Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Salt Magic is the kind of book that makes you glad to read comics. It blends fantasy and history and authentic characters and fairy tale happenings into a story of growing up and protecting those you love. Writer Hope Larson is no stranger to magical fables. I’m fond of what I think is her earliest published graphic novel, Salamander Dream, which had a dream-like quality to it. Her Mercury, a historical fantasy, is even more similar. Artist Rebecca Mock previously […]
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For a comic strip on its fourteenth volume (as this one is), it’s amazing to me how good Unicorn Playlist still is. Settling down with a new Phoebe and Her Unicorn book means a satisfying read. The familiar characters — unusual young woman Phoebe, her magical best friend Marigold the unicorn, her frenemy Dakota, and her goblin minions — have challenges, but they make it through with humor and good will as illustrated by Dana Simpson. This particular volume felt […]
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This charming graphic novel aims to present “the original Sherlock Holmes story reimagined for a modern audience,” and it succeeds wonderfully. Mr Doyle’s Class Presents A Study in Scarlet is adapted by Matthew Hardy, illustrated by Russell Mark Olson, and published by the Portsmouth City Council, who also maintains the Richard Lancelyn Green collection. The goal is to introduce the novel, originally written in Portsmouth, to readers of all ages. A group of present-day schoolchildren are learning about A Study […]
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I can’t claim to have read all the pandemic-era time capsule comics, but my favorite is Love and Capes in the Time of Covid, because I think, looking back, a sense of humor really helps. I’ve enjoyed the superhero rom-com approach of Love and Capes for a long time. This latest one-shot collects the webcomics Thom Zahler put out on Patreon. Having his superhero characters face the challenges of something you can’t punch into submission is an ideal choice for […]
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I adore Dinosaur Therapy. This small, square hardcover collects webcomics from Dinos and Comics, written by James Stewart and illustrated by K Romey. They’re simple but refreshingly blunt. In three- or four-panel comics, simply styled dinosaurs — they look like they’re loosely molded out of play-doh — talk honestly about the difficulties of life. A similarly frank introduction by the writer explains that he began creating these webcomics as a reaction to an ADHD diagnosis and a desire to “find […]
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The American comic industry has always had a space for small, independent publishers, and I’m glad, because it means you can sometimes stumble across something like this. Wife Gets Smart, Makes Husband Happy: Supermarket Comic Strip Ads of World War II, compiled by Nat Gertler and published by his About Comics, is odd but strangely readable. Oh, not all at once — the messages are simple and repetitive. Yet there’s a compelling charm to how some anonymous advertising writer managed […]
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The eleventh in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series — an impressive run!– covers the most modern period yet. Cold War Correspondent is the story of Marguerite Higgins, a reporter who found herself trapped in Korea when the Communists took Seoul in 1950. The cast of series narrators has expanded. Captured spy Nathan Hale, telling historical adventures to hold off his hanging, and the Hangman and the Provost (a stuffy British soldier) have been joined by Bill Richmond, the real-life […]
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It’s been forever since I’ve thought about John Kovalic’s Dork Tower. I read the comics in the early 2000s, when they were coming out as issues and collections, but it’s been more than 15 years since then. (I liked that they, for being a gamer comic, were still understandable to non-gamers. They were typical of the era, a bunch of guys with a token girl, but they talked about interpersonal interaction, not just collectibles, and they were likable enough. And […]
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