In this second episode of the Comics Librarianship series Iurgi sits down with Matthew Noe, who is the Lead Collection and Knowledge Management Librarian at Harvard Medical School, an instructor for the University of Kentucky and Library Juice Academy, and a Trustee for the Worcester Public Library. He is a former President for the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table and the Treasurer for the Graphic Medicine International Collective.

Matt published an excellent article on graphic medicine in the recent Booklist’s Guide to Graphic Novels 2025. In this conversation Matt discuses the growth of graphic medicine, why it’s such an important field of study, genre and community and his thoughts on graphic medicine now.

00:20 Introduction

02:11 What Matt's been up to since we last talked to him in 2021

06:03 The origins of graphic medicine

08:17 Graphic medicine before the term was coined

11:33 Key developments in graphic medicine since 2007

19:32 Will Eisner and graphic medicine: A cautionary tale

22:36 Graphic medicine as a field and a genre

25:08 Graphic medicine as a field of study

29:22 Graphic medicine as practice

31:51 Graphic medicine as a community/collective

38:52 Graphic medicine as a genre

46:26 Art heals: Comics that made a huge personal impact

53:30 What Matt would like to see in the future for graphic medicine in libraries

56:15 Graphic medicine in different markers: America, Europe, Asia

01:01:48 Iurgi and Matt give recommendations to each other:

• Brittle Joints by Maria Sweeney
• Sleepless Planet: A Graphic Guide to Healing From Insomnia by Maureen Burdock
• Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano
• The Art of Flying by Antonio Altarriba, Kim
• Mafalda by Quino

Check out the Graphic Medicine International Collective website and subscribe to their newsletter: https://www.graphicmedicine.org/

Drawing Blood: A comics and medicine exhibit at the Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Library: https://www.graphicmedicine.org/drawing-blood-comics-medicine-exhibit/

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

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In this month's roundup Marissa and Mia go through their latest read, recent news and new graphic novels.

01:26 Recent reads:

Marissa:

• Nimona / N D Stevenson
• Julienne
• Nothing Special
• I Killed the Main Character vs Extra’s Academy Survival Guide

Mia:

• Gender Queer
• My brother’s husband volume 1

13:56 News:

• Image Comics
• Jim Shooter, the force behind Marvel’s rise and Secret Wars, has passed away at 73
• Dominic Davies and Candida Rifkind have published a really interesting article on The Conversation exploring how comics and graphic novels can empower refugees to tell their stories on their own terms
• Movie adaptations: Fantastic 4, Superman, Supergirl (set for release in the US on 26 June 2026) staring Aussie actress Milly Alcock

21:27 New graphic novels:

• Miss Camper by Kat Fajardo (Scholastic)
• Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch (DC Comics)
• Will Eisner: A Comics Biography by Stephen Weiner, Dan Mazur (NBM)
• Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner (Simon & Schuster)
• Float by Kate Marchant, CJ Joaquin (Graphix)
• Simplicity by Mattie Lubchansky (Random House)

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

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In this month's roundup Iurgi and Marissa go through the latest news, PD and new graphic novels.

01:30 Recent reads:

Marissa:

• Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton, Aśka
• Webtoons, so many webtoons
• The Curie Society by Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni, Janet Harvey, Sonia Liao
• Nevermoor has a French graphic novel adaptation! But no English edition yet

Iurgi:

• The Cartoonists’ Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.
• A Wizard of Earthsea: The graphic novel by Fred Fordham
• The Girl Who Flew Away by Lee Dean
• Mafalda by Quino

11:02 News:

• The American Manga Awards
• ALIA Graphic creator chats
• Off Panel Podcast with Tillie Walden
• The Toronto Comic Arts Festival's (TCAF) Libraries & Education Day
• Manga and female readership
• An excellent upcoming webinar by Booklist
• The 2025 Graphic Novels Guide for Libraries from Booklist is out now!

25:52 New graphic novels:

Hairy Holes by Brenton McKenna (Magabala Books)

The Brownout Murders by Luke C. Jackson, Kelly Jackson, Maya Graham (Scribe)

A Witch’s Life in Mongol, Vol. 1 by Tomato Soup (Yen Press)

Not So Shoujo Love Story, Volume 1 by Curryuku (VIZ Originals)

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate, Volume 1 by Pom (Kodansha)

Speechless by Aron Nels Steinke (Scholastic Inc)

Metal Hurlant: Old Dreams Young Visions by Various Authors (Humanoids)

Wolverine: Revenge by Jonathan Hickman, Greg Capullo (Marvel)

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

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In this creator chat, Iurgi catches up with Gavin Aung Than, the creator of Zen Pencils, Super Sidekicks, Baa Baa Black Belt and now Creature Clinic which out through Figment in Australia and First Second for the rest of the world.

Creature Clinic is the world’s finest and only hospital for mythical beings where everyone from trolls and unicorns, to fairies and giants can expect to get the very best care. But humans are, absolutely, 100% not welcome. What happens when a human kid is injured and doctor in training Kara Orc and Kara Orc feels her duty to treat him?

You’ll have to read the story to find out but Creature Clinic is funny, filled with wonderful characters, full of hearts and a wonderful mix of medical drama, comedy and fantasy.

