This week, I’m looking at once comic I saw on the Webtoon Instagram, Little Matcha Girl. It wasn’t a promoted post, but it was a video advert for a new release—notable production investment. The other, Fluffy Boyfriend, was suggested for me by the Webtoon app based on the comics I subscribed to (i.e. the comics…
Insta Made Me Read It: Lore Olympus and Blood-Ink
Last time, we reviewed the comics I’ve seen thanks to promoted Instagram ads: Cursed Princess Club and True Beauty. This time, we begin with another I’ve been seeing regularly through the same paid advertising, Lore Olympus, but I’m also branching out: I’m enjoying CPC and TB so much I’ve followed the webtoons Instagram account, and…
Sleepless Volume 1: Fantasy, Romance, and Courtly Intrigue
Sleepless, Volume 1 Deron Bennett (Letterer), Leila del Duca (Artist), Alissa Sallah (Editor, Colorist), Sarah Vaughn (Writer) Image Comics July 17, 2018 Sleepless, Volume 1 collects issues #1-6 into a single, gorgeous fantasy tome of magic, romance, and courtly intrigue. The story follows Poppy, the daughter of the recently deceased king of Harbeny, who wants nothing…
Tenuously Building to Something Satisfying: Swing #1
Swing #1 Matt Hawkins & Jenni Cheung (writers), Linda Sejic (artist) Top Cow Productions, Inc. On the header menu of the Top Cow website, the second choice seen is “FREE COMICS.” Down at the bottom of the page, with the rest of the Sejic output, is Swing #1, co-written by Top Cow COO Matt Hawkins….
Coming Out of My Cage: Twisted Romance #4
Twisted Romance #4 Alex de Campi, Sarah Winifred Searle, Naomi Salman (writers), Sarah Winifred Searle, Trungles (artists) Image Comics February 28, 2018 The final issue of Twisted Romance features an incredible cover from Trungles, promising you a lush fairytale with a princess, a dragon, and beautiful swirls and curls in the art. Alex de Campi,…
Twisted Romance #3: A Space Age Love Song
Twisted Romance #3 Alex de Campi, Jess Bradley, and Margaret Trauth (Writers), Carla Speed McNeil and Margaret Trauth (Artists) Image Comics February 21, 2018 As you would hope with any book featuring the word “twisted” in the title, Twisted Romance does not play it safe. Alex de Campi’s ambitious romance anthology stars diverse creators who…
I Shouldn’t Mention Thunderbirds: Pop Culture References in Dialogue
It’s easy to be cynical about pop culture references in dialogue. It’s easy, and often enough, it’s fair. I don’t much need to explain why. What I do want to consider is an example of the opposite, when a pop culture reference in a piece of written dialogue becomes intensely concentrated communication, contextually useful and…
Journey Across the Seven Seas: Manga in the Hold
What is Seven Seas? No, it’s not the company releasing Sinbad’s Adventure (at least, not yet). Founded in 2004, Seven Seas releases about 20 new volumes a month. If the name flew under your radar like it did mine, you may not even realize how many titles they get out until you start checking your…
Twisted Romance #2: A Promising Second Date
Twisted Romance #2 Alejandra Gutierrez (artist, “Twinkle & The Star”), Alex de Campi (writer, “Twinkle & The Star), Vita Ayala (“Back at Your Door”), Meredith McLaren (writer/artist, “Would You Even Know It?”) Image Comics February 14, 2018 Reports of romance comics’ death have always been greatly exaggerated. Crying white women pining over hunks in four-color…
Tainted Love: Twisted Romance #1
Twisted Romance #1 Alex de Campi, Sarah Horrocks, and Magen Cubed (Writers), Sarah Horrocks and Katie Skelly (Artists) Image Comics February 7, 2018 Twisted Romance is off to a fresh and exciting start in issue #1. Alex de Campi’s premise–an agency devoted to causing break-ups–is simple and super intriguing. The degree to which both de…
Love Addict: How I Learned to Love the Problematic Narrative
Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater Koren Shadmi (Writer and Artist) IDW 31 January, 2018 With almost fifty million people using dating apps, it’s no wonder that there’s a comic written about them. Koren Shadmi’s Love Addict doesn’t just cover quirky disasters and mishaps that come with online dating, though; by showing the personal…
Nothing You Can Say Can Tear Me Away From My Guy: Semi-Radical Romance Comics
There’s nothing like a good bit of media to bring to mind a good bit of criticism—to deepen it, to clarify. There’s nothing like freedom to remind you of discipline—how it works, which parts help you grow, which parts curtail. I read a lot of comics made for mean slutty girls, and I had to…