I adore Liz Climo’s comics. They’re simple, often just two panels, often just two or three animals in each, but they’re direct and heart-warming. She juggles her characters between their animal behavior and well-observed, more human-like traits. Lobster Is the Best Medicine is specifically labeled “a collection of comics about friendship”, and that’s a welcome subject to dive further into. Additionally, the small hardcover (a bit larger than a pack of cards) would make an excellent gift, as it’s cute […]

Manfried the Man by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow features a simple concept. Humanoid cats have little men for pets. It started, as you might expect, as a gag comic. It’s adorable seeing the roly-poly balding ginger Manfried get tied up in his leash, for example, and realistic that he always wants to be on the other side of a door. (Note that, as the pet men are naked, there are tiny little cartoon private parts visible, but they’re incredibly […]

The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya by Reimena Yee is one of those lovely discoveries that remind me why I still have a slush pile. It’s a vampire story, but it’s not about being a vampire; it’s actually an inspiring love story. It’s well-designed, with a unique premise and setting. And it’s got believable characters with varied motivations that I want to spend more time with. Zeynel is a carpet seller in 17th century Istanbul. Well, first, he’s growing up in […]

Michigan: On the Trail of a War Bride has one of the more interesting premises I’ve seen in an European graphic novel. Written by Julien Frey and illustrated by Lucas Varela, it’s the story of Julien, a Frenchman, meeting his wife’s American cousins for the first time. Maud’s grandfather had a sister named Odette, who came to Michigan with an American soldier after World War II. I loved the historical part best since it evoked how much everyone’s life was […]

Canterbury Classics has launched a graphic novel line they call Dark Tales, featuring comic adaptations of classic (and thus in public domain) stories with some kind of horror connection. I was eager to check out Dark Tales: The Hound of the Baskervilles, since my Sherlock Holmes reading group was about to start on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle. This adaptation is illustrated by Dave Shephard. I should have realized that a novel driven by mood and setting is very […]

I’m pleasantly surprised that Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1 is more than just a booby book. Yes, there’s a scantily clad woman having adventures, but there’s also snarky humor and an intriguing culture clash premise. Artist Dave Acosta shows lots of cleavage, of course, but that’s the premise of Elvira. There is also storytelling and emphasis on her expressions as a character, not just body-part framing (although you will see plenty of bustlines). As written by David Avallone, we […]

There are plenty of comics about comics, since artists tend to fall back on “write what you know”. Draw Stronger is a completely different kind of book about making comics, though. As it’s subtitled, it’s about “self-care for cartoonists and visual artists”. It actually isn’t a comic so much as an illustrated guide, with plenty of cute little doodles demonstrating the different aches illustrators may experience. Most are exaggerated, to be visually distinctive, and a recurring lightning bolt with a […]

Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales is the umbrella title for a series of anthologies edited by Kel McDonald. (And isn’t that a great title? So fun to say!) Each volume — there have been three so far — is themed after a particular region, so together, they cover folklore from around the world. What I like about them is the high quality of the content. The stories are substantial, which means they have plenty of space to develop (even if, […]