studio Prize and the The Los Angeles Book were announced recently, we mention the winners and celebrate that Lee Lai’s Cannon appears on both

Cartoonists United has a YouTube channel and is also behind the Nib & Ink Festival that you must definitely check out

22:46 New titles:

Mia’s picks:

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga by Dav Pilkey, Motojiro (Scholastic)

Leo da Vinci Renaissance Kid by Richard Ashley Hamilton (Papercutz)

Iurgi’s picks:

The Curator by Wendy Tyrer (Perentie Press)

Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice and Other Stories by Hugo Pratt (Fantagraphics)

Human Nature Book 1 (of 3) A Satirical Science Fiction Graphic Novel by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Jeff Welch, Martin Morazzo (ABRAMS)

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another packed episode, and we're only scratching the surface of what's in this month's blog post, Iurgi and Gabby discuss some of the latest news and new titles, which include more graphic novels by Australian creators.

01:40 Gabby and Iurgi discuss their recent reads and then go on a tangent about One Piece.

We could be magic by Marissa Meyer and Joelle Murray
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
The Pass by Katriona Chapman
Criminal 3 The Dead and the Dying and 4 Bad Night by Ed Brubaker, Sean Philips
One Piece tangent

11:17 News:

Perentie Press is a new Australian publisher of graphic novels
Publishers are expanding their publications of manga for adults
New Hello Kitty comics on the horizon published by IDW in partnership with Sanrio
The Rise of Image Comics, a book written by South Aus
The CBCA Notables list has included three graphic novels in the list
The British Book Awards have a new category for comics

30:12 Gabby and Iurgi’s favourite picks from the new titles out this month:

PAWS The Trouble With Leo By: Nathan Fairbairn, Michele Assarasakorn
Run Home by Alyssa Bermudez (St Martin’s Press)
The Greenies by Emma Mills, Sarah Nicole Kennedy
Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter by Jay Kristoff, Tirso Cons, Tom Taylor, Riccardo Federici (DC Comics)
Skating Wilder by: Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo
Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Mia sits down for a chat with Georgina Chadderton.

Georgina is a freelance cartoonist, lover of dogs, and plant enthusiast living on Kaurna Country (Adelaide), South Australia. Georgina has recently published Oh Brother, a memoir about growing up with their younger brother Robert, who is autistic and has an intellectual disability. The book is being published by Penguin Random House in Australia, the UK, Canada and the US. Oh Brother has been selected as part of the Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and as the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Introduces pick.

02:14 Georgina talks about the publication of Oh Brother

03:54 Georgina talks about how she discovered comics at the school library and how she got into making comics

06:30 Georgina talks about libraries and their librarian story

10:46 Vegemite, crumpets and pretzels

12:13 The chat turns to Oh Brother, disability, autism and representation

24:20 Ten years in the making, the story evolved and changed in the process

33:12 Georgina talks about the process of making the graphic novel

39:35 Discussion turns to the Papercuts comics festival in Adelaide

45:35 A sneak peak on what Georgina is working on next

51:09 Georgina recommends a bunch of graphic novels

For more info from Georgina check out their website here: https://www.georgerexcomics.com/

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another packed episode, Iurgi and Mia discuss some of the latest news and new titles, which include two new graphic novels by Australian creators. Campbell Whyte returning with the highly anticipated Luna Express and Georgina Chadderton making her debut with Oh Brother. Also, the first twelve issues of Melbournian C.S. Pacat’s Fence have been collected into a new paperback.

02:00 Recent Reads

Mia:

Oh brother by Georgina Chadderton

Frieren: Beyond journey’s end, vol 1 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe

Iurgi:

Frieren vols 1 to 3

Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy by David Mazzuchelli, Lorenzo Mattotti, Paul Kurasik.

Luna Express by Campbell Whyte

10:42 News

Edutopia highlights 12 middle-grade graphic novels that use visual storytelling to destigmatize mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Comics Bulletin ranks the top 10 standalone Batman graphic novels
The 2025 Aurealis Awards finalists and the winner for Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Work.
The Comic Arts Awards of Australia were announced at the end of January. These awards were celebrating the best Australian comics published in 2024. Bronze, Silver and Gold, they're all winners and Iurgi couldn't be happier with Chris Gooch's In Utero receiving gold.
The American Library Association (ALA) has officially launched its Outstanding Comics Awards, marking a significant milestone in library-backed literary recognition. French publisher Morgen, backed by industry veterans, enters the global market with high-profile deals including writer Ram V.

29:31 Our favourite picks of the new titles:

Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton (Penguin Australia) [Australian creator]

Luna Express by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf Productions) [Australian Creator]

Damsel in D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. by Andrew Clemson, Mau Mora, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Maverick)

Batman and Robin Year One by Chris Samnee, Mark Waid (DC Comics)

Lovely Recipe by Myra Rose Nino (Random House)

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 14 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe (VIZ media)

37:51 Closing

We have a creator chat with Georgina Chadderton coming up. Mia give us a preview.
Thank you to everyone who reached out volunteering to join the judging panel of the ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025. We’ve received lots of expressions of interest and we couldn’t get everyone in but we’ve got three great panels, for Junior, YA and Adult and they’ll start reading the comics, so we’re hoping to announce the notables in May or June. There’s lots of reading to do.

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Australian comics folio website has just been launched and it’s a treasure trove of stories, information, interviews, essays, and so much more on Australian comics, Australian comics creators and the Australian comics community at large.

In this episode we have a chat with two of the key researchers involved in the project.

The Lead Investigator for the project was Elizabeth MacFarlane, who is a writer and Associate Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne where she teaches Graphic Narratives and Critical-Creative Writing Practices.

Gabriel Clark is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Design at the University of Technology Sydney and a creative producer. He was one of the chief investigators in the project.

This conversation is not directly about libraries and comics librarianship, but I think it’s a very valuable conversation about the Australian comics community. We’ve got enormous talent in Australia and I feel like comics by Australian creators often go under the radar. I encourage everyone to visit the Folio website and explore its vast contents.

02:48 The Folio comics project is launched!

08:00 Elizabeth and Gabe’s relationship with comics

18:01 What Elizabeth and Gabe learned about the Australian comics community

27:11 How the Folio: Stories of Australian Comics project came about

33:40 Gabe and Elizabeth discuss the Folio project, how it developed and what it looks like

40:51 The future of the Folio project

44:17 Elizabeth and Gabe talk about their highlights in the making of the Folio

50:49 The relationship of universities and academia with comics

57:09 Elizabeth and Gabe recommend some Australian comics

Folio: Stories of Australian Comics project website here: https://foliocomics.com/

The Librarians Roundtable Interview is here: https://foliocomics.com/interviews/librarians-roundtable-interview

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start the year with Jurgi and James trying to catch up with everything that's happened during the summer holidays.

01:42 Jurgi and James breeze through some of the latest news from the world of comics

06:29 James and Jurgi discuss the news that have piqued their interest:

the recently announced animated series of Lore Olympus
graphic novel sales were up in 2025 (in the U.S. book market)
the UK's National Literacy Trust's excellent article about comics and literacy
the 10 most valuable comics ever sold
lots of best of 2025 comics lists

17:12 The Comics Arts Awards of Australia shorlist and some of our personal favourites

24:43 James and Jurgi discuss their picks from the new titles out in December and January:

Labyrinth: Beyond the Goblin City by Delilah S. Dawson, Sas Milledge, Gustavo, Duarte (Boom! Studios)
Free Planet by Aubrey Sitterson, Jed Dougherty (Image Comics)
Queen Kodiak by Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Maverick)
Total THB Vol 1 (of 3) by Paul Pope (Roaring Books Press)
A Quick and Easy Guide to Healthy Relationships by Mariah-Rose Marie (Oni Press)
I Am Their Silence by Jordi Lafebre, Montana Kane (Random House)

39:36 James and Jurgi go through some of their recent reads

42:50 Freedom to read, the ALIA Graphic Committee and an expression of interest is out to join the judging panel for the Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 - join us!

47:57 ...and ALIA Graphic was formed six years ago

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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For the final episode of 2025 the ALIA Graphic committee gathers to discuss our favourite comics of the year.

Luke talks about Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson, Gachiakuta by Kei Urana and The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn by Tri Vuong.

Sabina talks about Hairy Holes Book 2 by Brenton E McKenna, BS #1 Short Stuff 2020-2025 by Bruce Mutard and Kusama Polka Dot Queen, by Simon Elliot

James talks about I Ate the Whole World to Find You by Rachel Ang, “Dr. Werthless” by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell and The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfrid Lupano and Leonard Chemineau

Iurgi talks about Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narratives by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk, The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco with special mentions for Chickenpox by Remy Lai and Cannon by Lee Lai (regrettably he forgot to mention Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than but he insists he should have mentioned it and was definitely a highlight of his reading for the year)

Mia talks about My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame and Kickflip by L.D. Lapinski

Gabby talks about Inked by Karen Wasson, Jake A. Minton

There will not be a roundup episode for December. This is it, we're done for the year, but we will be back at the end of January. In the meantime, read comics!

If you like what we’re doing, or if there’s something we could do better, or something we missed, please let us know. We always love feedback. Also, please subscribe and give us a review or five star rating so other people can find us.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris are award-winning graphic journalists and longtime editors of the critically acclaimed graphic journalism website and publication The Nib. They have recently published Making Nonfiction Comics, an excellent book that combines comics, prose, interviews, infographics and so much more. The book is the perfect field guide to graphic journalism while showcasing valuable skills and practices for creating nonfiction comics.

This is a highly recommended book and the conversation with Eleri and Shay was a delight. We hope you enjoy it.

02:53 Book tour and comics festivals

05:04 The genesis of Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narratives

08:40 Eleri and Shay talk about their love of comics

14:39 Eleri and Shay talk about their love of libraries

19:20 Making Nonfiction Comics is not just a book about making comics, it’s also about journalism, ethics and so much more. They also discuss the appeal of non-fiction comics.

