In another packed episode, Iurgi and Mia discuss some of the latest news and new titles, which include two new graphic novels by Australian creators. Campbell Whyte returning with the highly anticipated Luna Express and Georgina Chadderton making her debut with Oh Brother. Also, the first twelve issues of Melbournian C.S. Pacat’s Fence have been collected into a new paperback.

02:00 Recent Reads

Mia:

Oh brother by Georgina Chadderton

Frieren: Beyond journey’s end, vol 1 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe

Iurgi:

Frieren vols 1 to 3

Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy by David Mazzuchelli, Lorenzo Mattotti, Paul Kurasik.

Luna Express by Campbell Whyte

10:42 News

• Edutopia highlights 12 middle-grade graphic novels that use visual storytelling to destigmatize mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
• Comics Bulletin ranks the top 10 standalone Batman graphic novels
• The 2025 Aurealis Awards finalists and the winner for Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Work.
• The Comic Arts Awards of Australia were announced at the end of January. These awards were celebrating the best Australian comics published in 2024. Bronze, Silver and Gold, they're all winners and Iurgi couldn't be happier with Chris Gooch's In Utero receiving gold.
• The American Library Association (ALA) has officially launched its Outstanding Comics Awards, marking a significant milestone in library-backed literary recognition. French publisher Morgen, backed by industry veterans, enters the global market with high-profile deals including writer Ram V.

29:31 Our favourite picks of the new titles:

Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton (Penguin Australia) [Australian creator]

Luna Express by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf Productions) [Australian Creator]

Damsel in D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. by Andrew Clemson, Mau Mora, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Maverick)

Batman and Robin Year One by Chris Samnee, Mark Waid (DC Comics)

Lovely Recipe by Myra Rose Nino (Random House)

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 14 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe (VIZ media)

37:51 Closing

• We have a creator chat with Georgina Chadderton coming up. Mia give us a preview.
• Thank you to everyone who reached out volunteering to join the judging panel of the ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025. We’ve received lots of expressions of interest and we couldn’t get everyone in but we’ve got three great panels, for Junior, YA and Adult and they’ll start reading the comics, so we’re hoping to announce the notables in May or June. There’s lots of reading to do.

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Australian comics folio website has just been launched and it’s a treasure trove of stories, information, interviews, essays, and so much more on Australian comics, Australian comics creators and the Australian comics community at large.

In this episode we have a chat with two of the key researchers involved in the project.

The Lead Investigator for the project was Elizabeth MacFarlane, who is a writer and Associate Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne where she teaches Graphic Narratives and Critical-Creative Writing Practices.

Gabriel Clark is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Design at the University of Technology Sydney and a creative producer. He was one of the chief investigators in the project.

This conversation is not directly about libraries and comics librarianship, but I think it’s a very valuable conversation about the Australian comics community. We’ve got enormous talent in Australia and I feel like comics by Australian creators often go under the radar. I encourage everyone to visit the Folio website and explore its vast contents.

02:48 The Folio comics project is launched!

08:00 Elizabeth and Gabe’s relationship with comics

18:01 What Elizabeth and Gabe learned about the Australian comics community

27:11 How the Folio: Stories of Australian Comics project came about

33:40 Gabe and Elizabeth discuss the Folio project, how it developed and what it looks like

40:51 The future of the Folio project

44:17 Elizabeth and Gabe talk about their highlights in the making of the Folio

50:49 The relationship of universities and academia with comics

57:09 Elizabeth and Gabe recommend some Australian comics

Folio: Stories of Australian Comics project website here: https://foliocomics.com/

The Librarians Roundtable Interview is here: https://foliocomics.com/interviews/librarians-roundtable-interview

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start the year with Jurgi and James trying to catch up with everything that's happened during the summer holidays.

01:42 Jurgi and James breeze through some of the latest news from the world of comics

06:29 James and Jurgi discuss the news that have piqued their interest:

• the recently announced animated series of Lore Olympus
• graphic novel sales were up in 2025 (in the U.S. book market)
• the UK's National Literacy Trust's excellent article about comics and literacy
• the 10 most valuable comics ever sold
• lots of best of 2025 comics lists

17:12 The Comics Arts Awards of Australia shorlist and some of our personal favourites

24:43 James and Jurgi discuss their picks from the new titles out in December and January:

• Labyrinth: Beyond the Goblin City by Delilah S. Dawson, Sas Milledge, Gustavo, Duarte (Boom! Studios)
• Free Planet by Aubrey Sitterson, Jed Dougherty (Image Comics)
• Queen Kodiak by Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Maverick)
• Total THB Vol 1 (of 3) by Paul Pope (Roaring Books Press)
• A Quick and Easy Guide to Healthy Relationships by Mariah-Rose Marie (Oni Press)
• I Am Their Silence by Jordi Lafebre, Montana Kane (Random House)

39:36 James and Jurgi go through some of their recent reads

42:50 Freedom to read, the ALIA Graphic Committee and an expression of interest is out to join the judging panel for the Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 - join us!

47:57 ...and ALIA Graphic was formed six years ago

To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.