Tag Archives: Books

October 1, 2025 · 8:00 am

Joe Sacco Interview: As Goes India, So Goes the World

I want to make clear that Joe Sacco did not say, “As Goes India, so goes the world.” That’s just my summation, my interpretation, as trite as it may sound. But I’m sure Joe would acknowledge my attempt at finding the universal truths in his latest work of comics journalism: The Once and Future Riot, published by Henry & Holt, releasing on October 14, 2025 and available for pre-order. Well, we had a most agreeable conversation. No doubt, Joe Sacco is a towering figure in comics, known for such landmark work as Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza. My main concern was simply to focus on the new book at hand and resist getting caught up in so many other things we could have talked about. But that was easy since the point I kept coming back to is that this new book has so much to say and proves timeless and highly relevant.

“They are rich people. We are poor people.”

This was an easygoing conversation, just like you’d expect in a coffee shop. I wasn’t there to argue this or that fiery point. I was there to, I suppose, coax along insights. A revelation for me, when I think about it, is that Joe Sacco is quite a regular guy in the sense that he’s not there to persuade you with any sort of slanted rhetoric. No “slanters,” just a progression of logical observations. All of this in the service of talking about this book, an exploration of political violence and focusing on a prime example in India: the communal hatred between Hindus and Muslims that led to the 2013 riots in Uttar Pradesh. How, and why, did this happen? All of this emerges in layers within layers.

“No one is left in the middle.”

Here’s the thing to keep in mind about any book by Joe Sacco: the background is essential because that’s where the meat of the story resides, made up of numerous personal stories. Joe’s tried and true method has been to go about capturing these moments with all their subtle nuances in words and pictures which provides an uncanny result by a reporter who literally has gone beyond the initial hard news to uncover the sort of details that can so easily get lost in the shuffle. During our conversation, I was struck by Joe’s patient and calm delivery, his response to my sometimes excitable questions. He was so engaged in the moment, which is undoubtedly the ideal state you want your guest to be in, that we were able to truly enjoy a conversation and let ideas flow.

The Lie becomes Truth.

One of the most interesting things about this new book is that it poses a lot of questions, more than we can hope to fully answer although we will keep on seeking solutions. As I suggest, this is a book not only about India but about the state of the whole world. Everywhere, we must confront demagoguery; we must confront those with power who prey on those without power; and we must confront our lesser selves who contribute to a polarized society. I shared with Joe what I believed to be the book’s conclusion: a primary way to end the vicious cycle of political violence among a nation’s people is to have a government that the people can rely upon and trust. He asked me if I thought that was his conclusion and I readily said, yes. And he agreed. We played with the thread of that idea. Joe shared that he thought of himself as a Democrat, but with a small “d,” as far from the established Democratic Party as possible. What other options did one have within the current reality? A very good question.

War on Gaza

I brought up something during our conversation that I didn’t think I would, and then I did. At the time that Joe Sacco did his War on Gaza limited series, published by The Comics Journal, I was on the fence about it because I feared it would help, in its own modest way, to contribute to a Democrat loss in the presidential election. It feels like a lifetime ago but, back then, Americans were facing a very close election, which it was, if you admit Trump’s 77 million to Harris’s 75 million votes was close, which it was, the closest one this century. With hindsight, I conclude that Sacco’s comics revisit of Gaza, his calling out genocide, was an honest response that made sense and still does. Democrats are far from perfect but, compared to the current administration, well, you tell me.

Ultimately, Joe and I both let out a collective sigh at confronting the hard truth that the big, truly substantial, leaps of progress still lay way ahead in the distant future. And yet the effort must continue towards that future, no matter how elusive, no matter how far out of reach, it may be.

Enjoy the video interview. As always, your views, LIKES and COMMENTS are very welcome and help us continue to do what we do here at Comics Grinder.

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September 16, 2025 · 11:00 am

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne comics review

You and Me on Repeat. Mary Shyne. Henry Holt. 2025. 224pp. $17.99.

A good time travel story these days walks a fine line as a genre all to itself: self-aware, serious and ironic all at once. I can see that Mary Shyne has given this a lot of consideration which has resulted in a graphic novel with a fresh take. Clearly, Shyne knows her way around all the time travel tropes, and so do her characters.

Chris and Alicia, two teenagers who have just graduated high school, are quick to accept the reality of time travel but not so quick to accept themselves. This is the premise that Shyne plays with as she has these two endure an endless loop of re-living their high school graduation day. Chris is a science geek and he’s a bit uptight. Alicia is an aspiring writer and she’s a free spirit. These two seem unlikely as a romantic couple but only time will tell, right? Shyne is way ahead of it and manages to keep thickening the plot, even for the most jaded young adult, this book’s prime audience.

As with any good time-looping story, the journey is what it’s all about. Shyne paves the way with a light manga art style that is pleasing to the eye and compliments the breezy nature of the narrative. It’s a very impressive work that checks all the boxes in what makes for a highly marketable work in comics. In its layout, its humor and overall vibe, there’s something lean, clean and perfect about Shyne’s work. That said, Shyne elevates her work to something personal and idiosyncratic that defies the most perfectly calculated marketing stratagem. Could it be a bit of genuine heart-felt magic? I think so.

