Remember Alvin Greene? In 2010, he won the Democratic primary for Senator in South Carolina, although he was an unknown, unemployed veteran who did no campaigning and was running against a much better-known competitor, experienced politician Vic Rawl. Two SC reporters, Corey Hutchins and David Axe, present his story in The Accidental Candidate. Their journalistic backgrounds keep the focus on the facts and dates, and as the indicia says, “Much of the information in this book was obtained from personal […]

The Infinite Wait and Other Stories is Julia Wertz’s followup to Drinking at the Movies, her collection of autobiographical comics about moving to New York. Her art style hasn’t changed, although here it’s often more ambitious in the contents of her panels, with more detailed backgrounds and complex staging. She still draws herself with spaghetti arms, saucer eyes, and helmet hair, though, which provides a comfortable familiarity. What’s different is how she’s framing her stories. This book has three “comic […]

The highest praise I can give an adaptation is that this graphic novel version of the classic science fiction fantasy novel by Madeleine L’Engle gave me new insight into the beloved story. Meg Murry struggles at school, for social and academic reasons. She’s too bright for the other kids to be comfortable around her, she’s too distracted to care about class, and she doesn’t even bother trying to fit in. Her younger brother, Charles Wallace, is thought to be “just […]

Poorcraft is obviously a terrific guide for college students, but it’s also full of inspiring ideas for anyone facing a life change or wanting to get their finances under control. Writer Spike Trotman covers all the basics of personal spending: food, housing, entertainment, transportation, and more. Now, some of her suggestions will seem far out to some readers, but there’s so much good advice here that it’s easy just to focus on what inspires or relates to your particular situation. […]

Ellen Forney first came to my attention with Monkey Food, her collection of comics about growing up in the wacky 70s. Marbles takes a different autobiographical turn, capturing her struggles with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the resulting concerns over what it means for her as an artist. Like the previous book, it’s alternately touching, informative, entertaining, and at times, unbelievable. Marbles opens with a particularly revelatory, life-changing moment for Forney, as she gets the first stage of a […]

Laurianne Uy is clearly manga-influenced, but her first graphic novel, a Xeric Award winner, is enjoyable for any comic reader. Polterguys is the story of Bree, a focused college student who has a dream of becoming a doctor that takes the place of having any friends. Her roommates drive her crazy, so she moves off-campus to an old house that turns out to have five inhabitants — ghosts, all boys. (According to the author, it’s inspired by “reverse harem” shojo […]

A new Owly book never disappoints, and the oversized hardcover children’s book format just provides more room to explore Andy Runton’s lovely visions of the animal friends. In this followup to last year’s Friends All Aflutter!, Runton is playing with art in shades of purple and black, as Owly and Wormy use their new telescope. You can’t see the stars well from most homes, especially if your house is a tree covered in leaves, so the two go camping, after […]

Just in time for Halloween comes this handsome repackaging of the graphic novel adaptation of the literary juggernaut that is Twilight. Both volumes, previously released separately in paperback, are contained in this chunky hardcover, packaged to sit nicely on the shelf next to the source novels. In a nice touch, the connecting covers of the two previous paperbacks are reprinted inside this volume’s dust jacket. It really is attractive packaging. When I stop to think about it, I can’t stand […]