Gosh Comics Spotlight:
Back when I was doing "Alternative and Small Press New Arrivals" every week, Gosh Comics online store was a favorite source of information. They always had unique titles that perfectly complemented Domino Books or Gatoshop listings.
I would like to salute Greg and Tom, who are the two main curators of the Gosh Comics "Small Press" section, which in my opinion is the broadest selection of small press, indie, and mini-comics in the world. Here's a couple shots (in the background) of the small press section from Gosh's facebook...
In this most difficult of all years for comics retail we decided that our choice for Hall of Fame entrant would be one that would recognise the vital importance of those comics shops that act as community hubs, bringing people together and playing their part in championing emerging voices. As I have said before at BF “stores that put themselves at the very heart of the creative community they serve, and are as much activists for the medium as they are retailers, are the way of the future.” Our Hall of Fame is designed to acknowledge individuals or institutions with a decade-plus of bringing talented creators to new audiences and elevating emerging artists, and for 2020 we wanted to pick a shop that represents the incredible work going on globally by comics retailers who acknowledge and push the broader potential of the form by promoting the grassroots side of the scene.
We’ve chosen London’s Gosh! Comics as being an excellent example of one of the many comics shops that go above and beyond the call in that regard. Many shops have well stocked small press sections that give aspiring creators an opportunity to see their work on the shelves of their favourite store but Gosh have exceeded that over the years. They’ve given self-publishers and small pressers launch nights for their work, run regular meet-up/reading/discussion groups (the Process group run by Steve Walsh bringing new creators together which spawned multiple anthology comics particularly stands out), and have hosted events designed to bring creators and publishers together (having sat on a small press symposium panel, chaired a panel on pitching to a publisher, and on various small press workshops at Gosh I can certainly attest to that). And, of course, there’s the Drink and Draw events that we have been collaborating on with Gosh since 2015.
In short, they’ve not simply fostered a sense of comics community they’ve created one; people have been brought together who would never have met otherwise, collaborative bonds have been forged that would not have occurred without them, and comics projects that would have gone unpublished have seen the light of day through creators finding each other via the welcoming environs of 1, Berwick Street. We don’t want to stop there though. We want to use this year’s Hall of Fame announcement as an opportunity to celebrate shops globally in this most trying time for them. So this week we’ll be using the hashtag #CelebrateYourLCS on social media and looking for stories about how your shop has played its part in supporting new creative voices and boosting their profiles. Look for a post on that later today at BF.
Whither Angouleme International Comics Festival?
John Freeman reported on Le Grand OFF de la Bande Desinee, a new free festival coming to Angouleme January 29th-February 1st, 2026. No mention of plans for continuing OFF past this year, or if the proper Angouleme festival returns in 2027.
Book Review - Conversations With Rick Veitch, edited by Brannon Costello:
At the International Journal of Comic Art, Joe Hilliard reviews this welcome addition to the analysis of the work of Rick Veitch. In this case, a collection of interviews spanning 1987-2023. Veitch is endlessly fascinating sharing his thoughts in the few interviews I've read. I've been reading Veitch's comics since 1985, and I still can't believe I bought this weird, horrifying comic off a spinner rack!
David Kunzle Free Downloads at Topfferiana:
Also for IJOCA, Michael Kempeneers profiles the wonderful work of the Topfferiana site in gathering the extant research of "early comics" scholar David Kunzle onto a dedicated page. By my count there are 35 articles and books by Kunzle on his speciality of 19th century comic strips, all free to download as PDFs.
Evin Collis Store:
I was thrilled to see ComicKkrakk spotlight Litterpig #1, an Evin Collis comic, on his final "Sunday Wrap" of the year. Especially since Collis is from Winnipeg, just like ComicKkrakk. I don't even know where I first saw Collis' comics, whether bluesky, All The Old Poisons online shop, or some other chance encounter with that gorgeous penwork. He now resides in Spain.
One last blast from my free trial of Comixology Unlimited, a second volume of Reed Crandall EC stories pristinely reproduced by Fantagraphics Books. I love Crandall's (now) old-fashioned representational illustrative style on these genre stories. Crandall could draw anything beautifully, but his "ugly" art is something to behold (see above).
Comics Watch List:
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