Sas Milledge’s graphic novel Mamo embraces the cottagecore aesthetic. Its pages are filled with lush rural landscapes, small magical adventures, and quaint witchcraft traditions. At the same time, Milledge directs a challenge toward the concept of “tradition” by showing how a conservative mindset can hurt people who don’t fit neatly into models established in the…
REVIEW: Wicked Things #5: Wicked Wonders
Suspicions, our sleuth, and a soft strongman stretch out the story in this sustaining segment of Wicked Things. The ongoing series from the creative team behind Giant Days shows us the sweet-talking smoothness of a subtler Lottie against a series of strange casino smash and grabs.
REVIEW: Wicked Things #4: Wicked Switches
A sleuth, stolen goods, and second chances strengthen the subplot in this successive session of Wicked Things. The ongoing series from the creative team behind Giant Days shows us the subtle superpowers of smartphone sellers, while with sincere satisfaction we see Lottie’s skills spotlit.
REVIEW: Fence: Rivals Still Misses the Point
The GLAAD-nominated series Fence! by C. S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad returns in graphic novel format as Fence: Rivals, collecting four chapters about King’s Row Academy’s practice match against the school that knocked them out of the State Championships last year. This new volume further develops the relationships that were set up earlier in…
BOOM Pubwatch: May 2020
Not much has changed since March, the world has still been turned upside down by a global pandemic. Thankfully, I’ve still been able to keep working from home and everyone if my family is healthy (including my brand new baby niece Eva who made her debut a couple of weeks ago) but it’s still a…
BOOM! Pubwatch: Welcome to Fall 2019
It’s fall! And you know what that means: Halloween candy, cozy scarves, sweaters, and spooky stories. And BOOM! is off to a great start as two of the featured comics this month are ideal fall reading. The arrival of fall also means New York Comic Con is just around the corner and I’ve highlighted some…
The Avant-Guards Vol. 1: “It’s So Gay and I Love It!”
The Avant-Guards Vol. 1 Ed Dukeshire (letterer), Noah Hayes (illustrator), Rebecca Nalty (colourist), Carly Usdin (writer and creator) BOOM!Box September 4, 2019 Getting my 13-year-old daughter to do more than shrug or mumble an “It was good” when I ask what she thinks of a particular comic is an effort in futility. When she spends…
PUBWATCH: BOOM! Studios, September 2018
Wow, can you believe it’s already been a whole month since we last checked in on our BOOM! Studios Pubwatch? Well, have no fear, loyal WWAC readers, for I have not yet forgotten the sacred Pubwatch oath that I swore last month, so here I am with an update on all things BOOM! Explosive News…
BOOM! Bar: Licenses, Lettering, and Letting Go
BOOM! Bar! Where we talk about the month’s BOOM!, KaBOOM!, BOOM! Box, and Archaia releases, try to spot trends, and think about what BOOM! “is,” as a publisher. Remember last month, when I wondered about how letterers get attached to projects at BOOM! and their substudios? Well, I got some answers. So let’s start with…
Hardcore Lady-Types Living Their Best Life: Lumberjanes #50
Lumberjanes #50 Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh (Writers), Dozerdraws (Artist), Maarta Laiho (Colourist), Aubrey Aiese (Letterer) BOOM! Box May 2018 I used to be a regular Lumberjanes reader, but over the last few years, I’m ashamed to admit I’ve fallen behind on all my ongoing series, Lumberjanes included. I’m slowly getting caught up through the trades,…
Two Sports Comics Knocking It Out of the Park … and One Striking Out Miserably
Sports stories, no matter the medium, seem to fall along a continuum. On one end, you have the stories where the sport serves as a backdrop for character-driven conflict, while the other end boasts complete immersion in the sport, with minimal concern for storylines outside each match’s or season’s results. Dodge City, Fence, and We…
BOOM! Bar: 2018 in Licences Vs Creator-Owned Comics
A short week to ease us back in! Yes, friends, foes, readers—it’s been a while. I took a Christmas break that became a year-start break. I feel much better. I’m ready. I’m prepared. Let’s begin. The last week of January sees BOOM! birth six releases: three single issues, two softcover collections, and one hardcover. Of…