Latest news with #graphicnovel
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Tessa Hulls On The Weight Of History, The Power Of Comics, And Winning A Pulitzer Prize
Tessa Hulls, writer/artist of Feeding Ghosts (Macmillian, 2024), winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize ... More for Memoir Earlier this month, Tessa Hulls was working her usual contract job as a sous-chef in the private legislative dining lounge at the Alaska state capital in Juneau when she started getting an unusually high volume of text messages on her phone. She glanced at them between tasks. Had she been nominated for some kind of award? Eventually, one of the legislators came up to her, put his arm over her shoulder, and told her, 'No, you weren't nominated. You just won a Pulitzer Prize!' Indeed, when the awards were announced on May 7, Hulls' memoir, Feeding Ghosts (Macmillan, 2024), became only the second graphic novel to win the prestigious award. The first, more than 30 years ago, was Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman. Like Maus, Feeding Ghosts is an intense blend of intergenerational family trauma and world-historical events. Tessa's maternal grandmother, Sun Yi, worked as a journalist in Shanghai in the 1940s and had a front row seat for the Communist revolution. Falling under increasing surveillance by the authorities, she eventually fled to Hong Kong with her daughter, Tessa's mother, but succumbed to mental illness from which she never recovered. The book explores Tessa's discovery of both the public and private history that her family had fled, told in expressionistic black and white drawings over nearly 400 pages. Page from Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (Macmillian, 2024) Feeding Ghosts succeeds as a both work of narrative and a work of art, made a bunch of best-of- lists, and has won or been nominated for a stack of major awards including the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, the Ainsfield Wolf Prize, the Libby Award, and the Will Eisner Award. While Maus winning a Special Citation Pulitzer in 1992 felt almost like the institution was condescending to recognize that 'wow, comics aren't just for kids anymore!', the award for Feeding Ghosts in the memoir category in 2025 seems like appropriate recognition for an undeniably serious and accomplished work, regardless of the medium of expression. 'I've always been a visual artist and a writer,' Hulls explained in a phone interview earlier this week. 'Writing was the scaffolding, but I came up as a visual artist. My main career was painting, but I started to realize that writing was a more important part of what I was doing.' Hulls says she left home as a teenager to embark on a life of restless travel, alternating stints in cities with long, solitary forays into the wilderness. Her biography on her website describes her as 'a compulsive genre hopper who has worked… as an illustrator, lecturer, cartoonist, editor, interviewer, historian, writer, performer, chef, muralist, conductor of social experiments, painter, bicycle mechanic, teacher and researcher.' Eventually she came to understand that her wanderlust was a symptom of a deeper ambiguity she carried with her. Writer/artist and adventurer Tessa Hulls 'I grew up with my grandmother and my nuclear family and knew something horrific had happened to her, but it was never really talked about and I didn't have the context of Chinese history to understand what had brought her to that point. All I knew is that I had a complicated relationship with my mom and I literally ran away from it to become this globetrotting adventurer.' Shortly after she turned 30, Hulls said she realized she would never have peace until she faced her family drama. She got back in touch with her mother to explain that she had to tell this story, no matter how hard or how long it would take. The journey ended up lasting nine years, during which time Hulls had to internalize the craft of both journalists and historians to come to grips with the full scope of the subject. It drained her enough that she has sworn she will never do another book, notwithstanding the remarkable success that Feeding Ghosts has enjoyed. 'I had to learn a lot of history to understand how my grandmother's story was nestled within the broader strokes of what was happening in China,' she says, admitting that she used the scholarship as an excuse to delay dealing with the emotional issues she knew she would eventually have to explore. While she was working on the book, she became an 'accidental graphic journalist,' covering the CHOP uprising in Seattle where protesters occupied the neighborhood around a police precinct for several weeks in response to the George Floyd killing in 2020. 'I had always understood how comics are a powerful tool for explaining context and being able to visually show the relationship between the macrocosm and the microcosm,' she says. 