In another packed episode, and we're only scratching the surface of what's in this month's blog post, Iurgi and Gabby discuss some of the latest news and new titles, which include more graphic novels by Australian creators.

01:40 Gabby and Iurgi discuss their recent reads and then go on a tangent about One Piece.

• We could be magic by Marissa Meyer and Joelle Murray
• Frieren Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
• The Pass by Katriona Chapman
• Criminal 3 The Dead and the Dying and 4 Bad Night by Ed Brubaker, Sean Philips
• One Piece tangent

11:17 News:

• Perentie Press is a new Australian publisher of graphic novels
• Publishers are expanding their publications of manga for adults
• New Hello Kitty comics on the horizon published by IDW in partnership with Sanrio
• The Rise of Image Comics, a book written by South Aus
• The CBCA Notables list has included three graphic novels in the list
• The British Book Awards have a new category for comics

30:12 Gabby and Iurgi’s favourite picks from the new titles out this month:

• PAWS The Trouble With Leo By: Nathan Fairbairn, Michele Assarasakorn
• Run Home by Alyssa Bermudez (St Martin’s Press)
• The Greenies by Emma Mills, Sarah Nicole Kennedy
• Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter by Jay Kristoff, Tirso Cons, Tom Taylor, Riccardo Federici (DC Comics)
• Skating Wilder by: Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo
• Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

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In this episode Mia sits down for a chat with Georgina Chadderton.

Georgina is a freelance cartoonist, lover of dogs, and plant enthusiast living on Kaurna Country (Adelaide), South Australia. Georgina has recently published Oh Brother, a memoir about growing up with their younger brother Robert, who is autistic and has an intellectual disability. The book is being published by Penguin Random House in Australia, the UK, Canada and the US. Oh Brother has been selected as part of the Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and as the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Introduces pick.

02:14 Georgina talks about the publication of Oh Brother

03:54 Georgina talks about how she discovered comics at the school library and how she got into making comics

06:30 Georgina talks about libraries and their librarian story

10:46 Vegemite, crumpets and pretzels

12:13 The chat turns to Oh Brother, disability, autism and representation

24:20 Ten years in the making, the story evolved and changed in the process

33:12 Georgina talks about the process of making the graphic novel

39:35 Discussion turns to the Papercuts comics festival in Adelaide

45:35 A sneak peak on what Georgina is working on next

51:09 Georgina recommends a bunch of graphic novels

For more info from Georgina check out their website here: https://www.georgerexcomics.com/

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/

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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.