Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
The latest Chloe Ellefson mystery, following Death on the Prairie, is A Memory of Muskets, and it’s the best one yet. Part of that is due to the connection to author Kathleen Ernst’s own experience. The mysteries are set at Old World Wisconsin in the 1980s, which is when Ernst worked there. This particular mystery involves the murder of a Civil War reenactor, an activity Ernst also participated in (along with her husband). As a result, she does an excellent […]
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The too-much-for-her-time Lady Frances Ffolkes is back, but I recommend you read Death Among Rubies before Death on the Sapphire because a) you can (it gives you everything you need to know about the characters) and b) I liked this one better. That’s because it takes place in one of my very favorite mystery settings: the fancy house party. Frances, her supportive maid Miss Mallow, and her two very good friends Gwen and Tommie (who love each other, but not […]
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Food manga fans, if you want to know more about how to make classic-but-achievable Japanese meals, Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking is the guide for you. (I particularly recommend it to readers of What Did You Eat Yesterday?) Iron Chef Masahuru Morimoto (aided by J.J. Goode) shares basic dishes in a way that makes them seem both delicious and possible for an American home cook to prepare. The images are lovely, making me want to try making everything. […]
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Now available is Black Widow: Red Vengeance, a YA novel by Margaret Stohl featuring the Marvel Comics superspy. It’s a sequel to the popular Black Widow: Forever Red from last year. In Red Vengeance, Natasha Romanoff and Ava Orlova (introduced in the previous book and created by Stohl), aka Black Widow and Red Widow, have teamed up to “stop a conspiracy involving stolen nuclear warheads, mind-altering chemical weapons, and ultimately, betrayal by old friends and enemies alike.” It’s a globe-trotting […]
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I enjoyed greatly the first Asperger’s Mystery by E.J. Copperman and Jeff Cohen, The Question of the Missing Head, and its detectives, Samuel Hoenig and Ms. Washburn. The second, The Question of the Unfamiliar Husband, wasn’t as successful, in my opinion, so I wondered what I’d find in the third, The Question of the Felonious Friend, out next week. It’s as fun as the first. Samuel has Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes his narration particularly interesting, his observations alternately pointed and […]
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As summer comes to an end, this collection of cocktail recipes will help extend the lightweight, holiday feeling. Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes explains the history and culture of the drink. It’s something of a reclamation, an attempt to recapture the low-alcohol cocktail from the horrors of white wine spritzers. A spritz is a blend of sparkling wine, usually prosecco; a bitter liqueur; and soda water, served pre-dinner or for happy hour. It’s intended to spur the […]
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Since parents are the ones who buy books for kids, this picture book gives them what they want: a way to get hero-loving little boys to go to bed. Written by Michael Dahl and drawn by Ethen Beavers, Bedtime for Batman compares what the Dark Knight does with what the kid has to do at nighttime. Batman has the Bat-signal, the boy has a bedtime on the clock. Batman cleans up the town, the boy has a bath. Batman puts […]
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The adorable pint-size private detective returns in Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion. (Her first adventure, Friday Barnes, Girl Detective, came out in January.) The eleven-year-old young woman is still struggling with her boarding school, as she’s not as polished or accepted as the more typical girls. Her disturbingly accurate powers of observation frighten the headmaster, although he benefits when she finds a missing student or solves a historical school mystery. R.A. Spratt’s approach is full of adventure, jumping into events with […]
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