Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Midnight Western Theatre is a high concept done right. And that concept is “vampires in the old West”. (The writer calls it “goth cowboys”.) Red Tom and his gang have taken over a town and are kicking back in the saloon when two strangers come to town. (They’re the ones shown on the cover.) The tables turn on Tom when he tries to scare them off. It’s written by Louis Southard and illustrated by David Hahn, an old favorite of […]
Read moreI was happy to get a copy of Sherlock: The Complete Season One Manga box set for a project I’m working on. It has the three volumes corresponding to the three episodes of the first season of the Sherlock TV show in a slipcase box along with “three exclusive art cards”. Those turned out to be copies of the book covers. Except… they got the credits wrong. All three of the cards have the credits “Writer/Co-Creator: Mark Gatiss Co-Creator: Steven […]
Read more
I wrote about Incredible Doom, a story about 90s kids using early internet bulletin boards, over three years ago. And this is why you should have a distinctive title, because when I saw a listing for the collected graphic novel in the latest Previews catalog, I vaguely remembered it. I’m excited to see the whole story! (Because I love computer history.) Here’s the description: Allison is drowning under the weight of her manipulative stage magician father. When he brings home […]
Read more
Guy Delisle is best known for two kinds of comics: travelogues, where he works (often in animation) in a lesser-known country, such as Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, and parenting comedy. Factory Summers, which is due out in mid-June, is a surprising change of pace. It’s a memoir, a story of three summers of manual labor in a paper mill, before he gets his first animation job. He’s a teenager, and he draws, in straightforward, simplified fashion, the various […]
Read more
Out this week in the UK, next month in the US, are a new set of Doctor Who novelizations. Target originally published Doctor Who script adaptations from 1973-1993. BBC Books took up the mantle again with five key episodes from the relaunched series in 2018. This new set, called the Target Collection, consists of seven books: The Witchfinders by Joy Wilkinson, who also wrote the script for this 13th Doctor episode; this is the first novel with the current Doctor […]
Read more
Kodansha has announced today that they are unifying their “English-language publishing program” with a new website, kodansha.us (formerly KodanshaComics.com), and the elimination of Vertical as a label. Well, they didn’t exactly announce that last part, but that’s one of the results. The combined website “spotlights not only the Kodansha manga you know and love but also highlights all of Kodansha’s award-winning and fan-favorite English-language, novels, cookbooks, craft guides, historical/cultural literature, and more.” This includes what was formerly Kodansha Comics, Kodansha […]
Read more
Couldn’t we all use more support for our mental health these days? I’ve been getting a regular dose of encouragement from The Latest Kate, a mailing list by Kate Allan that provides a daily message with a cute colorful animal drawing and an inspirational saying. It may seem silly, but I’ve found it a thoughtful pick-me-up. Allan’s newest book, You’re Strong, Smart and You Got This: Drawings, Affirmations and Comfort to Help With Anxiety and Depression, collects a number of […]
Read more
UK publisher SelfMadeHero, thanks to public funding, is starting a mentoring programme (I said they were UK) “designed to find, develop, publish, and promote emerging comic-book artists from Black, Asian, Arab, mixed-race, Romani/Traveller, and non-white Latinx backgrounds.” Until March 26, they are accepting applications for the opportunity. Participants must be over 18, reside in the UK, not have a literary agent, and not have been published by a traditional print publisher. Eight artists will be selected for a 12-week online […]
Read more