Sequential State – the comics criticism archive of Alex Hoffman

Category: Reviews

  • Review: Sound of Snow Falling by Maggie Umber

    Review: Sound of Snow Falling by Maggie Umber

      Maggie Umber is one of the unsung heroes of art comics. Her status as the assistant publisher at 2dcloud led to the expansion of an anthologies-based print collective to a significant force in alternative comics publishing. The micropress is a bustling, risk-taking enterprise that wouldn’t exist without Umber’s hard work. Over the course of…

  • Review: I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino

    Review: I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino

    One Peace Books occasionally sends me a review copy of new comics they have recently released, and one of their latest is I Hear The Sunspot, a comic about two young men, one with a hearing disability, and the other, a brash interloper who agrees to take notes for this classmate in college in exchange for…

  • Review: I’m Not Here by GG

    Review: I’m Not Here by GG

    I’ve been following GG’s work since her minicomic Semi-Vivi appeared in the 2014 Comics Workbook Composition Competition, taking second place in that year. GG’s work has continued to bloom over the past few years, but I’m Not Here, a new 104-page graphic novel from Koyama Press, is her longest published work to date.   In…

  • Review: Poppies of Iraq by Brigitte Findakly and Lewis Trondheim

    Review: Poppies of Iraq by Brigitte Findakly and Lewis Trondheim

    I’ve been having a hard time finding graphic memoirs that I truly love. I reviewed Tillie Walden’s Spinning earlier this week, which, while captivating, left me a little cold. I recently took the plunge on Brigitte Findakly and Lewis Trondheim’s Poppies of Iraq, which was published in English by Canadian publisher Drawn and Quarterly. The book…

  • Review: Spinning by Tillie Walden

    Review: Spinning by Tillie Walden

      Tillie Walden is one of the youngest celebrated cartoonists currently working. Her comics have been acclaimed by critics and readers alike. Her first three books, published by Avery Hill, have garnered her two Ignatz wins and an Eisner nomination. Her longest work to date, Spinning is a 400-page memoir of her life starting at…

  • Review: Bloom Into You Volumes 1-2 by Nakatani Nio

    Review: Bloom Into You Volumes 1-2 by Nakatani Nio

    I’m trying to broaden my horizons when it comes to manga, so I’ve specifically been searching out yuri and BL titles. Seven Seas has recently ramped up their yuri offerings, and I was drawn to the cover of Bloom Into You, a title which has three English volumes currently in print and is currently ongoing…

  • Review: Father and Son by E.O. Plauen

    Review: Father and Son by E.O. Plauen

    In today’s review, I’m taking a look at Father and Son, a collection of reprinted work. I’ve been thinking a lot about reprints ever since RJ Casey’s piece on The Comics Journal garnered so much attention. Earlier this fall, RJ Casey wrote a long article about Yoe Books and made an impassioned argument against sloppy,…

  • Review: Easy Rider by Jaakko Pallasvuo

    Review: Easy Rider by Jaakko Pallasvuo

    Landfill Editions recently sent over a copy of Easy Rider, Jaakko Pallasvuo’s latest comic. Easy Rider was originally released as a part of two separate art installations, in various stages of completion; in process as a part of MOULD MAP 6 TERRAFORMERS in 2016, and then as a completed work as a part of the…

  • Review: ICELAND by Yuichi Yokoyama

    Review: ICELAND by Yuichi Yokoyama

    I’m fascinated by Yuichi Yokoyama, and have been since I got my hands on his work when it was originally published by PictureBox back before that venture closed up shop. Yokoyama’s skill is undeniable, his comics strange and dark. And, fittingly, Yokoyama’s been a recent artist of note and discussion; his 2016 comic ICELAND has been…

  • Comic Review: Dust Pam by Thu Tran

    Comic Review: Dust Pam by Thu Tran

    Dust Pam is the latest comic from the folks at Peow, and this one’s a doozy. It’s a compact 72 pages, printed in neon ink and perfect bound. The comic features a feline dustpan named Pam who works at Best Snacks Factory, some cleaning-supply friends, and a trio of irritating bugs that Pam desperately wants…

  • Comic Review: King Cat #77 by John Porcellino

    Comic Review: King Cat #77 by John Porcellino

    John Porcellino’s King Cat is an indie comics institution at this point, and John recently sent me a copy of his latest zine to look over. The long-running zine series has been collected in multiple books by Drawn and Quarterly, with another due out this Fall. King Cat issues have continued to come out at…