Nathan Hale is extraordinary at not only bringing history to life, but also including well-researched bits of the story most people aren’t aware of. The latest entry in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series is also outstanding in another way. The Underground Abductor is the first of the stories to star a woman, Harriet Tubman. Hale isn’t afraid to tackle difficult topics, either. The book starts with Nathan Hale’s captors — the spy, about to be hanged, has magically become […]

The important question when growing comic readers is “what do I read next?” Back in the mid-1980s, in the first graphic novel boom, the appeal of comic-format books faltered because, after Maus, there was little else with the same literary goals and high quality and diverse storytelling. People who loved it had nothing else to go on with, nothing else to build that habit of thinking of comics as a medium instead of just the superhero genre. Nowadays, there are […]

The latest in the series of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, an impressively funny and educational history comic series, covers an immense topic: World War I and its Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood. Nathan Hale sets out to tell the story of “the war to end all wars”, but the earthy Hangman gets bored early and demands “cute little animals” to make it more interesting. Thus, the book symbolizes each country of Europe in 1914 with some kind of beast wearing […]

I have just read a hilarious children’s history comic about cannibalism. Well, actually, it’s about how hard it was to settle the West in a wagon train. For those of you old enough to remember, it’s like Oregon Trail: The Graphic Novel. Only instead of dysentery, lots of people die of starvation or exposure. Donner Dinner Party is third in the series of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. As he’s waiting to be hanged, Nathan Hale tells history stories to his […]

I’ve been a huge fan of Laura Lee Gulledge‘s work since I read her wonderful Page by Paige, which was one of my best books of 2011. Her new book, Will & Whit, has much the same charm as Page by Paige, with similar beautiful linework, but by expanding the cast, Gulledge demonstrates new skills. It’s a terrific read, enjoyable to explore and yet deep in meaning. Will, short for Willhemena, is an insomniac who creates artistic lamps because she’s […]

I previously reviewed this book of illustrated essays by Darryl Cunningham when it was published in the UK and called Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes, and Scams. For the US release of How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial, due in April, the chapter on “Electroconvulsive Therapy” (which tied nicely into Cunningham’s previous book, Psychiatric Tales) has been replaced by one on “Fracking”. Also, “The Facts in the Case of Dr. Andrew Wakefield” has been retitled […]

How Our Economy Works (And Doesn’t Work) in Words and Pictures I’m lucky. My parents gave me a basic training in personal finance growing up, so I had the kind of economic background that served me well as an adult. For example, I knew how to avoid getting in over my head on a mortgage and why it’s a good thing to pay your credit cards in full every month. Many people don’t have that knowledge, because it’s in no […]

The sequel to Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword picks up where the previous book left off — but in such a way that it stands alone perfectly well. Mirka is still 11 years old, still headstrong and determined and seeking meaning in her life she isn’t ready for yet. She has a sword, but since she’s grounded, she’s got no chance to use it. When she tries to bully the troll into teaching her more about sword-fighting, he summons […]