'I could see that the information about CHOP that was going out on social and other media didn't contain the context to make sense of it.' She used her personal knowledge of the neighborhood and the protests to inform her coverage. Her comics-style reportage became a critical firsthand source of information and breaking news. 'I think that experience really showed me the power of comics journalism, and it also made me really wary about the reductive way that complex information is filtered through social media. It both caused me to embrace and pull back from what that sort of mode of journalism could be.' In Feeding Ghosts, the disconnect between Sun Yi's training and instincts as a journalist, and the requirements of the increasingly totalitarian Communist regime to make reality conform to their narrative, literally drove her insane. Hulls acknowledges the parallels with her experience covering an event like CHOP, which is now described in the consensus discourse as an event where Seattle descended into chaos and anarchy, rather than a demonstration of solidarity around social justice. 'That was one of the threads that I became really fascinated by,' she says. 'The ways people become paranoid. People choose to sever ties and we all living within our own realities. That's so much a talking point that we forget that there is a huge amount of collateral damage that happens within interpersonal relationships when people withdraw into their own realities.' When Feeding Ghosts was finally published after nearly a decade of intense work, Hulls says she felt a sense of liberation in finally having the story out in the world. She says the recognition and awards, while surprising (at least in the case of the Pulitzer, which does not publish a shortlist of works under consideration and only announces the winner), were validating of the journey. 'In the aftermath of this complete shock of winning a Pulitzer, I think what I've been reflecting on and really feeling is this sense of Oh my God, my grandma did it! She saved my mom, and she saved me. And this prize has given me a feeling of safety that goes so far beyond my personal circumstances where it feels like it has allowed me to put down a fear that my family has been carrying for three generations.'
CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Sudbury children invited to learn from famed graphic novelist
Award-winning graphic novel author J. Torres has been invited to the Greater Sudbury Public Library for children's workshops during March Break. (Supplied/Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival) Award-winning graphic novel author J. Torres has been invited to the Greater Sudbury Public Library for children's workshops during March Break. Torres is a Filipino Canadian comic book writer whose credits include Teen Titans Go, Batman: Knightwatch and Adventure Comics for the DC Kids channel on YouTube. Families can join Torres for free at the Valley East Public Library on Elmview Drive in the Greater Sudbury community of Hanmer on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the Lively Public Library on Kin Drive on Friday between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event, geared for children between the ages of eight to 12, will teach how a graphic novel is created from writing to drawing and finally to book form. 'Participants will take part in engaging activities related to creating comics, sharing story ideas and a chat with the author,' said officials with Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival in a news release. 'His (Torres) award-winning graphic novels for younger readers include Brobots, How to Spot a Sasquatch, Lola: A Ghost Story, Planet Hockey and Stealing Home.' Torres has also written comics for the Archies, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Degrassi, Rick & Morty, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons and X-Men along with several other notable franchises. Planet Hockey J. Torres has several award-winning graphic novels for younger readers -- including 'Planet Hockey.' (Supplied/Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival) Registration is required for this event, with the first 10 registrants to receive a free copy of J. Torres' book 'Planet Hockey.' To register, contact Quinn Van Essen at 705-673-1155 by email. Download the CTV News app now Get local breaking news alerts Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival's youth program Nickel City Literacy League is helping to address the need for activities centered around literacy for children who have struggled to connect to reading and writing during and following the pandemic. The program offers targeted reading and writing activities to engage children in school, at the library and in after-school program environments and activities are offered at no cost with the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Geek Vibes Nation
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Exclusive: Cave Grave: Wild West Tales By Shawn Kuruneru Coming From Oni Press In March 2026
