I made fun of the first inductee in the newly announced Wizard World Hall of Legends, but I’m more interested in the second one. Trina Robbins, the “first woman to draw Wonder Woman” [in 1986], will be added to the Wizard World Hall of Legends in Sacramento on June 16. But her historical impact extends beyond working on corporate properties: In 1970, Robbins produced the very first all-woman comic book, It Ain’t Me, Babe. She’s also written a number of […]

You’re not a real, national-level comic show these days unless you have an awards program. So Wizard World has just announced, as “part of the enhanced comics offerings at Wizard World Comic Cons this year”, that they are starting a Hall of Legends “to celebrate the artists, writers and insiders who have built the industry and those [who] continue the traditions.” The press release begins “For more than a quarter-century, the name Wizard World has represented the best in comics […]

Open up the liquor cabinet! To go along with Thor whisky, Revival beer, and Star Trek wine, Dark Horse Comics has announced Hellboy Hell Water Cinnamon Whiskey, a 66.6 proof “craft distilled, small batch, naturally flavored cinnamon whiskey”. “Hellboy Hell Water is micro-distilled, hand-bottled, and styled in the old traditional process of making Southern Corn Whiskey. Old fashioned corn whiskey uses only the finest corn, natural ingredients, spring water, glassware, and craftsmanship.” It’s made by XXX Distillery in Tennessee. The […]

Technology marches on, and the smart comic creator moves with it. Take, as today’s case, Ragmop. It was a self-published series from 1995-1997, running 10 issues, then creator Rob Walton put out two issues with Image. The next decade saw the rise of the book-format collection, so Walton reworked the comics into a graphic novel in 2006. (Unfortunately, that’s where I lost track of it. I loved the classic animation-styled art, but the conspiracy politics were just too much for […]

Melanie Gillman’s comic work, done in colored pencils, has a unique look I really like. Gillman also picks unique premises that allow the strong characters they create to shine through. Their long-running webcomic, As the Crow Flies, is going to be published by Iron Circus Comics later this year. It’s the story of Charlie, the only black camper in a Christian camp for girls, and her discomfort with the backpacking trip. As is standard with that publisher, the first volume […]

I’m really loving the First Second Science Comics line for doing educational graphic novels that are informative AND entertaining reads. The latest is Flying Machines, out today. Thankfully, they’ve got a bunch more planned beyond the five out so far. Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield by Falynn Koch (author of Bats), due out August 29, covers disease. Yuck! But likely fascinating. Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch (The Baker Street Peculiars), due out October 31 Robots and Drones: Past, […]

Whiteout was a gripping mystery-thriller written by Greg Rucka (Wonder Woman, Lazarus) and illustrated by Steve Lieber (The Fix) with a unique setting: the military base in Antarctica. It was a fascinating read, with a non-typical lead investigator, and a remarkable environment to build suspense. Originally a four-issue miniseries, Whiteout was first collected in 1999, with a sequel, Whiteout: Melt, the next year. It became a not-very-good movie with Kate Beckinsale in 2009. Oni Press republished the collections as remastered […]

The Once and Future Queen is a five-issue miniseries by Adam P. Knave, D.J. Kirkbride, and Nickolas Brokenshire published by Dark Horse. Two issues have come out so far, but Knave has announced that there won’t be any more, although the collection will still be published in November. It’s the story of a nineteen-year-old who goes to England for a chess tournament, gets distracted by her feelings for another girl and loses, then draws Excalibur. She has to assemble a […]