Beyond Forgetting is a short memoir by Frank A. De La Rosa. The memoir combines short historical summaries with personal stories to illustrate the experience of growing up in the Philippines under Japanese occupation and just after World War II. Beyond Forgetting captures an imperfect human voice that informs and colors one boy’s understanding of…
REVIEW: Carmina #1 Lays the Groundwork for Diwata Komiks
Still dealing with the sudden, horrifying loss of her father as a child, Carmina tries to make the best of her situation despite being stuck in an unhappy relationship and living in a trailer park. But after being riddled by strange nightmares that put her up against monstrous creatures all the way on the Philippine…
Diwata Komiks Hopes to Bring Forward More Filipino Stories That Resonate From Home
Interest in ongoing komiks series like Trese has shown a growing enthusiasm for wider, global accessibility to consume Philippine-produced media. In recent years, especially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations of conventions and art shows, platforms like Penlab have given komiks creators more opportunities to expand their reach online while broadening the channels potential readers…
REVIEW: My Date with Monsters #2 – Bad Dates and A Good Dog
This metaphor of what it is like to date as a single mom is an entertaining and relatable read. Filled with bad dates, rejections, government training programs, high school drama, and, of course, living nightmares, what more could one want from a horror comic?
WWAC’s Favorite Indies, Small Press Comics, and Webcomics of 2021
I will not be sad to see the year 2021, my only regret being not making much of a dent in my to-read pile of comics! But the indies and webcomics on this list were good friends during another pandemic year, and hopefully, you’ll find a new favorite here too!
A Fistful of Comics: Crowdfunding Roundup, December ‘21
Hello all! Welcome back to WWAC’s crowdfunding roundup. When I started/took over this column, I chose the descriptors carefully—this is meant to round up crowdfunding from all around the internet, not just one website in particular. In practice, however, this is usually a comics Kickstarter spotlight, due in part to the fact that Kickstarter has…
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: Closing the Gaps in Queer Storytelling in Stone Fruit by Lee Lai
Lee Lai’s debut graphic novel Stone Fruit follows an overworked thirty-something named Ray as she ends her relationship with her girlfriend Bron and rekindles her friendship with her sister Amanda. Ray and Bron were at their most loving and creative while babysitting Amanda’s energetic six-year-old daughter Nessie, but they’ve drifted apart as their differences become…
A Fistful of Comics: Crowdfunding Roundup, November ‘21
Welcome back WWAC’s very own crowdfunding corner! We took a break last month due to general work-life balance related exhaustion, but I’m back and ready to share my favorite of this month’s campaigns. If you like heartwarming memoirs and up-and-coming cartoonists and not graphic novel adaptations of movie adaptations backed by Hollywood producers (why do…
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?
INTERVIEW: The Return of Sal Abbinanti’s Atomika: God Is Red
Writer Andrew Dabb opens the Atomika: God Is Red Omnibus with the story of Atomika’s origin. Not the story of how the man-made deity became Russia’s God of Technology, leading the Red Empire to trample the globe before turning his attention on the ancient gods of Russia. Dabb’s introduction is a bit closer to home…
Humour in Times of Crisis: How Satire Can Lead to Self-Reflection and Social Action
Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal was introduced to me in March of 2020 by a highly valued friend and mentor, just as the world was locking down for the first time. It has become my comfort read throughout this wild journey we have been on in the past year as the post-apocalyptic collection of skit-esque…