Back in September of 2022, talented creator Shawn Kuruneru brought his Western Noir Thriller—Cave Grave to Kickstarter. Cave Grave tells the story of three outlaws and a robbery that leads them down a terrifying path. The campaign was successful, and those who contributed were rewarded with a great title from a rising comic star. Looking ahead, Oni Press and Shawn are gearing up to bring this exciting story, along with a brand-new tale, to a wide audience in March 2026. Thanks to Oni Press and creator Shawn Kuruneru, we're thrilled to share this exclusive announcement and page preview of 'Cave Grave: Wild West Tales.' Cartoonist Shawn Kuruneru Goes Guns Blazing for CAVE GRAVE: WILD WEST TALES – Coming Spring 2026 from Oni Press! The Acclaimed Artist of THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY and BLACK HAMMER: COLONEL WEIRD & LITTLE ANDROMED A Presents a Two-Fisted, Original Graphic Novel PORTLAND, OR (May 28, 2025) Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to announce CAVE GRAVE: WILD WEST TALES – a powerful and power burned collection of two previously self-published graphic novellas written and illustrated by acclaimed cartoonist and fast-rising star Shawn Kuruneru. Recently making Oni Press debut as the artist of THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY (with writer Chris Condon), Kuruneru is a Montreal-based writer/artist who also appeared in series including Fishflies (with writer/artist Jeff Lemire) and Black Hammer: Colonel Weird & Little Andromeda (with writer Tate Brombal). Slated for release as a uniquely sized and specially designed hardcover collection in March 2026, CAVE GRAVE: WILD WEST TALES will mark the first widely available solo collection of work from one of the most closely watched cartoonists in the industry today. CAVE GRAVE: WILD WEST TALES features two startling stories of double-crossing desperation and hopeless humanity set against a backdrop of the lawless Wild West. In Cave Grave, the art of double-crossing is taken to a new extreme as three struggling thieves attempt to pull off the heist of a lifetime—only to realize they've stolen more than they bargained for. In Poor Moon, a cowboy searching for purpose turns to bounty hunting. Catch, return, reward—it's simple, until he picks up a bounty that'll change his life forever… Shawn Kuruneru CAVE GRAVE collects two Western stories, Cave Grave and Poor Moon. Cave Grave starts as a straightforward heist story that follows outlaw brothers Jimmy and Harv, and their friend the ruthless Jacky Boy. After stealing a mysterious satchel, the thieves hide in a cave where they discover a creature lurking in the shadows and must overcome their greed to make it out alive. Then, in Poor Moon, an ex-soldier turned bounty hunter named Held yearns for peace. One last big score sets him on a journey searching for the wanted Cassie the killer. The closer Held gets to Cassie, the more he is pulled into a world of violence and murder. I love drawing the Western environment and wanted to write crime stories in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock—psychological edge, unexpected twists, and a focus on the characters' internal struggles and paranoia. These two stories deal with a constant desire for wealth and power, and how that obsession can manifest into something monstrous. Editor Megan Brown Shawn's gorgeous, evocative art will take you back to the Wild West at its most desperate, its most greedy, and its most tragic. A stunning look at the vastness of the environment and those struggling to make a name within it, these stories will leave you wanting more—and we're so excited for folks to be able to experience them soon in comic shops and bookstores.' Saddle up and get ready to ride to the edge of your seat when Shawn Kuruneru's CAVE GRAVE: WILD WESTERN TALES arrives in comic shops and bookstores everywhere on March 3, 2026! For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Spent by Alison Bechdel review – the graphic novelist faces up to midlife
Alison Bechdel emerged in the 1980s with Dykes to Watch Out For, a groundbreaking weekly strip that featured a group of mostly lesbian friends. Since then, her acclaimed graphic novels have focused mainly on herself and her family. Fun Home in 2006 (exploring her closeted, funeral-director father's suicide and her coming out) was followed by Are You My Mother? (psychoanalysis and her relationship with her mother) and The Secret to Superhuman Strength (her compulsive exercising, from karate and crunches to snowshoeing). These three erudite, pensive and observant works spend most of their time looking back. Where the modern Bechdel is present, she is mostly sketching, editing and narrating her past, and contemplating how everyone from Jack Kerouac and Virginia Woolf to paediatrician Donald Winnicott can help her shed light on it. In Spent, by contrast, we meet an Alison Bechdel who lives largely in the present. She writes and draws in rural Vermont, campaigns for progressive causes and hangs out with her friends and her wife, Holly. Yet this book-Alison is not quite the real Bechdel. In Spent, Alison's father was a taxidermist, not a mortician; Bechdel's two brothers have been replaced by a Maga-loving sister. In our world, Fun Home