The best time travel stories have less to do with time travel and more to do with characters and so it is the case here. The two main characters, Chris O’Brien, who is white, and Alicia Ochoa, who is Mexican, are a mixed-race star-crossed couple of kids. The trend in the book and entertainment industry, if you haven’t noticed in the last five years, is diversity. I’ve been very mindful and supportive of diversity for much longer than five years. How about all my life? I’m Mexican American and, as a creator of comics and stories, that unique perspective is always there in my own work, whether it is noticed or not. In the case of this work, it is supposed to be noticed. Alicia Ochoa steals the show as the oldest sibling among many in a large Mexican family. Not all Mexican families are large but it’s a compelling trope and it works well here. Alicia is a restless soul who wishes to explore as many versions of herself as possible, including romance with girls and boys. What could be better than to be stuck in a perpetual loop where you repeat the same day, do whatever you want, wipe the slate clean and dig in for more?

Remember, the reason we can’t seem to get enough of time travel stories, at least good ones, is that they promise to deliver a bit of genuine heart-felt magic. I really enjoyed this book all the way to the last page and that’s because of its heart and honesty. And, hey, Shyne manages to do something that keeps getting more difficult to do in the genre. Shyne taps into that magic we keep craving and hoping for when we seek out a good time travel yarn.

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September 8, 2025 · 10:16 pm

THE KING’S WARRIOR by Huahua Zhu comics review

The King’s Warrior. Huahua Zhu. Bulgilhan Press. 2024. 65pp. $15.00.

From the cover, all the way through, I am completely swept into the exquisite world that Huahua Zhu has created in her new comic. I love fantasy when it works for me and this does. Recently, I was browsing through a bunch of zines at a certain shop and I was struck by the art on the cover, the delicate and ethereal lines holding up a bold eccentricity.

When a comic sparks my curiosity, that’s a very good sign. The best fantasy will do that: somehow turn the genre on its head, give you something refreshingly new and will its own reality. By simply jumping into the story, in just the right understated manner, Zhu has achieved this. One wonders what led up to this moment while, at the same time, ready to follow along.

The two leading characters are rather enigmatic: a brother and sister with elfin ears. All we know, at first, is that this is a world of monsters, especially dragons. Zhu’s approach is to not give too much away. The first page is a trio of close-up panels depicting a slaughter of dragons. This is followed by a couple of pages of combat. And then a page featuring a castle and an inset close-up panel that only shows part of a craggy face. A textbox below dares someone to come and kill him. Finally, the next page has our leads, Mara and Echo: an animated page of various panels that gently introduces the siblings with light hints of yellow and blue watercolor.

An ambiguous and fanciful tempo is kept up all the way to the end of this book. The connections between characters are not altogether clear hinting at a larger backstory. There is no apparent reason why the actions of one character should determine the fate of another but that seems to be the point. Mara and Echo have both ended up being kidnapped by a mysterious queen who won’t set them free until a warrior has completed his task of assassinating a wizard. Once this chain of events has been set into motion, more things are triggered and there’s no turning back.

Zhu has a wonderful way with drawing horses, dragons, gnomes, elves, wizards, all the stuff of fantasy, including a magical golden coin. The trick is to not bring out the big swords too often or all at once. Good fantasy, or any good story, is made up of a number of well-timed moments, constantly moving forward, toward something greater than its parts. This Zhu does well. I buy it in every quiet scene she’s conjured up with the mighty warrior and Growl, his chimera sidekick. Yes, Zhu manages a bit of humor. This is an ideal work of comics fantasy, both spooky and enchanting.

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September 6, 2025 · 2:25 pm

The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco graphic history review

The Once and Future Riot. Joe Sacco. Henry Holt & Co. 2025. 144pp. $27.99

India was once a confident and reliable ally of the United States. Lately, due to the Trump administration’s belligerence and blundering, India has leaned deeper into Russia and China’s orbit. India is simply not enough on the radar of the average American, without some tie to India, to really know or care one way or another but, as Joe Sacco’s book makes clear, there are undeniable universal truths that India has to share with the rest of the world. Once again, Joe Sacco lays out the essential, and ever elusive, truth.

The elusive truth, lost in an instance. At its core, this is what Joe Sacco’s new book is about and what all of his comics journalism books are about. You don’t think you can relate to India, or to Palestinian genocide in Gaza at the hands of the Netanyahu administration? Well, think again. We live in a world where up is down and down is up and, all too often, we fight shadows and ignore the substance. In the case of this new work, Sacco focuses on the conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India. Some would say it is irreparable. Others would say it is a manufactured conflict that favors those in power who gin up the public, stoke the flames of hatred, exploit resentment and distrust.

Sacco interviews a Muslim cleric during his travels in India who plainly lays it out: The media is responsible for the hostility between Hindu and Muslim. “You start telling a lie again and again to make it a truth. TV channels have done it. TV channels are liars. They keep telling lies 24 hours a day.” Where there once was a friend, now there is a demon.

