November 7, 2014 · 8:24 pm
The opening scene in “Moonhead and the Music Machine,” Andrew Rae‘s new graphic novel, reminds me of a short story by P.G. Wodehouse about a boy who struggles with always being late for breakfast at his boarding school. Too bad he couldn’t have used such an excuse as having a moon for a head. However, Joey, our main character in this fabulous work of comics does have a moon for a head! The panels with Joey’s moonhead catching some more winks while his body trudges off to high school is pure comics magic. It turns out that Joey can tune out the world at will and have an out-of-body experience any time he likes. This might have been a bit too much for Wodehouse to process in his day but he probably would have approved.
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Filed under Andrew Rae, Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Nobrow Press
Tagged as Andrew Rae, Art, arts, Books, Education, Entertainment, graphic novels, High School, Nobrow Press, P.G. Wodehouse, Pop Culture, Publishing, Young Adult
November 6, 2014 · 4:28 am
“In Real Life” is one of this year’s most intriguing graphic novels as it raises questions not asked often enough. A New York Times bestselling graphic novel written by Cory Doctorow and drawn by Jen Wang, it is the story of Anda, a gamer, who discovers a black market system through the friendship she makes with, Raymond, a poor boy in China. The focus is on what exploited people must do in order to survive and what can be done to help them rise up and out of their circumstances. But it’s also about the avatars we use to hide from the world. As is clearly depicted here, Anda has problems with the real world and her place in it.
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Filed under Comics, Cory Doctorow, First Second, Games, Geek Culture, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Jen Wang, Orbital Comics
Tagged as comics, Cory Doctorow, Entertainment, Games, gaming, graphic novels, Lifestyle, London, Media, online games, Orbital Comics, Pop Culture, Social Media, Teens, Youth
October 30, 2014 · 5:16 am
Megg, Mogg, and Owl. Say it with me, “Megg, Mogg, and Owl.” They will set you free. Set you on a righteous path. What Simon Hanselmann does with his comics is what any artist and/or writer worth his or her salt does: take you somewhere, make you feel something. The most disturbing, and most exhilarating, moment for me in comics this year, or any year, must be Werewolf Jones taking a cheese grater to his testicles. Pure genius. And I say it with only a touch of irony. In fact, it is a great moment in comics.
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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Simon Hanselmann, Webcomics
Tagged as comics, Entertainment, fantagraphics books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Humor, Media, Megahex, Pop Culture, webcomics, Witches
October 14, 2014 · 9:35 pm
You want to know which cartoonists rank among the very best? Well, consider Sergio Toppi (11 October 1932 – 21 August 2012), a masterful Italian cartoonist and illustrator. His work will have you in awe. And, among his best work, “The Collector” is a must-read. It is now available, for the first time, in English, published in a hardcover edition by Archaia, an imprint of Boom! Studios. Let’s have a look.
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October 4, 2014 · 9:02 pm
Denis St. John is just the sort of cartoonist it is a pleasure to champion. Here’s the thing, there are many, many, many cartoonists who deserve a thoughtful review, especially early in their careers as they are working towards establishing themselves. I support art for art’s sake but I’m most interested in cartoonists creating ambitious work on some level. It doesn’t come down just to issues of craft and narrative. It comes down to issues of vision. Overall, the comic can have a shaggy dog quality to it but if it has that spark, then let that shaggy dog howl! And that’s what we have here with this collection of horror comics, “Amelia: A Monsters & Girls Book.” I say more power to Denis St. John!
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Filed under Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Horror, Richard Sala, The Center for Cartoon Studies
Tagged as comics, Denis St. John, Entertainment, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Horror, Humor, Pop Culture, Richard Sala, Supernatural, The Center For Cartoon Studies
September 23, 2014 · 10:53 pm
Daniel Stope is a well-intentioned young man from the country who has dreams of becoming a professional artist. Of course, one of the best places to foster, as well as dash, such ambitions is going to an art school. In can be honey or vinegar, depending upon numerous factors. Jamie Coe explores the honey and vinegar of art school in his debut graphic novel, “Art Schooled,” published by Nobrow Press.
