This substantial history makes for an impressive graphic novel. Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm alternates chapters between the story of the Apollo 11 moon landing (in full color) and topics related to spaceflight (in monochrome). Those latter range greatly, involving a lot more than a technical memoir, including a survey of historical astronomers, a history of rocketry, astronaut training, designing the spacesuits, and the symbolism of the moon to various cultures. It’s well-drawn, straightforward […]

“The future is female,” they say, and nothing demonstrates that better than Sanity & Tallulah, a science fiction adventure by Molly Brooks about two smart, daring girls living on a space station. Super-creative Sanity has genetically engineered a three-headed kitten named “Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds”. Having a pet is a rule violation in such a tightly controlled environment, particularly one that’s a science experiment created using untested equipment, and Tallulah’s mother, the senior scientist on the station, grounds them […]

One of my favorite TCAF discoveries was The Pineapples of Wrath by Cathon from Pow Pow Press. I knew nothing about artist, publisher, or book, but it was a fun, escapist read with a distinct, unusual sensibility. Once I checked it out, I kept sending other people over to get some pineapples. In a small Quebec city with the “world’s largest Hawaiian neighborhood”, Marie-Plum bartends at a tiki bar but keeps getting distracted by the latest mystery she’s reading. She […]

Coming in July is a graphic novel that sounds quite promising but turns out to be terrible. The writer of The Martian, Andy Weir, has unearthed Cheshire Crossing. This early project, originally a webcomic, has Alice, Dorothy, and Wendy (from Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan, respectively) put in an asylum together where they escape for battles with each other’s traditional enemies. Since he explains in the introduction that he can’t draw, the publisher, Ten Speed […]

As regular readers know, I’m a huge fan of Rick Geary’s work. His precision linework and fascination with famous murders and infamous people make for compelling reading. There have been nine stories told in his series A Treasury of Victorian Murder, which can be found in two volumes, Compendium 1 (including classics Jack the Ripper and H.H. Holmes) and Compendium 2 (with Lizzie Borden, Lincoln’s assassination, and three other tales). Then he moved a bit forward in time with seven […]

Writer G. Neri has a cousin, Gail Ruffu, who’s an opinionated horse trainer working to make racing a more ethical sport. She was also the first person in 150 years to be charged with Grand Theft Horse, taking her case for rescuing an injured thoroughbred all the way to the California Supreme Court. Here he tells her story, illustrated by Corban Wilkin. It’s a gripping tale of dedication and a real-life fight for justice. This graphic biography is all the […]

The Wild Ocean anthology, edited by Matt Dembicki, was produced with PangeaSeed, an ocean conservation organization, so it’s got an obvious message — ”to showcase 12 iconic endangered ocean animals” in order to encourage changes in human behavior when it comes to pollution and overfishing — but the following 12 stories are inspiring, all the same. “Tortuga, the Island That Swims” by Jay Hosler, about a hawksbill sea turtle’s life cycle and the other creatures that live on its shell […]

Jim McClain, a middle school math teacher, loves comics, so he made his own super-team to teach mathematical concepts. The first Solution Squad comic story introduces the team members: La Calculadora – fast computation and team leader Absolutia – changes temperature to demonstrate absolute value Equality – duplicates the abilities of others The Ordered Pair twins – Abscissa (runs fast horizontally) and Ordinate (flies and dives vertically) Radical – a time-lost kid from the 80s who surfs invisible triangles They […]