Sequential State – the comics criticism archive of Alex Hoffman

Tag: comics

  • Review: The Amateurs by Conor Stechschulte

    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…

  • Transmissions from: TCAF 2014

    This was my first TCAF. It was the big promise I made to myself earlier this year when the indie comics crowd started rumbling. I was hooked when I read con reports of TCAF 2013, but hadn’t admitted it to myself. I drove in from Cleveland. It was about 4.5 hours + 2 hours sitting…

  • Review: The Lizard Laughed, by Noah Van Sciver (I’m recovering from TCAF, which was this weekend. I got plenty of great comics, but I haven’t had any time to read them yet, so this review is from work I read prior to the show. It was great to meet so many talented artists and publishers!)…

  • My 2014 Comics Journey (so far)

    Subtitle: How I started reading Asterios Polyp at the same time as Hawkeye: Little Hits and Tezuka’s Message to Adolf. (I’m heading to TCAF today, so instead of a review or booklist, I’m putting up a more personal piece. Hope to see you in Toronto!) Today, in the mail, I got a copy of The…

  • Manga Worth Reading: A Bride’s Story by Kaoru Mori

    Manga Worth Reading: A Bride’s Story by Kaoru Mori

    Manga is a tricky type of comic. There’s a higher barrier to entry due to the flipped pages, cultural cues that may not be easily understood or explained, and there’s a lot of chaff available on the market. It’s hard to know where to start. With this in mind, Sequential State will be putting out…

  • Charles Forsman has a way with disaffected teens. The two major projects I’ve read of his work, The End of the Fucking World and Celebrated Summer use teenage characters to tell stories that explore identity, relationships, and the small crises that make up everyday life. Luv Sucker is Forsman’s newest work, and I got a…

  • Review:  Wicked Chicken Queen by Sam Alden

    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…

  • How do you read Chris Ware’s Building Stories?

    Building Stories is one of the most celebrated comics from 2012. Calling it a “work” is a bit vague; it would be more accurate to call it a collection or a box. In the Building Stories box are 14 separate installments with no insight into what each piece is and where it starts or ends. Some…

  • Review: Over the Wall by Peter Wartman

    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,…

  • TCAF is rapidly approaching, which means a first look at books that are making their debut at the show. Here are a few that I’m very interested in getting my hands on: 1. This One Summer, by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki – a slice-of-life story about two friends on summer vacation; Jillians’ beautiful artwork combined with smart…

  • Transmissions from: SPACE 2014

    Being more involved in comics means actually going to conventions. This year, a buddy of mine and I decided to hit up SPACE in Columbus Ohio. Sadly, I did not have the presence of mind to bring a camera or take pictures with my phone. We met up Sunday morning at the Ramada Hotel. It’s…