Brett, Author at Graphic Policy

Author Archives: Brett

Spirit of the Shadows #1 features some nice surprises in the story and cool art

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Brett

EMBRACE YOUR FEAR . . . THE SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS DRAWS NEAR! From the darkest recesses within acclaimed cartoonist Nick Cagnetti (Pink Lemonade, XINO) and co-creator Daniel Ziegler (Elodie) comes the most visually stunning, outrageously otherworldly, and hauntingly heartfelt superhero-horror hit of 2026! Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician, selflessly devoted to his music and his true love, Katrina . . . until his sudden death plunged his soul into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn as a phantom with fleeting memories of his life among the living, and forever cursed to bear the arcane costume his corpse wore to the grave, Erik will claw his way back from the infernal planes to uncover the mysteries of his own life . . . and avenge the dark sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS!

Story: Nick Cagnetti, Daniel Ziegler
Art: Nick Cagnetti
Color: Ferran Delgado

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

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Demo-Graphics: Tabletop Game Edition – Women Hold the Majority as the Population Increases

Posted on January 31, 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 85.4 million in the United States

The overall Facebook population in the US decreased by about 1.3 million in January, but the tabletop gaming community saw an increase of about 3.65 million. Since August, the tabletop gaming Facebook population increased by about 6.4 million

Gender

In January, women remained majority with 41.9 million compared to men at 41.5 million. Women were behind men by about 850,000 in the previous month.

Age

Every age group saw an increase from the previous month to varying degrees. The percentages remained fairly consistent with some shifts in the tenths of a percent.

Age breakdown for tabletop games in January 2026

Relationship Status

The relationships status’ all gained from the previous month and percentages only shifted a little for each. For the most part, “single,” and “in a relationship” lost ground in the percentages.

More Stats!

For Education we’re tracking individuals who have at least a college degree. 23.4 million individuals, 27.40% of the population have at least a college degree. That’s an increase in the number of individuals but the percentage saw a decrease by about a half a percentage point. In 2022, 37.7% of the American population had at least a college degree.

15.7 million fans, 18.38%, are parents! That’s an increase of 900,000.

And finally, what’s the crossover with fans of board games and video games? 52.15 million, 61.07% of board game fans also enjoy comics. 55.65 million, 65.16% also enjoy video games. Combined, 74.1 million like board games or video games and 33.3 million enjoy board games and video games. Get your licensing engines revving!

A Brief History of a Long War is an interesting but disjointed look at history

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Brett

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine began long before the 2014 war that led to the Russia’s invasion in 2022. The Ukrainian people have been subjected to systematic persecution and mass atrocities by Russian and Soviet authorities across centuries—from the linguicide of the Ukrainian language and censorship of literature in the 1860s to the Holomodor famine of the 1930s, and more.

In  A Brief History of a Long War, distinguished Ukrainian scholar, activist, and journalist Mariam Naiem presents a panoramic overview of the major moments in this longstanding conflict. Alongside gripping accounts of the historical foundation of the modern Ukrainian state as we know it today, Naiem seamlessly incorporates current narratives about the harrowing realities of war and the lengths citizens must go to survive.

Story: Mariam Naiem
Art: Yulia Vus, Ivan Kypibida

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

Demo-Graphics: Comic Fandom Kicks off 2026 with some Growth

Posted on January 31, 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 116 million in the United States

The first half of 2025 was off to an interesting start as we saw a decrease in the overall population for five months in a row. From January 2025 to June 2025, there was a loss of 8.45 million individuals. But, July stopped the slide with an increase of about 3.5 million individuals. August saw a jump of 24.8 million individuals while Facebook in the United States saw a decrease of about 500,000 individuals. September saw another bump of 850,000 while overall Facebook population increased by 2.2 million. October was a slight decrease in “comic fans” but also in the overall Facebook user population for the US. While November and December 2025 also saw drops.

January 2026 sees an increase of about 400,000 individuals. Whether this is a temporary bump, seasonal changes, or something else, we’ll have to wait and see.

