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Review: Bad Gateway by Simon Hanselmann
Welcome back, dear reader. On Monday, I ran an interview with Simon Hanselmann that I hope you take the time to read. The initial focus of the interview (although it ended up being fairly far-ranging) was Hanselmann’s latest graphic novel, Bad Gateway. Clocking in at 176 pages, Bad Gateway is Hanselmann’s latest collection of Megg…
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Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Rosemary Valero O’Connell
The 2019 Small Press Expo Ignatz Award nominations were announced last week, and Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero O’Connell’s new graphic novel, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me garnered nominations in three categories, which is a stunning accomplishment. Mariko Tamaki is a well-known author of comics. Her graphic novel This One Summer (illustrated by…
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Review: Pope Hats #6: Shapeshifter by Hartley Lin
AdHouse Books has been publishing Pope Hats for nearly a decade. The series has been critically lauded, and a new issue is often the cause for celebration. The last few years have been revelatory for the series and its creator. With the publication of Young Frances (a collection of issues #1-3 and #5 of Pope…
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Review: A Fire Story by Brian Fies
California has been repeatedly battered by a series of wildfires in recent years, and Brian Fies, author of Mom’s Cancer, had his life upended by the 2017 Tubbs fire. In response, Fies wrote A Fire Story, initially a short piece posted online. This 19-page off the cuff reportage of the incident at the time of…
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Review: Off Season, by James Sturm
James Sturm has had an interesting couple of years as a cartoonist. His latest book, Off Season, was serialized on Slate, starting in September of 2016 and running through the presidential election and its aftermath. While the final compiled version, out this year from D&Q, is cleaned up and expanded, it is a fascinating examination…
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Review: BTTM FDRS by Ezra Clayton Daniels & Ben Passmore
Horror as a genre has a long history of addressing systemic injustice and BTTM FDRS falls firmly in that vein. Published by Fantagraphics, BTTM FDRS is the latest comic from Ezra Clayton Daniels and Ben Passmore, two rising stars in the small press comics world. The book stars Darla, a young and talented clothing designer…
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Review: Ginseng Roots #1 by Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson has something of a reputation amongst indie comics readers, both good and bad. The first issue of his new serialized comic, Ginseng Roots, comes out this July, and his publisher Uncivilized Books sent a review copy earlier this month. Thompson’s last major literary work, Habibi, continues to leave a sour taste in many…
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Microreview: Chronin Vol. 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wilgus
I recently had the chance to borrow a copy of Chronin #1: The Knife at Your Back from my local library. With its neon blue cover, it sticks out, a testament to some smart cover design. In this first part of a two-volume series from Tor Books, veteran cartoonist Alison Wilgus asks a question that…
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Enemies of the State #004 – This Woman’s Work by Julie Delporte
Enemies of the State is a monthly virtual book club discussion on a recently published comic, featuring a rotating cast of comics critics. Episode #4 of Enemies of the State features commentary on Julie Delporte’s This Woman’s Work, published by Drawn & Quarterly in 2019. This Woman’s Work is Delporte’s third major publication in English,…
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Review: The Perineum Technique by Ruppert & Mulot
My introduction to Ruppert & Mulot as comics creators was through Barrel of Monkeys, published by Bill Kartalopoulos through Rebus Books. Barrel of Monkeys was formalist and experimental, and so I expected something of the same with The Perineum Technique, their new release from Fantagraphics. What I got was a book that mimics the structure…
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Review: Witch Hat Atelier v.1 by Kamome Shirahama
Comics are magic, aren’t they? That’s less of a question, and more of a realization; Comics have a profound power over those who read them, shaping their mental process, causing delight, and dread, wonder, and horror. I’ve devoted a lot of my life to the magic of comics, and I’m grateful for that. Art-making calls…