25:07 The ethics of non-fiction comics and graphic journalism

31:14 The process and beauty of collaboration in the making of the book

37:39 On interviews and contributions from other creators for the book

39:00 Sound advice for young creators and new creators

41:57 Eleri and Shay gives us some recommended titles:

Shay’s recommendations:

Alex Norris Webcomic Name: https://webcomicname.com
100 Demons by Linda Barry
Cannon by Lee Lai

Eleri’s recommendations:

Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman
Underground by Mirranda Burton
Still Alive by Safdar Ahmed
Big Beautiful Female Theory by Eloise Grills

Our next podcast episode (and final one for the year) will be a short episode with members of the ALIA Graphic committee talking about their favourite comics, graphic novels and manga of the year.

If you like what we’re doing, or if there’s something we could do better, or something we missed, please let us know. We always love feedback. Also, please subscribe and give us a review or five star rating so other people can find us.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this mont's roundup Iurgi and Gabby go through some of their recent reads, news and new exciting titles.

02:04 Recent reads:

Gabby:

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

Kindred Dragons by Sarah Mansinga

Sword of the Champion by Eric Lide

Iurgi:

One Punch Man by One, Yusuke Murata

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch

Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet by Crystal S. Chan, Julie Choy

10:28 News:

Alison Bechdel and Tillie Walden in conversation about art, place, and Vermont’s influence on their acclaimed, award-winning graphic memoirs and comics in a rare public conversation.
Writer Ram V and Mariko Tamaki extended interviews
SLJ’s Best Books 2025 graphic novels span fantasy, sci-fi, horror, memoir, historical fiction, adventure, and contemporary drama with diverse, standout titles curated by librarians.
The Comic Book Burnings Project maps and explores post-WWII censorship of comics, documenting dozens of US public book-burnings between 1945-55 and their implications for libraries

24:47 New titles:

Iurgi:

Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narratives by Eleri Harris, Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)
The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco (Vintage Publishing – Jonathan Cape)
Reel Politik by Nathan Gelgud (Drawn & Quarterly)
Winging It by Megan,Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Nutter (Scholastic)
Diary Of A Nature Nerd by Tiffany Everett (Scholastic)
Not that they need any promotion but the new Dog Man and Wings of Fire

Our next podcast episode should be out soon and it will be a creator chat with Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk

talking about their new book Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narratives.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In the October Roundup, Iurgi and Luke start by talking about the treaty going ahead in Victoria and their love o f horror.

4:40 Luke gives a rundown of what’s happened this month

06:24 Iurgi and Luke discuss their recent reads:

Iurgi:

The Knives by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips

Godzilla: Skate or Die by Louie Joyce

The Veracity Trap by Chip Kidd, Michael Cho

The Hunger and the Dusk by G Willow Wilson, Chris Wildgoose

Luke:

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson

Re reading Harrow Country by Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook

18:16 Iurgi talks about the recent Graphic Narratives Symposium at Melbourne University

22:43 Conversation moves to news:

The Oatmeal’s comic: A Cartoonist’s Review of AI Art
Both Marvel and DC speak up against AI and Jim Lee delivers some beautiful words at NYCC
Humanoids files for bankruptcy in the U.S.
75th Anniversary of Peanuts
ShortBox Comics Fair

41:08 New titles out this month:

Two new titles by Australian creators:

Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide for Graphic Narrative by Eleri Harris, Sarah Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)

The Past Is a Grotesque Animal by Tommi Parrish (Fantagraphics)

Iurgi:

Asterix in Lusitania by Jean-Yves Ferri, René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo, and Didier Conrad (Papercutz)

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House)

Luke:

The Essential Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz (Abrams ComicArts)

Adorable Empire By: Laura Terry (Scholastic)

Kamudo, Vol. 1 by Akira Himekawa (VIZ Media)

Astral Panic by Katie Hicks (Flying Eye Books)

My Life in 24 Frames per Second by Rintaro (Abrams ComicArts)

The Space Between The Trees by Norm Konyu (Titan Books)

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In the September Roundup podcast (yes, we do realise we're in October already) Mia and Gabby discuss their recent reads, then discuss some of the latest news and their favourite picks from this month's crop of new titles.

02:00 Recent reads: The umbrella academy vol. 1, Hulk teach, Neopets, Inked

07:12 News

12:50 New titles:

Monster Blood (Goosebumps: The Graphic Novel) by R.L. Stine, Maddi Gonzalez (Scholastic Inc)
Max A Little Axolotl By Joey Spiotto (Scholastic Inc)
This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki, Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
Assorted Crisis Events by Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki (Image Comics)

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In the third episode of the Comics Librarianship series Iurgi sits down with Jane Burns, an experienced lecturer, researcher, published author and public speaker. Jane is a member of the Executive Council of the Library Association of Ireland and has been awarded Fellowship status by the LAI for contributions to the development of the profession and commitment to Continuous Professional Development and Research.

Jane is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at Dublin City University exploring the field of Graphic Medicine and she was involved in the 15th annual Graphic Medicine Conference through the Technological University of the Shannon where she works.

In this conversation Jane discusses her relationship with comics, how academia and universities are embracing comics and why graphic medicine is growing in importance.

02:36 Jane discusses her relationship with comics throughout the years

06:52 How the relationship of academia with comics has changed and why

11:14 Jane and Iurgi discuss some of the strengths of comics as texts, their power and their allure

21:20 Jane discusses universities and how they are increasingly engaging more with comics

24:05 Jane discusses her focus on comics, medicine and teaching environments. She also discusses the International Graphic Medicine Conference in Ireland and upcoming creation of the Irish chapter of the Graphic Medicine Collective.

31:05 Jane discusses some of the main takeaways from the graphic medicine conference and what she would like to see into the future

38:48 What school and public libraries can do in the field of graphic medicine

40:29 Jane recommends some graphic medicine titles to read: The Graphic Medicine Manifesto, MK Czerwiec’s Taking Turn and Menopause, Ian William’s The Bad Doctor and Pascal Jousselin’s Mister Invincible.

The Graphic Medicine International Collective: https://www.graphicmedicine.org

The article Jane mentions about libraries and graphic medicine is Graphic Medicine in Academic Health and Science Library Collections you can find it here: https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1962

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this 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, an instructor for the University of Kentucky and Library Juice Academy, and a Trustee for the Worcester Public Library. He is a former President for the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table 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.

00:20 Introduction

02:11 What Matt's been up to since we last talked to him in 2021

06:03 The origins of graphic medicine

08:17 Graphic medicine before the term was coined

11:33 Key developments in graphic medicine since 2007

19:32 Will Eisner and graphic medicine: A cautionary tale

22:36 Graphic medicine as a field and a genre

25:08 Graphic medicine as a field of study

29:22 Graphic medicine as practice

31:51 Graphic medicine as a community/collective

38:52 Graphic medicine as a genre

46:26 Art heals: Comics that made a huge personal impact

53:30 What Matt would like to see in the future for graphic medicine in libraries

56:15 Graphic medicine in different markers: America, Europe, Asia

01:01:48 Iurgi and Matt give recommendations to each other:

Brittle Joints by Maria Sweeney
Sleepless Planet: A Graphic Guide to Healing From Insomnia by Maureen Burdock
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano
The Art of Flying by Antonio Altarriba, Kim
Mafalda by Quino

Check out the Graphic Medicine International Collective website and subscribe to their newsletter: https://www.graphicmedicine.org/

Drawing Blood: A comics and medicine exhibit at the Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Library: https://www.graphicmedicine.org/drawing-blood-comics-medicine-exhibit/

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup Marissa and Mia go through their latest read, recent news and new graphic novels.

01:26 Recent reads:

Marissa:

Nimona / N D Stevenson
Julienne
Nothing Special
I Killed the Main Character vs Extra’s Academy Survival Guide

Mia:

Gender Queer
My brother’s husband volume 1

13:56 News:

Image Comics
Jim Shooter, the force behind Marvel’s rise and Secret Wars, has passed away at 73
Dominic Davies and Candida Rifkind have published a really interesting article on The Conversation exploring how comics and graphic novels can empower refugees to tell their stories on their own terms
Movie adaptations: Fantastic 4, Superman, Supergirl (set for release in the US on 26 June 2026) staring Aussie actress Milly Alcock

21:27 New graphic novels:

Miss Camper by Kat Fajardo (Scholastic)
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch (DC Comics)
Will Eisner: A Comics Biography by Stephen Weiner, Dan Mazur (NBM)
Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner (Simon & Schuster)
Float by Kate Marchant, CJ Joaquin (Graphix)
Simplicity by Mattie Lubchansky (Random House)

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup Iurgi and Marissa go through the latest news, PD and new graphic novels.

01:30 Recent reads:

Marissa:

Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton, Aśka
Webtoons, so many webtoons
The Curie Society by Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni, Janet Harvey, Sonia Liao
Nevermoor has a French graphic novel adaptation! But no English edition yet

Iurgi:

The Cartoonists’ Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.
A Wizard of Earthsea: The graphic novel by Fred Fordham
The Girl Who Flew Away by Lee Dean
Mafalda by Quino

11:02 News:

The American Manga Awards
ALIA Graphic creator chats
Off Panel Podcast with Tillie Walden
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival's (TCAF) Libraries & Education Day
Manga and female readership
An excellent upcoming webinar by Booklist
The 2025 Graphic Novels Guide for Libraries from Booklist is out now!

25:52 New graphic novels:

Hairy Holes by Brenton McKenna (Magabala Books)

The Brownout Murders by Luke C. Jackson, Kelly Jackson, Maya Graham (Scribe)

A Witch’s Life in Mongol, Vol. 1 by Tomato Soup (Yen Press)

Not So Shoujo Love Story, Volume 1 by Curryuku (VIZ Originals)

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate, Volume 1 by Pom (Kodansha)

Speechless by Aron Nels Steinke (Scholastic Inc)

Metal Hurlant: Old Dreams Young Visions by Various Authors (Humanoids)

Wolverine: Revenge by Jonathan Hickman, Greg Capullo (Marvel)

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat, Iurgi catches up with Gavin Aung Than, the creator of Zen Pencils, Super Sidekicks, Baa Baa Black Belt and now Creature Clinic which out through Figment in Australia and First Second for the rest of the world.

