Sequential State – the comics criticism archive of Alex Hoffman

Category: Features

  • Review: Snotgirl, vol. 1, script by Bryan Lee O’Malley, art by Leslie Hung, colors by Mickey Quinn, and letters by Maré Odomo

    Review: Snotgirl, vol. 1, script by Bryan Lee O’Malley, art by Leslie Hung, colors by Mickey Quinn, and letters by Maré Odomo

    Snotgirl is Bryan Lee O’Malley’s latest project, and his first monthly comic book. I heard the hubbub about the book when the first issue came out, but I recently picked up a copy of the first trade paperback to see how the story held up. I enjoyed Seconds,  ’Malley’s latest graphic novel, but I find myself…

  • Review: Burrow by Marnie Galloway

    Review: Burrow by Marnie Galloway

    Everyone tells you that having a child will change your life. What they don’t generally mention is the physical pain of it, that unique and special torture called sleep deprivation. Depression and anxiety grow unchecked, your ability to remember fades. You see things that aren’t possibly there. You recede into yourself, and your animalistic lower…

  • Review: mini kuš! #46 Everyone Is Hungry by Anna Sailamaa

    Review: mini kuš! #46 Everyone Is Hungry by Anna Sailamaa

    There seems to be an oscillation in the nature of the mini kuš! comics I’ve read over the last three years; some are wildly imaginative while others tend toward the understated and naturalistic. Anna Sailamaa’s Everyone Is Hungry falls firmly in the later camp. Its plot could be easily summed up in one sentence –…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2016: The Complete List

    Tumblr handlles listed so that you can check out the cartoonist and publisher if desired. Check out the capsule reviews at the following links: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 This list is ordered randomly. Carpet Sweeper Tales – Julie Doucet, Drawn and Quarterly…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2016: Part 6 (of 6)

    This is it: the last edition of the Comics That Challenged Me in 2016 list. The full list (a compilation of the comics discussed in each of these 5 breakdown posts) will go up tomorrow. I’ve heard from some of you on twitter and I’d love to keep talking about these comics. Part 1 | Part 2 |…

  • Comics that Challenged Me in 2016: Part 5

    We’re nearing the end of the list – it’s only today and Friday and we’ll have finished up this year’s exercise in identifying the comics that challenged me as a reader and critic in 2016. I would love to hear your feedback on what has become an annual tradition here on Sequential State. Part 1 | Part 2 |…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2016: Part 4

    Welcome back! This is part 4 of this 6 part list of comics that challenged me as a critic or as a reader in 2016. Admittedly, this part has 5 entries, but really 9 separate comics. Let’s get right to it. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2016: Part 3

    Happy Friday! Part 3 of this 6 part list, and another 5 entries. Last entry had a few comics I had already reviewed through the year, but this time around it’s all comics I haven’t spoken about in a formal way. I think I’m drawn to review books that are more of a challenge, so…

  • Comics That Challenged Me In 2016: Part 2

    We kicked off the first of my “Comics That Challenged Me in 2016” with a bang, and now I’m back with the next five comics on the list. I always like to hear what people think about my perceptions of the comics I list here, so please feel free to contact me through tumblr, twitter, or via email. Case…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2016: Part 1 (of 6)

    It’s been an annual tradition (for 3 years running) that I have not written a “Best Comics Of 20XX” list. I think that decision continues to be a good one for me. I generally dislike the idea that any one book can be the consensus pick of any given year when there is so much art being made.…

  • Winter Is Behind Us Now; It Is Ahead of Us, Also – Thoughts

    It’s been just under a week now. But it’s been a long time coming. This last 18 months has been brutal. It feels unprecedented. It is, in some ways, and in others, maybe not. I’ve been reading a lot, but not comics, certainly not literature. I’ve been listening to a lot, but not music. Analyses,…