The Sunday Spotlight: The ‘Human Bean Juice’ Edition
by Richard Bruton
Well, it’s another Sunday, which means it’s time to take a spin around a few things about comics I noticed this week – it’s The Sunday Spotlight…
BROKEN FRONTIER’S SIX TO WATCH IN 2026…
Every year, Andy Oliver and the team at the excellent Broken Frontier announces a list of six creators they want you to pay special attention to. And every year, without fail, they’re six creators who are doing incredible things in comics. It’s all part of Broken Frontier’s commitment to finding, mentoring, and encouraging some of the best in new talent coming through from the UK.
This year, the six to watch are Daisy Crouch, Francis Todd, Jua OK!, Shri Gunasekara, Skai Campbell aka Skhoshbell, and Yu-Ching Chiu. All of them are, as you’d expect, superbly talented, and we’ll all be watching them with interest, not to mention reading all they put out. Congratulations, one and all!
LISTEN — THE HOUSE TO ASTONISH YEAR-END PODCAST…
House to Astonish is another comics podcast to add to your list of must-listen-to things. Go listen to their end-of-year podcast, where Paul O’Brien and Al Kennedy give us their choices for the year. Loads of good listening.
COMIX EXPERIENCES’ GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB PICKS FOR JANUARY…
As always, Comix Experience, a great San Francisco comic shop, gives us a couple of picks for their graphic novel clubs for January.
Their graphic novel club is always a good indication of a couple of must-read books for the month, both adult and kids. Head to Comix Experience for all the info and to order.
The Adult Club Pick for January 2026 is Eric Powell‘s The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead, marking the 25th anniversary of the character. It’s brand-new black and white horror:
‘The return to Lonely Street hasn’t been easy for the Goon and Franky. And just as they’ve finally got the various gangs of blood suckers and night stalkers back in line, a new threat appears. Or is it an old one? Mysteries (and backstabbing) abound on the deadly streets of Nameless Town.’
The Kids Club pick for January is Agent Cupcake! by Lauren Davis, Mel Hilario and Katie Longua.
‘Go undercover and crack the case in Agent Cupcake! Twelve-year-old Miguel Mangayayam has always loved one thing: mystical beasts. So he’s thrilled when he’s hired by the Mystical Beasts Bureau (MBB) to be their first ever human spy where he’ll use his encyclopedic knowledge of hippogriffs, mermaids, dragons, and more to solve the latest cases. Even better? He’s partnered with the supercool unicorn superspy, Agent Cupcake! Together, they’ll go undercover, gather intel, crack codes, and collect clues to solve the MBB’s toughest mysteries. But when they receive reports that unicorns are losing their magical powers, Miguel and Agent Cupcake will have to put their spy skills to the test to figure out why, even if it means going up against a mega corporation like HOARD. Could someone be trying to steal magic to put unicorns out of business?’
Comix Experience will be talking to both Eric Powell and the Cupcake team this month, with the interviews available on Comix Experience’s socials and YouTube later in the month.
JOE QUESADA ON HOW GREAT ART IS KILLING STORYTELLING…
Over on his Substack, Joe Quesada shares a few thoughts on art and storytelling. ‘Why Doesn’t Visual Spectacle Automatically Equate to Storytelling?’ is an important question, with Quesada making the case well. Here’s just a little..
‘It’s a question I wrestled with constantly when I first broke into comics in the early 90s. Back then, the difference between getting a gig and getting a lucrative gig often came down to spectacle. Bold imagery mattered. Narrative depth, not so much. For most of that decade, flash routinely overshadowed story, and I found myself conflicted. I knew what sold, but I also knew why I’d fallen in love with comics in the first place.’
OH, THE FINGERS….
Superman/Spiderman comes out in March 2026. Jim Lee put up his cover to the comic. And, well, Spidey’s fingers. I mean, Jim Lee’s a great superhero artist, of course he is. But this… well, that just looks painful.