Creature Clinic is the world’s finest and only hospital for mythical beings where everyone from trolls and unicorns, to fairies and giants can expect to get the very best care. But humans are, absolutely, 100% not welcome. What happens when a human kid is injured and doctor in training Kara Orc and Kara Orc feels her duty to treat him?

You’ll have to read the story to find out but Creature Clinic is funny, filled with wonderful characters, full of hearts and a wonderful mix of medical drama, comedy and fantasy.

03:24 Gavin talks about a crazy decision he made when he sold his house and quit his job to fully dedicate himself to comics.

09:44 Gavin talks about Zen Pencils, a series of short comics inspired by famous quotes that is still fully available online. Perfect for teachers!

12:52 Gavin talks about the power of comics and why he loves the medium

16:30 Conversation moves to the developing Australian comics scene, Figment as a new imprint and the growing market and recognition of comics

21:33 Gavin talks about his experiences with libraries

24:22 Conversation moves to Super Sidekicks a book that is loved by all the kids who find it

28:33 Gavin talks about the Baa Baa Black Belt picture books

31:54 Conversation moves to Creature Clinic, Gavin's new graphic novel

40:59 Some advice for young comics makers and Gavin's work process

47:47 Gavin talks about Scribble, which will be his next graphic novel. A semi biographical story that will also offer some tips for comics makers - probably out 2027

52:03 Gavin recommends three books. Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue by Bill Watterson. All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely. Hilda and the Mountain King by Luke Pearson.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat, Rachel Ang discusses her new graphic novel I Ate the Whole World to Find You.

The discussion covers how Rachel got interested in comics, their time working in libraries, inspiration for the stories on I Ate the Whole World to Find You, and Rachel recommends three graphic novels.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup, James and Luke discuss the comics, graphic novels and manga they've read recently:

Luke: Ghost in the Shell Volume 1, Banned Book Club.

James: My Favorite Thing is Monsters Volume 2, I Ate the Whole World to Find You.

18:08 James and Luke discuss some of the news:

Boom! Studios' comics will no longer be available on Comics Plus
The return of Heavy Metal Magazine
Recent adaptations of book into graphic novels
The Eisner Awards nominees have been announced

33:40 Discussion moves to favourite picks from this month's new releases. Australian titles:

Luke's picks:

Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean - Denis-Pierre Filippi, Silvio Camboni (Fantagraphics)
Everyone Sux But You by K. Wroten (St Martin’s Press)
The Dissident Club by Taha Siddiqui, Hubert Maury (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Alice in Cryptoland: Bitcoin, NFT and Other Curiosities by Daniel Villa Monteiro, Nicolas Balas (NBM)

James' picks:

Spent by Alison Bechdel (HarperCollins)
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (Candlewick Press)

You can find all these news and new titles, and so much more on our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup, Iurgi and Mia discuss the comics, graphic novels and manga they've read recently:

Mia: The strange case of Harleen and Harley and Check, Please volume 1.

Iurgi: Haikyu, Demon Slayer, Apothecary Diaries, Blade Runner 2039.

09:13 Iurgi and Mia discuss some of the news:

Awards (CBCA and Aurealis Awards)
The final (we hope) decision on Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer by the Australian Classification Review Board.
Shakespeare adaptations by Joe Quesada's new imprint Amazing Comics, a Mad Cave imprint.
An interview with Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud on USA Today
An article about teaching with comics on the National Education Association website
And a great article reporting on a large study in the UK about the plummeting reading rates on young readers, except for comic book readers

28:16 Discussion moves to favourite picks from this month's new releases. Australian titles:

Thylacine and the Time Machine by Renee Treml (Allen & Unwin)
Godzilla: Skate or Die by Louie Joyce (IDW)
One Path by Greg Broadmore, Nick Boshier, Andy Lanning (Mad Cave) [9781545816301] [Australian creator]

Mia's Picks:

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier, Scott McCloud (Scholastic)
Outsider Kids by Betty C. Tang (Scholastic)
Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)

Iurgi's picks:

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Fred Fordham (Harper Collins)
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster, Paul Karasik, Lorenzo Mattotti, David Mazzucchelli (Faber & Faber)

Finally, we’ve also put a call out for new general members and a convenor as we’re hoping to expand the committee in 2025. You don't need to be an expert in comics, graphic novels and manga! If you love comics and you're keen to support them in libraries please let us know through the jotform on our Roundup blog post.

You can find all these news and new titles, and so much more on our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat sit down with Greg Broadmore and Nick Boshier, who have created One Path, together with Andy Lanning, a brutal and epic comic book series. The first of four volumes is out through Mad Cave.

Greg Broadmore is an artist, writer and game director from New Zealand with lots of film credits in his career including: Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, and Neil Blomkamp’s District 9. Among others.

Nick Boshier is an Australian actor, comedian and writer famous for being the actor behind Trent from Punchbowl and one of the creators of Bondi Hipsters.

04:55 Nick and Greg talk about their relationship with comics and their influences.

19:09 Greg talks about finding work at Weta Workshop after 7 years unemployed.

22:23 Nick talks about meeting Greg and how they started to collaborate. Greg talks about a failed project to create mixed reality video games, which led to the creation of One Path.

30:27 Greg and Nick discuss the process of making One Path and the world they built together with Andy Lanning.

50:39 Greg and Nick recommend some titles that have been very influential for them as creators.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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Karen Wasson is a children’s author based in Melbourne. Jake Minton is an illustrator based in Byron Bay. Together they have created Inked, a middle grade graphic novel adventure of a fish, or maybe we should say octopus, out of water. It’s also a story about friendship and finding your own path. Inked is the first graphic novel from Hardie Grant’s new imprint dedicated to graphic novels called Figment and it’s out now.

In this chat we discuss:

Karen and Jake's relationship with comics
their relationship with libraries
what it was like working on their first graphic novel and how it all came about
are they making another graphic novel?
they also recommend some comics and graphic novels they love

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup podcast Luke and Iurgi start with a discussion of their recent reads.

Then:

15:34 A discussion of some news including: ALIA Graphic Notables coming up, new graphic novels by Australian creators, cartoonist R.E. Burke's arrest in the U.S. and consequences of the situation in the U.S. for comic cons and book tours, a new comics app coming up called Sweet.

36:52 A discussion of their favourite picks from this month's new titles including:

Luke's picks:

Very Bad at Math by Hope Larson
The Littlest Fighter by Joey Weiser
Young Adult - Student Government by Dave Justus, Lilah Sturges, Joe Eisma
Adult - Gilt Frame by Matt Kindt, Margie Kraft Kindt
Manhole Vol. 3 (of 3) by Tetsuya Tsutsui

Iurgi's picks:

Inked by Karen Wasson, Jake A. Minton
I Ate the Whole World to Find You by Rachel Ang
Helen of Wyndhorn by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, Clayton Cowles
El Fuego by David Rubin

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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The field of comics librarianship is growing and evolving and that’s what we want to explore in a few special episodes, talking in-depth with comics librarians.

ALIA Graphic was created as a group five years ago. And right from the start we established contact with the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable. A group that’s been around for longer than us and a group that has achieved a lot since its creation. So we're absolutely delighted to have Amie Wright with us, who was the first president, or first Prime Minister, of the graphic novels and comics roundtable.

04:57 Amie talks about her PhD, researching comics history and censorship, the stigma around comics and her work teaching of comics and history.

12:47 Comics librarianship before the Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable.

25:38 Every library needs a graphic novels champion because comics are important and comics librarianship is gets at the core of a good library service, serving the whole community and their needs.

28:18 Amie talks about how the library education days at Toronto, San Diego and New York helped make the case to the American Library Association for the creations of the Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable.

34:33 Amie talks about what the original goals for the Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable were when the group was created.

38:00 Iurgi talks about what the goals were when ALIA Graphic was created. To create resources for librarians, the monthly roundups, blog, podcast, creator chats and webinars. The Perth Comic Arts Festival is discussed as a vibrant festival dedicated to comics that has a partnership with the State Library of WA.

41:55 Amie talks about how and why the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is bringing back library education day this year in partnership with Graphic Medicine International Collective, the Graphic Novels and Comics and Roundtable and the Ontario Library Service.

44:43 How comics librarianship has developed since the creation of the GNCRT.

53:58 Amie talks about the greatest achievements and challenges in comics librarianship.

01:01:33 What can we do to continue to advocate for and promote comics in libraries.

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We're back in 2025 and start the year with a roundup of news and new titles from December, January and February.

Marissa and Luke discuss the Angouleme festival, Diamond going bankrupt, the best titles of 2024, their favourite picks from the latest crop of new titles and what they've reading lately.

For more information and to check out the full roundup with all the news, articles and resources visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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James, Gabby, and Marissa look back at the what ALIA Graphic has achieved this year.

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In this episode we present the recording of our most recent webinar.

Are you thinking of hosting a comic event at your library? Join us as we hear from those who have run these programs before and what tips and tricks to look out for.

We hear from five speakers from four library services that have run comic con events. Each of the speakers gives a brief overview of their event.

SPEAKERS:

Sarah Hopkins and Sabina Wills - Comics Extravaganza

Fel Jeges - King Con

Dennis Cahill - Comic Conversations

Stacey O'Brien & Roseanne Travers - Comic Gong

Thank you to the panellists.

For more from ALIA Graphic go to our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat James meets with Dan from Greenlight Comics in Adelaide and Angelo from Kings Comics in Sydney to talk about their comics stores work with libraries and what they can offer to libraries.

This is a wide ranging conversation that explores for them to partner with libraries as suppliers, what makes it appealing for libraries to work with their local comics store and their processes.

They also recommend their favourite comics of the moment, which turns into a James Tynion IV love-fest.

You can find Greenlight Comics here: https://greenlightcomics.com/

You can find Kings Comics here: https://kingscomics.com/

For more from ALIA Graphic our website is: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup Marissa and Luke share their recent favourite reads:

The Road: a Graphic Novel Adaptation by Manu Larcenet and Cormac McCarthy
Wolvendaughter by Ver
Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
Raybearer, Redemptor, and The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko, which aren't graphic novels but would make great adaptations

Then they discuss some of the latest news in the world of comics and graphic novels:

The new Green Lantern statue unveiled in Burbank, California
The possible acquisition of Kadokawa by Sony
Random House's new Ink Pop imprint dedicated to manga, manhwa, and print editions of webtoons
New omnibus collections of Haikyuu!! by Haruichi Furudate and English translation of Pupposites Attract by Hono Natsuna

Finally, they tell us what their favourite picks are from the new titles out this month:

Hilda and Twig: Hide From the Rain by Luke Pearson
Ronin Rising by Frank Miller, Philip Tan, and Daniel Hernriques
Orchard of the Tame by Marlo Meekins and Nick Cross
We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

For the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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In this creator chat James sits down with Dean Rankine, a comics artist and writer who won a Ledger Award in 2015 for Itty Bitty Bunnies: Saves X-Mas and the Stan Cross Award in Book illustration in 2020. He's the artist behind Magda Szubanski's Timmy the Ticked Off Pony and most recently he has published Death Metal Elves, with his characteristic cartoony style.

Dean is most famous for working on The Simpsons, Futurama, Rick and Morty and Invader Zim and he also loves working with school and libraries doing comics workshops.

In this episode, Dean discusses his own comics, what it's like working for established franchises, creating his own books and what his comics workshops in schools and libraries are like.

For more from Dean Rankine follow his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanrankine/

For more from ALIA Graphic check out our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup Jade and Mia discuss their recent favourite reads:

Tabby by Stephen Kok, PR Dedelis
Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule, Ryan Brown
Escape From St Hell: My Trans Teen Life Levels Up by Lewis Hancox
Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo
Roaming by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

Then they discuss:

The Harvey Awards with the double win of the Tamaki super team;
Akira Toriyama being inducted into the hall of fame;
New manga titles to buy recommended by Sara Smith of the Graphic Library blog;
Figment, a new Austrlalian imprint dedicated to publishing graphic novels;
A recent article on The Conversation about iyashikei manga

Finally, they discuss their favourite picks of the new titles out this month:

The Weirn Books Vol. 2: The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon by Svetlana Chmakova
Crystal Cadets by Anne Toole, K. O'Neill, Paulina Ganucheau
No Rules Tonight by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada
Pirate Princess by Luca Frigerio, Lorenza Pigliamosche, Simon Bowland
This Land is Our Land by Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo, Francesco Segala

For the full roundup of news, resources and new titles visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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We started ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics in February 2020. The first episode of our podcast was published in March 2020 as the world prepared to go into lockdown and it's been a whirlwind ever since. We've been publishing monthly roundups of news, resources, webinars and new titles published since March 2020. We created our podcast feed and published our first creator chats in May 2020. All this takes an enormous amount of time to compile but we feel it's important to share everything we have gathered, not just among the ALIA Graphic Committee but with everyone and anyone interested.

We have also made a special effort to interview as many Australian comics creators as possible. Our creator chats focus on Australian creators discussing what they love about comics, how they fell in love with the medium and, of course, their comics and graphic novels. A lot of them are on our YouTube channel and all of them are on our podcast feed (because some of them are camera shy and that's totally fair). We never could've imagined it but we are this is the 100th episode of our podcast.

To celebrate this we have received some messages. We want to thank the ALIA National team for their support and we're glad to receive a message from ALIA Deputy CEO Trish Hepworth.

Then, we hear from four awesome Australian creators who have been kind enough to put their pencils down and send us a message. We hear from:

Sarah Winifred Searle, who tells us about what she loves about libraries and how libraries have helped her as a library creator
Reimena Yee tells us about what she loves about comics as a story telling medium and how things are changing in the Australian comics scene
Mat Groom talks about what he loves about the Australian comics community and his love of libraries
James Foley answered lots of questions and he has a lot to say about making, the Australian comics community and more.

A huge thank you to all four of them for putting their pencils down for a few minutes and sending us a message. A special thanks to Chris Gooch who sent us the art for this episode.

And a heartfelt thank you from everyone in the ALIA Graphic Committee to all creators and guests in the first 100 episodes. We love your work and we thank you for every email with feedback, the creator chats and your support.

For more from us, check out our website and socials. Visit our website for more: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat Laura J. Carroll discusses her first graphic novel: Making the Shrine.

Laura is a writer and visual artist living in Naarm (Melbourne). She's also a proud unionist and the extended covid lockdowns brought her back to drawing. Three years later she has published a graphic novel that explores the making of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and stories around it. It's a tender and funny graphic novel exploring the soul of a Melbourne's most treasured monument.

Laura received an Arts Grant from the City of Melbourne that helped in the development of the graphic novel.

She joins committee member Luke Darlington in conversation.

For more on Laura J. Carroll and Making the Shrine visit: https://www.laurajcarroll.au/

For more from ALIA Graphic check out our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup James and Marissa discuss their recent reads, the plans to open a national manga and animation archive in Japan, Batman Day, including some Batman must reads and banned book week.

They also discuss their favourite picks from this month's new titles::

Morgana and Oz by Miyuli (Webtoon Unscrolled) [9781998854837]
The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation by Peter Wohlleben, Fred Bernard & Benjamin Flao (Greystone Books) [9781778401657]
A Quick and Easy Guide to Coming Out by Kristin Russo (Oni Press) [9781637155066]
Squishbook: Make Comics With Squishface Studio and Friends by Various authors (Nakedfella Productions) [9780987391261] [Australian creators]

For all the news, new titles and resources please visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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Mike Barry is the creator of Action Tank, a junior graphic novel series that he self published and was fully embraced not just by the ALIA Graphic committee on our notables, but also by the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge and was also shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards.

It was then published in the U.S. by Scout Comics and included in the ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable’s Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List.

And, of course, it’s also been recognised by the Comics Arts Awards of Australia!

Now Mike has published Action Tank Book 3, the epic conclusion to this cosmic adventure of a young boy’s journey home for dinner and his mum’s pasta carbonara.

Mike also shares his love of libraries as a patron and a comic book creator. And we discuss self publishing comics, what makes comics special, and collaborating with other creators.

For more info on Mike and Action Tank visit: https://actiontankcomic.com/

For more from ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics visit: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's podcast roundup Gabby and Iurgi share their favourite recent reads, they discuss an article on how to start a comics festival at the library, and a San Diego Comic Con panel where librarians reflected on the impact that comics, graphic novels and manga have had on library readership and propose the next steps to broaden its appeal.

It's also the awards season, so they spotlight some of the key awards and discuss their favourite picks of new titles, including two new awesome Australian titles:

The Dreaming Vol 3 by Queenie Chan (IFWG Publishing Australia)

Follow Your Gut by Ailsa Wild, Lisa Stinson, Briony Barr, Gregory Crocetti, Ben Hutchings (Scribe Publications)

For all the news, resources and new titles and more information visit out website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat Iurgi sits down to catch up with Christian Carnouche (who was in our very first creator chat back in 2020 as the writer of The Resurrected) and Meriam Carnouche who recently published Tunis to Sydney, with art by Sam Rapley, through FairSquare Graphics.

Tunis to Sydney is an intimate, personal and poignant graphic novel that delves into the labyrinth of grief, resilience in the face of loss, and the complexities of human relationships.

For more from Carnouche Productions:

Website: https://carnoucheproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnouche_productions

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carnouchec

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carnouche-Productions-Comics-588415654692779

For more info and news from ALIA Graphic check out our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this special ALIA Graphic Webinar we had three very special guests talking about their experiences in creating comics, the freedom of the creative process in comics, why it’s important to defend different stories and art and their experiences with censorship, book challenges and bans.

We were absolutely honoured to have:

Briar Rolfe, a Melbourne based cartoonist who loves to make comics about the sorts of fun and messy people you might meet on the street and has a soft spot for dad jokes and queer characters who are works in progress. Briar’s debut graphic novel Get Your Story Straight will be out September 2025 through Hachette Australia.

Eleri Harris, is an Eisner award-winning cartoonist, journalist and editor working on Ngunnawal Country in Australia’s national capital. Her non-fiction history, science and reportage comics have been exhibited and published all over the world. For a decade she was Features Editor at US-based comics website and magazine, The Nib, and is now using all she learned to write a book about comics journalism. The Power of Graphic Journalism, co-authored by Sarah Shay Mirk, will be released by Abrams ComicArts in 2025.

Ryan Estrada, is an author and an adventurer. In the multiple award winning Banned Book Club he teamed up with his wife Kim Hyun Sook to tell the true story of her experiences being hunted down by the police for participating in an underground illegal reading club in 1980's Korea. Ryan has spent 22 years travelling the world. He has lived and visited over a dozen countries and his work is heavily inspired by his experiences and the cultures and people that he has met in his travels. Ryan will join us to discuss Banned Book Club, book challenges and bans in North America and Korea and the upcoming No Rules Tonight where he teams up with his wife Hyun Sook to tell a new story of fighting for freedom!

Please visit our website for more: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat James talks to Kyle Wiseman and Rod Riley about VOX Books, hardcover books with an easy to use and durable full audio recording of the book. VOX Books is a product of Library Ideas and they have just partnered with James Bennett in Australia.

Kyle and Rod talk about VOX Books, making comics and graphic novels available in this format and working with comics at a supplier level.

James Bennett and Library Ideas are hosting a VOX Books information session Tuesday July 30 at 12pm AEST. For more info go here: https://www.addevent.com/event/sW22272978

If you’re a creator and/or publisher of comics and want to add your titles to James Bennett’s catalogue go here: https://bennett.com.au/publisher-services

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, follow our podcast and check out our website for all the latest news, resources, and webinars: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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In this month's episode Jade and Mia talk about their favourite recent reads and our recent webinar. They also discuss the most interesting news from this month that have piqued their interest and their favourite new titles.

Safdar Ahmed, Scott McCloud, Raina Telgemeier, and Mike Barry's Action Tank and more get lots of love. Mia also talks about her love of Teen Titans and declares Raven to be the best character ever created in literature.

For all the news and new titles and more information visit out website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat we host Josh Santospirito, a multimedia artist, musician and comics creator. His previous two graphic novels are The Long Weekend in Alice Springs and Swallows. He has just recently published a beautiful graphic novel The Islands Where We Left Our Ancestors, published by Scribe. Make sure you buy it for your library, it’s an absolute must have for all Australian libraries.

For more on Josh and book launch dates across Australia check out: https://www.joshuasantospirito.com

For more from ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics check out our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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In this month's roundup Rebecca and Marissa discuss Pride Month graphic novel lists, essential manga, their favourite picks from this month's new lot of graphic novels (which include a few titles by Australian creators) and their favourite recent reads.

For the full roundup with all the news and resources please visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup Gabby and James discuss:

Their recent reads
James presenting at ALIA National
Recent comic cons at libraries (Comic Gong, Dandy Con, King Con)
More on recent attempts at bans in Australia
Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier's new graphic novel: Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding
Graphic novel sales in Australia are booming
The Graphic Medicine International Collective's shortlist

And they discuss their favourite picks out of the new titles out this month:

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book 2 by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
New Hello Twigs comics from Andrew McDonal and Ben Wood (Hardie Grant Children's Publishing)

And they announce our upcoming webinar. We're really excited about this webinar and we have three incredible guests. Make sure you register for it.

For more information, news, new titles and to register for the webinar please visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In today's episode Iurgi and Mia discuss:

their recent reads (Maus, Lumberjanes, Fence Vol 6: Redemption, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin)
an update on Australian comics
the challenges of long manga series
comics sales data from the U.S. that is mind blowing - for example, 49% of comics sales in the U.S. book market went to manga
and more

They also discuss their favourite picks from this month's new titles:

Together Forever by Kristen Gudsnuk (Scholastic Inc) [9781338630824]
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, Travis Dandro (Drawn & Quarterly) [9781770466968]
A Fox in My Brain by Lou Lubie (Fairsquare Comics) [9781960171108]
Dwellings by Jay Stephens (Oni Press) [9781637152911]

For a full list of new release titles and all the news and resources please visit our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

And if you like what we're doing give us a glowing review on your podcast service and let us know. We'd love to hear from you.

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This month Rebecca sits down to chat with Paul McLaughlin, the creator and writer of Lil Viking Space Rangers. Chapter 2 is out now with art by Trudi Monteath and Sarah Rackemann. Chapter 1 and 3 have art from Liana Wright.

The discussion covers this delightful and humorous comics for kids, the process of making comics, Paul's experiences with libraries and doing workshops at libraries and, of course, he has three comics he recommends too.

For more on Lil Viking Space Rangers visit: https://www.lilvikingspacerangers.com/

For more from us check out our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

And if you like what we're doing give us a glowing review on your podcast service and let us know. We'd love to hear from you.

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In this roundup episode Jade and Rebecca sit discuss their recent reads, they pick their favourite newly released graphic novels and the latest news and resources, including: collection management and weeding of superhero comics, U.S. publishers ramping up releases of middle grade manga and lots of adaptations of books into graphic novels.

New titles picks:

The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

No Remorse: The Illustrated True Stories of Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead by various authors

Adversary by Blue Delliquanti

For a full list of new release titles and all the news and resources please visit our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In our latest creator chat, Marissa sits downs with Queenie Chan, a Sydney based comics creator working in manga style. She has published three volumes of The Fabled Kingdom, which is a mix of prose and manga, the Women Who Were Kings series of manga and now she's republishing an expanded and updated three volume edition of The Dreaming, a manga located in an Australian boarding school in the bush.

We discuss her influences, what it's like working in the manga style in Australia, the original publication of The Dreaming with Tokyo Pop and the reasons for the new expanded edition.

For more info on Queenie Chan and her comics check out her website: https://queeniechan.com/

For more from ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics check out our new website: https://queeniechan.com/

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In this month's roundup Gabby and Marissa discuss their recent reads. They also discuss Webtoons, Lore Olympus and the new Inklore imprint, and some other news like the recent article from The Guardian discussing comics, graphic novels and manga in France.

They also discuss their favourite picks out of the new graphic novels published recently and coming up soon.

You can find the whole February Roundup blog post with more news, resources and the full list of new titles in our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

Please follow, subscribe, rate our podcast and read graphic!

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In this creator chat we talk to Tim McEwen, co-creator of Greener Pastures. He's been making comics since the 80s and Greener Pastures is making a comeback that will, finally, include trade paperbacks and a graphic novel.

Tim and Iurgi discuss Australian comics, the Comic Arts Awards of Australia (formerly Ledger Awards) and, of course, the ambitious plans to reprint Greener Pastures in trade paperbacks and finish the story they started back in the early 90s.

For more info on Greener Pastures visit: https://www.greenerpasturescomic.com

To back the Greener Pastures Kickstarter currently live visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timmcewen/greenerpastures8

For more from ALIA Graphic visit: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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In this creator chat we talk to Chris Gooch who’s recently published his third graphic novel with Top Shelf: In Utero. A young adult monster story with some horror thrown in for good measure.

We talk about Chris' comics making process, which he often shares on social media too. His advice for young creators starting to make comics. The origins of In Utero and the influences in In Utero, from Otomo's Domu to the first couple of episodes of Digimon. We also discuss his love of genre stories, his favourite monster films and he recommends some graphic novels to read.

To stay up to date with Chris Gooch check out his website: https://www.chrisgooch.com.au

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics check out our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au

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In this month's roundup James and Iurgi comment on their recent reads and several best graphic novels of 2023 lists published by different sources such as No Flying No Tights, Popverse and The Guardian. They comment on the recent announcement of Angourleme's Grand Prix award winner. They also discuss one of the big debates last year: are comics in crisis? While some talk doom and gloom, sales of comics are very strong with comics appearing at the top of the charts regularly and in different countries.

James and Iurgi also discuss their favourite picks out of the new graphic novels published in December and January. Iurgi's favourite pick is In Utero by Chris Gooch, published by Top Shelf. James' favourite pick is Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei, Elettra Stamboulis and Gianluca Costantini, published by Tundra Books / Random House.

Finally, they announce the new website for the ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics group and changes to the ALIA Graphic Book Club.

You can find the whole January Roundup blog post with more news, resources and the full list of new titles from December and January in our new website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In our final podcast for 2023, Iurgi, Marissa and Rebecca get together to discuss their favourite reads this year. It's a mix of ongoing series, new series and old publications that we have revisited. Our favourite reads this year are:

Iurgi

Eventually Everything Connects by Sarah Firth

Nightwing by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo (DC Comics)

Spy x Family Tatsuya Endo (Viz Media)

Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)

Marissa

The Nameless City trilogy by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)

Nothing Special by by Katie Cook (Webtoons, coming to print 2024, Random House) The God of Arepo by Reimena Yee (webcomic and ebook: https://reimenayee.com/the-god-of-arepo/)

The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono (Viz Media)

Rebecca

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama (Kodansha)

Ghost Book by Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin)

Flavor Girls by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky (Archaia)

Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, Hyung-Ju Ko (Iron Circus)

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please give us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

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This is a recording of the webinar held November 16 2023.

We get many questions emailed to us by librarians and library staff across the country about the different factions of the graphic novel and comic world. So we thought that this year we would spend the time hearing from you and providing answers to those questions that you may have been wanting to ask for a while.

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In this episode Iurgi and Gabby discuss:

the Harvey Awards announced at the New York Comic Con
the little we know about Raina Telgemeier's upcoming graphic novel
a really interesting survey carried out by the School Library Journal in the U.S. with really interesting data
the Library Journal's upcoming Library Con Live and our very own upcoming webinar
as well as their recent reads and favourite picks from this month's new graphic novels.

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

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Sarah Firth is a cartoonist, artist, writer, speaker, and graphic recorder who has been published extensively in Australia and overseas. Her work has appeared in the Eisner Award winning anthology, Drawing Power, and the Ledger Award winning anthology, Neither Here Nor Hair. She is also a founding member of Graphic Recorders Australia, a not-for-profit professional association that supports the Graphic Recording community in Australia.

Her debut graphic novel “Eventually Everything Connects” is available now.

James Baker sits down with Sarah Firth and they talk:

how she first got interested in comics
her relationship with libraries
what aphantasia is and how she works around it
making a graphic novel for adults and her desire to have it published by a traditional publisher
receiving a grant for the book and are funding bodies becoming more receptive to comics related projects
her involvement in different anthologies and her thoughts on receiving recognition and awards
what graphic recording is and her work doing graphic recordings
of course, her journey to creating and publishing Eventually Everything Connects
the October 18 book launch in Melbourne and
Sarah’s reading recommendations: Top recommendations: Still Alive by Safdar Ahmed, Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman, The Grot by Pat Grant, Stone Fruit by Lee Lai. Boundless by Jillian Tamaki, Unflattening by Nick Sousanis and Glenn Gadges: The River at Night by Kevin Huizenga.

For more on Sarah Firth check out her website: http://www.sarahthefirth.com

To find out more about Graphic Recorders Australia check out their website: https://www.graphicrecorders.org.au

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

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In this month's creator chat we catch up with Sydney based writer Mat Groom, one of the creators of Inferno Girl Red. Volume 1 was an incredibly successful Kickstarter and then it was published by Image Comics, earlier this year.

The team is now on campaign mode for volume 2 on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2129645662/inferno-girl-red-books-one-and-two-by-mat-groom-erica-durso

We talk about tonkusatsu TV series, comics, manga, and Inferno Girl Red.

