One way to have success is to identify a moment or an event or a condition that everyone can relate to, or at least understand, but no one has yet crystallized. Think, for example, of Semisonic’s “Closing Time”. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s a good song or not — it’s an instant anthem, something people can play to sum up that specific moment. Allergic is something of an equivalent. Writer Megan Wagner Lloyd and artist Michelle Mee Nutter […]

Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper is an absolutely wonderful coming-of-age romance between British schoolboys. Charlie is a runner and drummer, known to be gay. Nick is the human equivalent of a golden retriever, a rugby player and outgoing everyday guy. They meet when assigned seating together in class and develop an unexpected friendship as Nick recruits Charlie to the team. Nick also helps Charlie shake off Ben, another rugby player who dates a girl while sneaking around making out with Nick. There’s […]

The Midwinter Witch completes the trilogy Molly Knox Ostertag began with The Witch Boy and continued with The Hidden Witch. Aster, the boy witch, and Ariel, his new friend (who’s a bit undisciplined in her abilities), are attempting to catch up on their magic training. The family is preparing for the Festival, a gathering of all the extended relatives that also features a magical competition to crown the Midwinter Witch. Aster wants to compete, for the first time, but there […]

Raina Telgemeier’s latest book, Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story, puts a workshop course between covers. Her many devout fans will find this journal, full of prompts and activities, a friendly guide to making their own comics. After a welcoming introduction, there are four chapters, each focusing on one of Telgemeier’s books: Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts. The first, covering Smile, is the longest, with the most detail about Telgemeier’s creative process and short lessons on […]

I’ve adored Andy Runton’s Owly since I saw it over a decade ago. The first book, The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer, was originally published in 2004, fifteen years ago. It was unique for being wordless and adorable, far from the then-usual material for an indy comic company and creator. The comic business has come a long way since then. There are many more markets, including the ever-growing kids’ comics audience, and a lot more options for publishing. So […]

The sixth installment of the super-popular Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel series revolves around a major, life-changing event. Kristy’s mom is getting married, which means Kristy is moving to a new, bigger house in a different neighborhood. The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Big Day is by Gale Galligan, based on the novel by Ann M. Martin. The club is now made up of six members, and Kristy worries about how she’ll stay president once she moves. She’s counting on having one last […]

I was anticipating Ru Xu’s EndGames, the sequel to NewsPrints, because I enjoyed the previous book, a steampunk-y tale of the first girl newsboy in a world at war. Unfortunately, EndGames was almost exactly what I didn’t want to read. I missed the individual character work with Blue and Crow, the AI built to fly warplanes. Instead, it’s a story of two countries at war and the machinations involved with empire-building and hereditary royalty. Given that the two lands are […]