Sheets Brenna Thummler (Writer & Illustrator) CubHouse August 28, 2018 Sheets follows a young thirteen-year-old girl named Marjorie Glatt who is still recovering from her mother’s untimely death. She and her family run, own, and live above their laundromat, and all daily duties have fallen to Marjorie. She is isolated at school and is struggling…
Dracula’s Forgotten Sister: Florence Marryat and The Blood of the Vampire
Vampire fiction was crystallised in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Subsequent generations of writers in the genre have had to define their works only in relation to this novel, whether they were adhering to its example or departing from it. But if we go back in time, we see a different story, or rather, different stories. While…
The Ballad of Halo Jones Finishes Growing Up in Volume 3
The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 3 Alan Moore (writer), Ian Gibson (artist), Barbara Nosenzo (colorist) 2000 AD September 18, 2018 The thrilling conclusion of a good origin story is simultaneously satisfying and tantalizing. This three-volume arc of The Ballad of Halo Jones feels that way. It’s a great ending, but a bittersweet one, because…
September’s Valiant Efforts: Your Everything Valiant Catch-Up
Hello, my Valiant darlings—how are you this month? Oh? Well, I’m doing quite well; this past week I finished reading the entire ’90s Valiant universe up to Unity, the first and best crossover of the publisher’s original form. Frankly…probably the best superhero crossover of all time. Yeah, I said it. And their first run of…
Review: Liza Jane & the Dragon
Liza Jane & the Dragon Writer Laura Lippman (Writer), Kate Samworth (Illustrator) Akashic Books October 2, 2018 An advanced reader copy of Liza Jane & the Dragon was provided by the publisher. Liza Jane & the Dragon is the story of a girl who thinks she can find better parents, so she fires her current…
That Box We Sit On Review
That Box We Sit On Richie Pope (Art &Words) I came across Richie Pope’s Ignatz-winning comic That Box We Sit On while I was moseying through the Comics Twitterverse. A story about two black kids hanging out, sitting on the same box my siblings and I would sit on when we didn’t want to play,…
Blackbird #1 Features Family and Magic in An Exquisite World
Blackbird #1 Jen Bartel (Illustrator/Cover Artist), Sam Humphries (Writer) Image Comics October 3, 2018 Warning: Spoilers ahead. Magical fantasy stories set in the present day have always appealed to me. Especially stories that center on women and their journey to a heretofore unknown world. Blackbird brings us just that in a new comic book series illustrated…
Blood, Guts, Flashbacks, and Throwbacks: The Legend of Tank Girl
The Legend of Tank Girl: a 30th Anniversary Collection Alan Martin (writer), Brett Parsons (artist/colorist) Titan Comics September 11th, 2018 Tank Girl, everyone’s favorite free-wheeling badass, hits a milestone this year: yep, she turns 30. And what better way to celebrate than with a collection of stories from Tank Girl’s most recent run, brought together…
Olivia Twist: Post-Modern Adventure With 19th Century Family Ties
Olivia Twist #1 Adam Dalva (writer), Darin Strauss (writer), Emma Vieceli (artist) Berger Books September 19th, 2018 Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It’s not enough today to offer a “new take” on a classic by just switching up the protagonist’s gender. But…
Batman: Damned #1 Snuffs Out Its Own Hellfire
Batman: Damned #1 Brian Azzarello (writer), Lee Bermejo (art and cover), Jared K. Fletcher (letterer) DC Comics September 19, 2018 In an industry as saturated in great content as the comic book scene, most creators are on the hunt for their magnum opus. That one iconic story that will propel them into the public eye,…
The Thrilling Adventure Hour: A Spirited Romance
The Thrilling Adventure Hour: A Spirited Romance Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (writers), Marshall Dillon (letters), Eric Gapstur, Mark Stegbauer, Andre J. Parks (ink), Phil Hester (pencil), Scott Newman (cover), Mauricio Wallace and John Rauch (colours) BOOM! Studios Released July 2018 (print – comic shop exclusive), October 2018 (comic stores/bookstores worldwide) The Thrilling Adventure Hour…
Ignatz Alert: How to Be Alive
How to Be Alive Tara Booth 2017 Retrofit Comics/Big Planet Comics How to Be Alive turns a collection of Tara Booth’s gouache vignettes into a complicated, intense look at Booth’s everyday life that swings from hilarious to saddening in the turn of a page. From dragging on the layers required to face a cold day…
