June 27, 2018 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

Draw Stronger: Self-Care for Cartoonists and Visual Artists

There are plenty of comics about comics, since artists tend to fall back on “write what you know”. Draw Stronger is a completely different kind of book about making comics, though. As it’s subtitled, it’s about “self-care for cartoonists and visual artists”. It actually isn’t a comic so much as an illustrated guide, with plenty of cute little doodles demonstrating the different aches illustrators may experience. Most are exaggerated, to be visually distinctive, and a recurring lightning bolt with a […]

June 27, 2018 Johanna DC / Vertigo Leave a comment

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #39

Scooby-Doo Team-Up is the most fun comic I read, and #39 is no exception. The Mystery Inc. gang teams up with the superhero team Justice Society of America, which requires time travel. I was amazed at how much Sholly Fisch managed to pack into this issue — a modern day supernatural mystery, the trip back in time, and best of all, a structure that mimics the original JSA comics. Typically, given the size of the team, a threat would be […]

June 26, 2018 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews 2 comments

Laid-Back Camp Volume 1

When things get tense, it’s really nice to have a comic to read that’s mellow and comforting. My latest discovery of a title that worked that way for me is Afro’s Laid-Back Camp. I’m not allowed to go camping, since I’m allergic to much of the outdoors, but this is a different kind of camping. Rin likes to go out by herself during the off-season, enjoying her isolation despite the cold. That makes the joy of a bonfire’s warmth and […]

June 26, 2018 Johanna Other Prose Leave a comment

The Little Particle That Could

The Little Particle That Could is an adorable educational children’s book with plenty of distinctive, charming illustrations. It’s a board book, for ages 3-6, the size of an elongated pack of index cards. As written by Jason Rodriguez, it’s the story of a happy particle who “spun all day and pulled, pulled, pulled things down to Earth.” This is about a graviton, in parental words, happily bopping along until the day she sees a light photon, which never stops moving. […]

June 25, 2018 Johanna First Second Leave a comment

Science Comics: Trees: Kings of the Forest

Andy Hirsch is responsible for one of my favorite Science Comics titles, the one about dogs. That’s a high bar to meet, and I have to say, I wasn’t quite as involved in Science Comics: Trees: Kings of the Forest — but trees are a very different subject. They’re more inspiring than adorable. Although Hirsch tries to recapture the cute with his narrator, an acorn, this is instead a volume more about knowledge, and there’s plenty covered. A frog, a […]

June 24, 2018 Johanna Books About Comics 3 comments

RetroFan #1

TwoMorrows has launched RetroFan magazine, with issue #1 now available. It’s edited by Michael Eury, the man behind Back Issue, so I had hopes I’d enjoy it, but I’m afraid that the particular subjects of the first issue didn’t resonate with me. And that’s the determining factor, since the pitch is how the quarterly publication “spotlights the crazy, cool culture we grew up with”. If you feel like part of the “we”, unlike me, you may love this, since it’s […]

June 24, 2018 Johanna Television Reviews 2 comments

Black Lightning: The Complete First Season

Black Lightning is the superhero show for adults, those who are concerned with more than battles against cartoon bad guys. The 13-episode first season, out on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, is tightly told and full of intriguing ideas. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed here. The opinions I share are my own.) Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) has retired from being Black Lightning to concentrate on being the principal of a […]

June 24, 2018 Johanna Other Prose One comment

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian Coming in September

Out September 4 is a kids’ book with a concept that tickles me by a talented artist. Vera Brosgol (Be Prepared, Anya’s Ghost, Leave Me Alone!) is illustrating Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian, written by Jacob Sager Weinstein. Described as a “delightfully silly superhero tale”, the plot of the picture book aimed at ages 4-7 is: When an evil genius has a diabolical plan to destroy every book on the planet, who has the tome-toting page power to thwart his dastardly […]

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