Sequential State – the comics criticism archive of Alex Hoffman

Tag: musings

  • Thoughts on Blacksad and Its Portrayal of Race

    In light of the recent Comic-Con announcements and Blacksad receiving yet another Eisner nomination, I thought now might be a good time to bring to bear a piece I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. Blacksad is a very popular noir comic featuring the titular detective John Blacksad. Throughout the series of comics, John…

  • Musings: Beauty by Hubert and Kerascoët It is hard to thoroughly discuss any work with any brevity. Often times a critic’s thoughts and ideas about a specific piece must be abandoned due to word counts. I admit I do this regularly – instead of bringing up all of the thoughts I have about a piece, I tend…

  • The Anxiety of James Sturm’s Market Day

    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…

  • 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…