I’d been looking forward to this latest volume in the series, but when I started reading it, I realized I was having a hard time telling the characters apart, since O’Malley’s minimalist blockhead style doesn’t give very many points of reference. So I reread the previous books: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness That greatly improved my enjoyment, as well as aiding me in realizing the depth of the characters […]

An impressive comic by a talented new creator is just what you need when you’re feeling grumpy. All the better that it’s a true story about the contributions of animals to increasing human knowledge. It’s nice to be reminded of the bigger picture and how different types of beings can work together (whether or not by choice) to achieve great things. James Vining, former Coast Guard mate, has chosen the subject of the space race for his first solo comic. […]

I sought out this older graphic novel because I so much enjoy Ross Campbell‘s art (as seen in Wet Moon). It was a worthwhile quest. Writer Antony Johnston has often worked with crime, horror, and suspense, and in Spooked he blends the three in the story of artist Emily Spook. She’s a kind of medium, able to host and converse with spirits. It’s unsurprising to note that she considers this a curse more than a gift, but it’s the way […]

Nobody does romance as well as Jamie S. Rich, and Love the Way You Love, illustrated by Marc Ellerby, is no exception. Side A Tristan is the lead singer of Like a Dog, an up-and-coming band. He’s returning home when he sees the perfect girl at the airport. When she later appears at that night’s show, it must be fate, only she’s engaged to the record company honcho who’s come to see about signing the band. This establishes the conflict: […]

Cheat is the story of a woman who cheats on her husband. It has beautiful linework and realistic characters, but it doesn’t fulfill its promise. Although Christine Norrie does a wonderful job of showing us the circumstances that may lead to infidelity, the book was promoted with questions like “how will the betrayed spouses react?” (As seen on the back cover.) But the discovery and its effects are given short shrift here, leaving me feeling unfulfilled as a reader. The […]

In the third book in Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, Scott’s band drama continues. His ex-girlfriend, Envy Adams, and her group are much more successful than he is, and she’s offered to let his band open for them. Unfortunately, Scott still has to fight his girlfriend Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends, and one of them is a member of Envy’s band. O’Malley’s work has been criticized as “too emo” by those who don’t have an appreciation for young adult soap opera. […]

Andi Watson’s Little Star continues in the slice-of-life vein of his works Breakfast After Noon and Slow News Day. (The characters from BAN even make a cameo here; Rob’s a stay-at-home dad and Louise has a second on the way.) It’s the character-driven story of a father coming to terms with life choices: balancing work and home, buying the right house, and raising a child. Daughter Cassie is old enough to talk, and she’s beginning to develop her own personality. […]

Trevor Schalk was an aviation millionaire who was murdered 25 years ago. Before his death, his hypnotherapist tried to make it so he’d remember his previous life in his next. Now, an up-and-coming closeted actor thinks he has Schalk’s memories, and aspiring private eye Amy Devlin is hired to find out what’s going on in Past Lies, a mystery graphic novel written by Christina Weir & Nuncio DeFilippis and drawn by Christopher Mitten. The situation allows for the dynamite line […]