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…
Alternative Press Expo: Exactly Right
Attending the Alternative Press Expo (APE) on Saturday, October 8th, in San Jose, CA encapsulated a lot of firsts for me. It was my first independent comics convention, as well as the first comics event that I attended as a member of the press. Thankfully, APE turned out to be all-around the best convention to go…
Cats and Identity Crises: A Review of Finding Molly
Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting Justine Prado (Writer), Jenn St-Onge (Artist), Carey Pietsch (Colorist), Joyana McDiarmid (Letterer) Emet Comics If you are a poor, unfortunate soul who follows Melissa Brinks and myself on Twitter, you’ve noticed a trend in our chats. As Melissa put it best: “Roughly 80% of our conversations are about cats….
Review: Gina Wynbrandt’s Someone Please Have Sex With Me
Someone Please Have Sex With Me Gina Wynbrandt 2D Cloud June 2016 Someone Please Have Sex With Me is a collection of comics from Gina Wynbrandt, whose short comic “Big Pussy” made a big splash (oh god, oh god) in 2015, which nabbed her an Ignatz nomination for Promising New Talent. This collection is an…
Iridescent Tails and Starfish Pasties: An Interview with Fat Mermaids’ Paige Hall
When I spoke to Paige Hall about her recently released project, Fat Mermaids: A Collaborative Charity Zine, and asked her why she’s so passionate about mermaids, I received the best answer anyone has ever given me: “What’s not to love about a chunky iridescent tail and starfish pasties?” Hall is an illustrator and avid advocate…
Frontier #12: Kelly Kwang — It’s the Aesthetic
Frontier #12: Kelly Kwang Kelly Kwang Youth In Decline May, 2016 When I recommend Frontier to people, I say that it’s an anthology of comics and art books by interesting indie cartoonists. This issue, Kelly Kwang’s first published work, is a bit more art book than illustrated story. It’s still a comic, though, so don’t…