India, it must be stressed is a democracy, with a federalist framework similar to the United States. What happens in India is not from some distant and remote region. The world grows smaller every day, as it is. And India reflects this in a powerful way. Joe Sacco’s book lays out the dynamics that led to the bloody 2013 riots in the streets of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and diverse state in India. What caused the violence is misinformation that fueled a mob mentality. It can happen again in India. It can, and is, happening in the United States. And it can happen anywhere.

“I was crying. Like anything . . .”

As easily as the United States can experience a collapse of order by the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, so can a region of India once celebrated for harmony. The lethal power of demagoguery can not be overstated, despite what others who traffic in misinformation may say. We live in dangerous times with no sign of it letting up in our collective lifetimes. As long as there are people in power with the time and money but no wisdom or integrity, we remain in an endless cycle. Well, this should be painfully obvious. Sacco does not beat one over the head with the obvious but steadily covers the specifics of a specific moment in time. The reader gets to know particular people. The reader is guided along as these individuals confront their struggles, some needlessly to die. And it is through this specificity that Sacco reaches the universal.

When will this horror end?

It is within this calm and steady approach that Sacco builds up to the horror and tragedy of the riots in Uttar Pradesh. In one incident that Sacco documents, Muslims ambush droves of Hindus attempting to flee. The Muslim attack is relentless. Hindu farmers attempt to hide behind their trolley trucks only to have their vehicles ransacked. They are attacked with guns, rocks, swords and knives. One man witnesses his son bludgeoned and tossed off a truck. When he attempts to help him, he is overwhelmed by an oncoming mob. He calls out to the police who manage to get his son to a hospital, where he dies. It begs the question, When will this horror end? It is a question that perpetually begs for an answer.

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August 17, 2025 · 7:00 pm

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance book review

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance. Editors: Raymond Tyler & Paul Buhle. Between The Lines. 2025. 148pp. $34.95.

A bold statement is asserted in the introduction to this book: “History does not repeat itself. But the example offered of the Partisans’ courage must not, cannot, be forgotten in our time. We must find our own creative ways, individually and collectively, to rise to the challenge.” This is a collection of short works in comics that chronicle the fight against fascism leading up to and all through the Second World War. I don’t know what to make of the relatively calm assertion that history does not repeat itself when, each day, it looks like history is repeating itself. The best I can come up with to reconcile this statement is to say that we must embrace the calm before the storm, even seek it out during the storm. Each story here offers some moments of contemplation, featuring stories from survivors with their own set of insights.

“Freedom or Death: The French Partisans” by Daniel Selig

For these sort of works in comics, especially a collection such as this, I believe the most compelling work cuts to the chase. This is why I find the straightforward piece by Daniel Selig, known in Europe for this work with Éditions FLBLB, so compelling. He sets out to outline the evolution of French Partisans and does exactly that. There’s even a quick and precise nod to the creative and intellectual contingent on one page featuring Jean Paul-Sartre, Paul Eluard and Elsa Barraine. Food for thought as we engage with our own times.

“The Hungarian Resistance” by Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton

There are a number of more traditional depictions of testimony coming from the average person. In that vein, some examples: David Lasky‘s rendering of diary entries from Eastern Europe; Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons honoring teenage Paritsans in Holland; and Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton‘s tribute to the Hungarian resistance. Each work brings the struggle down to the human scale in very distinctive ways in terms of style and approach.

“Andartiko: Fighting Fascism in Greece” by David Lester

Another more straightforward approach focuses on the fight in Greece. David Lester, known for his historical graphic novels with a dramatic flair (Revolution by Fire: New York’s Afro-Irish Uprising of 1741) , offers a study of the Andartiko Partisans, with roots going back to the Ottoman Empire. His approach is gritty, bold and dynamic and really keeps the narrative moving.

“Piccola Staffetta” by Isabella and Franca Bannerman

What each piece in this book has in common is that urgency to connect the dots from the past with the present. The most explicit example comes from long-time World War 3 Illustrated contributor Isabella Bannerman. In her piece, she depicts the words of her mother, Franca Bannerman, who grew up during the rise of Mussolini and can’t help but see a distinct similarity between that fascist dictator and our current U.S. president. Well, someone had to say it and this one hits the nail on the head. So, where do you go from here? Days, let alone months, even years, can go by and the future remains murky and sinister. One thing is for sure, we can all use as much calm contemplation as we can get.

Molly and the Bear creator interview with Bob & Vicki Scott

Pages from Molly and the Bear.

We continue the Molly and the Bear coverage with a special creator interview with the husband-and-wife team of Bob and Vicki Scott. In this interview, we cover quite a lot of ground, from the origins of Molly and the Bear comics to a number of creative insights. Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me. Great to have both of you.

It’s nice to be here! Thank you for chatting with us!

Please share with us what both of you would like to tell folks about your new book.

Bob: Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware is the follow-up to our first book, Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair, which came out a year ago. Both books are fun graphic novels for middle grade readers who like the idea of hanging out with a very large, very real Bear who has real issues. Hmm, I guess I would like to let people know that these are fun books, full of heart and laughs.