Gender

The overall population of comic fans grew but that doesn’t mean it did so for each gender. “Men” dropped about 500,000 individuals while women saw an increase of 250,000.

Age

Like gender, age too wasn’t consistent in gains. “18 and under,” “35-39,” and “65+” all saw gains while the rest remained the same or dipped.

Relationship Status

Generally, all of these actually decreased in population over the month. “Engaged” saw a slight increase of about 50,000 and “unspecified” remained the same. Beyond that, all other demographics saw a decrease.

New Stats!

Education has been combined to see how many individuals have at least a college degree. This month saw a decrease in both percentage and population size with 35.15 million, down about 200,000 individuals. In 2024, 31.3% of the American population had at least a college degree.

22.65 million fans are parents! That’s an increase from the previous month which was 22.1 million.

And finally, what’s the crossover with fans of board games and video games? 66.45 million, 57.28% of comic fans also enjoy board/tabletop/card games, a massive increase from the previous month. An increase from the previous month, 71.1 million, 61.29% also enjoy video games. Combined, 93.2 million like board games or video games and 44.4 million enjoy board games and video games. Get your licensing engines revving!

We Stand Against ICE. ICE OUT this Friday!

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Brett

Today is ICE OUT, the nationwide shutdown and protest against ICE. We at Graphic Policy and Board Game Today stand with those protesting against ICE and the abuses of the Trump administration.

The strike along with protests are taking place January 30 and January 31 protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

At least eight individuals have been murdered by ICE since the start of the year including American citizens. An unknown amount have died in custody. Court orders, process, and general rights have been violated by the organization which has been turned into the administration’s jackbooted army.

The effort is an attempt to make a noticeable dent in the economy. Friday is to include walkouts and avoiding making purchases while Saturday will include protests and demonstrations.

“No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.”

Go out. Protest. Make your voices heard. We’ll be here when you return and our coverage will return to normal on Saturday.

Spotlight

Blokees Build: Transformers Galaxy Version 09 Darkest Hour – Megatron

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Enter the Darkest Hour and witness an epic clash as iconic characters like Megatron, Arcee, and Springer come to life.

We open up our eighth box and it’s Megatron!

Get yours!

Blokees

Absolute Batman #16 adds some depth to Batman and is just a hell of a lot of fun

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Bruce Wayne is on a desperate hunt to help his friend Waylon, now transformed into a monstrous crocodile roaming the sewers, consumed with a deadly hunger. Batman’s last option for a cure is to turn to a god for help…but will he have to descend into the depths of hell to get it?

Story: Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta
Art: Nick Dragotta
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

Feral #20…. well that was completely unexpected. Things definitely change next issue.

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Lucky the Tomcat is now king to the Pet City cannibals and no one can touch him thanks to his killer attack dog, Moosh. The indoor cats only have one choice: ESCAPE PET CITY OR DIE! Elsie has a plan but will anyone go with her after everything she’s done? Nothing will be the same after this issue. Don’t miss out!

Story: Tony Fleecs
Art: Trish Forstner, Tone Rodriguez
Color: Brad Simpson

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

Drama over the future of Angoulême with a Lawsuit launched on the first day of Grand Off

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Today is the first day of Grand Off, the festival launched to replace this year’s Angoulême. After threats of boycotts, a pulling of funding, and general distrust of the organizers, the 2026 edition of the Angoulême Comics Festival was cancelled in early December 2025. In its place is a different festival, Grand Off, and a proposed launch of a comic festival in 2027. But with all of that, more drama with a lawsuit.

The Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD), along 9e Art+ festival manager Franck Bondoux have announced they are suing the Development of Comics in Angoulême (ADBDA). The ADBDA was tasked with replacing Angoulême in 2027. FIBD and Bondoux accuse ADBDA of “unfair competition and parasitic behavior.”

In January 2026, ADBDA sent out a request to find an organizer for a new festival. It would push to the side FIBD and 9e Art+ and move on from recent scandal. Bondoux in statements is saying this new festival is building off of the work he has done building up the reputation of Angoulême.