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Filed under Art, Comics, Daniel Clowes, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Nobrow Press
Tagged as Art, Art School, arts, comic books, comics, Entertainment, Geeks, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Hipsters, Jamie Coe, Nerds, Nobrow Press, Pop Culture
September 20, 2014 · 8:14 am
Welcome to Hipsterville: SUGAR SKULL by Charles Burns
Welcome to hipsterville. If there is something that is both scary and fascinating to observe (like a train wreck) it is the activity of a hipster. Charles Burns completes his ode to the lives of hipsters gone terribly wrong in the final part of his Nitnit trilogy, “Sugar Skull.” Outside of a Stephen King novel, this new book by Burns offers up plenty to be creeped out over. Think of it as “Carrie” for the Gen X set.
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Filed under Charles Burns, Comics, Generation X, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Hipsters, Horror
Tagged as Art, Art School, Artists, arts, Charles Burns, Entertainment, Generation X, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Hipsters, Horror, Pantheon Books, Pop Culture, Random House, Stephen King
September 13, 2014 · 10:17 pm
Lucy Knisley snatches from the ether bits of ephemeral conversation and other momentary pleasures to present to us, “An Age of License,” her latest travelogue graphic novel. We are swept up by a whirlwind European adventure as we follow Knisley on an all-expenses paid trip of a lifetime in September of 2011. As opportunities arise, one must try to choose wisely. And so we see how Knisley fares, after some pre-travel jitters (it happens to the best of us) and she is off and running. Knisley has a clean line in the service of a direct and crisp narrative. It is a pleasure to see her continue to evolve as an autobiographical artist.
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Filed under Comics, Fantagraphics Books, Food, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Lucy Knisley, Travel
Tagged as Cartoonists, comics, Entertainment, Europe, fantagraphics books, Food, France, Germany, graphic novels, Lucy Knisley, M.F.K. Fisher, Media, Memoir, Norway, Pop Culture, Publishing, Sweden, Travel, Travelogue, Wine, Writers, Writing
September 3, 2014 · 3:26 am
Box Brown is the one cartoonist born to create a graphic novel in honor of pro wrestling and its greatest warrior: “Andre the Giant: Life and Legend,” published by First Second Books. As Brown describes in the introduction, he became hooked on the sports spectacle after a buddy brought some wrestling magazines to school in the fourth grade. Brown respectfully explains that there is a pact between the audience and the wrestlers to suspend disbelief. It is known by the voodoo-sounding term, “kayfabe.” For a brief time, you return to childhood and you let yourself believe that a man can fly.
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Filed under Box Brown, Comics, First Second, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels
Tagged as Andre the Giant, Biography, Box Brown, Entertainment, First Second Books, graphic novels, Hulk Hogan, Kayfabe, Media, Pop Culture, Pro Wrestling, Sports
August 22, 2014 · 10:44 pm
Bilal’s Marpada (Wonder Woman?) from “Phantoms of the Louvre”
Bilal is a legendary sci-fi and fantasy artist. He has an uncanny ability to evoke a vast world of suspense and mystery. His villains are utterly macabre. His women are utlra-cool sexy. For his contribution to the NBM ComicsLit Louvre collection, Bilal provides us with twenty-two ghost stories in his graphic novel, “Phantoms of the Louvre.” He focuses on a particular work in the Louvre, photographs it, and then works his magic with acrylic, pastel, and prose. For example, we have the story of Marpada who, it would not be a stretch to say brings to mind Wonder Woman. If you ever wondered what a Bilal Wonder Woman would be like, this has got to be it. Note to DC Comics: Entice Bilal to do a Wonder Woman story!
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Filed under Bande Dessinée, Bilal, Comics, ComicsLit, France, French Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, NBM, Paris, The Louvre, Wonder Woman
Tagged as Art, arts, Bilal, Books, comic books, comics, Entertainment, European Comics, Fantasy, France, Ghosts, graphic novels, Paris, Pop Culture, Publishing, Sci-Fi, Travel, Wonder Woman
