Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
What if teen witches acted like real teens, mean and bitchy and selfish? That’s the appeal of Spell Checkers, a black-and-white graphic novel out later this month from Oni Press. It’s written by Jamie S. Rich, illustrated by Nicolas Hitori de, and Joelle Jones contributes additional art. Three girls cast a spell to give them power, vowing to be best friends forever. Now they’re in high school, and the way they rule the school is being questioned. Normally, they send […]
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I heard good things about this comic, I bought it, and I liked it. That doesn’t really happen much anymore for me, in this world of pre-ordering and big-event fascination hypnosis and fractured online communities who already know what they’re buying and what they’ll think about it. Even though this comic is a media tie-in, it entertained me and made me eager for more. Writer Felicia Day is better known as an actress, part of Joss Whedon’s company. She’s the […]
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The newest Zuda webcomic in print (after last fall’s High Moon) is The Night Owls. Online, this strip was the site’s second Instant Winner, meaning it was picked for a development contract in December 2007 without having to struggle through winning a monthly competition. Installments ran through December 2009, and they’ve all been collected here. As soon as I heard the premise — supernatural detectives in the roaring 20s — I was sold. I fondly remember Jazz Age Chronicles, and […]
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All books are from NBM Publishing and were provided by the publisher for review. On the Odd Hours by Eric Liberge The latest entry in the series co-published with the Louvre Museum is slim but elegant, with subdued colors and French flaps. I found the story more approachable than the other books in the series — On the Odd Hours is about a deaf student who takes a position as a guard at the museum. An older night guard, also […]
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Kudos to DC for following through on their commitment to complete the Spirit Archives series, even if most of the books are now out of print. Still, most collectors bought them on release — spreading out purchases is the only way to afford the whole thing! This last volume, released last summer, is particularly odd, and of interest mostly to completists, since it has very few actual comics in it. It collects lots of Will Eisner art featuring the character […]
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Archie #605 completes the Archie marriage storyline that began in Archie #600. For 3 issues, we read the imaginary story of how Archie and Veronica got married and had twins. Then, it was Betty’s turn. This last issue of the story gives Betty and Archie twins (just like Archie and Veronica had) and catches up with many of their Riverdale friends, as they also move on with their adult lives. As you might expect, given the relatively short three-issue story […]
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Hamster and Cheese is the first book in a new series, Guinea PIG: Pet Shop Private Eye, by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue. In it, the title character, named Sasspants, solves mysteries. It’s very cute — Sasspants lives in a glass habitat filled with books her size — and has some funny dialogue and character interactions. There is one running gag, about the shop owner being stupid, that didn’t work for me, since it’s reflected in calling all the […]
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It’s a crazy idea for a kids’ book, but it works surprisingly well. Possessions: Unclean Getaway by Ray Fawkes is the story of Gurgazon, a demon inhabiting a five-year-old girl, who is taken away to the Llewellyn-Vane House for Captured Spirits and Ghostly Curiosities. Once captured, it only wants to escape, resulting in weird comedy. It’s done in black, white, and a weird light green the publisher appropriately describes as “sickly”. It’s billed as suitable for “all audiences”, but I […]
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