Vicki: I’d like to let people know that they may be hard-pressed to find the books in the big stores like Barnes and Noble or Target, but online shopping is not their only option! We peek into as many indie bookstores as possible, and we’ve been delighted to find the indie booksellers stocking out books! It is a real thrill to see the books on the shelf. We’ve also found Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair in public and school libraries!!! (We hope they pick up the new book too!) Of course, the online retailers carry the books, but we love and appreciate the indies and libraries!!!

Would you share about the evolution of Molly and the Bear, from comic strip to book series?

Bob: Molly and the Bear started back when Universal Press Syndicate ran Comics Sherpa, a web platform for budding comic strips. Sherpa was open to anyone, and the fellow creators were so supportive and encouraging. GoComics is the syndicate’s “Invite-Only” web syndication platform and I jumped on Go in 2009. I love the immediacy of posting a strip and getting immediate reaction.

Vicki: However.

Bob: GoComics audiences tend to hit a plateau, and Molly and the Bear had a couple thousand subscribers and the audience was not growing. But I really wanted more people to see my work. Vicki began suggesting adapting the strip into graphic novels.

“An Unlikely Pair”

Tell us about getting into the zone for your readers, the middle grade kids.

Bob: I released 2 compilation books, which my friends dutifully bought. Fortunately, they left the books lying around on their kitchen tables long enough for their kids to get curious. We got reports that the 11 – 12-year-old daughters LOVED the characters.

Vicki: Since doing a graphic novel was my big idea, I had the pleasure of reaching into Bob’s huge pile of strips and pulling out story lines that focused on Molly and Bear. It was the same process I used when I had worked for the Schulz family adapting TV specials and comic strips into the long-form comics for Boom Comics. By knowing the characters super well and weaving strips into the script, the integrity of Bob’s work (and Sparky’s) was maintained. I love Molly and Bear and it is a pleasure to help shape the story into a long graphic novel.

Bob: While we kept the story focused on Molly and Bear, we added Harper, a best friend for Molly. Harper has become a regular in the strip too.

Vicki: By adding a best friend for Molly, and taking her to school, it helped make the story just right for 11 -12-year-olds.

Vicki: (whispering) A small note, the books are for middle grades, which is book-speak for 8 – 12- year-olds. Books for middle school kids is YA. It’s confusing even for us. Bob and I nearly came to blows once over the term “chapter book”. Kidding.

“Campers Beware”

What can you share about your process? Anything is fair game: panels, lettering, coloring, layout, software used, any physical art process?

Bob: My process for the new books and the strip has only a couple of small differences. Both are drawn in blue (or red) pencil on Bristol Board, then inked with a Windsor Newton Sable brush and waterproof India Ink. I love the feel of drawing on the board, the meditative nature of inking, and the satisfaction of holding the end product in my hands.

For both the books and the strips, I scan them and use Photoshop to remove the blue (or red) pencil lines. For the strip, I usually ink the borders; for the books I do the borders in Photoshop. All color is done in Photoshop.

The biggest difference is that I made a font of my lettering to use for the books. This made edits and possible translations easier.

Vicki: Once Bob got the art to the scan stage, I helped as much as I could as he held a full-time job for most of the books’ production. I was tasked with coloring the book. I made a conscious decision to not use shadows or gradations or anything fancy with the color so Bob’s beautiful inkwork remained the star.

Let’s get psychological. What does the Bear symbolize?

Bob: All the characters have large parts of me. I can be fearful, pessimistic, optimistic, brave, cranky. We all have many sides to us, and I think when artists tap into those common threads sincerely, the art is relatable, and people connect to it.

Vicki: Yeah, we all contain multitudes. And Bob blends them into comedy.

What’s it like working as a team?

Vicki: Lawyers were not called at any time. No, seriously, Bob and I have worked together many times. My first job after graduating art school was inking US Acres, which he was co-penciling for Jim Davis. It saved so much time, really. We didn’t have to have that hour long conversation, “How was your day?” because we already knew. We sat next to each other all day. I love Bob’s art, I respect what he does and keep my hands off everything that makes Bob’s art his.

Bob: I like what Vicki brings to the work. She adds a side to the characters that I wouldn’t think of. Example: I drew Harper in an oversize sweater. I thought it was cute, and kind of in fashion right then. Vicki made up the back story that the sweater belongs to Harper’s mom, and since the mom works long hours, Harper misses her. So, Harper snuggles into the sweater every day like a portable Mom-hug. I would never have thought of that, and it added so much to Harper.

Anything you’d like to share about the writing process–about the comedic timing?

Vicki: Writing a comic strip is like the haiku of comedy writing. Bob is a master of it, and it is harder than it looks. I like to blather on and on, so I can take Molly and Bear into full-length stories. I like call-backs, long-running jokes and soap-opera-esque drama.

Bob: If I can make a joke work with a great, funny drawing, that’s what I love. I love the slapstick of cartoons, the wild takes, the animation I can put into the comic strip and the books. I love a pun as much as anyone, and Bear is always fun to write, but he is way more fun to draw.

