Oglaf, the long-running webcomic by Trudy Cooper and Doug Bayne, is perhaps best not spoken about in polite company. Launched in 2008, it’s a raunchy, riotous take on fantasy, sex, and comedy. Held together by punchlines and the occasional recurring character rather than an ongoing plot, Oglaf feels a bit like a graphically sexual, chaotic…
REVIEW: Complex, Challenging Issues Take Root in Damn Them All #2
Content warning: This review discusses suicide, gun violence, police violence, and school shootings. Damn Them All #2 opens with a bit of backstory. It’s to explain Dora—the American police detective who appeared in issue #1 —and her entanglement with Alfie Hawthorne, the uncle of our protagonist, El.
REVIEW: Damn Them All #1 Is Devilishly Fun, But Needs to Find Its Footing
Some comics invite comparisons to their inspirations. Some stick their hand into your face and beg for them—Damn Them All #1, from writer Simon Spurrier, artist Charlie Adlard, colorists Sofie Dodgson and Shayne Hanna Cui, and letterer Jim Campbell, is the latter.
REVIEW: All the Zines I Bought at This Year’s ECCC
My hopes for Emerald City Comic Con weren’t high this year. I was fresh off of working San Diego Comic Con for the first time and feeling underwhelmed with the artist alley areas. As it turns out, I’ve been spoiled by ECCC—of all the conventions I’ve been to, they have the most robust artist alley….
REVIEW: The Bubble Graphic Novel is Beautiful But Empty
Bubble, the graphic novel adaptation of the Maximum Fun podcast, feels a lot like fanfiction. I don’t mean that to denigrate fanfiction, nor necessarily even Bubble. If you’re the audience for it, you’re the audience for it, and as it turns out, I am most definitely not the audience.
What’s a Zine? WWAC Roundtable on Zinecourse
In an era where self-publishing is easier than ever, what makes a zine a zine? Is a crowdfunded glossy fanzine full of big name fanart the same as a Xerox’d treatise on your favorite band? Is there room for more than one definition of zine? WWAC held a round table to find out!
REVIEW: Dead Beats Volume 2: London Calling Mostly Hits the Right Notes
As I said way back in 2019—I’m a sucker for both horror and music. Dead Beats Volume 2: London Calling called my name, especially with its stunning Claudia Iannciello cover, featuring a Black vampire woman holding a french fry container full of fingers. How could I not pick it up?
REVIEW: Humor and Genre Playfulness Elevate Black’s Myth #2
I enjoyed issue one of Black’s Myth, but I’m glad to say that issue two elevated the story from fun but somewhat unremarkable noir to something that feels truly exciting.
REVIEW: Werewolf Meets Neo-Noir in Black’s Myth #1
Reading the pitch for Black’s Myth #1, it felt like the premise spoke directly to me.
REVIEW: Witchblood #3 Is Stylish as Hell
Every character in Witchblood is the coolest person I’ve ever seen.
REVIEW: Along for the Ride in Witchblood #2
I’m a sucker for a good scene of death and destruction over a piece of music. I generally don’t mean evil-sounding or soupy instrumentals — I mean the juxtaposition of a violent scene with the “wrong” music: the “Don’t Stop Me Now” zombie slaughter in Shaun of the Dead, or the “Father Figure” scene in…
REVIEW: Fashion and Flair Make Witchblood #1 a Fun Read
Lisa Sterle and Matthew Erman’s Witchblood #1 screams to be picked up. Not just because it’s good — though it is — but because it oozes style. From the bright and evocative cover to its brilliantly candy-coated colors by Gab Contreras, Witchblood catches the eye and doesn’t let it go thanks to a fun story,…