After a three-year hiatus, I was curious to see how this supernatural noir mystery picked up. Smartly, writer Dave Ebersole begins the issue with a “story so far” section that fits nicely into the hardboiled PI’s tendency to monologue, in keeping with the genre, while bringing the forgetful reader up to speed with the current case. After a reminder that Dash was drummed off the police force for being gay, there’s a resurrected Egyptian mummy to stop and a mystical […]

Michael Kupperman, better known for his satiric cartoons, here tries his hand at graphic biography. All the Answers is about his father’s time as a child star. His dad was Quiz Kid Joel Kupperman. During World War II, there was a radio show starring young geniuses. Joel was the youngest, a math prodigy pushed into fame by a stereotypical stage mother regardless of his personality or wants. As Michael tells it, his father hated it but felt he had to […]

If you’re looking for a really well-drawn, classically paced and staged comic strip, you need to check out Bear With Me by Bob Scott. You can follow it either at GoComics or the artist’s website. Scott is a former Disney animator and previously co-penciled the strip U.S. Acres with Jim Davis (Garfield). He knows his stuff. The premise is basic — a 900-pound talking brown bear moves in with 11-year-old Molly and her parents — but it’s the simplicity of […]

In Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1, the horror movie hostess met Mary Wollstonecraft; in this issue, there’s another classic figure of the genre introduced. It’s, as Elvira conveniently points out to readers, Edgar Allen Freaking Poe! As written by David Avallone and illustrated by Dave Acosta, the light and funny tone from the first issue continues, along with the fourth-wall breaking and boob mentions. However, there is some plot, and it does move along, as we learn who’s chasing […]

Exactly what it says on the tin. D. Bradford Gambles’ A Lone Deer at the End of the World shows a deer wandering through the snow-covered wreckage of civilization, mostly an abandoned mall overtaken by nature. It’s quietly lyrical, as if you can hear the snow drifting. Larger panels are interspersed with focus images on details, reinforcing the feel of the setting. There’s a rather obvious metaphor for consumerism being behind the destruction of society. I enjoyed the issue for […]

Colonial Comics: New England, 1750-1775 is an anthology of 18 historical comic stories, edited by Jason Rodriguez and published by Fulcrum Publishing, that aims “to focus on the people and events that tend to get ignored in American history classes.” It’s an admirable goal, and one that succeeds, opening readers’ eyes to lesser-known but involving figures and events. Stories such as “The Devil and Silence Dogood”, by J.L. Bell and Braden Lamb, humorously shows Benjamin Franklin’s early days as a […]

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 […]