Vicki: To be clear, Bob writes and draws his strip completely solo. I help with the books, but the strip is all Bob.

Share with us anything you like about your early years.

Bob: I have been making comic strips since I was little. I saw strips in the newspaper every day (newspapers used to be on paper and delivered to your house. Crazy times) and I drew my favorites. Pretty soon I was making my own strips. I have been on a quest for syndication my whole life. Fortunately, I also wanted to be an animator.

Vicki: I don’t remember it very well, but I wasn’t always this tall. My feet were always this big, however.

Bob: Ha! Ha!

What would you tell someone just getting into making comics. Some folks do it as a creative outlet and others are looking to pursue it as part of a creative career. Any advice?

Bob: A lot of people ask me how to make a comic strip. I walk them through finding a size to draw the strip that works for them and turn them loose. That’s it! There is no big list of requirements for strips. It’s why I love strips. I work on animated features and TV series all day and I LOVE that I’m my own boss on the strip. Three panels? Sure! Five panels? Why not? Web-based syndication is very free.

Interestingly, people roll up their sleeves and do about 8 strips. That’s about when everyone sees it is a lot of work. Endless. But I love that too. Every single day, I get to make a new strip. Tell a new joke. Draw something funny that makes me laugh.

It’s not for everyone.

Vicki: When Bob was young, making a living doing a comic strip was a real possibility. He was just a few years behind Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). But when the papers began failing, comic strips entered a dark period where almost no one could launch a strip that would support them. Now, there are more ways to get comic strips out there, and the future for comic strip artists may be looking better. Strange Planet is a good example of a web-based comic “making it big”.

Any final thoughts are welcome. What is in store for the future?

Bob: We would love to continue the Molly and the Bear graphic novels, but publishing is a business and that means we need Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair and Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware to sell through the roof. I hope we get to do a third: Molly is going to do a school play, Bear will need to stand in for a sick kid, and of course the theater is haunted.

Vicki: Hilarity will ensue.

Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware and Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair are published by Simon & Schuster.

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August 5, 2025 · 12:00 pm

Molly and the Bear by Bob & Vicki Scott book series review

Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair and Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware. By Bob Scott and Vicki Scott. Simon & Schuster. (ages 8-12) 240pp each. $14.99 each.

Molly and the Bear is a syndicated comic strip by Bob Scott with a wide fan base going back to 2010. Bob Scott is a highly regarded cartoonist and animator who has worked with many of the greats in the comics industry including Jim Davis as well as with such high profile animation studios as Warner Brothers, DreamWorks and Pixar. Molly and the Bear is about an 11-year-old girl and her best friend, a very sensitive 800-pound bear. In partnership with his wife, Vicki, Bob turned this webcomic into a middle-grade graphic novel series. It is a wonderful collaborative project by two respected creatives in the world of comics and animation. The first two books in the series have just come out and I’m thrilled to share with you such a wildly inventive work.

“An Unlikely Pair”

Both of these books are coming out together and so make a perfect pair. That leads me to the title of the first book, “An Unlikely Pair,” which acts as an entry point, especially if you enjoy seeing two characters meet for the very first time. A big point I need to stress is that I’m always intrigued and overjoyed to see just how much quirky, artful and original storytelling is found within the pages of a book that has a younger demographic of readers. In this particular case, I firmly believe that Bob and Vicki Scott have achieved that classic “all-ages” appeal, and that has a lot to do with Bob’s refined sense of meeting the demands of a comic strip, traditionally meant to be enjoyed by any reader, whatever the age. This first book opens with Molly’s parents off to enjoy a drive and trusting their daughter to mind the home alone. This leads to Molly exchanging text messages with her pal, Harper, followed by her just dancing and enjoying a little freedom. But then, suddenly, a huge bear crawls in from an open window. In short order, Molly discovers this bear has some serious issues with living outside–and inside: he’s a complete mess who needs help. Molly decides to let him stay and just hope for the best. Of course, she will have to deal with Bear’s intricate system of worries. For instance, he’s afraid of heights, especially “mid-level heights.” Enough to boggle the mind of any therapist. And there’s your very unusual and funny premise.

Even if you are a highbrow comics connoisseur, I ask that you put on your white gloves, monocle and top hat and examine this work for yourself, just as you would any number of other works with a mass media following created by industry professionals (Carl Barks, Ernie Bushmiller, etc.). I think you’ll find the waters you swim here to be rather pleasant. Not only are the gags set up with precise timing but the compositions are consistently compelling. There is a level of skill here that can go underappreciated because it doesn’t call attention to itself but it’s there in every well-rendered figure and face, every well-established interior and exterior. I’m really charmed by the example above. Molly is luring her new best friend Bear to the safety of her bedroom with some ice cream, having him climb up a few stairs that he’s been terrified over. She manages to navigate a close call with her parents. By the next page, she races up the same stairs to check in on his progress and finds he’s overcome with a really bad case of stress-shedding. You see on these two pages Bear go through a roller coaster of emotions: from an all-time high to a lowest low.

