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If I told you a secret cabal of the comics industry's most important players had been working behind the scenes for years to implement an important change for how comics are sold, your ears would perk up, right? But if I told you this change was to get expanded BISAC codes for kids and YA graphic novels they'd probably perk right down again, right?

According to publisher promotional materials, Ghosts, the new graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier will have a 500,000 copy first printing. I believe this is the biggest first printing ever for a pure graphic novel. (not counting Wimpy Kid this time.) In other words, Raina rules! We finally have a legit home grown best selling cartoonist […]

Whaaa-at!!! When I first saw this profile of Luke PEarson in The New Yorker, I was pleased as punch. I called Pearson one of the best emerging cartoonists when I first saw his work four years ago and since then he's definitely emerged are a best selling author. But then I got to the third paragraph with the huge news that Pearson's Hilda series is being adapted as a 12-episode animated series set to debut on Netflix in 2018. The series will be based on the first four Hilda books, all published by Nobrow. The series will be produced by Silvergate Media (The Octonauts and Peter Rabbit.)

Massachusetts cartoonist Melissa Mendes has a knack for comics that not only center on kids, but present the world from their points of view with an unromantic honesty. Her first major work, the Freddy Stories collection, and her most recent project, the serialized webcomic The Weight both show off her prowess, and Lou, a collection […]

Almost every other post on my Facebook feed recently is about Batman vs Superman. That’s okay… I get it… It’s a Major Motion Picture, a tent-pole movie, the foundation of a franchise. But man…  someone added too much carbon to the Man of Steel… He’s PG-13, and soon to be Rated R. You can’t really […]

Last year, Marvel launched their new Star Wars comics by offering remastered editions of the original comic book adaptations. Well…  next March, Lusasfilm Press will release a brand new graphic novel adaptation of the original trilogy (AKA “A New Hope Strikes the Jedi”)! I can’t discover who made this; it’s listed as “LucasFilm Book Group”. Disney […]

Papercutz, the kids-friendly brainchild of Terry Nantier and Jim Salicrup, has announced 41 new titles for Fall 2016! They have an interesting mix: original graphic novels, imports from overseas, classics from decades past, and the occasional licensed property. So, what are the highlights? BARBIE! Yes, you might have heard and seen that Ms. Roberts has undergone a corporate […]

The DC Super Hero Girls franchise, which appears to my pretty darned toyetic, is moving right along, with the first print graphic novel announced: DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS. As previously announced, it will be written by Shea Fontana, with art by Yancey Labat, colors by Monica Kubina, and lettering by Janice Chiang. The book goes on sale on July 6th.

Ape Entertainment has kind of been MIA for a while, but they are still around and just announced a partnership with Sesame Workshop, and three Sesame Street comics featuring Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the rest of the crew. (No Maria?) Another Sunny Day (October 28), Blast from the Past (November 23), and Many Friendly Neighbors (January 1) are stand alone periodical comics aimed at the preschool crowd.

Noelle Stevenson’s YA graphic Nimona, published by HarperCollins and based on her webcomics, has been named a National Book Awards finalist — this is the Oscars of the book worlds and Stevenson is now the Quvenzhané Wallis as at the age of 23, Stevenson is the youngest finalist in the history of the awards. Nimona–a […]

As the recent visit to the Small Press Expo showed, there is no shortage of supremely talented cartoonists out there. And the folks at First Second are taking full advantage of this by scooping them up. The latest is Drew Weing whose webcomic The Creepy Casefiles of Margo Maloo will be published next year. Geek Dad has details and an interview. Weing (Set to Sea) has been publishing the comic online since 2014; the print edition comes out in September 2016. It's lovely charming and spooky.

Here's an exclusive first look at the trailer for Craig Thompson's Space Dumplins, his long awaited first graphic novel for kids. It goes on sale next week.

