Spotlight Archives - Page 4 of 259

Category Archives: Spotlight

The WGA has filed a lawsuit to Block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Brett

Things are heating up when it comes to the Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Yesterday, a dozen attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop the merger. On the same day, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East also filed a lawsuit to block the proposed merger.

In the complaint, the WGA states the merger would reduce opportunities, lower pay, and worsen working conditions for writers. They also state the merger would reduce output as well as suppress competition for writers’ work.

The WGA complaint focuses on the anticompetitive effects of the merger in three markets for writing services: anticipated top grossing films, episodic television and streaming series, and overall deals.

In June, the White House and the Department of Justice approved the merger. Oregon has been investigating Paramount Skydance’s “Project Warrior” which was focused on winning approval for the deal. They recently withdrew motions regarding their own lawsuit. It’s unknown if they’ll continue to pursue that as they are a part of antitrust lawsuit by the attorneys general.

Paramount Skydance still faces a hurdle in the European Commission and the U.K. The company has attempted to address EU competition concerns such as ending a film distribution venture it has with Universe Pictures. The European Commission has extended its deadline for its decision from July 7 to July 22.

Paramount Skydance wants the deal to close before September 1, 2026 or the cost will increase the longer it drags on. The price increases 25 cents per share per quarter it’s not approved. That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day. This lawsuit will likely drag on for months if it moves forward making it unlikely the deal will close by that date. The company has said delays could force it to renegotiate the deal’s financing, cause uncertainty for its stock price, or end the the transaction altogether.

California leads 11 Other States in Suing to Block Paramount’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Brett

As expected, California and 11 other states have filed a lawsuit to stop Paramount Skydance‘s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They state that the $110 billion deal would lessen competition in film distribution and television as well as harm theaters and television distributors.

The lawsuit is being lead by California Attorney General Bonta and includes Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California and alleges the deal violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act. That focuses on lessening competition through mergers and is an attempt to prevent monopolies.

In the lawsuit the attorneys general allege:

Wide Release Theatrical Film Distribution, where Warner Bros. and Paramount are two of the five major film distributors and would combine for around 27% share of the market. After the merger, only three distributors will control 75% of these films and only four distributors (Defendants, Disney, Universal, and Sony) will control 86% of them.
Anticipated Top-Grossing Theatrical Film Distribution, a submarket of theatrical film distribution focused on anticipated blockbuster films with wide audiences and large production budgets. After the merger, Defendants will control more than 30% of these films, and four distributors (Defendants, Disney, Universal, and Sony) will control more than 90% of them.
Licensing Basic Cable Television Channels, or the market for distributing basic cable channels to cable and satellite providers. Warner Bros. is the second largest and Paramount is the third largest in this market, and they would combine for a 27% share.

Paramount Skydance wants the deal to close before September 30, 2026 or the cost will increase the longer it drags on. The price increases 25 cents per share per quarter it’s not approved. That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day. This lawsuit will likely drag on for months if it moves forward making it unlikely the deal will close by that date. The company has said delays could force it to renegotiate the deal’s financing, cause uncertainty for its stock price, or end the the transaction altogether.

Indie Comic Alliance forms offering Distribution and Printing

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Brett

With the implosion of Diamond, smaller publishers have been left scrambling to find new distribution either through new companies offering it or new models. A half dozen (or so) new companies have risen focused on solving the issue and offering new avenues for distribution. The Indie Comic Alliance has launched to not just provide distribution but also printing services with the first set of comics to be released in January 2027 with solicitation in October.

Headed by Christopher Reda at Critical Entertainment and Thomas Cho at STS & Associates the alliance has launched with sixteen publishers. Publishers include: Critical Entertainment, DSTLRY, Red 5 Comics, Wise Acre Comics, Outland Entertainment, BentBox Comics, Forbidden Futures, Patriot Comic Books, Diabolik, 2510 Press, World at War Comics, Monkeygong, Bear Treasure Studios, K-Toon Studios, Phantom Blade Productions, and Narwhal Press.

Like other deals that have been announced, some of the publishers will be distributed under the Critical Entertainment label, not their own publishing label and be distributed through Universal Distribution and Philbo Distribution. Some are already offered through Philbo.

DSTLRY is the highest profile of the publishers and currently have an exclusive with Penguin Random House Comics, which could hint that exclusive will be ending soon.

You can read the full announcement below:

The Indie Comic Alliance has officially been created with the first set of Publishers being announced. The Indie Comic Alliance is a Collective of Independent Comic Book Publishers focused on offering original comics in local retailer stores and making independent publishing thrive in a growing comic book market. Headed by Christopher Reda at Critical Entertainment and Thomas Cho at STS & Associates, the Alliance’s goal is to make independent publishers successful while giving readers a destination to find creative stories.

