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 […]

Katie O’Neill (Princess Princess Ever After) has created a wonderful world in The Tea Dragon Society. Outstanding character designs and concepts populate a book driven by a quiet feeling of exploration and discovery that is both relaxing and refreshing. Greta is a blacksmith’s apprentice, working with her goblin mother. When she rescues a small creature from attackers, she’s introduced to the world of tea dragons. They grow leaves and flowers from their bodies, which are used to brew special teas. […]

There are good mash-ups, and there are great ones, ones that make you wonder “how terrific! why haven’t I seen this combination before?” Megan Rose Gedris’s Spectacle is great, combining life in the circus, steampunk touches, a ghost sibling, and a murder mystery. Anna is the practical twin, creator of a steam-driven conjecture engine that can predict future events using statistics to 78% accuracy. Ironic, then, that she tells fortunes, knowing that they’re trickery. Kat is the twin liked by […]

Generations is the first graphic novel by Flavia Biondi translated from Italian to English, and it’s a strong debut. Matteo ran away from home three years ago to Milan, but now he’s slinking back to his small country town to live with his grandmother and his three aunts. He’s embarrassed that his life hasn’t been working out as planned, he feels like a failure, and he hasn’t spoken to his father because Matteo doesn’t believe dad accepts his coming out […]

Angel City #5 is packed with action, gearing up for the conclusion next issue. Dolores’ attempt to solve her friend’s murder takes a back seat to staying alive, as crooked cops and gangsters sent by studio bosses are both after her for not shutting up and leaving well enough alone. (No matter the era, someone always wants the strong women to sit down and be quiet.) As the issue opens, she’s been framed for someone else’s murder, sending her fleeing. […]

Ares & Aphrodite is the graphic novel equivalent of a beach read, a romance set in Hollywood with plenty of spicy tricks and sparkly back-and-forth dialogue. If this was a movie — and sometimes it reads as though it wants to be — it’d be a classic romantic comedy. Will Ares is a successful divorce attorney, which means a lot of people dislike him. His most recent client is Evans Beatty (a terrific name choice to evoke an aging Hollywood […]

Thanks to the publisher, I got a chance to read an advance digital copy of Angel City, an upcoming six-issue miniseries from Oni Press. It’s written by Janet Harvey — whom I had the pleasure of working with at DC Comics many years ago — and drawn by Megan Levens (Madame Frankenstein). And it’s a lot of fun! Here’s the official description: Introducing ANGEL CITY, a hard-boiled 1930s noir starring Dolores Dare, previous Hollywood hopeful and current enforcer for the […]

Space Battle Lunchtime is a new eight-issue miniseries from Oni that’s kind of a flagship, since it was the first project they acquired from their new open submissions process. Written and drawn by Natalie Riess, it’s the story of an Earth girl swept up into an intergalactic cooking competition. That’s a concept that will interest many readers, particularly those who love the wacky juxtaposition of everyday hipster life — Peony breaks the rules by baking her own recipe treats for […]