has been made into a Tony-winning musical and is being (slowly) developed into a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The equivalent in Spent is Death and Taxidermy, a graphic memoir whose very loose TV adaptation (dragons and cannibalism feature, alongside Aubrey Plaza and Benedict Cumberbatch) is on to its third season. The book-Alison has mixed feelings about its success, but the royalties help fund the pygmy goat sanctuary she runs with Holly, and give her the leeway to prevaricate as she plans a new work: $um, an accounting of money and her life, with a little help from Karl Marx. Progress is slow: headlines about Trump's first term blare from her device screens, the goats are grabbing every opportunity to breed, Holly is increasingly keen to film everything for her social feeds and Covid has the world in its grip. America is atomised, with 'a zillion streaming options with six people tuned into each of them', Alison says. 'No wonder the country's a mess.' Yet Spent is anything but a book about a writer's lonely lot. Alison's liberal community bustles with gossip and life. There are vets to befriend, new neighbours to meet, anticolonial Thanksgiving dinners to attend and speeches to give against book banning. Just down the road, her friends Ginger, Lois, Sparrow and Stuart share a house, this quartet – in another metafictional twist – having wandered over from the panels of Dykes to Watch Out For. Spent, then, feels less like a fictionalised autobiography and more a gathering of threads from Bechdel's life and work, a celebration of and a rumination on where she has landed in late middle age, and how some of her fictional creations might live alongside her. That doesn't mean first-time readers won't enjoy it. Bechdel's acutely observant line drawings – here enriched with warm colour by the real-life Holly – lend themselves wonderfully to the alternately comfortable, intimate and awkward interactions of her cast as they gather around tamari-roasted turnips and fennel flambé to shoot the breeze. There's always been a spark to Bechdel's work, despite its often serious themes, and writing about herself from a greater fictional distance seems to have given her more room to have fun. Dramas and mishaps unspool with a lightly comic charm that belies the darkness in the world outside, from Alison's optimistic side-hustle (she pitches a reality TV show based on ethical living) to Sparrow and Stuart's experiment as a throuple with old friend Naomi (a vegan purple dildo is delivered with a wink by a FedEx driver). Yet it's longtime fans who will get the most from Spent. There's a real joy to seeing characters return, their shapes a little baggier, their hair greyer, but their spirits the same. If you've treasured sharing Bechdel's days spent hunched over her diary as a pale and anxious child, or cycling up the Adirondacks as a fitness-mad thirtysomething, it's poignant to meet an Alison whose fierce self-analysis has mellowed a little. There's a pathos, too, in seeing once-young radicals engage with a younger generation, in the form of Sparrow and Stuart's daughter JR, who has returned to Vermont after the collapse of her polycule. Spent isn't perfect. At times Alison's world, with its 'Shmetflix' and 'Schmamazon' and 'sage and sawdust' gluten-free stuffing, seems broad pastiche. There are stretches where you feel like you're watching comfortably off semi-retirees cosplaying as agricultural workers. Yet while Spent may lack some of the raw power of Bechdel's earlier work, this wise and playful tale has deep roots. On a flight back from pitching half-interested streaming networks about her reality TV show Alison soars over the 'intriguingly wrinkled landscape of the south-west', asks for a pencil and starts drawing over a TV script, the 'rasp of graphite on paper … opening the flat page into another dimension'. It's a neat epiphany and a lovely summary of the craft of comics, and it feels thoroughly earned. By the end of Spent, Alison has learned that she can't do everything, but that perhaps doing something – and being in the moment with people you love – is enough. It's an almost cosy conclusion, undercut by what we know but the book-Alison does not: that Trump will return, not long after her account has finished. Will Alison keep her newfound joie de vivre? I hope we get to find out. Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel is published by Jonathan Cape (£20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Travelers Avoid Trips to Japan Over Viral Comic Book's Quake Prediction
Holiday bookings to Japan from key Asian markets have plunged ahead of the busy summer season. The cause: Rumors of an impending earthquake prophesied in a manga graphic novel. Social media and viral posts have unsettled travelers and renewed attention to manga artist Ryo Tatsuki 's prediction of a huge earthquake that would inundate Japan with tsunami waves. Tatsuki, whom some claim predicted Japan's 2011 earthquake, gives July 2025 as the date of the impending event in a graphic novel that was first published back in 1999.