We’ve been telling you about the big plans from new publisher Z2 Comics for a while now, including their launch of a line of periodical comics. The flagship title is Ian McGinty’s Welcome to Showside, a charming all-ages tale about Kit, a friendly little demon, and his pals and Kit’s desire to escape from the […]

Talk about a dream team: Hope Larson, author of the Wrinkle in Time GN adaptation and her own outstanding books Mercury and many more, is teaming with Rebecca Mock, the gif maestro and illustrator, for a new two book series aimed at middle grade readers. The first, Compass South, comes out June 2016 and deals […]

As you may know, I keep a little feed of Amazon's best selling graphic novels in my desktop, just to see what's charting. It's usually the same seven or eight books—Klling Joke, Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Saga, Fun Home, Persepolis and so on. But this week, along with a strong week for anything by Scott Snyder about Batman, there is a new #1 book, and it comes with a whiff of the new: Fart Wars by J.B. O'Neil. O'Neil who has self published this and several other volumes in The Disgusting Adventures of Milo Snotrocket series, has found a formula so profound it's truly astonishing no one came up with it before: mix one part Star Wars parody, one part Wimpy Kid simple drawing, and 20 parts fart humor and you have something that is smelling, er, selling briskly in the Kindle format.

This news arrived via an email ad blast in my inbox, but it doesn’t change the import of it: Raina Telgemeier’s Smile has been on the New York Times bestseller list for three straight years, and she also recently achieved a rare top four sweep of the spots with Smile, Sisters, Drama and the reissued colorized Babysitter’s Club.

Raina’s selection as Person of the Year was deeply deserved, but it’s significant to me that her stature in the publishing world is probably larger than her profile in the comics world—which isn’t to say that she isn’t a big deal in comics, but kids book are still finding their place at the table usually reserved for superheroes and adult literary comics.

With at least 1.4 million copies of Smile in print, it’s definitely one of the best selling graphic novels in the US. And she has more books on the way—currently Telgemeier is working on a new book that will include “paranormal elements.” Can she have FIVE books on the list at the same time? Stay tuned.

It’s the 96th Annual Children’s Book Week, and this year’s theme is COMICS. This is a great team up because, as I’ve noted many times in my life, kids like reading comics. To help celebrate, our pals at First Second have reached out to some of their authors to get their picks for favorite kids comics, and kicking things off we have the one and only James Kochalka, whose many kids books include “The Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie” “Johnny Boo Book 1: The Best Little Ghost In The World and “Johnny Boo Meets Dragon Puncher” . Take it away, James:
———

Teen Dog by Jake Lawrence

It’s laugh out loud funny story of a Fonzi-like teenage dog and his human friends, the and the art is gorgeous and super crisp and clear.  My boys (age 7 and 11) and I eagerly devoured each of the eight issues.  But what’s next?!  Jake, I’m sure whatever you do next is going to totally rock.

Petite Poilu by Pierre Bailly and Céline Fraipont
These haven’t been published yet in the USA, but they’re wordless books so they’re great for importing even if you don’t know French.  I discovered it when I was a guest at Angouleme a few years back.  Petite Poilu translates as Little Hairy.  It’s about a little boy creature who has surreal adventures.  There are 16 volumes out so far, with the 17th due out in June, and they’re all staggeringly good.  It kind of reminds me a little bit of Jim Woodring’s Frank, if the Frank stories were happier.

Bone by Jeff Smith
No other epic adventure comic even comes close.  In fact it’s the only epic adventure I hold in as high esteem as I hold The Lord of the Rings.  Everything else is just a pretender by comparison.

Leave it To PET! by Kenji Sonishi
This is the funniest comic I have ever read.  It’s about a boy who recycles a can and the can comes back as a robot.  Throughout the series they meet dozens of other robots made of recycled stuff.  Everybody acts just completely off-the-hook insane.  It’s total bonkers fun.

Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond
I love the way storytelling is so different in ongoing weekly serials than it is in a modern graphic novel.  To read them all together in a row gives you a totally new idea of what a story can be.  It’s a seemingly archaic form, but it has a lot to teach us about narrative.  Flash Gordon is great, and it’s what I’m reading right now to the boys, but there are other great ones.  The collections of Popeye dailies are probably even better, actually.

It’s our annual announcement of the biggest graphic novel of the year!

Wimpy Kid #10 will be out on November 3rd and it will be called Old School…and it will sell millions of copies, just like all the Wimpy Kid books before it. The cover was revealed via Twitter:

Today we revealed the cover for Book 10 in a webcast! Hope you like it! pic.twitter.com/eHBhlJXe2i

— Jeff Kinney (@wimpykid) April 27, 2015

The title and cover were also discussed in a webcast.

Many moons ago, the Beat was the venue for the new Wimpy Kid covert debut. It’s true!!! I can’t find the post now because it happened when Ned Stark was alive. But social media has improved a bit since then, and other people like book jacket reveals!