The lawsuit requests that the proposed convention be cancelled and “prohibit any act that would aim to organize a comic book festival in Angoulême in the first quarter of each year.”

FIBD wrote on Facebook:

The specifications drawn up by the ADBDA thus constitute a clear and deliberate appropriation of the Festival, while claiming to change its name. This crude subterfuge, a simple semantic artifice, cannot mask the reality: it is clearly an attempt to reproduce the FIBD as it has been built, structured, and developed for more than fifty years, and particularly during the most recent editions.

Even more seriously, the ADBDA claims in the same document full ownership of this future event, thus confirming an attempt at dispossession, a pure and simple spoliation of the FIBD Association, its history, its work, its volunteers, and its rights.

Deliberately marginalized and then excluded by the public authorities from this entire process, excluded from any consultation, deprived of its founding event, the FIBD Association, the target of extremely violent remarks from certain elected officials whose sole aim was to delegitimize it, is now forced, reluctantly but resolutely, to take legal action and seek the protection of the courts.

Faced with this unjustifiable appropriation, legal action is now the only possible way to uphold the law and reaffirm the fundamental principles that govern associative and cultural life. Consequently, the FIBD Association, in conjunction with 9ème art+, has initially decided to take lega

ReedPop Attempts to Clarify its dealings with ICE

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Earlier this week, we reported that ReedPop was under pressure due to its parent company’s connection to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ReedPop manages numerous high profile conventions like New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, PAX, and more.

ReedPop is owned by RELX which also owns LexisNexis which provides services to ICE. LexisNexis is an online system used by many that features various databases including case law, articles, publications, court documents, market intelligence, and more.

LexisNexis has been scrutinized for years over it providing data to ICE that includes addresses, phone numbers, relatives’ names, and more, and used in its actions. In 2019, legal scholars and human rights activists called on the data platform to cease working with ICE due to its use in deporting undocumented immigrants.

Calls have been raised to clarify any use of ReedPop’s data in that deal as well as others calling for boycotts of conventions ReedPop manages. Multiple petitions have been launched concerning the issue asking those who have ReedPop managing their conventions to cut ties with the company. Others have outright said they will not be attending their conventions.

ReedPop has released a statement clarifying it is not them who sell information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. It emphasizes that they operate independently.

The statement, which you can read below, was met with mixed reactions. While some accepted it at face value, others pointed out the loopholes in the statement, such as ReedPop not directly selling data/information but what it collects could rollup to its parent company then trickle down through other related companies such as LexisNexis.

In fact, the statement links to ReedPop’s privacy language which states:

Depending on the Service provided, we share personal information with:

Our affiliates, trading names and divisions within the Reed Exhibitions group of companies worldwide (for a list, click here) and certain RELX companies that provide technology, customer service and other shared services functions; and/or

Our service providers, suppliers, agents and representatives, including but not limited to, payment processors, venue providers, onsite event contractors, customer support, email service providers, IT service providers, mailing houses and shipping agents, to process the information as necessary to provide the Service, complete a transaction, fulfil your request, or otherwise on our behalf based on our instructions and in compliance with this privacy policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

The statement doesn’t address the fact that by attending a ReedPop convention, attendees, creators, exhibitors are also helping its parent company profit. By boycotting all of RELX’s companies, pressure could be applied to cut all ties by RELX’s companies with ICE.

The statement also does not condemn recent actions by ICE, like the murder of American citizens, or state that it would protect attendees at various conventions.

Check out the full statement below:

We hear you and want to correct some false information that has been circulating on social media.

We at ReedPop do not sell customer information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ReedPop/RX operates entirely at arm’s length and independently. None of our data is shared for marketing or commercial use by any other entity within our parent company.

We remain committed to creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments. Our community is made up of people from different backgrounds and identities. We stand by our principles of inclusion and belonging. We see you, we hear you, and all are welcome here.

If you want more information on how we collect, use, and protect personal data, please see the RX/ReedPop Privacy Policy at privacy.rxglobal.com.

Conventions

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