Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
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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Larry Gonick’s books are impressive: they’re wickedly funny, culturally insightful, and more educational than some college classes I’ve attended. His latest series, following up from the The Cartoon History of the Universe books… well, I’ll let the PR explain it: Cartoon History of the Modern World Part I covers the history of ancient Mexico, the Spanish conquests, the Portuguese empire in Asia and Brazil, national and religious upheavals in Europe and India, the colonial ventures of France, Britain, and the […]
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The more I’m able to knock off the to-do list, the more I look forward to the winter holidays. These wonderful comic-themed advent calendar countdowns help, too. Here’s my list of the ten best graphic novels of 2006. Fun Home: A Family TragicomicAs excellent as everyone says it is, this graphic memoir is all the more powerful for what it doesn’t show about Alison Bechdel’s father’s hidden life. Dramacon Book 2Easily the most entertaining graphic novel I read this year. […]
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Girl Genius by Phil & Kaja Foglio is a fun “gaslamp fantasy” starring a young woman just discovering her abilities. The first volume, Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank, establishes the setting and characters for the ongoing steampunk adventure series. Agatha’s world is one of mad science, run by privileged nobles who display the Spark needed to work steam-powered technological magic. She’s a lowly lab assistant in this Cinderella story. No one, including herself, yet suspects that she possess the […]
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I really like Eureka. It’s about a town full of geniuses, where someone rather like Tony Stark (Ed Quinn, playing “Nathan Stark”) runs a secret government research lab. His ex-wife is the top administrative official (Salli Richardson), and she’s attracted to the new sheriff in town (Colin Ferguson), a well-meaning but not-too-smart former US marshal. One of the best parts of the show is the way it plays opposite to prevailing TV stereotypes. The smartest guy in town (Joe Morton), […]
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Kat has just moved from the Midwest to New England, where her dad is the new science teacher at a private school. When a break-in at the science lab puts his job in jeopardy, Kat and new friend Mouse are determined to find out who’s responsible in this series written by Alex de Campi and drawn by Federica Manfredi. It’s a familiar setting, with plenty of welcoming hooks for the reader. As a high concept, it’s Nancy Drew meets Mean […]
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This one-shot collects three love stories, previously printed in Dark Horse Presents #118-120: “5 Years and Counting”, “Shot on Goal”, and “Love You Madly, Elsie; or, Scumbag of Oz”. They’re modern takes on romance conventions. The stories turn on promising to meet five years after a separation; locking eyes with a mysterious stranger across a crowded dance floor; or finding an ex-boyfriend’s gift and trying to get back in touch with him. As expected, the art is the usual Evan […]
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In the near future, an interstellar war separates two teens in love in Voices of a Distant Star. This short anime, while competently created (apparently by one guy on his home computer) appeals not because of the visuals — the character designs are familiar and uninspired, and the cross-cutting choppy — but because of the mood. I describe the two as “in love” because it’s the closest I can get to describing them (and “lovers” sounds silly, because it’s not […]
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