June 16, 2022 Johanna First Second Leave a comment

What Unites Us: The Graphic Novel

What Unites Us: The Graphic Novel is an adaptation by Tim Foley of Dan Rather’s best-selling prose book (written with Elliot Kirschner). Since the appeal of the comic format was recognized by larger, more traditional publishers, resulting in the graphic novel boom, there have been any number of non-fiction comics released. Some of them focus on education to the exclusion of anything else. That makes for dry, unappealing works that don’t take full advantage of the medium, or worse, illustrated […]

June 16, 2022 Johanna Vertical Manga Reviews Leave a comment

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Volume 18

What Did You Eat Yesterday? volume 18 is another outstanding example of my favorite manga series. It’s the story of Shiro, a lawyer, and his partner Kenji, a hair stylist, and the meals they have together. But it’s about a lot more than that — Shiro and Kenji are now firmly middle-aged (over 50), and so they deal with conversations about inheritance after one of them passes, complicated by the differences in legal status of a gay couple (as marriage […]

June 15, 2022 Johanna Kodansha Manga Reviews Leave a comment

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku Volume 6

Volume 6 concludes the series Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku. And this final volume is everything a fan could want. It’s half the size, as the other English volumes each had two books’ worth of content, and this is just one. But there are color pages and an adorable flashback to the lead couple’s first meeting as school kids and character pinups and an afterword where the author, Fujita, has a few thoughts on the characters’ futures. I didn’t […]

June 14, 2022 Johanna First Second Leave a comment

Science Comics: Birds of Prey: Terrifying Talons

Joe Flood is no stranger to terrifying installments of the Science Comics series, having previously authored Sharks and illustrated Dinosaurs. Science Comics: Birds of Prey: Terrifying Talons focuses on raptors, including eagles, hawks, vultures, and falcons. I was drawn in immediately, thanks to the viewpoint character of a squirrel frightened by a bird show at a renaissance faire. The animal’s interest and self-preservation were appealing, as well as cute. What kept me involved, though, were the glorious following pages showing […]

June 10, 2022 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

Queer as All Get Out: 10 People Who’ve Inspired Me

Queer as All Get Out combines two popular comic genres — graphic memoir and non-fiction biography — in outstanding fashion. Author Shelby Criswell lives in Texas. They cope with “unwanted attention for being visibly queer” by reflecting on the lives of ten people whose stories reveal different aspects of queer experience. I could identify with their mixed feelings about liking where they live but being discouraged by Southern intolerance. Their story, and this graphic novel, is a welcome reminder that […]

June 9, 2022 Johanna Seven Seas Manga Reviews Leave a comment

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today Volume 3

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today volume 3 expands on the series premise by showing us what happens when Saku has to spend time away from home. But first, the opening chapter sums up why Saku is so happy with her giant cat — she comes home from a work drinking party, and Yukichi feeds her a meal to help her feel better. He takes off her makeup and gets her clean and dry before putting her into bed […]

June 9, 2022 Johanna Comic News Leave a comment

TCAF 2022 Plans

It’s a week away, which isn’t much time, but we’re all having to be more flexible these days. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is taking place June 17-19 this year at the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge St. It’s a blend of virtual and in-person events. The well-respected Libraries & Education Day, held Friday, June 17, is taking place online, for example, while the new Academic Symposium on “Histories & Futures of Comics Communities” takes place the same day […]

June 6, 2022 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

Sherlock Holmes International

Sherlock Holmes International is the latest Holmes-themed Graphic Novel Adventure. These books are also games, choose-your-own-path comics where the reader gets to investigate crime scenes by turning to different panels. Witnesses are interrogated, with the reader only able to ask some of the set of questions. If they ask the wrong question, though, the suspect might get upset and refuse to answer. This volume contains three cases, with Sherlock Holmes accompanied by his brother Mycroft. Because of Mycroft’s government position, […]

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