October 31, 2010 Johanna Fantagraphics 3 comments

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec: Pterror Over Paris and The Eiffel Tower Demon

I don’t read enough European comics. I like many of their visual styles, but I’ve found often that the package seems expensive for the amount of story you get, or worse, they’re written from and for a very male perspective. (The science fiction books, for example, tend to have lots of undressed busty robots.) When I saw The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec: Pterror Over Paris and The Eiffel Tower Demon at the Fantagraphics table at SPX this year, then, […]

October 30, 2010 Johanna SLG Publishing Leave a comment

Animal Crackers

Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese was such an award-winning success that it’s no surprise that his earlier works would be brought back into print. Animal Crackers collects Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks and Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order. I’m not a fan of Yang’s work that I’ve tried. I was uncomfortable seeing so strong a reliance on stereotypes in American Born Chinese, even though they were used for the purpose of saying “stereotyping is […]

October 27, 2010 Johanna SLG Publishing Leave a comment

Slush Pile: SLG: Sisters’ Luck, Shadoweyes, Captain Long Ears

I’m normally, as a comic reader, focused on story first, but I was surprised to find that these three SLG Publishing graphic novels impressed me more with their illustrations than their plots. All were review copies provided by the publisher. The Sisters’ Luck by Shari Chankhamma, $12.95 I was intrigued by the premise behind this graphic novel, that of twin sisters, one of whom steals good luck from others, another who brings bad luck, but it wasn’t handled the way […]

October 26, 2010 KC Titan Comics 6 comments

The Simon & Kirby Superheroes

Review by KC Carlson It seems like there are a ton of big chunky comic book histories and anthologies out this season, but easily one of the most important is The Simon & Kirby Superheroes. Its nearly 500 pages barely contain what purports to be every superhero story (not published by Timely/Marvel or National/DC Comics) that the legendary creators produced. I’m not an S&K scholar, but I certainly trust editor Steve Saffel — who lives and breathes this stuff! From […]

October 18, 2010 Johanna Other Publishers One comment

The Three Thieves: Tower of Treasure

Scott Chantler (Northwest Passage) created Tower of Treasure, an all-ages fantasy adventure first in the “Three Thieves” series. The thieves are Dessa, a teen acrobat with a traveling show who’s seeking her lost brother; Topper, a juggler from a blue, troll-like race; and Fisk, the big purple strongman. Dessa’s found a makeshift family in her troupe of entertainers, but she’s not thrilled with how they make their money. While she performs, her fellow travelers pick the pockets of those distracted […]

October 13, 2010 Johanna Dark Horse 4 comments

Scary Godmother

This beautiful hardcover is perfectly timed. As fall creeps over the country, there’s nothing better than relaxing with some lightly scary (but also funny), impressively illustrated stories about monsters. The strong sense of family, whether natural or assembled from close friends, is a comforting underlay, as is Jill Thompson’s tangible portrayal of the season. I was pleasantly surprised to see that, in addition to the original four storybooks — The Scary Godmother, The Revenge of Jimmy, The Mystery Date, The […]

October 4, 2010 Johanna Archie Comics 2 comments

Veronica #202: Introducing Kevin Keller, the New Gay Guy

Veronica #202 has gotten tons of press, as it was promoted for months ahead of time (since April) as a real milestone for Riverdale: it would introduce Archie’s first “openly gay” character, Kevin Keller. While I completely support the idea — it’s about time that Archie’s hometown of Riverdale was made more diverse in lots of ways — I did find it a shame that, as with another recent big-press storyline, the execution is much worse than the concept deserves. […]

October 3, 2010 Johanna NBM / Papercutz Leave a comment

Networked: Carabella on the Run

When I first heard that Networked: Carabella on the Run was a co-production with a non-profit organization, I was leery. PrivacyActivism is dedicated to helping people “understand the real-world implications of privacy losses” and protecting this fundamental human right. I feared that the message, although from a cause I support, would overcome the story. Thankfully, that’s not the case. I quickly got caught up in the adventures of Carabella and her classmates as we learn more about where she came […]

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