Given that superheroes began as examples of those who could bring justice, it’s fun to see the Super Friends versions used for moral instruction. Super Heroes Say Please by Morris Katz is a 20-page board book for ages 0-3 about manners. Uncredited clip art shows classically illustrated heroes being polite and kind. They introduce themselves, shake hands, say please when they need help, take turns, share, and compliment each other. It was odd for me to notice just how many […]

This set of four hardcover storybooks makes up a new series in which the famous caped crimefighters use forensic investigation techniques to solve crimes. It’s a clever way to encourage scientific thinking and understanding the real-life background behind superhero adventures. The Batman & Robin Crime Scene Investigations series is written by Steve Korte, illustrated by Dario Brizuela, and published by Capstone Press. The subjects are well chosen: Fingerprints and footprints are classic mystery elements, while DNA keeps the heroes up-to-date […]

It’s been fascinating to see Mark Crilley’s how-to books move from genre, with the Mastering Manga trilogy, to a story about learning how to draw, to a set of illustrations with a wide variety of influences, to hyperrealistic art. His latest how-to book continues in the vein of that last one, although it could also be classed as almost fine art. The Two-Pencil Method: The Revolutionary Approach to Drawing It All is a series of instructions for using a regular […]

Review by KC Carlson DC Comics Absolutely Everything You Need To Know is a brand-new, 200-page book, published by DK, packed with information about the entire DC Universe (and its history). However, unlike previous DC Comics books from DK, it has a somewhat skewed sense of the minutia of the DCU that matches up with mine, so I’m finding it particularly entertaining and quite funny/absurd in places. I suspect the books’ four authors — Liz Marsham, Melanie Scott, Landry Q. […]

Review by KC Carlson Well, right off the bat, I have to reveal that I’m mentioned in the introduction of this book by Robert Greenberger because I assisted (along with about nine other comics individuals, as well as members of Facebook groups) in nominating specific selections to be considered. Since I did this at least two years ago (and my brain is now two years further into senility), I don’t have the faintest recollection about what I contributed — but […]

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 […]

The second Lumberjanes young adult novel, Lumberjanes: The Moon Is Up, is now available, and like the first, Unicorn Power!, as written by Mariko Tamaki, it captures the feel of the series well for fans. (Particularly with the few but significant illustrations by Brooklyn Allen.) The camp is preparing for Galaxy Wars, a week-long contest involving a scavenger hunt, trivia contest, and obstacle course, all about the planets. That means we also get to see, in this book, Barney and […]

I haven’t seen an art book quite like Manga Art: Inspiration and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator before. I’ve enjoyed Mark Crilley’s work for a long while, both his fiction comics (dating from Akiko) and his how-to-make-comics volumes. This is the book that comes closest to giving a good idea of what he really likes and wants to do. It’s simply a book of illustrations, all relating to manga in some way. In his introduction, Crilley praises the “atmosphere of […]