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…
INTERVIEW: Clio Isadora Returns to Her Final Year of Art School With Sour Pickles
London-based comic book creator and illustrator Clio Isadora has been self-publishing risograph comics since graduating from Central Saint Martins art school. Her work has been exhibited in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Now, for the first time, she gets to hold her first published graphic novel in her hands with Sour Pickles,…
INTERVIEW: Danielle Paige Flips the Script with Her YA Superhero #ZoeMG
As a young adult writer who’s brought us stories like Dorothy Must Die, Mera: Tidebreaker, and more, Danielle Paige is well aware of the influence of social media on teenaged girls. In #ZoeMG from InterPop Comics, Paige flips the script, she tells WWAC, in order to “really explore “what if” a teen could literally influence…
REVIEW: Gazing into the Shadows from The Crossroads at Midnight
The Crossroads at Midnight collects five short stories by Abby Howard, whose previous publications were educational science comics and the young adult dark fantasy adventure The Last Halloween. None of the stories in Howard’s newest collection is suitable for children, and the gory tone is reminiscent of twentieth-century pulp horror comic magazines. Each piece is…
INTERVIEW: Sloane Leong’s Haunting House Whispers Dark Tales in Graveneye
A red door greets you as you turn the first pages of Graveneye. “The first time we met, I bit her,” come the words, thick ink whispering darkly against bright red. As Mary timidly steps inside, nursing the wound on her hand, the house itself introduces us to Ilsa, tall and stern, waiting silently to…