Kinney’s Wimpy Kid books have sold more than 120 million copes worldwide and are a certified phenomenon, and the biggest book series now being published. Kids can’t get enough of the Greg Heffley-eyed view of the world. And just to prove what a cool guy he is, instead of spending his millions on fast cars and liquor, author Kinney opening an indie bookstore in his hometown of Plainville, MASS

Indie bookselling may be financially risky, but Kinney has planned the nearly 3,000-sq.-ft. bookstore and cafe carefully. And he’s had a chance to observe many stores firsthand on his book tours. “An Unlikely Story allows me to play with the truth,” Kinney says, explaining the store’s name. “We’re going to have fun with fables and tall tales.” That includes a replica of a Quidditch match above the children’s section, and books that appear to be flying overhead elsewhere in the store.

During the construction, Kinney has been visiting the store at least twice a day. “It gives me a sense of satisfaction,” he says. Even more satisfying is the opportunity to bring a bookstore to his community, after so many new bookstores have closed, including one where he grew up in Fort Washington, Md. “When I was a kid, we had a bookstore in my town that sold new books and magazines. I visited a few times a week, and the books I purchased there had a huge impact on my life,” Kinney says. “And then one day, the bookstore was gone and a valuable asset to the community was lost.”

Long before comics for younger readers were fashionable, there was Kids Comic Con, the brainchild of writer Alex Simmons. The ninth edition of the event will be held this year on April 25th at the Bronx Community College from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be comics guests, workshops, face painting and everything else needed for a fun family day.

All the info on the fest is presented below the fold.

The annual event continues KCC’s mission to encourage positivity through imagination and creativity, with special kid-targeted programming including drawing workshops, special presentations, cosplayers, panels and autograph signings by a variety of comics industry and children’s entertainment professionals.

“KCC’s primary goal is to promote reading, creativity, and exploration in kids’ lives,” KCC organizer Alex Simmons said. “We believe it’s so important that young people embrace a continuous flow of positive ideas, skills, and outlets for their thinking as well as self-esteem.”

 Guests already confirmed for the April 25^th event include:

 

• Alex Simmons (comics writer-playwright-educator, Archie, Scooby Doo, Tarzan)
• Alitha Martinez (artist, Marvel, DC, Archie, etc.)
• Louis Henry Mitchell (Sesame Street Workshop artist & art director)
• Diana Leto (artist on Tarzan, My Little Pony, artist/co-creator of Halloween Legion)
• Emilio Velez Jr. (artist/creator of The Dodgeball Teens)
• Ray Felix (comics artist-creator/Bronx Heroes)
• Gregory Garay (Visual Verbosity)
• Joey Endres and Jesus Marquez (artists and co-creators, Space Scamps)
• Jim Salicrup (Papercutz)
• John-Marc Grob/JMG Studio (multimedia studio – FriendFish children’s books, comics, animation)
• Matt Herring (comics author, and host of Secret Identity podcast )
• Mark Mariano (Happyloo, Flabbergast creator-artist)
• Paul Castiglia (comic writer and editor, Archie, DC, Dark Horse)
• Pronto Comics (comics publishers)
• Scary Monsters Nice Sprites
• Tim Fielder (creator/animator of Matty’s Rocket)
• Mike Lopez (educator, kids’ comics advocate)

 

Kics Comic Con founder Alex Simmons

An exciting new addition to this year’s programming will be role-playing card game tournaments featuring Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic, the Gathering. The Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments will be open to both Junior ($7 entry fee) and Expert ($12 entry fee) levels. Yu-Gi-Oh! contestants will receive one free booster pack with entry. The Magic tournament will be a Star City Games open trial. Both tournaments are sponsored by The Lair, the Bronx’s premiere comics and gaming store, “Where Collectors Dwell!” The tournaments are open to all ages and prizes will be given for both. Visit www.facebook.com/thelair1808 for more information.

More guests, panels, workshops and special presentations in the works for KCC 9 will be announced soon, including some one-of-a-kind, interactive experiences not to be missed!

Preceding the flagship event, on April 11 and 12 the KCC Road Show crew will travel to the Meadowlands, New Jersey to take part in the “Kids Love Comics Pavilion” at the first-ever East Coast Comic Con.

“The ‘Kids Love Comics Pavilion’ offers a wonderful opportunity for KCC to bring its ‘comics and kids: perfect together!’ message to the masses. The organizers of East Coast Comic Con are very supportive of kids’ comics and we appreciate the opportunity to exhibit there,” said Simmons.

