Sequential State – the comics criticism archive of Alex Hoffman

Tag: fantagraphics

  • Comic Review: Starseeds by Charles Glaubitz

      I took last week off to recover from a nasty cold, which gave me the chance to catch up on some reading, including an advance copy of Charles Glaubitz’s Starseeds from Fantagraphics. Glaubitz, a Mexican multimedia artist, is known for his art and illustration work, and Starseeds is Glaubitz’s first graphic novel. In it, the mystical Starseed Children…

  • 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 |…

  • Review: Leaf by Daishu Ma Sentence transitions and paragraph structure are feeling extremely difficult right now. I’ve been kicking around some thoughts about the Fantagraphics book Leaf, which was published last year at the tail end of the publishing season.  So, I guess, a review in bullets: There’s something to be said about the range…

  • Darkening Sameness: Thoughts on Megg & Mogg In Amsterdam and Other Stories by Simon Hanselmann

    Megg & Mogg In Amsterdam and Other Stories (Amsterdam from this point forward) is Simon Hanselmann’s latest Megg, Mogg, and Owl release from Fantagraphics. It collects 160 pages of Hanselmann’s comics which have originally appeared on the internet and in other forms, including the collaborative zine Werewolf Jones & Sons with Melbourne-based artist HTMLflowers. One…

  • 2X2: Invisible Ink vs. CHICAGO

    I’ve been reading a lot of books published in 2015 as a way to “get under the hood” of the year’s publishing output. I’m specifically trying to push through books that appeared on the 2015 10th Annual Publishers Weekly Graphic Novel Critics Poll, which “infamously” nominated Scott McCloud’s dudder of a comic The Sculptor as Best…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2015: Part 4

    Happy Wednesday. Hope you’re having a wonderful new year. I don’t generally make too much fuss about a new year, but this year I wanted to try to resolve to write a little bit more frequently. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Complete…

  • Comics That Challenged Me in 2015: Part 1

    Comics That Challenged Me in 2015: Part 1  Last year I decided not to write a 2014 “Best Of” list. I think that decision was 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…

  • Review:  Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia I’ve been mulling over Liz Suburbia’s recently released graphic novel published by Fantagraphics. A big softcover book, 312 pages of black and white comics, Sacred Heart is the kind of book you could hurt someone with if you had to. The root of the story is the tangled web…

  • Review: Black River by Josh Simmons Author’s note: The contents of this review may be triggering due to discussion of both physical and sexual violence. There’s been a “recent” uptick in post-apocalyptic literature, from the resurgence of the zombie flick and revival of the Mad Max franchise to YA stories like The Hunger Games and…

  • Review: Doctors by Dash Shaw One of the key tenets of bioethics is the maxim “Primum non nocere” or “First, do no harm.” The guiding principle of nonmaleficence reminds doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers that any intervention they pursue may cause more harm than good. This principle seems to have been completely abandoned by…

  • 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. Sequential State features manga I think are worth the effort…