Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
I was reminded how much I enjoyed Frank Viva’s work during a recent re-read of A Trip to the Bottom of the World With Mouse, so I thought I’d check out some of his other picture books. I should have done that earlier, since Young Charlotte, Filmmaker was perfect for me. Produced by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, it’s the story of a young woman who adores black and white and makes her own movies. Sometimes she’s […]
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Jen Wang’s adorable historical fantasy The Prince and the Dressmaker is serving as inspiration for an unexpected adaptation. Playbill reports that Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez, who are known for winning an Oscar for “Let It Go” from Frozen, are working on a movie musical version of the graphic novel. “The team is working with Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog (4000 Miles) to adapt the graphic novel by Jen Wang.” The couple wrote the scores for Frozen, Coco, and Frozen […]
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Science Comics: Cars: Engines That Move You is an excellent companion to First Second’s Maker Comics: Fix a Car! While that book concentrates on taking care of a vehicle, this graphic novel by Dan Zettwoch focuses on understanding how they work and came to be with incredibly comprehensive, well-cartooned content. The book covers, among other topics, some history of vehicle travel the physics of combustion and how engines work the history of the wheel and the steam engine the development […]
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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about a number of upcoming graphic novels aimed at kids and the young adult audience over at Good Comics for Kids. A bunch of well-regarded stories are getting sequels or new installments in a series. The Witch Boy Series Continues — The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag was followed by The Hidden Witch, and next comes The Midwinter Witch in November 2019. Moving away from the Halloween connection, this one features […]
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If you’ve heard of it, you’ve likely heard The Prince and the Dressmaker compared to a fairy tale. There are a bunch of reasons for that — the royal premise, the Cinderella-like experiences of the lead — but mostly, I find it accurate because of the unexpected happy ending. There’s nothing wrong with that! I don’t believe Jen Wang (In Real Life) intended to create a realistic portrayal, but a lovely fable of what things could look like if everyone’s […]
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The Science Comics series of non-fiction educational graphic novels is usually outstanding, but I found Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future (written by Mairghread Scott (Transformers) and illustrated by Jacob Chabot (SpongeBob Comics)) a rare misfire for the line. Perhaps it’s a reflection of my relative lack of interest in the topic, but I didn’t find this installment as entertaining, informative, or frankly, good as many of the others. It’s narrated by Pouli, a mechanical bird and “the first […]
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Arcade Brewery, a Chicago craft beer maker, has just released Ten Pin Creep: A Revival Mystery. It’s one of their 6-Pack Stories, a six-pack of beer where each bottle’s label has a different part of the story. It’s written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Mike Norton, and it’s a spinoff of their Image series Revival. The beer is an Imperial Red Ale, and only 225 cases were made. This is the third in the series. Previously in 2014, Jason […]
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As laid out in editor Jon B. Cooke’s introduction, Swampmen: Muck-Monsters and Their Makers was originally supposed to come out over 12 years ago. Now, it’s here, labeled as Comic Book Creator #6, but it’s similar in length and content to other TwoMorrows volumes. Either way, it’s a specialized subject. The book focuses on the swamp monsters of the 1970s comics and in detail on the Alan Moore era of Swamp Thing. Two pages of justification lay out other characters […]
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