-
Quick Picks #1: New Shojo #1s
Quick Picks is a new, occasionally written series of microreviews of books I’ve read over the past two weeks. Here’s a selection of books I’ve been thinking about over the last two weeks. Say I Love You #1 by Kanae Hazuki After a hurtful betrayal as a small child, main character Mei withdraws from her…
-
The Anxiety of James Sturm’s Market Day
James Sturm’s Market Day is one of the defining graphic novels of 2010. It follows a shetl artisan, Mendleman, at the turn of the Industrial Revolution. He has built a life around making high quality rugs. The financial stability of his family hinges on selling 8 rugs he has made. When he finds out that…
-
Review: The Wicked and The Divine #1, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Today’s review is of a comic book you can find in a comic book store: The Wicked and the Divine. I’ve never been a true comic book store aficionado, although I have spent plenty of money at comic book stores that also did hobby gaming events. Many of the stores I’ve played games in have…
-
Review: This One Summer, by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
One of my favorite literary genres is the slice of life story. Manga has these stories in spades (Cross Game, Twin Spica, Sunny) and the series that are published in English are often really great. So knowing that First Second/Groundwood Books was going to be publishing This One Summer, a slice of life story about…
-
Review: Petty Theft, by Pascal Girard
I have a slight confession to make: I do not handle awkward moments in movies and comic books very well. I always have this urge to put a book down whenever the main character does something unbelievably awkward or dumb, and I have been known to pause or walk away from movies if I know…
-
Review: The Amateurs by Conor Stechschulte
Most of the comics I’ve read up to this point (read: manga) do the bulk of their work by being as straight forward as humanly possible. The editorial maxim is to lead the reader by the nose through any plot, and resolution to questions and mysteries is valued extremely highly. This makes Conor Stechschulte’s The…
-
Review: Wicked Chicken Queen by Sam Alden
Although I’ve only received 2 books from my Retrofit subscription (and therefore can’t judge the collected whole), the books I have received are very high quality books. If every book in the collection is as well put together as Number 1 and Wicked Chicken Queen, this will be an $80 well spent. I love how Sam dances on the…
-
Review: Over the Wall by Peter Wartman
Going from the web to print can be tricky. Do the stylistic choices you made when the comic was digital only make sense for an actual paper book? Should you leave things the way they are? Or do things need to change? I think Peter Wartman has argued the second point nicely with Over the Wall,…