KCC-affiliated guests for the East Coast Comic Con’s “Kids Love Comics Pavilion” include the afore-mentioned Simmons, Fielder, Castiglia, Leto, Mariano, Endres and Grob, along with:

• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (puppeteer and voice of Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby)
• Noel MacNeal (Writer, Director, Puppeteer, voice of Bear in the Big Blue House)

In addition to having artists at the table doing sketches and demonstrating drawing tricks, KCC will be offering special programming during the East Coast Comic Con including:

“Sci-Tech Heroes”: In this amazing hands-on workshop Alex Simmons demonstrates how to explore and create superheroes and villains using the boundless regions of science and the imaginative realm of comics. Kids will discuss the powers and abilities of popular comic book characters, and then create their own.

“Try Your ‘Hand’ at Puppets”: Emmy nominated puppeteer Noel MacNeal will conduct a “puppeteering workshop” based on his best-selling book, 10-Minute Puppets. Learn the pro puppeteers’ “secrets of lip-sync and manipulation, make a simple puppet, and operate professionally made puppets!

“Jump Start Your Imagination!”: Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and her wonderful puppet friend Lolly Lardpop are committed to spreading joy and the power of creativity though this wonderful and wacky interactive workshop. Join them as Leslie shows kids how to have fun through puppetry, imagination, and the creative arts!

“Pixel Portraits”: A Digital Storytelling Workshop by the creator of Matty’s Rocket, Tim Fielder, showcasing his storyboarding process of panel-to-panel techniques for comics, animation and film.

 

Autograph signing schedules for both the East Coast Comic Con and KCC 9 will be announced at a future date, as will post-KCC 9 events in the works for the Road Show team.

 

“Since 2007 our annual Kids Comic Con event has introduced thousands of kids and families to the power of imagination and creativity,” added Simmons. “Our Road Shows have traveled from everywhere from Chicago to Miami, from Jamaica to Africa, and we continue to bring interactive programming to Ronald McDonald House NYC and partner with them, and others, in its fight for children against cancer.”

 

This year’s KCC events follow a very successful 2014 that found the KCC team not only organizing KCC 8 but also revving up the “KCC Roadshow” for special events including The South Carolina Book Festival, Chicago’s C2E2 and Awesome Con in Washington, DC. The team also participated in two special happenings for Ronald McDonald House (RMH), including a Sesame Street-themed NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) reunion party of children born prematurely, and the first ever “Superhero For a Day” event for the patients and families staying at RMH.

 

Simmons added, “This year, we’re launching a program called ‘KCC International Comic Club.’ Our inaugural effort will unites student and teachers in the United States, Senegal, and Ireland in a collaborative, comics-creating project. A formal announcement detailing this project as well as other upcoming KCC events will be made soon.”

 

The 2015 KIDS COMIC CON is set for April 25 at Bronx Community College, 181^st Street and University Avenue, Bronx, NY from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For additional information and up-to-the-minute programming updates, please visit www.facebook.com/KidsComiCon.

Or at least that’s what we got out of these extremely not hard to figure out teaser images:

Papercutz previously published comics based on the RABBIDS cartoon which aired on Nickelodeon. In addition they’ve had pretty massive success with their other kids titles such as Ninjago, Geronimo Stilton and so on. No reason to think this won’t work, too.

The ComicsPRO meeting is currently underway in Portland, OR, with publishers, retailers and a few miscellaneous types on hand to plot the future of comics. Although closed to press, news tends to leak out in a timely fashion. We’ll keep you posted on more development.

Graphic novels for children are on a roll these days, and that was backed up by the Children’s Choice Award nominations, as reported by the CBLDF blog. Winners will be chosen by children voting online. GN nominees are noted in RED.

THIRD TO FOURTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR (Three out of the five books in this category are graphic novels!)