“Campers Beware”

I actually read the second book first and only later went back and read the first book second. And I’m glad that I just leapfrogged into the material. Again, it’s all very polished and professional work with a certain subversive edge to it, just the sort of thing you find in all the old favorite animated TV shows like The Jetsons and The Flintstones. In the case of “Campers Beware,” Bob and Vicki deliver a hilarious story involving Bear beside himself attempting to befriend Dad while battling his fears of the great outdoors–and other bears. Really priceless stuff. Seek it out!

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July 30, 2025 · 10:12 am

Introverts Illustrated by Scott Finch book review and creator interview

Introverts Illustrated. Scott Finch. Sold in Bundles of 5 ($25) at Partners & Son.

I turn to ambient music when I need an added kick of focus. Usually, it’s when I’m writing. I would never have a show or a podcast on in the background. No, I need something stripped down that will allow me to actually think when I’m writing or reading. Complete silence is quite nice too. Ambient music can be ideal at times. That’s what I did for this most unusual work by the artist Scott Finch. It helped in just the way it was intended to do: a means to push back all the added noise and clutter in life. Finch’s new work, Introverts Illustrated, is a collection of 21 mini-comics, meant to be accepted as a whole and, most likely, read in one sitting . . . or as many as you feel like, no pressure.

INTROVERTS ILLUSTRATED!

That’s the way it worked for me: to have the whole collection by my side and just dive in. I wouldn’t say it’s like reading through 21 issues of King Cat or even Superman. The experience is something different and, in its own way, a bit groundbreaking. I mean, you don’t usually see a creator presenting a whole series of individual works all at once. The tried and true method is to parcel them out one by one, just like the big mainstream comic book companies. Reading this work, in sections, I believe adds to its mystique, a work already in a full embrace with the sort of ambiguity you traditionally find in poetry and painting. In other words, take this more as a high art piece and less as anything resembling a traditional comic, indie or otherwise.

Diving into the work.

Scott Finch is a pure artist: someone who loves to experiment; who will create work just to see what happens; who will treat a project as something sacred that may end up never to be viewed by anyone else. That kind of commitment is what gives you something like Introverts Illustrated. Now, there’s a lot of things that can be said about this work and one of the most important is to just enjoy it and reach your own conclusions. There are a number of so-called gatekeepers and experts with their own theories as to what this project is about or isn’t about. I sincerely hope that I don’t fall into that group–or maybe I do–but I do my best to be self-aware. Anyway, I sense that what excites those of us deep in the comics cognoscenti is the sense that this is indeed one of those unicorns we keep hoping for: a work that you can really claim to be something different. Once a work of that sort is spotted, it’s like throwing chum into the waters where sharks await. Within seconds, the water spreads out a bloody spew of pontificating. Lucky for me, and you, I have taken the time to get to know the work and the artist. After this review, we proceed with an interview with Scott Finch.

Dig in!

One key concept, in all honesty, is ambiguity. Scott freely admits that he followed his muse and did it his way. His first priority wasn’t clarity. In fact, during our chat, I point out one fragment of text that is every bit as enigmatic as the art it accompanies. Now, that can be beautiful–and it is. But, like I’ve already stated, don’t expect this to be a typical work–but, oddly enough, don’t expect it to be cryptic either! It’s more like a series of dreams and, I believe you’ll agree, dreams do follow their own logic and often can be very lucid and highly accessible.

Issues of Introverts Illustrated.

Another key concept, to be sure, is the creative process. At its core, the backbone to this project, is automatic drawing. That’s where Finch started: one drawing after another, without thinking too much, just drawing. That’s the beginning of the process. Where you go from there is the next level of engagement. It can involve making numerous copies of various elements and arranging them, see what you get. Cut here. Paste there. Trace this. Redraw that. Things emerge, unexpected things.

Finally, I would add one more important concept: structure. You begin with the raw and make your way to the cooked. At some point, you add text, all the while staying true to what you’ve done before and letting it guide you. Getting back to dreams, there are a lot of paths following various dreams to be found here, all engaging, and delightful. If I had to be pinned down as to what is going on in this free-spirited tableaux, I would say this is a series of meditations on the human condition, especially the human who aspires to something different, to something artful, to something like this most unusual work.

When we talk about such matters as comics being an art form, something that’s been well established over the years, it can still be elusive to pin down. Sometimes, it’s found within more commercial work. And, sometimes, it is not found within indie comics. Within the rough and tumble world of any given comic arts festival, the reality is that it is as much a marketplace as a more obviously corporate-heavy major comics convention and it can be a challenging arena, even for unicorns. I sense that Finch is modest about the whole thing and will find his way. As an artist, first, he is more interested in some good old-fashioned artistic problem-solving and that will serve him well. Perhaps he’ll find the most success within a gallery space or whatever other venues and platforms may arise in the future. Finch will most likely follow the words in his own work regarding his career: “I make space for it. I do not seize it.”

“I make space for it. I do not seize it.”

