CSI: Dying in the Gutters #5

I haven’t seen anyone talk about the comic book convention mystery CSI: Dying in the Gutters, and after they worked so hard to draw direct market attention to it, too. Maybe everyone’s waiting for the trade (due next month)? Here’s the premise: at a Las Vegas comic convention, internet gossip Rich Johnston is killed, electrocuted when he touches a rigged microphone while standing in salt water. So many creators have reason to kill him that the CSI team has trouble […]

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Spooked

I sought out this older graphic novel because I so much enjoy Ross Campbell‘s art (as seen in Wet Moon). It was a worthwhile quest. Writer Antony Johnston has often worked with crime, horror, and suspense, and in Spooked he blends the three in the story of artist Emily Spook. She’s a kind of medium, able to host and converse with spirits. It’s unsurprising to note that she considers this a curse more than a gift, but it’s the way […]

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Finder: King of the Cats

King of the Cats more deeply explores the world of the Nyima, the lion people first seen in the Finder: Sin-Eater books by Carla Speed McNeil. The Nyima women are quite accomplished. Although they look like lionesses, they walk erect, use tools (especially guns), and conduct diplomatic missions. The males, except for the leaders, are more likely to go feral, running on all fours like the lions we think of. Jaeger’s working for a tour company as armed escort, getting […]

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Finder: Sin-Eater

In Finder: Sin-Eater, Jaeger has returned to the city of Anvard after six months in the desert. He ends up staying with Emma and her three children as he recovers from a beating. Her husband, Brigham, was a former army officer of Jaeger’s and a control freak who abused his family mentally. Although he’s in military prison, they’re still living with their fear of him. Jaeger is a scout, a tracker, a Finder, part of a secret society. He’s also […]

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Billi 99

I was astounded by how impressive Billi 99 was, and I was stunned that I’d never before heard of this graphic novel. (I only read it because we had a copy tucked away on a back shelf, a remnant of KC’s far-away days on the Dark Horse comp list.) Then I realized why it may have been overlooked: although technically a superhero book, it’s very different in tone and mood, and as written by Sarah E. Byam, it’s focused on […]

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Absolute DC: The New Frontier

Review by KC Carlson Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier is a lusciously illustrated paean to the Silver Age of American superheroes. The Absolute Edition shows off the art even better with its oversized pages and upscale slipcased presentation. This is not a book for casual reading. (There are two trade paperback collections for that.) This is a book for poring over, with it well-supported on a desk or table so you don’t hurt yourself. The slipcase gives an introduction […]

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Making Comics

Scott McCloud revolutionized discussion of the comic medium with his instant classic Understanding Comics. It gave many a new way to talk about comics, the beginning of a language with which to discuss and analyze the form. Now, a decade later, he’s created Making Comics, promising “storytelling secrets of comics, manga, and graphic novels”. Instead of theory, this book is about practice. And it’s not just about linework or anatomy or common elements of popular genres or styles… it’s about […]

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Are We Feeling Safer Yet?

Keith Knight has put out a second collection of his (th)ink comics. Where The K Chronicles are multi-paneled and often biographical, (th)ink more closely resembles editorial cartoons. They’re single panels that directly address political issues. And they’re darned funny! The material in Are We Feeling Safer Yet? is often raw, but I can’t argue with the points made and the anger he’s expressing. I doubt any of the cartoons would convince someone who disagreed; instead, these are rallying cries, giving […]

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