Murder on the Orient Express: The Graphic Novel is a faithful adaptation of the famous Agatha Christie novel, adapted and illustrated by Bob Al-Greene. With one odd exception: Hercule Poirot is completely bald, with an exaggerated mustache that continues into his sideburns. Regardless, it’s an entertaining way to re-experience the story at one’s own pace. The frequent use of full-page horizontal panels captures the claustrophobic feel of the train cars, even when they’re divided into panels to more easily guide […]

Deya Muniz’s The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a wonderfully silly romance with plenty of cheese puns. You probably already know from that description whether you’d like it or not, but let me elaborate. Count Camembert has a daughter, but she cannot inherit. So the two of them decide to have her become a man, since she doesn’t want to marry because she doesn’t like men that way. With the aid of beloved servant Feta, the young Count […]

I don’t really know how to sum up Young Agatha Christie. It’s got a number of interesting features, and together they make for an enjoyable read, but I would never have predicted all of them in the same graphic novel. It’s by William Augel, translated by Benjamin Croze, and published by Humanoids. Some of the full-page, nine-panel comic strips feature a morbid girl, as when she has one doll give another arsenic at a tea party. These have the humor […]

Andy Warner, the author of the entertaining popular history Brief Histories of Everyday Objects, returns with a similar, animal-focused book, Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets. Readers discover when and how certain animals were domesticated and some of the beliefs held about them. Some of the animals are eaten, some die in war, some are pampered, some are fads. He’s divided this collection of interesting facts and explanations into three categories: “Creatures We Find Cute” goes beyond dogs, cats, […]

How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality covers, with copious illustrations, propaganda — what it is, well-known examples, and how to understand and avoid it. Related topics, such as public relations, implicit biases, and underlying economic motivations, come into play as well. It’s written by Samuel C. Spitale and illustrated by Allan Whincup. There’s a lot of information here. It’s all about showing readers […]

I’ve been a fan of Andi Watson’s work since the mid-90s, when he came to attention with the Skeleton Key series. In the 200s, his Breakfast After Noon and Slow News Day were wonderful examples of how comics could tell stories of everyday lives. More recently, his kids’ fantasy graphic novels Glister and Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula I found adorably creative. I was a little worried when his latest book for adults, The Book Tour, didn’t click for me. […]

Julia Wertz’s latest autobiographical comic puts all the rest of them — Drinking at the Movies, Museum of Mistakes (to be rereleased next month), The Infinite Wait and Other Stories — into new context. Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story is 300-plus pages of deceptively simply, impressively readable comics about her finally acknowledging her alcoholism and how she decided to change her life. Her journey isn’t always inspiring or straightforward, but it’s honest and relatable. Wertz starts the book […]