After the passing of Will Eisner, his widow, Ann, asked Will’s nephew Carl Gropper and his wife, Nancy, to help with both the Will Eisner Studios and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation. That help has taken on many forms, one of the most recent being the announcement that the foundation was partnering with the American Library Association (ALA) to create the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries. Libraries have been integral not only to the success of comics, graphic novels, and manga over the past decade (and more), but also to the newfound respect the format has received from readers and the public at large. These new grants will, according to the foundation, encourage “public awareness about the rise and importance of graphic literature and honoring the creative excellence of Will Eisner.” This is an outstanding opportunity for libraries, and applications for the grant are being taken now (until February 7). Click here to apply and/or for more information.

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Both in movies and on television, comic-inspired entertainment keeps on dominating. WALKING DEAD, of course, is at the top of the ratings heap, and ARROW and AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. are doing well. Here’s a list of some more films and TV showing how Hollywood is looking to comics for new ideas.

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While you wait for Season 4 of THE WALKING DEAD to return on February 10, here's a little zombie humor to get you by. A superfan of the show had his dream come true when he joined up with Rick himself (Andrew Lincoln) and makeup artists from the show to pull a huge prank on actor Norman Reedus (who plays Darrell). Take a look (you can also watch on YouTube).

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Columbia University has just released news that its Libraries/Information Services’ Rare Book & Manuscript Library is acquiring the entire Kitchen Sink Press archive, which includes some 30 years’ worth of work from Denis Kitchen. The archive contains tens of thousands of letters and other correspondence from top creators, as well as pivotal pieces in the field of graphic novels, such as works by Art Spiegelman, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, R. Crumb, Al Capp, and many more. See the entire press release below.

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Our friends at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund shared the news that Dr. Meryl Jaffe has just conducted a webinar entitled “Hitting a Home Run: Integrating Nonfiction Graphic Novels in Your Lessons to Meet Divergent Student Needs and CCSS.” The title’s a mouthful, but the content is sharp and well-defined. It’s also a timely look at how Common Core needs can be met by comics. (You can view the whole webinar on CBLDF’s site.)

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GraphicNovelReporter is proud to present our list of the best graphic works of the year!

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I know there's been some controversy over the relaunch of the Spider-Man movie franchise. I never felt it. I loved the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy (or at least the first two) quite a bit, and I loved the new take on the wallcrawler that was released in 2012. I think Andrew Garfield makes for a fantastic Spider-Man, and I loved Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.

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Peter Kmet is a new kind of teacher. After graduating from teacher’s college in 2010, Kmet began a career as a visiting literary specialist at schools and libraries across his native Canada, and he uses comics to make his point. A huge fan of Marvel Comics, Kmet makes learning fun in a special way. We talked to him about how comics work so well in the classroom and the different way he is able to use comics to convey important lessons.

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Hundreds of fans --- mostly in their 20s --- gathered to hear Junot Diaz (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of DROWN, THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, and THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER) interviewed by Publishers Weekly and PW Comics editor Calvin Reid on Friday night in New York City. The gorgeous United Palace in Washington Heights hosted the event, which was sponsored by community bookshop Word Up.

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Two great organizations are teaming up in New York City this weekend, which is lucky news for you if you’re in the area and you’re a fan of creators like Jeff Smith, Paul Pope, Patrick McDonnell, Liza Donnelly, Michael Maslin, and Larry Marder.

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