Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Iron Circus’ newest book of erotica was a disappointment. I loved the idea of a varied bunch of fans hooking up at a convention — I was hoping it would be as fun as Dramacon, but with actual sex scenes — but I never got enough information about most of the cast to care about what they were or weren’t doing to each other. Niki Smith originally serialized the chapters that make up Crossplay online at a pay porn site, […]
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The latest in the outstanding line of Science Comics, non-fiction graphic novels for kids about technology and our natural world, is Joe Flood’s Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter. Unlike other animal books in the line, such as Dogs or Bats, this volume doesn’t have a bridging story or a cute narrator example of the species. That wouldn’t be appropriate for the subject. Instead, this is a straightforward presentation of the various types of sharks, their biology (including their jaws, of course), […]
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Graham Annable’s distinctive, googly-eyed style is a wonderful match for this odd, adorable fable about two friends, Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths. Ernesto wants to leave their comfortable tree home to “see ALL of the sky!” while Peter enjoys staying put, looking at clouds and enjoying hibiscus. He’s content, as a sloth usually is, but Ernesto likes travel. Peter fears the dangers, but Ernesto vows to return from his adventure. It’s great seeing two such good friends […]
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Out later this month is Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom, a terrific concept that unfortunately disappoints in the execution. This camp-based murder mystery is the debut graphic novel of co-writers Terry Blas and Molly Muldoon as well as artist Matthew Seely. Seely has an animation background, which shows in the expressive and slightly exaggerated character design. It felt like I was watching a cartoon, in both good — clear emotion, colorful settings, outsized facial features — and bad ways […]
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I always enjoy reading a new installment of Resident Alien. It’s a strong, simple concept — an alien, marooned on Earth, tries to live an undiscovered life as a retired country doctor, until the neighbors in the small town he’s settled in start incorporating him into their lives. This usually involves revealing and solving some kind of crime. Why I like it: There aren’t enough mystery stories in comics (as opposed to thrillers), for one thing, so this series scratches […]
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I had to mention the latest installment of the digital series DC Super Hero Girls: Spaced Out, #10, because it’s just so darn cute! The story so far has involved Green Lantern Jessica Cruz overcoming her fears, a trip to Oa (the Green Lantern home planet), Supergirl being misled by other Kryptonians, and Wonder Woman dog-sitting Krypto in Supergirl’s absence. It’s the pets that make this issue, written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Agnes Garbowska, so much fun. Krypto […]
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Lumberjanes #48 is a nice little stand-alone issue that fills out the world of the camp for hardcore lady-types. It begins with Barney distributing the new camp newsletter in a story written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh and illustrated by Ayme Sotuyo. The Zodiac cabin is putting together articles, sports, weather, horoscopes, cartoons, and a “weird corner”. The responsibility for that drives one contributor crazy, making her yell, “Do you know how much weird this camp has?!” Yes! That’s […]
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Snails Are Just My Speed! is the latest in Kevin McCloskey’s series of “Giggle and Learn” books, after We Dig Worms!, The Real Poop on Pigeons!, and Something’s Fishy. They feature odd animals, heavy on the kind of gross facts kids love. In other words, they’re a lot of fun. The attitude is obvious from the cover, with the title entity saying, “Now with extra mucus!” And yes, the mucus is explained in great detail inside, with its many functions […]
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