The first set of Publishers are the following: Critical Entertainment, DSTLRY, Red 5 Comics, Wise Acre Comics, Outland Entertainment, BentBox Comics, Forbidden Futures, Patriot Comic Books, Diabolik, 2510 Press, World at War Comics, Monkeygong, Bear Treasure Studios, K-Toon Studios, Phantom Blade Productions, and Narwhal Press.

The Indie Comic Alliance will offer Independent Publishers reasonable Distribution into retail comic book stores and affordable Printing, Shipping, and Storage while creating a competitive advantage in the direct market by having a destination for customers to find Indie Titles. Most Indie Comic Alliance books will be scheduled to release in retail stores on the third Wednesday of each month called Indie Comic Book Day. Indie Comic Alliance will service thousands of Local Comic Book Stores and Brick and Mortar Retail Bookstores. We aim to give Retailers a place they will know where to look for fresh indie comics. Solicitations beginning in October, many of the publishers will be distributed in Universal Distribution and Philbo Distribution through the Critical Entertainment label in the United States and Canada. This first lineup of comics are set to release January 20, 2027. Some of these publishers are already featured in Philbo Distribution and DSTLRY is currently exclusive with Penguin Random House Comics.

Indie Fans can follow the latest Indie Comic Alliance updates on Instagram, X, and www.indiecomicalliance.com.

Comix Wellspring Suspends Operation

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Brett

In a bit of a surprise, Comix Wellspring has posted an announcement that due to “operational challenges” the comic printing company has temporarily suspended accepting new orders and also halted production.

For order that have yet to be completed, they’ll be refunded.

The company has also said that it has worked on removing the non-compete restrictions for Greko Printing who were the original founders of Comix Welsspring, and they’ll be able to provide comic printing services.

Comix Wellspring was founded in 2011 and was a go to for comic printing allowing for small print runs. The company had partnered with numerous digital comic platforms to allow for printing services for their customers.

We’ll of course follow up if more details are released as to the status of the company of what lead to the current situation.

You can read the full announcement below:

To our valued customers,

We sincerely apologize, but due to unforeseen operational challenges, Comix Wellspring, owned and operated by Carta Finishing, must temporarily suspend accepting new orders and halt production at this time.

Any orders that have not been completed will be fully refunded. Our team will be reaching out to affected customers additional information in the near future.

Over the past week, we have been working with the original founders of Comix Wellspring, Greko Printing, to remove the previous non-compete restrictions that prevented them from printing comic books. As a result, they are once again able to provide comic printing services.

If you are looking to print your project with a trusted printer, we encourage you to contact Greko Printing for a quote – email Sales@grekoprinting.com. Their team has decades of experience producing comics and would be happy to discuss your project and available options.

We are truly grateful for the support and trust you have shown Comix Wellspring over the years. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.

Thank you.

Announcing BCAF’s Lightning Grants to Massachusetts Cartoonists for Professional Expenses

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

The Boston Comic Arts Foundation has announced that it is now accepting applications for the inaugural round of a new grant program: Lightning Grants. This is the first grant program of its kind for BCAF.

Lightning Grants are individual $250 grants designed to get money into creators’ hands quickly and without red tape. BCAF Executive Director Shelli Paroline says, “We created these grants because we know so many cartoonists are burdened by the costs of creating their comics. Let us pay for that software subscription, printing cost, or supplies for your next project, so you can focus on your work.”

These grants recognize the immediate monetary need for a comic artist’s business and professional expenses. The amounts are set to offer quick and frictionless support to skilled cartoonists and affirm the community’s value of their promise and their work. No lengthy review cycles, no complicated process—the Lightning Grants offer fast, direct support for the comic artists who make this community what it is. Applications open today and conclude July 20th, 2026.

Here’s the link to apply: http://www.bostoncomicarts.org/lightning

The Boston Comic Arts Foundation builds community through comics. We believe in the power of comics to inspire, educate, and bring people together. That’s why we help promote spaces for both creators and readers to find one another, exchange ideas, and grow as a community through our four annual festivals, our monthly Picture + Panel events series, author grants, and advocacy for the comics format.

Binc Announces the Winners of Annual Scholarships to Support Professional Development and Diversity in Bookselling

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation has announced the winners of two scholarships managed by the foundation—the Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship and the George Keating Memorial Scholarship.

The Macmillan scholarship allows booksellers from underrepresented groups to attend their region’s independent book association trade show. Each scholarship covers the cost of travel, lodging and meals up to $750. The winners were selected in an identity-hidden review process by a panel of employees from Macmillan and members of the Binc program committee.

