Ghostbusters – Answer the Call #5 Kelly Thompson (Writer), Corin Howell (Artist), Valentina Pinto (Colourist), Neil Uyetake (Letterer) IDW Publishing 9 May, 2018 The Ghostbusters’ Dr Jillian Holtzmann has an insane plan to beat the Schreckgespenst, a.k.a. “Schrecky,” the ghost terrorising New York City. It is the kind of plan that is so crazy that…
Sword of Ages #4: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Sword of Ages #4 Gabriel Rodriguez (Writer and Artist), Lovern Kindzierski (Colours), Robbie Robbins (Letters) IDW Publishing 30 May 2018 Boss Ourgon stands on the edge of victory. He has defeated his arch rival, the benevolent and powerful White Monk ruler Lord Huss, as well as Huss’ son, Calen. But, before Ourgon can take control…
Antar: The Black Knight #1 Brings History to Life
Antar: The Black Knight #1 Nnedi Okorafor (Writer), Eric Battle (Artist), Jason Scott Jones (Colours), Thomas Mauer (Letters) IDW Publishing 18 April, 2018 A young slave is beaten by cruel masters. He takes the beating, believing that hardship will only make him stronger. Where does he get this strength from? His mother, Zabiba, better known…
Jessica Campbell’s XTC69 gives the Middle Finger to Misogyny and Transphobia
XTC69 Jessica campbell Koyama Press May 2018 Sometimes, when I feel buried under a flood of stress both in my personal life and from the general state of the world, I want to consume media that just makes me feel joy. I need to smile and laugh, to step out from under the weight of…
African Speculative Fiction, Black Panther, and Venom: An Interview with Nnedi Okorafor
Blazing a trail for imaginative, Africa-based writing is Nnedi Okorafor. With more than 15 novels and novellas already published, including the Binti trilogy, the Akata series, and Who Fears Death, soon to be adapted for HBO by George R. R. Martin, Okorafor has also been branching out into the world of comics. Her most recent…
Green Hornet #2: Rise of a Fascinating New Hero
Green Hornet #2 Amy Chu (Writer), German Erramouspe (Artist), Brittany Pezzillo (Colours), Tom Napolitano (Letters) Dynamite Comics 4 April, 2018 There is a new Green Hornet in Century City and she isn’t afraid to kick ass. Mulan Hayashi has taken over the mantle from Britt Reid Jr., now missing for over three weeks following a…
BLACK: Powerful, Stunning and Subversive
BLACK Volume One Kwanza Osajyefo (writer), Jamal Igle (artist), Tim Smith III (designer), Derwin Roberson (colours) Black Mask Studios 1 November, 2017 What started as a Kickstarter project in 2016 may soon become a feature film. Kwanza Osajeyfo’s popular comic book BLACK was optioned for film by Studio 8 late February.
Black Comix Returns With A Bang!
Black Comix Returns Damian Duffy (curator) & John Jennings (curator) The Magnetic Collection at Lion Forge (Publisher) Release Date: February 20, 2018 The comics world is often a homogenous mix of the same white male writers and creators, making the same comics. Often PoC are not recruited to tell their own stories. In 2017 Roxane…
American Gods Vol 1 is Not Quite A Melting Pot
American Gods Volume 1: Shadows Neil Gaiman (Story and Words), P. Craig Russell (Script and Layouts), Scott Hampton, Walt Simonson, Colleen Doran, Glenn Fabry (Art), Lovern Kindzierski, Laura Martin, Colleen Doran, Adam Brown (Colorists), Rick Parker (Letterer) Dark Horsem February 28, 2018 The American Gods comics adaptation is both beautiful and well-paced. P. Craig Russell…
Recovering Things Forgotten With Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz
Archival Quality Ivy Noelle Weir (writer), Steenz (artist) Oni Press March 2018 Archival Quality is a story with surprising depth and nuance. The premise of the story, that of a twenty-something who begins working at a haunted library, was enough to get me to read it. In addition to the premise, I wanted to read…
Incognegro: Renaissance #1 Is A Timely Prequel
Incognegro: Renaissance #1 Mat Johnson (Writer), Warren Pleece (Artist), Clem Robins (Letterer) Dark Horse Comics 7 February, 2018 2018 celebrates the 10th anniversary of the original Incognegro graphic novel, the hard-hitting story about an African-American journalist who uses his light complexion to go incognito among white people and uncover the truth behind the murders of…
Telling Specific Stories: Bingo Love’s Widespread Appeal
Bingo Love is an entirely fictional story, filled with little details that make it resonate with any reader. These details—rich, specific, and sometimes just silly—help stories come to life.