Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements

The Science Comics line continues with The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything, an introduction to the basics of chemistry by Jon Chad. Mel is anxious about her upcoming chemistry test on the elements, because pressure makes her nervous. She dreams herself into the Land of the Elements, where the elements take on the forms of various blobby creatures. Her help is needed to defeat the Elemancer, who wants to destroy the world, and — what […]

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Washington’s Gay General

Two of the biggest trends in graphic novels over the past few years are graphic memoir (biographies and autobiographies in comic format) and non-fiction comics (particularly those about scientific topics or history). I love both, as I find them both educational and a terrific use of the combined textual/visual nature of comics. Nothing gives you a better way of sharing someone’s experience or understanding new material. I thought Washington’s Gay General, by Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings, was going to […]

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The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Deya Muniz’s The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a wonderfully silly romance with plenty of cheese puns. You probably already know from that description whether you’d like it or not, but let me elaborate. Count Camembert has a daughter, but she cannot inherit. So the two of them decide to have her become a man, since she doesn’t want to marry because she doesn’t like men that way. With the aid of beloved servant Feta, the young Count […]

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Young Agatha Christie

I don’t really know how to sum up Young Agatha Christie. It’s got a number of interesting features, and together they make for an enjoyable read, but I would never have predicted all of them in the same graphic novel. It’s by William Augel, translated by Benjamin Croze, and published by Humanoids. Some of the full-page, nine-panel comic strips feature a morbid girl, as when she has one doll give another arsenic at a tea party. These have the humor […]

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Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets

Andy Warner, the author of the entertaining popular history Brief Histories of Everyday Objects, returns with a similar, animal-focused book, Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets. Readers discover when and how certain animals were domesticated and some of the beliefs held about them. Some of the animals are eaten, some die in war, some are pampered, some are fads. He’s divided this collection of interesting facts and explanations into three categories: “Creatures We Find Cute” goes beyond dogs, cats, […]

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How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality

How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality covers, with copious illustrations, propaganda — what it is, well-known examples, and how to understand and avoid it. Related topics, such as public relations, implicit biases, and underlying economic motivations, come into play as well. It’s written by Samuel C. Spitale and illustrated by Allan Whincup. There’s a lot of information here. It’s all about showing readers […]

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History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin

I’ve been impressed by the majority of the History Comics line for their modern, sensible approaches to stories, well-known or not, that younger readers will find interesting. The tale of Rosa Parks, whose refusal to be sent to the back of the bus kicked off the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott and eventual desegregation of transit, is fairly well-known. By incorporating the earlier resistance of the Claudette Colvin, who wasn’t as respectable and photogenic a figurehead for a movement, this story […]

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Fence’s Return to Serialization Successful, Plus a Preview

Fence launched at the end of November 2017. It’s the manga-like story of a bunch of boys competing at fencing, dealing with rivalries, and romancing their teammates (even if they don’t realize it yet). It’s written by C.S. Pacat, illustrated by Johanna the Mad, and published by Boom! Studios. Here’s an interview with the creators I did back then. I found it “addictive soap opera“, particularly once it went from single issues, after the release of #12, to a graphic […]

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