Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Unicorn Famous is the thirteenth book in the series, collecting the ongoing Phoebe and Her Unicorn comic strip by Dana Simpson. I was surprised to see that it opens with a lengthy sequence about being able to be what you want when you grow up, even if that thing is a unicorn. Of course, they’re magical creatures, so maybe that makes sense, but to a human reader, it’s encouraging, reminding us that we have options and choices. It’s all handled […]
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The latest Phoebe and Her Unicorn collection from Dana Simpson, Virtual Unicorn Experience, is as fresh and funny and entertaining as any of the previous. It’s the twelfth book in the series, so that’s a pretty impressive track record. Since the unicorn Marigold is a magical creature, her sometimes use of spells makes for entertaining visuals, but the realistic elements of this strip are where it excels. In Virtual Unicorn Experience, the friendship between Marigold and the odd but admirable […]
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I gave up watching Doctor Who midway through the Eleventh Doctor’s run, because what I wanted to see differed from the showrunner’s ideas. (It happens. In my rewatch, I will eventually get there.) I regret, though, that means that I missed out on the Master becoming Missy (played by Michelle Gomez), cause she looks cool. So I was glad to see that the latest Doctor Who comic from Titan was all about her. All four issues of the miniseries are […]
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I love this webcomic, even though I had no idea it was actually called Webcomic Name or that the author was Alex Norris. Calling the book Oh No was smart, as that’s how most people know it, since that’s the punchline to every three-panel installment. I think we all can sympathize with the pink “disappointed blob” that features in it, and seeing so many resigned “oh no”s in a row created in me a kind of bemused resignation. Although I […]
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The DC Super Hero Girls line launched in Fall 2015 with web content, dolls, Lego toys, graphic novels, and videos. Here’s a list of the comics, starting with the graphic novels: Finals Crisis written by Shea Fontana; art by Yancey Labat 2016 Hits and Myths written by Shea Fontana; art by Yancey Labat 2016 Summer Olympus written by Shea Fontana; art by Yancey Labat 2017 Past Times at Super Hero High written by Shea Fontana; art by Yancey Labat, Agnes […]
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If you’re a fan of The Boys, you’ll want to check out Night Jackal #1, particularly since it’s a full-length, professionally done, dark superhero story for only 99 cents. It’s the story of a former hero, now out of prison after decades behind bars, written by Heath C. Michaels and illustrated by Philip Renne. The ex-con just wants to survive, although no one wants him around. Plenty of people feel powerful picking on him, since he’s afraid to fight back. […]
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All Summer Long is the kind of teen summer story I can get behind. Bina isn’t going to camp or on vacation. Instead, she’s left in town to do not much of anything. The past few summers, she and neighbor / best friend Austin have spent the whole season together, but he’s off to soccer camp. His lack of response to her messages contributes to her feeling of loneliness. That’s why she’s surprised to find herself with something in common […]
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Lights, Planets, People! is a graphic novel adaptation of Molly Naylor’s play, illustrated by Lizzy Stewart. Yet it manages to use the comic format beautifully to show us multiple levels of communication. Maggie is an astronomer. We see her giving a lecture to inspire young women to pursue science, alternating with her flashbacks to her lifetime of work, from days where she was the only woman to the outcome of the project she spent years on. She’s also seeing a […]
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