The Sunday Spotlight: The ‘What’s Going On Here?’ Edition

It’s Sunday, time to spotlight a few comics things for you to take note of. Yes, it’s The Sunday Spotlight …

Tom Humberstone is doing Halloween …

A really great artist, Tom Humberstone is doing a series of essays about his favourite horror sequels. They are quite wonderful to read if you’re a horror buff, and still quite wonderful if you’re not — good writing is always good writing, after all.

You can read the intro to it all here, and the full archive here. You should subscribe for free to get it in your inbox, and do think about showing your appreciation here.

Angoulême is on for 2027 — probably?

The whole mess of Angoulême continues to rumble on. After the controversies and the uncertainty, a French Court Judge has now made her decision, rejecting the bid by 9e Art+ and Association FIBD to prevent the new incarnation of Angoulême from taking place. This means that we’re very probably going to see a new Angoulême in 2027, supervised by the Association for the Development of Comics in Angoulême (ADBDA) and run by the Morgane Group for the next five years, 2027 through 2031. More details to come. Dean Simons at The Comics Beat continues to cover it all.

Thought Bubble’s inclusive what to expect guide — a brilliant idea…

Not sure if I’ve seen this before at any comics show. But if others aren’t doing it, they should be. Thought Bubble Festival in Harrogate (9th-15th November for the festival, 14th & 15th November for the comic convention) have recently published their ‘What to Expect Guide’ for this year’s convention, aimed at those attending, or who may want to attend, with autism, anxiety, sensory issues, and access needs.

Because comic conventions are generally big, crowded, loud things with a hell of a lot going on, something that some fans will have a real problem with. Thought Bubble’s guide aims to lessen the impact, pointing fans to quiet spaces, letting them know in advance what to expect. It’s a wonderfully inclusive approach that all conventions should be doing. You can read their ‘What to Expect’ guide here.

The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman premieres in Manhattan, 13 & 14 November…

One of the greatest cartoonists and creators there’s ever been, the genius of Harvey Kurtzman gave us MAD Magazine, Little Annie Fanny, Hey Look!, the incredible EC Comics of the ’50s, Trump, Humbug, Jungle Book, Help!, and so much more. Writing or drawing, Kurtzman’s talent was just phenomenal.

The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman, directed by Bart Simpson, gets its US premiere at the DOC-NYC Festival on 13th & 14th November. It’s one of 10 nominated films in their inaugural Archival Storytelling Competition. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Simpson and Kurtzman’s daughter, Nellie Kurtzman, whilst the second screening will have a Q&A with Simpson.

The documentary chronicles Kurtzman’s life and work, including animated sketches and archival footage of Kurtzman, alongside a who’s who giving us their take on the man, including Matt Groening, Terry Gilliam, Sergio Aragones, Robert Crumb, Denis Kitchen, Art Spiegelman, and many more.

Details and tickets to the screenings at the IFC Centre, Greenwich Village, NY, 323 Sixth Avenue at West 3rd Street.