03:24 Gavin talks about a crazy decision he made when he sold his house and quit his job to fully dedicate himself to comics.

09:44 Gavin talks about Zen Pencils, a series of short comics inspired by famous quotes that is still fully available online. Perfect for teachers!

12:52 Gavin talks about the power of comics and why he loves the medium

16:30 Conversation moves to the developing Australian comics scene, Figment as a new imprint and the growing market and recognition of comics

21:33 Gavin talks about his experiences with libraries

24:22 Conversation moves to Super Sidekicks a book that is loved by all the kids who find it

28:33 Gavin talks about the Baa Baa Black Belt picture books

31:54 Conversation moves to Creature Clinic, Gavin's new graphic novel

40:59 Some advice for young comics makers and Gavin's work process

47:47 Gavin talks about Scribble, which will be his next graphic novel. A semi biographical story that will also offer some tips for comics makers - probably out 2027

52:03 Gavin recommends three books. Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue by Bill Watterson. All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely. Hilda and the Mountain King by Luke Pearson.

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

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In this creator chat, Rachel Ang discusses her new graphic novel I Ate the Whole World to Find You.

The discussion covers how Rachel got interested in comics, their time working in libraries, inspiration for the stories on I Ate the Whole World to Find You, and Rachel recommends three graphic novels.

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

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In this month's roundup, James and Luke discuss the comics, graphic novels and manga they've read recently:

Luke: Ghost in the Shell Volume 1, Banned Book Club.

James: My Favorite Thing is Monsters Volume 2, I Ate the Whole World to Find You.

18:08 James and Luke discuss some of the news:

• Boom! Studios' comics will no longer be available on Comics Plus
• The return of Heavy Metal Magazine
• Recent adaptations of book into graphic novels
• The Eisner Awards nominees have been announced

33:40 Discussion moves to favourite picks from this month's new releases. Australian titles:

Luke's picks:

• Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean - Denis-Pierre Filippi, Silvio Camboni (Fantagraphics)
• Everyone Sux But You by K. Wroten (St Martin’s Press)
• The Dissident Club by Taha Siddiqui, Hubert Maury (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Alice in Cryptoland: Bitcoin, NFT and Other Curiosities by Daniel Villa Monteiro, Nicolas Balas (NBM)

James' picks:

• Spent by Alison Bechdel (HarperCollins)
• Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (Candlewick Press)

You can find all these news and new titles, and so much more on our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this month's roundup, Iurgi and Mia discuss the comics, graphic novels and manga they've read recently:

Mia: The strange case of Harleen and Harley and Check, Please volume 1.

Iurgi: Haikyu, Demon Slayer, Apothecary Diaries, Blade Runner 2039.

09:13 Iurgi and Mia discuss some of the news:

• Awards (CBCA and Aurealis Awards)
• The final (we hope) decision on Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer by the Australian Classification Review Board.
• Shakespeare adaptations by Joe Quesada's new imprint Amazing Comics, a Mad Cave imprint.
• An interview with Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud on USA Today
• An article about teaching with comics on the National Education Association website
• And a great article reporting on a large study in the UK about the plummeting reading rates on young readers, except for comic book readers

28:16 Discussion moves to favourite picks from this month's new releases. Australian titles:

• Thylacine and the Time Machine by Renee Treml (Allen & Unwin)
• Godzilla: Skate or Die by Louie Joyce (IDW)
• One Path by Greg Broadmore, Nick Boshier, Andy Lanning (Mad Cave) [9781545816301] [Australian creator]

Mia's Picks:

• The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier, Scott McCloud (Scholastic)
• Outsider Kids by Betty C. Tang (Scholastic)
• Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)

Iurgi's picks:

• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Fred Fordham (Harper Collins)
• The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster, Paul Karasik, Lorenzo Mattotti, David Mazzucchelli (Faber & Faber)

Finally, we’ve also put a call out for new general members and a convenor as we’re hoping to expand the committee in 2025. You don't need to be an expert in comics, graphic novels and manga! If you love comics and you're keen to support them in libraries please let us know through the jotform on our Roundup blog post.

You can find all these news and new titles, and so much more on our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/

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In this creator chat sit down with Greg Broadmore and Nick Boshier, who have created One Path, together with Andy Lanning, a brutal and epic comic book series. The first of four volumes is out through Mad Cave.

Greg Broadmore is an artist, writer and game director from New Zealand with lots of film credits in his career including: Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, and Neil Blomkamp’s District 9. Among others.

Nick Boshier is an Australian actor, comedian and writer famous for being the actor behind Trent from Punchbowl and one of the creators of Bondi Hipsters.

04:55 Nick and Greg talk about their relationship with comics and their influences.

19:09 Greg talks about finding work at Weta Workshop after 7 years unemployed.

22:23 Nick talks about meeting Greg and how they started to collaborate. Greg talks about a failed project to create mixed reality video games, which led to the creation of One Path.

30:27 Greg and Nick discuss the process of making One Path and the world they built together with Andy Lanning.

50:39 Greg and Nick recommend some titles that have been very influential for them as creators.

To stay up to date and for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles 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.