In September 2016, ComicMix Kickstarted a Star Trek parody in the style of Dr. Seuss called Oh, The Places You’ll Boldly Go!. The book, written by David Gerrold and illustrated by Ty Templeton, never was published, though, as Dr. Seuss Enterprises sued to stop it. In March 2019, ComicMix won a court case on fair use grounds. Now, in a federal appeals court, that victory was overturned, as judges declared that the publication failed to meet the required standards for […]

Cutaway Comics launched this year as a British comic publisher putting out Doctor Who-related titles. They’re focusing on creator-owned characters, which is apparently allowed under British law. (I am always curious about this, but I’m digressing. And it’s great that it allows for various spin-offs.) Cutaway Comics is inspired by the so-called ‘backup’ strips of Doctor Who Weekly, which delved deeper into the characters and cultures of the Doctor Who universe away from the Doctor. The publisher is Gareth Kavanagh, […]

Andi Watson put out Dumped through Oni Press back in 2002. It’s a modern sort of romance, where a woman who runs a vintage clothing shop and a man fascinated by discarded paperbacks meet and get to know each other. I liked it because it deals with the nature of collection and obsession and how we define ourselves through our possessions. It’s been out of print a long while, but now, with today’s technology, Watson has spruced it up into […]

No one cares about this any more, with everything else going on, but just for historical purposes: Back in March, I asked “what will happen to Free Comic Book Day?” At that time, they were expecting that they’d have to reschedule from May to later in the year once the pandemic was under control. As we know now, due to idiots who think “freedom!” can contradict scientific fact and a ridiculous lack of political leadership, we’re still in it. So […]

In December, Fanfare Presents will be publishing Lunatic by Dan Mazur. It’s a 200-page hardcover where every page is a wordless single image, combining into the story of a woman who loves the moon. Dan put out this video to show and tell about the book, which uses a variety of art styles. I wish more people explained their projects so clearly and directly, with plenty of sample pages. The word “lunatic” derives from Latin, meaning “of the moon” or […]

The Barnaby comic strip by Crockett Johnson (Harold and the Purple Crayon) is amazingly creative. Fantagraphics began bringing this 1940s classic to modern readers in 2013. As I said in my review of volume 1 (which reprints strips from 1942-1943), Barnaby is a typical boy who’s visited by the world’s strangest Fairy Godfather. Mr. O’Malley wears a hat and trenchcoat and is never seen without his cigar (which he calls his magic wand). It’s unclear, at times, whether he’s really […]

The final issue of Lumberjanes has just been solicited for a December release in comic shops. End of Summer #1 can be ordered now with Diamond code OCT20 0902 (cover by Kat Leyh), OCT20 0903 (cover by Harriet Moulton), or OCT20 0904 (cover by Tillie Walden). It’s $6.99 for 48 pages. The contents are written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh and illustrated by Brooklyn Allen (artist on the first story) and Kanesha C. Bryant. The series has been running […]

Dash, the retro gay private eye noir comic, had a successful Kickstarter this past summer. Now that the book is going to exist, you can order it through your local comic shop. Dash Volume 1: The Case of the Mysterious Zita Makara will be in stores in December and can be pre-ordered with Diamond code OCT20 1498. It contains six issues’ worth of story with 40 pages of new stories and an introduction by Steve Orlando. You can read a […]