CALIBA: Renee Joyce, Moonstone and Mist
GLIBA: Nahin Cano, Seminary Co-op Bookstore
MIBA: Jasmine Baker, Black Garnet Books
MPIBA: Diana Garibay, Cardinal Books
NAIBA: Priscilla Martinez, West Side Stories
NEIBA: Kailey Barrows, Belonging Books
PNBA: Georgia Sprague, Country Bookshelf
SIBA: Tamara Olmedo, Cuentos Café Books

The Keating scholarship provides $750 to a bookseller in the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA), Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), and New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA), for the purpose of professional development. The winners are chosen by each regional association.

Patrick Flaherty, Community Bookstore, NAIBA
Finley Walker, Inklings Book Shoppe, SIBA
NEIBA recipient to be named at a later date

Spotlight

Batman Proposes to Catwoman during Empire State Building Climb

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Brett

Anyone that has this on their bingo card is lying. A couple dressed as Batman and Catwoman (sort of, he’s more Bane or generic Bane henchman, she has a Catwoman thing going on) climbed on top of the Empire State Building, unfurled a banner, and got engaged (there was a proposal, we’re assuming she said “yes”).

Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov are known for their dangerous skyscraper climbs around the world and remained at the top of the skyscraper for several minutes before coming down the spire.

After coming down, Kuznetsov proposed to Nikolau before being taken into custody.

They duo unfurled a banner that read:

When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.

The top of the spire is 1,454 feet above ground and it’s unknown how they were able to pull off the stunt.

The observation deck of the building was closed for a time but reopened eventually.

Nikolau and Kuzetsov were featured in a 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. That film followed their climb of Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s second tallest building at 2,227 feet.

Spotlight

Demo-Graphics: Tabletop Game Edition – June continues the drop as Facebook users dip

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Brett

Demo-Graphics has generally focused on the demographics of comic fans but occasionally we have also reported on other fandoms and communities. In August 2025, we kicked off a new regular look at those interested in tabletop games. That includes board games, roleplaying games, and card games. Why? The question still remains… who are the fans of tabletop games?

What is Demo-Graphics?

Each month I dive into data from Facebook looking at the various demographics it can tell us about comic, and now tabletop game, fans. This isn’t hard numbers, purchasers, or “Wednesday warriors,” but best used to show trends in the industry and the potential of the market out there.

How does it work?

We use key terms, “likes”, that users have indicated and have come up with our own set to measure each month. There’s over 50 terms used (and no I won’t release them). We stick to specific terms for the industry such as “board games” and “collectible card games” as well as publishers and leave out broad terms.

Other things to know…

This data is important in that it shows who the potential audience could be. These are not purchasers, these are people who have shown an affinity for tabletop games, are potential purchasers, and those with a clear interest.

Also, with this being online/technology, due to laws and restrictions, those under the age of 13 are underrepresented.

The data that is presented as a wide range. I’ve taken the average of the range. So, if it’s presented as somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people, the number would be 750.

So, let’s kick off the first entry with the big question…

Facebook “Tabletop Gamer” Population: Around 75.65 million in the United States

The Facebook population decreased by about 900,000 over the month and the tabletop community dropped by about 1.05 million. This is the fifth month in a row tabletop fans have decreased. The comic fans also saw a drop, this has also been multiple months in a row. It’s possible the “geek” population is leaving Facebook or there’s an overall decrease, likely due to economic reasons. Both reports have been dealing with similar oddities. In the previous month, some reporting came back with results that made little sense, indicating either a glitch in Facebook or something has changed with the data reported. That continued this month.

Gender

Men remained the majority increasing slightly to 50.36%, up from the previous month’s 50.07%. While the percentage increased, the overall population decreased by 300,000. Women saw their percentage decrease slightly to 46.93% from the previous month’s 47.52%. Women decrease by about 950,000. Those who are not reported as either gender increased by 200,000 going from 2.41% to 2.71%.

Age

The data for “age” is rather interesting with a mix of some groupings increasing and others decreasing while others remained the same. “18 and under” increased again in the population while “19-24” and “40-44” remained the same. The rest all decreased by varying degrees with the drop being anywhere from 50,000 to 550,000.

Age breakdown for tabletop games in June 2026

Relationship Status

This status saw some bizarre returns, the same happened with our monthly “comic fan” reporting and this is the second month this has happened. Both “engaged” and “unspecified” dropped to less than 1,000. “In a relationship” increased by 50,000. We’ll see if these numbers return to much more expected results next month.

More Stats!

Spanish Speakers: NEW STAT! – 15.45 million (20.42%). That’s the same amount of individuals as the previous month.

Education: This is another state with a very weird result. 12 million, 15.86% have a college degree or higher, a drop of 350,000 from the previous month. In 2022, 37.7% of the American population had at least a college degree.