For more on Mat Groom visit his website: https://www.matgroom.com

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

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In this episode Marissa and Iurgi cover a lot of ground. They discuss the comic they've been reading recently, the Comic Arts Awards of Australia and their favourite picks of the new titles published recently, including four new Australian graphic novels we're really excited about.

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Papercuts Comics Festival is a biennial comics festival held biennially in Adelaide, it is being run for the third time this September but the festival directors, Georgina Chadderton and Owen Heitmann, still found time to sit down with James for a Creator Chat to explain why they run the festival and what we can expect from this year's program.

For more information about Papercuts Comics Festival go to https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/

The website for Georgina's work is http://www.georgerexcomics.com/

The website for Owen's work is https://amplifiedpress.com/

If you want to watch the video of this recording you can watch it on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@aliagraphic

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

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In this creator chat we catch up with two of the most amazing creators for young readers. Both Jason Pamment and Remy Lai made quite a splash when they published their first graphic novels, Treasure in the Lake and Pawcasso.

They were both in our Notable Australian Graphic Novels list in 2021 and they garnered a lot of recognition both in Australia and internationally.

As they both published a new graphic novels so close together we thought it was an excellent opportunity to bring them together.

Jason Pamment, Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures, published June 27.

Remy Lai, Ghost Book, published August 1.

Both published through Allen & Unwin in Australia.

For more on Jason's work visit: https://www.jasonpamment.com

For more on Remy's work visit: https://remylai.com

If you want to watch the video of this recording you can watch it on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@aliagraphic

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

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In this month's roundup we discuss what we've been reading lately, the best middle grade graphic novels of the year so far (according to Booklist), the Eisner Awards and our favourite picks from this month's new graphic novels.

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we discuss what we've been reading lately, reading recommendations for Pride Month(including Australian titles) and our favourite picks from this month's new graphic novels.

For more news and the complete roundup of resources and podcasts visit our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

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In this month's roundup we discuss what we've been reading lately, the latest news (including the Eisners controversies around LGBTQIA+ graphic novels, and a practical guide to comic book collection development) and, of course, our favourite picks from this month's new graphic novels.

We also discuss King Con, the new library comic con at Kingston Libraries in Victoria with Iurgi, who was one of the organisers.

And, finally, we discuss a few webinars, some that have already taken place and are freely available, some that are upcoming. All the details for all the news, webinars, etc are on our main blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In our first creator chat of the year we're honoured to have James Foley and Brenton McKenna in conversation. James recently published Secret Agent Mole Book 1:Goldfishfinger(Scholastic) and Brenton McKenna recently published Hairy Holes (Magabala Books).

We sat down with them after they read each other's books and they just started talking. We hope you enjoy this amazing conversation between two amazing comic book creators who clearly know and admire each other.

To find out more about James Foley visit his website: https://jamesfoley.com.au

To find out more about Brenton McKenna visit his website: https://www.brentonmckenna.com

For more from ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics visit and subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Or follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliagraphic

Please note, this is the audio only version of this creator chat, if you want to watch the video it's available on our ALIA Graphic YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aliagraphic

You may have noticed we have been a little bit quiet. We haven’t had a podcast episode since December. That’s quite a long time.

The good news is that we’re back! We have a new podcast episode with Gabby and Iurgi discussing some of the news, what they’ve been reading and discussing their favourite picks from the graphic novels released this month.

Best of all, we also have a creator chat lined up which should be out around mid-May. We’re very excited that we will have James Foley and Brenton McKenna talking to each other. They've both recently published a new junior graphic novel and they're planning to interview each other about their books. We think it’s going to be a cracker.

And, of course, keep up with the reading. The May ALIA Graphic Book Club is all about alternate versions of the characters we love. Get on board!

As always, if you have any ideas or suggestions or if you’re a library worker and want to join this crazy group, get in touch!

In this episode we discuss:

The ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic novels of 2022
Some comics we've been reading
Manga sales and new publishers joining the manga wave
Tom Taylor finishing DCeased and starting Titans with Nicola Scott on art duties
Our favourite picks from this month's new graphic novels
We announce the upcoming creator chat with James Foley and Brenton McKenna
And briefly discuss the ALIA Graphic Book Club

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

It's the end of the year and we've gathered to discuss our favourite graphic novels of the year, including:

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood
Barb the Brave by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson
Shadow of the Bird (Lightfall #2) by Tim Probert
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Spy x Family series by Tatsuya End
Our Dining Table by Mita Ori
M is for monster by Talia Dutton
Magus of the library by Mitsu Izumi

And special mentions of some Australian titles:* Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman * Infernal Regions by Rebecca Stewart * Nightwing, Superman Son of Kal El written by Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo and John Timms and Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva.

We also mention our favourite highlights which include:* James being on the judging panel of the Comic Arts Awards of Australia * Iurgi and James going west for the Perth Comic Arts Festival * Gabby's mentions the adaptation of Heartstopper as a highlight and the conversations it's brought at the library with a wide range of readers * And Marissa mentions the webinars and creator chats we had this year as her highlight To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

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We are excited to have four amazing speakers to talk about all things comics and manga. In this webinar we will focus on Junior and YA comics as well as manga and we will explore how they inspire reading and creativity. Hosted by ALIA Graphic Convenor Iurgi Urrutia, we’re pleased to announce four incredibly exciting speakers:

Gabby Cundy, librarian specialising in Children's and Youth literature and comics. Elizabeth Maruffo and Campbell Whyte, comic book creators, artists and directors of Milktooth Arts Space(https://milk-tooth.com), where they nurture and inspire kids to make art, including comics. Jillian Rudes, librarian and creator of the wildly successful and amazing Manga in Libraries webinar series(https://mangainlibraries.com). The Manga in Libraries book is coming out early 2023.To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com
You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we talk about the 30th Anniversary of Power Rangers, Tommi Parrish's new graphic novel, the upcoming reprint of Queenie Chan's The Dreaming, Superman: Son of Kal El, and eComics at libraries. Borrow Box is now also offering comics through its app and Comics Plus has some exciting updates.

We also discuss our favourite picks from the new graphic novels just published and what we've been reading lately, including Rebecca Stewart's Infernal Regions.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to everything discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's creator chat, Bradley from the ALIA Graphic team, catches up with Sara W. Searle.

Sarah migrated from New England to Perth and has been fully embraced by the Australian comics community where she has already received three Silver Comic Arts Awards of Australia. Her latest graphic novel is The Greatest Thing, published by First Second.

You can find out more about Sarah on her website: http://www.swinsea.com

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we talk about Peach Momoko's Demon Wars, a manga that expands the Marvel Universe, mixed with Japanese folklore. We also discuss a blog post from librarian Sara Smith that gathers together all the main comic awards in the U.S. as well as YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens list in one handy blog post.

We also discuss our favourite picks from the new graphic novels just published and what we've been reading lately.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to everthing discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Following his article on a recent issue of ALIA's Incite magazine, in this creator chat Paul Metcalfe, coordinator of the Albany Campus Library of South Regional TAFE in WA, joins us to discuss how he introduced graphic novels to the campus' learning resource centre.

He discusses at length how he fell in love with the medium, what prompted him to build a graphic novel collection and how he went about it.

See below for a list of additional resources mentioned in the discussion and provided by Paul.

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Websites:

ALIA Graphic's Why Comics? section on our main blog.

Graphic Novels in the Classroom: A Teacher Roundtable (20016, October 9). Cult of Pedagogy.

Videos:

Brenner, R. (2019, December 12). Teach Graphix Week: Teaching with graphic novels [Video]. YouTube.

Yang, G. (2016, December 3). TEDx Talk: Why comics belong in the classroom [Video]. YouTube.

Articles:

Alverson, B. (2014). Teaching with graphic novels. School Library Journal.

Jacobs, D. (2007). More than words: comics as a means of teaching multiple literacies. English Journal, Vol.96(3).

Sandford, S. (2021). ‘Graphic medicine’: how autobiographical comics artists are changing our understanding of illness. The Conversation, August 11, 2021.

Books:

Abate, M. Torbox, G. (Eds).(2017). Graphic novels for children and young adults : a collection of critical essays. UP of Mississippi.

Bakis, M. (2012). The graphic novel classroom : POWerful teaching and learning with images. Corwin.

Jaffe, M. & Hurwich, T. (2019). Worth a thousand words : using graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy. Jossey-Bass.

Kirtley, S., Garcia, A., & Carlson, P. (Eds). (2020). With great power comes great pedagogy : teaching, learning and comics. UP of Mississippi.

Smith, S., & Alaniz, J. (Eds). (2019). Uncanny bodies : superhero comics and disability. Pennsylvania State UP.

Syma, C., & Weiner, R. (Eds). (2013). Graphic novels and comics in the classroom : essays on the educational power of sequential art. McFarland.

In Creator Chat we catch up with Gary Proudley, the creator of Talgard a barbarian who uses intelligence to solve problems, rather than force. Talgard is also quite an interesting comic as every story is exactly four pages long and with art by a different Australian creator.

Gary Proudley discusses Talgard and some of the other comics.

You can follow Gary on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gary_proudley and check out his website: https://www.garyproudley.com/

You can also check out Gestalt, the Australian publisher that, among many other things, publishes Talgard: https://www.gestaltcomics.com/

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we talk about our recent discussion with librarians on the Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable's Addressing Comic Book Bans and Challenges Commitee. The news of Will Eisner's A Contract With God going to Broadway. Melbourne based creator Reimena Yee winning an Ignatz award and of of course, we also discuss our favourite picks from this month's new releases as well as what we've been reading lately and more.

We also announce our upcoming creator chats and our upcoming webinar!

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to everthing discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Unfortunately we have to talk about challenges, bans and censorship of comics and graphic novels. This is not something we'd like to talk about but it's an important conversation and there are some uncomfortable truths we must face.