Claude at the Beach by Alex T. Smith (Peachtree Publishers)
The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza by James Kochalka (First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Happy Birthday, Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matt Holm (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, illustrated by John Gomes (Arbordale Publishing)
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic)

FIFTH TO SIXTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson (HMH Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group)
Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, illustrated by John Rocco (Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group)
Temple Run: Race Through Time to Unlock Secrets of Ancient Worlds by Tracey West (National Geographic Children’s Books)
The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic)
The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

CHILDREN’S CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR

Cece Bell, El Deafo (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)
Natalie Lloyd, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Press)
Katherine Roy, Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands (David Macaulay Studio/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Piers Torday, The Last Wild (Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group)
J.A. White, The Thickety: A Path Begins (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artists: Rosy Higgins and Ted Brandt

Publisher: Action Lab

This installment in the ongoing Princeless series is everything you could want from a title like Princeless: The Pirate Princess #1. A tough and self-assured lead, whose Father trained her from childhood to be a quiet, efficient warrior of the high-seas as opposed to a princess waiting in a tower for rescue. Yet in the latter situation is exactly where Raven Xingtao, the pirate princess, finds herself in the opening pages of the book. Yet it’s two other princesses on a large pink dragon that end up breaking into Raven’s tower. Adrienne is clearly not “wearing her husbands armor” as a Knight loitering beneath the tower discovers to his peril, and Bedelia formidably wields a large Harley-Quinn style mallet. Raven easily falls in with the trio leading to several action packed scenes.

Admittedly, this is was my first brush with the Princeless series, but the story was easy enough to follow. I would have liked to learn just a little bit more about Raven and her brothers before the issue ended, though. We’re fed some tantalizing bits–such as the fact that her brothers put her in the very tower she escaped from, apparently with the blessing of Raven’s Pirate King father. This is quite a reversal from the flashback scene that opened the issue, which found the King grooming a young Raven to follow in her great-grandmother Ming’s fierce, legendary pirate-of-the-Rim-Sea footsteps.

Rosy Higgins Ted Brandt are a lovely art team on this book, giving the story and action the look and feel of an animated series that would have fit right into the Disney’s afternoon programming block. Sadly, in those days princesses did not get to save themselves. Writer Jeremy Whitley seems more than aware of this fact, and the whole package makes Princeless: The Pirate Princess #1 incredibly appealing to anyone who wants a little less damsel-in-distress and a little more Kick-Ass in their fairy tales.

When Scholastic launched its Graphix imprint 10 years ago, graphic novels were a novelty, if you can pardon the expression, in the mainstream publishing world. And kids comics were an unknown quantity—comics shops didn’t want them and bookstores didn’t know what to do with them. In the first wave, there were many miscues and misunderstandings at many houses along the way. But Graphix wasn’t the one making them. Granted, starting out a line with Jeff Smith’s Bone is about as much a sure thing as possible—6.9 million copies in print and counting. But picking Raina Telgemeier to do a Babysitter’s Club relaunch and eventually Smile, and Kazu Kibuishi to publish his Amulet series weren’t as sure—but they sure paid off. Along the way Graphix has picked up multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a Stonewall Book Award, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor, an Edgar Allan Poe nomination, and 14 New York Times bestsellers. They’ve published many more top cartoonists such as Doug TenNapel, Greg Ruth, Mike Maihack and Jimmy Gownley. And there’s more to come.

To celebrate their tenth anniversary—Bone: Out From Boneville was published in 20o5—Scholastic has some cool stuff on tap. To kick things off they’re revealing two covers for the first time:

Craig Thompson’s Space Dumplins comes out in August. It’s the first kids book by the acclaimed author of Blankets and Habibi, and his first one in full-color, with Dave Stewart adding hues.

And the sister/brother duo of  Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, best selling authors of Babymouse and Squish have a new one as well: Sunny Side Up (August 25, 2015; ages 8-12), which is a semi-autobiographical story, their first.

In addition, 12 Graphix artists have created new art that will be offered as prints throughout the year at events and online. The line-up: James Burks, Nathan Fox, Jimmy Gownley, Matthew Holm, Kazu Kibuishi, Mike Maihack, Dave Roman, Greg Ruth, Jeff Smith, Raina Telgemeier, Doug TenNapel, and Craig Thompson. Events include ALA Midwinter (Chicago, IL), Emerald City Comic Con (Seattle, WA), Texas Library Association (Austin, TX), BookExpo (New York City, NY), ALA Annual (San Francisco, CA), Comic-Con International (San Diego, California), Long Beach Comic Expo (Long Beach, CA), Salt Lake Comic Con (Salt Lake City, UT), and New York Comic Con (New York City, NY).

Finally, on February  24, Graphic will publish BONE #1: Out from Boneville, Tribute Edition, with a new illustrated poem from  Jeff Smith and new tribute art from sixteen top artists.