Parents: 11.2 million, 14.81%, are parents! That’s a decrease of 450,000 individuals from the previous month.

And finally, what’s the crossover with fans of board games and video games? 44.05 million, 58.23% of board game fans also enjoy comics. 41.2 million, 54.46% also enjoy video games. Combined, 62.15 million like board games or video games and 23 million enjoy board games and video games. Get your licensing engines revving!

Demo-Graphics: Comic Fans Dip Again while Facebook Also Decreases

Posted on June 29, 2026 by Brett

Demo-Graphics is back! Demo-Graphics was relaunched in 2025 because the question still remains… who are comic fans?

What is Demo-Graphics?

Each month I dive into data from Facebook looking at the various demographics it can tell us about comic fans. This isn’t hard numbers, purchasers, or “Wednesday warriors,” but best used to show trends in the industry and the potential of the market out there. This has shown the shift towards women being a major force in readers and a shift to the younger demographic.

How does it work?

We use key terms, “likes”, that users have indicated and have come up with our own set to measure each month. There’s over 50 terms used (and no I won’t release them). We stick to specific terms for the industry such as “comics” and “graphic novels” and “one-shots” as well as publishers and leave out broad terms like specific characters or stories. Just because someone likes Batman doesn’t mean they like comics.

Other things to know…

This data is important in that it shows who the potential comic audience could be. These are not purchasers, these are people who have shown an affinity for comics, are potential purchasers, and those with a clear interest.

Also, with this being online/technology, due to laws and restrictions, those under the age of 13 are underrepresented.

Since the last time this feature was run, Facebook has made adjustments as to what it can report so some data is no longer available and we’ve also added in new data that hasn’t been reported before, and it now presents the data as a wide range. I’ve taken the average of the range. So, if it’s presented as somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people, the number would be 750.

So, let’s kick off the latest entry with the big question…

Facebook “Comic Fan” Population: Around 74.3 million in the United States

We’re now three months in a row that the overall “comic fan” population has dropped. It’s down about 1.4 million from the previous month, more than the 900,000 decrease for Facebook’s overall users in the United States. Men decreased by 1 million while women decreased by 400,000. The population that doesn’t list either gender remained steady at 1.4 million.

As noted below, there’s some oddities for reporting where numbers that made sense normally suddenly decreased and remained low this month.

Gender

Women remained a majority of the population with 50.9% of the population. Last month they accounted for 50%. Men decreased as a percentage from last month’s 48.2% to 47.7%. Those who don’t report themselves as “male” or “female” account for 1.9%, up from 1.8%.

Age

The biggest issue with all of this reporting is the limitation of those under the age of 13 using the system. With new laws limiting the use of social media by children, it’ll be interesting to see if this shifts at all. Compared to the previous month most every grouping decreased except those “50-54,” “55-59,” and “60-64.”

Relationship Status

This is one of the stats that has been odd. Those marked “engaged” and those as “unspecified” each dropped to less than 1,000 individuals last month and remained there this month We’ll see if things return to more expected numbers next month but it’s one of the odd results.

New Stats!

Spanish Speakers: Last month we first reported there were 15.35 million Spanish speakers who are comic fans in the US. In June 2026, that number was dipped to 14.7 million.

Education: This is another stat that’s rather odd. Last month 12 million had at least a college degree, down from the previous month’s 21.8 million. This month things increased slightly to 12.1 million but it’s still very odd to see such a dramatic drop.

Parents: This continues to slide down to 10.65 million from 22.65 million in January and 10.9 million the previous month.

Board Game Fans: 47.5 million
Video Game Fans: 37.1 million
Board Game and Video Game Fans: 25.45 million
Board Game or Video Game Fans: 58.85 million

Andrew Farago Out at the Cartoon Art Museum After Arrest

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Brett

Yesterday the news spread that Andrew Farago had been arrested for secretly recording party guests who used a bathroom at his home during a birthday party.

We noted in our original report that Farago listed himself as the “curator” for the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco among other positions/connections within the comic community.

While Farago listed that position on his LinkedIn profile, he wasn’t listed as part of the staff on the museum’s website. The Cartoon Art Museum has confirmed that it has parted ways with Farago.

According to the museum’s executive director Summerlea Kashar in a statement to the SF Chronicle:

Mr. Farago is no longer employed at the Cartoon Art Museum. We are shocked and saddened by this situation.

It’s unknown as to when Farago’s employment ended or any other internal actions take at the museum when they learned of the allegations. The Wayback Machine last captured the staff page in February 2026 though the main page for website has been archived multiple times since.

The allegations stem from a party held on May 23 and the arrest took place on June 3.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »