There’s nothing more exciting than a maternity ward waiting room on Father’s Day…unless, of course, it’s a brand-spanking-new comic convention. On Sunday, February 16, in Concord, California, when people should be out having breakfast at the local coffee shop, they instead lined up to make their way into the Concord Hilton. Just past the Bay Area Ghostbusters ambulance and into the glass-lined hallway that looked out onto an atrium filled with cosplayers, comic book fans, and memorabilia collectors, convention goers waited to get their hands stamped.
The bat signal shines against the orange pillar of the Golden Gate Bridge as Gotham City’s villains traveled west to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting City by the Bay. Thankfully, in the far reaches of Siskiyou County, the message was received, calling forth Batkid from his secret lair in Tulelake. For this pint-size superhero, fighting crime alongside Batman is a dream come true.
San Francisco’s Alternative Press Expo (APE) celebrated its twentieth anniversary on October 12 and 13. APE is different from most cons in that it shines a light on self-publishers and alternative creators so they don’t have “to compete with major publishers or movie studios.”
Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel was the final book assigned for my college course on comics. In a class heavy on superhero origins, I thought a modern graphic novel would be a good add to the mix—plus it was a top book of 2013. Sailor Twain is a love story…no, wait, it’s a mystery, or a tale of the occult, possibly a history lesson—a theme-heavy tome that can even be described as a noir fairy tale—talk about postmodern.
As I walked through the doors of the San Jose Convention Center on Saturday, May 18, the first thing I encountered was a line --- it seems you can’t have a con without lines. After I figured out which line to get in, thankfully not the one for people who wanted tickets to meet Stan Lee, I was harassed, or I should say judged, by a couple of uniformed Judges from the Dredd series and found not guilty of cutting in front of dozens of other attendees waiting in the myriad snakes of people. Whew!
An overstuffed youngster in a Captain America costume grabs the cake and jumps back to his coveted position, trying to balance the plate, the fork, and his comic books.
“How do you spell your name?” Gene Luen Yang asks, his Sharpie hovering over the cover of the Free Comic Book Day edition of Avatar. “With an X or a C?”
“A-L-E-X.”
“You’re better than Space Mountain,” his mother tells the Printz Prize-winning author of American Born Chinese. “We only had to wait an hour for that ride. We waited two-and-a-half hours to get inside here so we could meet you.”
We hear it on the television news, radio talk shows, and the internet: America’s public education system is failing. At least that’s what the media wants you to believe.
Wandering through the aisles of Big Wow ComicFest this weekend in San Jose, California, I wondered how I could have missed all these great books!? Did I miss my last GraphicNovelReporter newsletter? I think not. Big Wow ComicFest hosts some of the best-kept secret artists and authors in northern California. It also claims to be the home of the original artist-friendly show—and we’re talking artists with a capital “A.” The quality of work is outstanding; the willingness to share is exceptional, while the panels were just plain fun.
“Hear ye! Hear ye!,” intoned Ron Leone, Mayor of Concord, California. “Whereas Joe Field the owner of Flying Colors Comics and the Founder of Free Comic Book Day,”
WonderCon, held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center April 1-3, 2011, celebrated its 25th birthday with 40,000 of its closest friends. Before blowing out the candles, attendees snaked through lines of animated comic, sci-fi, and pop culture fans as flash bulbs blinded even the most intrepid. Costumed superheroes posed with mere mortals creating postcards of Captain America, Wolverine, and the Bay Area Ghostbusters, or pinup calendars of Poison Ivy, Elektra, and Batgirl. But before heading out to the exhibition floor, a birthday cake needed cutting.
Barnes & Noble has announced the 14 finalists for their 2025 Book of the Year. Which of these books, if any, would you pick as the B&N Book of the Year? Please check all that apply.
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from October 31st to November 14th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of NASH FALLS by David Baldacci and QUEEN ESTHER by John Irving.
Our major goal for 2025 is to redesign Bookreporter and the rest of the sites in The Book Report Network. How can you help? We have launched a GoFundMe campaign and are asking for donations. Any level of donation that you would be comfortable with is sincerely appreciated. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to:
The Book Report, Inc.
16 Mt. Bethel Road, Suite 365
Warren, NJ 07059
Click here to read more about our plans and to donate.
Coming Soon
Curious about what books will be released in the months ahead so you can pre-order or reserve them? Then click on the months below.
October's Books on Screen roundup includes the films The Woman in Cabin 10 on Netflix and Regretting You in theaters; the series premieres of HBO's "IT: Welcome to Derry" and Apple TV+'s "Down Cemetery Road"; the season premieres of "Tracker" and "Watson" on CBS; the season finales of USA Network's "The Rainmaker," STARZ's "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," AMC's "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" and Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses"; the continuation of "The Morning Show" on Apple TV+; and the DVD/Blu-ray releases of She Rides Shotgun, I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
The bat signal shines against the orange pillar of the Golden Gate Bridge as Gotham City’s villains traveled west to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting City by the Bay. Thankfully, in the far reaches of Siskiyou County, the message was received, calling forth Batkid from his secret lair in Tulelake. For this pint-size superhero, fighting crime alongside Batman is a dream come true.
