This week’s publishing news has a bit of a comics flavour to it: are you ready for the Netflix of comics publishing? Made just for your phone? Or, a female superhero that actually looks like a normal woman? I also found a confronting story about students jailed for reading — I’m still shocked that happened. There’s also a bestselling author’s book covers which have finally stopped being whitewashed, and finally, poetry: have you read the success stories on Tumblr and Instagram?
Instagram poets: Poetry intrigues me and drives me nuts because I feel like the meaning is so far out of reach of my understanding. But who knew Instagram and Tumblr had rejuvenated poetry in some ways? This is a profile of some poets who have achieved success online and translated that success to positions on the bestseller list … and it’s fantastic! Seriously, check it out!
Faith, a superhero with normal dimensions: Be still my heart, let me introduce you to Faith. A plus-sized superhero whose boobs do not look like they’re about to spill out of her costume. And she’s a geek who quotes Firefly! The author of Faith, Jody Houser, has worked with SHIELD and Avengers comics, as well as Orphan Black‘s graphic novel.
Angolan activists charged with rebellion against state over book reading: Yeah. This happened. 17 young men were arrested for reading Gene Sharp’s 1993 book From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation.
The covers for Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles have finally stopped being whitewashed: His Kane Chronicles follow the adventures of Carter and Sadie Kane, who are descended from the magicians of ancient Egypt (their mother is white, but their Egyptian father is black). Countries like Russia, Italy and the Netherlands have always depicted Carter as white. In July this year, his Netherlands publisher started finally listened to him, and his Russian publisher followed suit. What this also highlighted is how little control successful authors have over anything.
A comics publisher wants to make comics just for your phone: I could totally get behind this. I do all my reading on my phone and being able to read comics made for a phone easily would be fantastic. The company, Stela wants to be the Netflix of comic books.
What news has grabbed your fancy? Would you sign up to the Netflix of comics? Or, what do you think of the news about the Kane Chronicles covers? Is Faith your next superhero comic?
That’s great Riordan’s series is going to stop being white-washed in certain countries! It’s crazy that publishers still do that….
Comics for your phone? How fun! I’d need to get a better phone though. hah
As for Faith, how awesome!! I’d totally read that story!
That is exactly what I thought: it’s crazy that something like that is okay. I am dying to know more about the conversations that happened in those publishing offices that made ppl thinkbthis was okay. Like a fly on the wall you know, because the logic must’ve been EPIC. NODS. AND FaITH, her boobs look normal and stay in her costume! That really makes me so gleeful after all the ridiculous covers these days.