Along with the cover reveal, Graphic has announced some future projects:

• Two more installments in the Amulet series
• A new graphic novel, as yet untitled, by Kazu Kibuishi
• Books 3 and 4 in Mike Maihack’s Cleopatra in Space series
• And from Raina Telgemeier, a nonfiction family story in the vein of  Smile and Sisters), a collection of short stories, and a fictional graphic novel.

It’s definitely worth giving Graphix and its founder, David Saylor, a tip of the cap. 10 years ago it was a gamble. Today it’s an institution.

When Scholastic launched its Graphix imprint 10 years ago, graphic novels were a novelty, if you can pardon the expression, in the mainstream publishing world. And kids comics were an unknown quantity—comics shops didn’t want them and bookstores didn’t know what to do with them. In the first wave, there were many miscues and misunderstandings at many houses along the way. But Graphix wasn’t the one making them. Granted, starting out a line with Jeff Smith’s Bone is about as much a sure thing as possible—6.9 million copies in print and counting. But picking Raina Telgemeier to do a Babysitter’s Club relaunch and eventually Smile, and Kazu Kibuishi to publish his Amulet series weren’t as sure—but they sure paid off. Along the way Graphix has picked up multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a Stonewall Book Award, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor, an Edgar Allan Poe nomination, and 14 New York Times bestsellers. They’ve published many more top cartoonists such as Doug TenNapel, Greg Ruth, Mike Maihack and Jimmy Gownley. And there’s more to come.

To celebrate their tenth anniversary—Bone: Out From Boneville was published in 20o5—Scholastic has some cool stuff on tap. To kick things off they’re revealing two covers for the first time:

Craig Thompson’s Space Dumplins comes out in August. It’s the first kids book by the acclaimed author of Blankets and Habibi, and his first one in full-color, with Dave Stewart adding hues.

And the sister/brother duo of  Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, best selling authors of Babymouse and Squish have a new one as well: Sunny Side Up (August 25, 2015; ages 8-12), which is a semi-autobiographical story, their first.

In addition, 12 Graphix artists have created new art that will be offered as prints throughout the year at events and online. The line-up: James Burks, Nathan Fox, Jimmy Gownley, Matthew Holm, Kazu Kibuishi, Mike Maihack, Dave Roman, Greg Ruth, Jeff Smith, Raina Telgemeier, Doug TenNapel, and Craig Thompson. Events include ALA Midwinter (Chicago, IL), Emerald City Comic Con (Seattle, WA), Texas Library Association (Austin, TX), BookExpo (New York City, NY), ALA Annual (San Francisco, CA), Comic-Con International (San Diego, California), Long Beach Comic Expo (Long Beach, CA), Salt Lake Comic Con (Salt Lake City, UT), and New York Comic Con (New York City, NY).

Finally, on February  24, Graphic will publish BONE #1: Out from Boneville, Tribute Edition, with a new illustrated poem from  Jeff Smith and new tribute art from sixteen top artists.

Along with the cover reveal, Graphic has announced some future projects:

• Two more installments in the Amulet series
• A new graphic novel, as yet untitled, by Kazu Kibuishi
• Books 3 and 4 in Mike Maihack’s Cleopatra in Space series
• And from Raina Telgemeier, a nonfiction family story in the vein of  Smile and Sisters), a collection of short stories, and a fictional graphic novel.

It’s definitely worth giving Graphix and its founder, David Saylor, a tip of the cap. 10 years ago it was a gamble. Today it’s an institution.

When IDW acquired Top Shelf a few weeks ago, there was much talk about creators like Alan Moore staying around, but Top Shelf’s Chris Staros made it clear that he had discussed the move in advance with his top creators.

One much liked book that Top Shelf published for about a decade is Andy Runton’s Owly series, a steady seller that helped establish kids content in the indy world long before it was fashionable. However, as noted by Johanna Draper Carlson, Runton tweeted that he would be self-publishing Owly going forward.

I reached out to Runton for more information and he explained that this had aboslutely nothing to do with the IDW deal. His contract with Top Shelf actually ran out last year, and he had made plans to self publisher starting then. “I’ve been thinking about self publishing for a long time and have gotten some great advice from Terry and Robyn Moore,” he told The Beat. However, a series of personal setbacks put this on hold for all of 2014, and he has no firm publishing lans yet. Hopefully, we’ll see Owly coming back in 2015, and Runton back on top form.