Alright, we’ll end the review there. I encourage you to check out my conversation with the artist. During our talk, Scott not only explains what’s going on in this project but really opens up about his process which will undoubtedly resonate if you folks, whatever kind of creative work you happen to do.

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July 22, 2025 · 2:00 pm

The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories Illustrated by Wallace Wood book review

The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories Illustrated by Wallace Wood. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2025, 216pp. $39.99.

Review by Paul Buhle

The Great Bohemian of comic books’ grandest moments, Wallace (aka “Wally”) Wood drew like a genius for a number of publishers before falling to overwork, too many cigarettes and too much liquor. EC loved him the best, and it was a mutual feeling, notwithstanding the inevitable tensions of artist, collective/collaborative work process, and the reality of a boss.

Wally Wood in his prime, excerpt from “My World,” Weird Science #22, 1953.

This splendid volume collects some of his finest Sci-Fi—he was also among the greatest satirical artists for Mad Comics—from forgotten series titles like Weird Science, Weird Fantasy and Incredible Science Fiction of the early 1950s. It also offers much woderful contextual material, commentary by serious scholars—university professors but mostly otherwise—to individual stories and collaborations, from editors to scriptwriters to presumably lowly inkers.

Most “classics” comic art volumes these days contain a hat-tipping of industry insiders. Same here. Howard Chaykin, vaunted comic artist (and a short time assistant to Wood) does not have a lot to say beyond describing Wood’s talent, nor does the appropriately admiring Larry Hama, of today’s GI Joe, itself a remnant of another and in this case, less pleasant, aka Cold War, comics era. S.S. Ringenberg, a comic scriptwriter, and fan-interviewer works harder with a biographical introductory sketch that goes little beyond ground familiar to Woods devotees, but reminds us sharply of the nature of the self-destructive genius. Wood put a gun to his head in 1981, leaving no note. The career disappointments were real, especially for an artist who worked hard at improving his style. But by that time, two divorces and a separation, he became too exhausted to keep himself in check. Besides, the glory years of the older comic art had been long past, and he was not suited to the new comix generation. His barely controlled artistic id did not find a home in the ill-paying Undergrounds.

Meanwhile, in the substantial Introduction,Tommy Burns and Jon Gothold go through the stories one by one, in such detail that no biographer of a novelist may ever have done better. Do we need such detail? Perhaps not every reader will think so, but among the plot summaries, these scholarly-minded critics offer so many small insights that the net result is remarkable, and demands several readings for details.

Wood reached his apex, arguably, in adapting the stories of Ray Bradbury, and this tells us much of what need to know about the vital and lasting importance of Wood’s work. This reviewer came upon Bradbury’s writings around age 10 or 11, in the Republican political/cultural climate of Central Illinois where the perceptions of sophisticated New Yorkers, for instance, would have been unusual and likely mistrusted. Mad Comics explained McCarthyism in the most penetrating and hilarious fashion. Bradbury, who was personally close to the Hollywood Blacklisted, found ways in his stories and novels to explore the takeover of public space, the waning of the New Deal stress for reform in favor of forced patriotism, but also unapologetic commercialization of daily life. He saw the future and it looked bad.

Thus, famously, Fahrenfeit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, made into feature films but only after the worst of McCarthyism had faded. Bradbury had been trying for years to send out warnings, even while he was making a living and a reputation (including a personal move to Hollywood) in a Sci-Fi field with leftist underpinnings going back to the 1930s. He also badly wanted to escape being pegged as a “genre writer,” but never made it and did not need to: we loved him anyway.

Photo funnies tribute in The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories.

Wally Wood so internalized the logic of Bradbury that stories composed by others at EC somehow have the “Bradbury Touch” in addition to the EC Touch, which consists—leaving aside the art— in terse scripting and a surprise ending. Like the alien civilization in “He Walked Among Us,” where the Savior was actually an Earthman who preaches love and forgiveness is executed. Two thousand years (!) later, another Earth visitor learns that the aliens’ holy symbol is the rack, aka cross, where the presumed savior was tortured to death.*

You get the idea. Human folly in the Atomic Age has become toxic. Wood could have predicted what a willful destroyer like Musk would write about opening up the need for “planetary” civilizations when Earth has been plundered beyond repair.

Not that all the stories are like this. And Bradbury could not have featured the scantily-clad beauties, alongside the virile young males, that seemed to be a specialty for Wood. Earthmen fall in love with alien females who assume a delicious human form only… to revert back, inspiring horror. Humans landing on a distant planet learn that the babies born to them, urgently wanting love and care, may have a dozen arms and look like octopi or something else weird (in this case, mommy does not care, which sounds right).

How were Wood’s females all so young and buxom, you might ask? The mostly male and young readers of these comics didn’t likely ask at all. The happy dreamers of another story are space explorers kidnapped to service the all-female population of a planet whose males have died out after a war. The “scientifically selected” dames look awfully familiar.

