Here are three bite-sized reviews of some shorter books from the infinite to-read pile in my house. Keep an eye out for more round-up reviews as our small press coverage expands! Lovers in the Garden Anya Davidson Retrofit/Big Planet Comics Anya Davidson’s retro style is the star of in Lovers in the Garden, with bright…
Asian and American: A Review of Permanent Alien
Permanent Alien: An Asian American Comics Anthology Hanna Cha Mariel Rodriguez Jean Wei Michelle Zhuang Digital copies out now; hard copies out February 2017 What does it mean to be Asian American? What are the ways in which we connect to our culture and to our ancestors? How, when, and why do we disconnect? And…
Myth, Motherhood and Buttered Toast: An Interview with Sophia Wiedeman
Nothing makes me happier than a story that gets in my head, manipulates my emotions, and controls how I read. I am a fast reader, and poor pacing or lazy writing — whether in comic or prose form — cause me to speed through a book, letting my impatience get the better of me. This…
Exploring Our Fathersons in Frontier #13
Frontier #13: Fatherson Richie Pope Youth In Decline September 25, 2016 I got to see Richie Pope on The Black Comics/Race and Comics panel at the 2016 Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF). It was the first time I heard of Pope and got to see his art projected on the hotel conference room screen. I left…
Top Indies, Small Press, and Webcomics of 2016
I asked our small press comics fans to tell me not what the best comics of 2016 were, but which ones were their favourites. Here’s what they said: Mattress Stiff With Blood Tom McHenry Self-published There’s something that’s incredibly natural about the cartooning Tom McHenry does in this work—everything flows so seamlessly from one topic to…
Zorse: An Interview with Ramzee
When I caught Ramzee (the Artist formerly known as Ramsey Hassan) at November’s premier comics convention Thought Bubble, he was one day post-award show. On stage at the Young People’s Comic Award presentation (which he did not win, but top-five nationwide is nothing to sniff at) Ramzee wore a black and white Union Flag robe. Minding…
Review: MariNaomi’s I Thought You Hated Me
I Thought You Hated Me MariNaomi Retrofit/Big Planet Comics September 21, 2016 MariNaomi has had quite a year, hitting two different pillars of comics storytelling with Turning Japanese and the newer I Thought You Hated Me. I already talked about in my “Inspiring Women Comics Creators Today” contribution about how much I loved Turning Japanese….
Roman Muradov and the State of His Bladders
Jacob Bladders and the State of the Art Roman Muradov Uncivilized Books November 2016 Roman Muradov’s newest work follows Jacob Bladders as he tries to complete his job as a newspaper cartoonist, in the cut-throat world of corporate illustration. Hijinks, and hijacks, ensue.
Review: Leela Corman’s We All Wish for Deadly Force
We All Wish for Deadly Force Leela Corman Retrofit/Big Planet Comics June 2016 Disclaimer: A copy of this comic was provided by the publisher for review. We All Wish for Deadly Force is a collection of Leela Corman’s previously published short comics, one of which I’ve reviewed here on the site. Corman’s comics range from…
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi Redux: Karate Petshop’s “Rikki”
Rikki Norm Harper (s), Matthew Foltz-Gray (p), Oceano Ransford (l), Christine Knopp (cover) Karatepetshop.com, 2016 Disclaimer: A copy of this comic was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Out of all the stories I expected to see at the Alternative Press Expo (APE), Karate Petshop’s Rikki, a retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s short story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” was certainly…
Comic Arts Brooklyn 2016: A Nice Thing to Have
Comic Arts Brooklyn is for one-day only–blink and you miss it. It’s set up in a basketball court in Williamsburg’s The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Without the heaps of people streaming in and out or sitting outside on the stairs, you might think it’s a school. It’s more boxy than it…
Review: The Post-Structuralist Vulva Coloring Book [NSFW – I guess]
Are you bummed about the election results, or at least the electoral results? That was a rhetorical question. Of course, you are! While action is currently going and necessary, self-care is also a priority. If you are scoffing, think of it like this: if you have taken care of yourself, then you can better attend…