In this special episode, we discuss challenges and bans to books and specifically to comics in libraries across the United States of America. Looking from a distance, the current wave of challenges and bans the US is going through seems alien to us. We are concerned about what’s going on. We are concerned that teachers and librarians are being targeted and intimidated. We are concerned that comics, graphic novels, and books are being pulled off the shelves. Even titles that have won awards, have received world wide recognition and have been part of the curriculum for years. We’ve been concerned for months and we have shared our support and solidarity with our American colleagues. But, of course, to be concerned from a distance is not enough. While we may feel that what’s happening has nothing to do with us in Australia, we know that very often these kind of actions get exported to other countries. It could happen in Australia and we should not be complacent.We’re also aware that while we don’t suffer the kind of challenges that we’re seeing in the US, there are still issues in Australia. Teachers and librarians who are prejudiced against comics. Parents who question their kids and insist that they read a 'real' book.But reading is reading and reading comics we use multiple literacies, we use more parts of our brain. We wanted to reach out to our friends in the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable. Specifically, we wanted to talk with members of the Addressing Comic Book Bans & Challenges Committee. We had a great discussion with Amie Wright chair of the committee, together with Kara Baker, Shawn Norton and Julia Lanter. Iurgi Urrutia from Kingston Libraries in Victoria and James Baker from the Athenaeum Library in Melbourne hosted this wide ranging, and we believe, very relevant conversation.To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Episode Notes: GNCRT Toolkit: https://www.ala.org/rt/gncrt/preparing-and-addressing-challenges-comics-library-committeeGNCRT Checklist: https://www.ala.org/rt/sites/ala.org.rt/files/content/GNCRT/ComicsChallenges/GNCRT%20Be%20Prepared%20Postcard_PRINT.pdf GNCRT Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScY2TYLrurWP6sT9ifMSsne-98AEYJylUTDUgBvWB3n1RJtJA/viewform No Flying No Tights: Ask the Comics Librarians series of articles: https://noflyingnotights.com/browse-our-ask-the-comics-librarians-columns/ ‘Divisive Concepts Law’ New Hampshire - op-ed piece on the impact of the law in classrooms and on teachers https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2021/08/10/commentary-new-hampshires-divisive-concepts-law-and-the-big-chill/ History of Comics Censorship in the United States via CBLDF https://cbldf.org/resources/history-of-comics-censorship/ History of Comics Censorship in Canada via Ryerson University 1950s - “Crisis of Innocence: Comic Books and Children’s Culture, 1940-1954” https://crisisofinnocence.library.ryerson.ca/exhibits/show/a-crisis-of-innocenceJason Reynolds When I was the Greatest https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/When-I-Was-the-Greatest/Jason-Reynolds/9781442459496 Fobazi Ettarh, "Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves." In the Library with the Lead Pipe. January 10, 2018. www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/ American Academy of Pediatrics and Gender Affirming Care: https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/19021/AAP-continues-to-support-care-of-transgender?autologincheck=redirected?nfToken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 ACLU American Civil Liberties Union - advocacy on fighting book bans https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/artistic-expression/banned-books

This month we catch up with Jon Sommariva, an amazing artist with a very distinct style. His art is always full of energy, dynamic and fun.

He’s worked pretty much for everyone, DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Disney and Nickelodeon. Among others. He’s drawn The Avengers, Batman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Wars to name a few.

In our chat we talk about how he got into comics, some of his favourite comics to read and to draw. And, of course, we also talk about the really exciting new graphic novel Neverlanders, written by Tom Taylor and with art by Jon.

You can follow Jon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonSommariva and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommariva

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we talk about the Perth Comics Arts Festival, the Comic Arts Awards of Australia, Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva, an interesting article looking at the Comics Code Authority and how it helped super hero comics.

We also discuss our favourite picks from this month's new releases, what we've been reading lately and more.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup we talk about the Eisner Awards, the Graphic Medicine Award, Lore Olympus, our favourites picks from this month's new releases, what we've reading lately and more.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

The first weekend of August the Perth Comic Arts Festival will be taking place and it's going to be bigger than ever with about 85 comic book creators from W.A. and across Australia tabling and presenting their comics on the market day, on Sunday 7 August. But that's not all, on Saturday, there will be plenty of panel talks and workshops. Entry to PCAF will be totally free.

On the Saturday, as part of PCAF, the Comic Arts Awards of Australia will also be presented. These are Australia's most important awards, celebrating excellence in Australian comics. Entry is free for the ceremony and if you attend in person you also get one of the very special and highly cherished CAAA annuals outlining all the awarded comics and creators.

In this special episode, Bruce Mutard talks about what we can expect from PCAF this year.

To stay up do date with PCAF: https://pcaf.org.au

To stay up to date with the Comic Arts Awards of Australia: http://ledgerawards.org

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

This month we sit to talk with Sam Wallman, a comics journalist and cartoonist. His drawings have been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Age, ABC and SBS. He has also done a lot of work for unions and for the Workers Art Collective. He has recently published his first graphic novel, Our Members Be Unlimited, about the history of unionism.

In this wide ranging conversation, we discuss his influences, unions, activism and, of course, comics!

For more on Sam Wallman visit his website: https://www.samwallman.com

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

This was a great month for Australian comics. We talk about Safdar Ahmed's Still Alive receiving the NSW Premier's Book of the Year literary award and how other awards are starting to include graphic novels.

We mention a couple of great podcasts and three new graphic novels by Australian creators. We also talk Manga and our favourite picks from this month's new releases.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

This month James and Marissa discuss the latest news and new release titles including Manga and Free Comic Book Day.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

This month we sit to talk with the creators of Stars in Their Eyes, a graphic novel published by Fremantle press that made it to our Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2021 Shortlist and will be published early 2023 by Scholastic internationally.

Jessica Walton and Aśka talk about what attracts them to comics, how Stars in Their Eyes came about, and how important it was to them to get this story and its themes of disability and identity.

Jessica Walton is a picture book author, teacher, parent, daughter of a trans parent, and proud queer, disabled woman. Aśka is an award-winning graphic novelist and an ex-quantum physicist, passionate about visual literacy.

For more on Jessica Walton: http://jessicawalton.com.au

For more on Aśka: http://www.askastorytelling.com

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This month Gabby and Marissa discuss the latest news and new release titles including junior books, Manga and more.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

Earlier this month we had Nancy Silberkleit, the co-CEO of Archie Comics talking about children, comics, reading, education and, of course, Archie Comics. This is a recording of the event.

For more on Archie Comics: https://archiecomics.com

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

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It's the end of February and that means our monthly roundup is out now.

This month James and Iurgi discuss the disturbing wave of challenges and bans in the U.S. that have affected a lot of books, graphic novels, libraries, and educators. The bad news is that as distant as this may seem from Australia, the current campaign of challenges is serious and disturbing. The good news is that people and organisations are getting organised and taking action.

The discussion moves to Australian comics. This month we have seen two great podcasts publishing excellent episodes that we highly recommend. A shout out to Graphic Nature Podcast and Hiveminded.

Another great development is the new Folio: Stories of Contemporary Comics website. An outstanding initiative just recently launched and already publishing excellent content on Australian comics by some big names.

As usual, James and Iurgi pick their favourites from this month's new release titles and they discuss two upcoming events worth checking out for professional development.

For a full list of this month's news, a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention and the links to the webinars discussed please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

Hit the subscribe button for our podcast and blog and please leave us a glowing review, it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

On our final creator chat of the year we talk to Jason Pamment who recently published Treasure in the Lake, a middle grade graphic novel that marks his debut.

Jason has worked a lot in animation, short films and commercials. Tresure in the Lake, published by Allen & Unwin in Australia and New Zealand and Harper Alley in North America presents the story of two friends growing and drifting apart. There are also elements of mystery and fantasy.

To find out more about Jason Pamment check out his website: https://www.jasonpamment.com

To stay up to date with ALIA Graphic, subscribe to our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button on our podcast and please leave us a glowing review it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup podcast we discuss the announcement that Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius' classic, The Incal looks set to be adapted into film by none other than Taika Waititi. We also discuss tbe new LGBTQ+ comics, with the announcement of a new imprint with Mariko Tamaki at the helm and Manga.

Of course, we also highlight our personal picks from this month's new release titles, which include:

5 Worlds Book 5 by Alexis Siegel, Mark Siegel (Penguin)
Friday Book 1: The Last Day of Christmas by Ed Brubaker, Marcos Martin, Muntsa Vicente (Image Comics)
Lore Olympus Book 1 by Rachel Smythe (Del Rey Books)
Paper Girls: The Complete Story by Brian K Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (Image Comics)
Tidesong by Wendy Xu (Quill Tree Books)
Vinland Saga Volume 12 by Makoto Yukimura and
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment (Allen & Unwin and Harper Alley).

Look out for our next Creator Chat coming out early in December with Jason Pamment talking about his excellent middle grade debut graphic novel. For a full list of this month's news and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a glowing review it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup podcast we discuss Saga coming back in January, publishers promoting the benefits of graphic novels, single volume mangas for 16+, Superman Jonathan Kent and the upcoming TV series adaptation of Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese.

Of course, we also highlight our personal picks from this month's new release titles.

For a full list of this month's news and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a glowing review it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

This month we talk to Glom Press, an award winning indie publisher of comics from Melbourne. How did an indie publisher of Australian comics come to be? What's indie publishing like? And much more is covered.

To find out more about Glom Pres and their work visit their website: https://www.glompress.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

Our first live ALIA Graphic webinar is the perfect introduction for librarians and educators wanting to know more about comics and graphic novels around the world and in Australia. Hosted by ALIA Graphic Convenor and Iurgi Urrutia (Kingston Libraries, Victoria), we’re pleased to announce three exciting speakers:

Daniel Best is an Australian comics historian and author with a vast knowledge of Australian comics history. Australia has had, and still has nowadays, a great range of comic creators that have usually gone under the radar. Daniel will give us an overview of the history of Australian comics.