Wood could also favor social criticism–with a dark turn. In one story here, tens of thousands of Earth people who disappear in bunches, every few hundred years, turn out to be farm edibles, as a scientist explains over…a turkey dinner. Actually, this was an EC Sci-Fi trope several times over, like the aliens in another EC comic who capture interplanetary humans to use their skins for…fashionable minkish coats, and so on. Why do we egotistical Homo sapiens think we can abuse the animal kingdom?

From “Spawn of Venus”

Wood also loved the occasional in-joke, with a drawing of himself in the final panel. Here, EC Comics miraculously predict unexpected events, like the appearance of flying saucers, or the rise of surgical sex change (think “Christine” Jorgenson in tabloid headlines of the time). A jowly comics publisher (could it be plump William Gaines, who inherited EC when his father died in a boating accident?) wants them to take “a loyalty oath” (cue to Joe McCarthy). After some alien hi-jinks, the real Wally confesses that he and his fellow artists are actually disguised Venusians saving the world from horrible-looking Martians!!! What those helpful Venusians might look like beneath their disguise…we will never know.

In the real world, EC’s marvelous Sci-Fi, “Real War” and humor series (MAD and PANIC) never reached the sales level of its various, blood-dripping but also deeply satirical horror comics, also full of plot reversals and revenge-justice. Gaines was called upon, in the famous Congressional hearings (held in the same Manhattan courtroom as “Red” hearings a few years earlier), to explain the horror as something less than dangerous to young minds. The inquisitors weren’t listening to his answers, and the guillotine blade fell on a glorious moment in popular art.

Wally Wood outlived his time, this is the tragedy of his life and not only his. Harvey Kurtzman and his trusted artists hit their peak as satirists, also arguably as editors and artists, in their twenties and early thirties. Some became highly successful illustrators. None could recapture the magic.

Paul Buhle

*Let it be known that the Ray Bradbury Museum rests in the blue collar city of Waukegan, Ilinois, which only happens to be my wife’s hometown.

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees comics review and creator interview

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic. Desmond Reed. Microcosm Publishing. 2025. 270pp. $19.99.

Desmond Reed is a rising talent in the world of comics. His latest book makes that clear. Years of dedication to the making of comics has resulted in his design being sharper, his insight being keener and, heck, the guy knows how to put on a good show. It is that focus on storytelling, as well as development of character, that leads us to such a smooth and pleasing comics experience. As Reed explains, he has five characters, the Cola Pop Creemees, who, among other things, represent different emotions and different aspects of himself, or yourself. I can see that this comic is very relatable, in the spirit of such groundbreaking work as BoJack Horseman. Let me just say from the get-go, the Cola Pop Creemees are very different and original, and if you see them turned into an animated series someday, well, you heard about it here first.

Cartoonist and Publishers.

The world of cartoons and comics has always dealt with far more than might meet the eye, depending upon where you venture off to. In the world of Desmond Reed, you enter a kaleidoscopic world of the real and surreal. For instance, our heroes live in a house in the shape of a hand. There is plenty to be anxious about in the real world, and this comic manages to tackle many of these issues within its quirky borders.

Cartoonist and Comics Festivals.

Desmond Reed has set the stage and, from there, he can modulate the tone. Stories vary in length with some far-out zany and others more contemplative. Reed’s most serious and ambitious work to date is one of his longer stories, “Memories,” winner of a 2022 MICE Mini-Grant. Here, he focuses on his most madcap character, Wallace T.J. by allowing for a careful look back at his development and the darker side to his life.

“Memories”

Life is quite a journey with plenty of bumps in the road and that’s where a daring artist like Desmond Reed steps in to create art to defy even the most challenging of times. Believe me, there’s always room for another valiant artist to lead the way, especially one as gifted as Reed. It all comes down to the reader getting a chance to know the work–and so I encourage you to seek out this highly inventive work and let it speak for itself. I can tell you that Reed has a magic touch, with his pared-down whimsical style, when it comes to addressing some very serious issues like addiction and depression.

The Cola Pop Creemees live inside a hand.

Desmond Reed is not afraid to go down to depths of despair and come back up with a tear and a smile. It is a combination of a pared-down style and a direct straightforward narrative. Think of it as a friend who sets you down and needs to tell you something. Maybe there will be some humor thrown in that both of you share. But then you get to the story, without pretense, and you just get it. That is what is happening here. Reed has constructed characters that you can tap into in the very best spirit of comics. You can say that the lodestar guiding us cartoonists in such matters is Peanuts, and, I dare say, there’s some of that Peanuts DNA in the Cola Pop Creemees gang.

Some much said within a special world.

What irony there is to be found here is subverted by a persistent vision of perseverance. That is not an easy thing to achieve and it has everything to do with Reed following his own instincts and staying true to his authentic self. That’s where you get original work and not some trendy “next big thing” that is aping some previous “next big thing.” Yes, it is possible for comics to be funny, sincere and have some redeeming quality that will speak directly to you.

It was a lot of fun to get to chat with Desmond about his new book and sharing thoughts about the cartoonist life. I hope you feel the same. So, please do check out the above conversation on the Comics Grinder YouTube channel and please view, LIKE and COMMENT directly on the channel. Every bit of input and engagement helps us continue.