Tara Eagleton is the Library Services Collections Officer at Wollondilly Library, NSW. Tara will discuss one of the ongoing, perennial, contentious issues around comics at libraries: how to best catalogue and shelf them. Different libraries do it differently, but one thing’s for sure, comics present challenges and the general rules don’t apply. Tara will present some guidelines and a framework.

Matthew Noe is the President of the American Library Association's Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable, he’s an academic librarian and a champion of graphic medicine. Matthew will join us live from the US to talk about the GNCRT, their past achievements, current programs and future plans. Matthew will also talk about graphic medicine, a fast growing movement and genre with comics that explore and contain narratives associated to healthcare. Comics are a very accessible and powerful medium for graphic medicine.

In this month's roundup the team discusses some of the latest news and resources as well as their favourite picks from this month's new release graphic novels.

For a full list of this month's news and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a glowing review it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

In this month's creator chat we talk to storyteller and creator Charlotte Rose Hamlyn. Charlotte works mostly for television as a presenter and screenwriter. She was also the creator Opposite Land, a graphic novel published through Random House in 2017.

We discuss her love of storytelling for kids, her love of comics and the new book she's working on.

To find out more about Charlotte and her work visit her website: https://www.charlotterosehamlyn.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In this episode we talk to Alyssa Bermudez who recently published Big Apple Diaries, a middle grade graphic novel that recounts the days when young Alyssa negotiated living in between her separated parents and all the usual middle school concerns, including a big crush on a boy. Then the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened changing everything.

This comic diary in graphic novel form is a great coming of age story that Alyssa, now living in Tasmania, plans as the first of three graphic novels. To find out more about Alyssa and her art check out her website: https://www.alyssabermudezart.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our podcast. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles. Feel free to give us a glowing review too, it will warm our hearts and every little bit helps.

In this month's roundup episode Gabby, Tara and Jade discuss the DC partnering with Webtoons for original DC content, the Harvey Awards, and accessing lots of free Manga with the Shonen Jump app.

The team also highlights their picks from the latest lot of new graphic novels including. Their picks this month are: Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez, Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter, the re-release of Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi and the new graphic novel adaptation of 1984 by Fido Nesti.

For a full list of the news discussed and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a glowing review it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and every little bit helps.

A group of young Indigenous creators have banded together to create Stick Mob Studio and have recently published three graphic novels. We're very excited to talk to Declan Miller, Seraphina Newberry and Alyssa Mason about how the studio came to be and their three books now published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.You can find out more about Stick Mob Studio on their website: https://www.stickmobstudio.com.auPlease note the Indigenous Literacy Day is on September 1. There are lots of things happening, including a graphic novels workshop with Stick Mob. For more details check the ILF website.If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our podcast. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles. Feel free to give us a glowing review too, it will warm our hearts and every little bit helps.

In this month's creator chat we talk to Mirranda Burton. Ten years after her debut graphic novel Hidden, Mirranda returns with Underground an excellent graphic novel that explores the Vietnam War and the conscription protests in Australia.

To find out more about Mirranda Burton check out her blog: https://mirrandaburton.blogspot.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In this special short episode, James and Iurgi discuss the recently announced winners of the Comic Arts Awards of Australia. 2020 was a great year for Australian comics and all the awarded graphic novels and creators in the Bronze, Silver and Gold category are excellent.

For a full list of the Comic Arts Awards of Australia recipients please visit: http://ledgerawards.org

For more information news from ALIA Graphic, please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a review. Every review and rating helps.

In this month's roundup episode Iurgi, James and Jade discuss the Eisner Awards, the Aurealis Awards, sales of Manga and comics hitting an all time high in 2020 in the U.S. and their favourite picks from this month's batch of comics and graphic novels.

To close the episode, James mentions how the first session of our brand new ALIA Graphic Novel Club went.

For a full list of the news discussed and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a review.

In this month's creator chat we talk to Remy Lai, the creator of heartwarming and beautiful graphic novel Pawcasso, now out through Allen & Unwin.

To find out more about Remy Lai check out her website: https://remylai.com/index.html

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In this month's roundup episode, James, Melody and Gabby discuss some of the latest news and their favourite picks from this month's batch of comics and graphic novels.

To close the episode, James discusses the upcoming ALIA Graphic Novel Club.

For a full list of the news discussed and a handy list of all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Hit the subscribe button and please leave us a review.

In this creator chat we talk to Safdar Ahmed. He first got everyone's attention six years ago when he published Villawood: Notes From a Detention Centre in partnership with GetUp! Now, he has published Still Alive: Notes From Australia's Immigration Detention System.

In the chat we discuss what got Safdar into comics, what his influences are, the Refugee Art Project and of course, Still Alive. To find out more about Safdar Ahmed check out his website: https://safdarahmed.comStill Alive is published by Twelve Panels Press: https://www.twelvepanelspress.comIf you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

ALIA Graphic's Tara talks to our second international guest, Ashley Hawkins otherwise known as @MangaLibrarian on Twitter. They discuss different types of Manga, the different ratings, collection development and shelving.

Ashley also suggests lots of great titles for different age brackets.

You can follow Ashley on her blog: https://mangalibrarian.com and Twitter: https://twitter.com/manga_librarian

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats. You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In this month's roundup episode, Iurgi, Tara and Gabby discuss some of the latest news including the Comic Arts Awards of Australia's recently announced short list, a really interesting webinar series all about Manga, the adaptation of Lady Killer, and a great list of graphic novels about climate change and environmentalism.

Then they discuss their favourite picks out of this month's new releases including:

Stone Fruit - Lee Lai (Fantagraphics)
Gideon Falls Vol 6 - Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino (Image Comics)
Invisible Kingdom Vol 3 - G. Willow Wilson, Christian Ward (Berger Books)
Metropolis Grove - Drew Brockington (DC Comics)
Wynd: Book 1 - James Tynion IV, Michael Dyalinas (Boom! Box)
The Secret to Superhuman Strength - Alison Bechdel (Vintage)

To close the episode, Iurgi goes through some current Australian comics seeking funding on Kickstarter and they discuss the upcoming events in June: #AusLibChat all about comics Tuesday 1st June, Tara interviews Ashley Hawkins - the Manga Librarian, Creator Chat with Safdar Ahmed, and the upcoming ALIA Graphic Book Club.

For a full list of the news discussed and all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

In this episode we talk with Australian creator, now living in Canada, Lee Lai. The conversation covers how Lee got into comics, studying at the Victorian College of Arts, her influences, relationships (which are the back bone of all her works) and Stone Fruit, her first graphic novel which is now published by Fantagraphics.

You can follow Lee Lai on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_leelai/If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats.

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In this month's episode, James and Iurgi begin with an announcement. ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics will be starting a Graphic Novel Book Club for library workers, starting from July. We are excited about this and we hope you are too.

Then they discuss the latest news and their favourite picks out of this month's new releases including:

Dear Super-Villains - Michael Northrop, Gustavo Duarte (DC Kids)
The Last Kids on Earth: Thrilling Tales From the Treehouse - Max Brallier and various artists (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Black Widow Vol. 1: The Ties That Bind - Kelly Thompson, Elena Casagrande (Marvel Comics)
Hellblazer: Rise and Fall - Tom Taylor, Darick Robertson (DC Comics)
Suicide Squad: Bad Blood - Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo (DC Comics)
Still Alive - Safdar Ahmed (Twelve Panel Press)

To close the episode, Iurgi has a great chat with Daniel Wee who is a special collections librarian at Monash University. He's the custodian of old rare books and that includes one of the largest collections of comics in Australia.

For a full list of the news discussed and all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

In this episode we chillout and have a long chat with Nicola Scott, the Wonder Woman of Australian comic creators.

We talk about how she got into comics, her experience breaking into the comics industry and San Diego Comic Con, working for DC Comics, and Black Magick the creator owned series written by Greg Rucka with amazing art by Nicola, published by Image Comics.

You can find out more about Nicola on her website: https://www.nicolascottart.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats.

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic and check our blog, https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

In our first roundup podcast for the year James and Melody discuss some of the most interesting news of the month and highlight the most interesting new releases.

For a full list of the news discussed and all the new interesting graphic novels that have caught our attention please visit our blog: https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button on our YouTube channel to stay up to date with our chats.

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

In this episode we chat with Tim Smyth, a Social Studies secondary school teacher from the east coast of the US, our first international guest, who's been using comics and graphic novels as teaching tools for years.

We discuss how he got into comics, what made him start using them in the classroom, the great benefits of comics in teaching literacy and Tim gives us some of his top tips for teachers who are thinking of starting to use comics in the classroom.

You can find out more about Tim and his teaching resources, which he makes freely available online, on his website: http://www.historycomics.net

If you like what we're doing, hit the subscribe button on our YouTube channel to stay up to date with our chats.

You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIAGraphic.

Bruce Mutard is one of the biggest names when it comes to comics in Australia. He has published lots of short comics and a few graphic novels. He was also involved with the Perth Comic Arts Festival and now he’s in charge of Australia’s most important comic art awards.

In this chat we talk about:

Bruce's influences
What inspires to make comics
His thesis on comics and
The new Ledger Awards for excellence in Australian comics under his stewardship, which are transitioning and will be renamed the Comic Arts of Australia Awards.

Look out for the next episode coming soon, our ALIA Graphic January and February roundup.

If you like what we're doing give us a glowing review and hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with our chats. You can also follow us on Twitter: @ALIAGraphic and check our blog, aliagraphic.blogspot.com, for updates, monthly roundups of news and new release titles.

We kick start the year with celebrations. We are graduating from baby to toddler. It's our first year anniversary on 20th February and the ALIA Graphic secretary James Baker sat down to have a long chat with ALIA Graphic Convenor Iurgi Urrutia.

Among other things we discuss:

What inspired the creation of the group
How easy or hard it is to form an ALIA group
Plans and dreams for the group

This is the first part of our celebration, watch out for another podcast coming out very soon where we talk to legendary Aussie creator Bruce Mutard about his new comics, his recently completed thesis and his plans for the Ledger Awards for excellence in Australian comics.