Giant Days #23

Now that the girls, in their second year of college, are living off-campus, the stories by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Liz Fleming are less about college hijinks and more about trying to grow up. As shown here by that terror of adulthood, the dinner party. Susan’s sick and refuses to take care of herself,...

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Ladycastle #1

Talk about catching the hottest wave in culture! The four-issue miniseries Ladycastle tags into several current areas of debate, protest, and wishful thinking. As written by Delilah S. Dawson and illustrated by Ashley A. Woods, it’s an adventure fantasy in which almost all the men have disappeared....

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Dirty Diamonds, All-Girl Anthology, Announces Next Topic: Sex

Dirty Diamonds, the self-described all-girl comic anthology, has just wrapped up distributing its seventh issue, themed “Imagination”. (Previous volumes included “Beauty” and “Comics”.) They’ve also announced that issue #8 will focus on sex — but not the way you might think. They want to publish semi-autobiographical...

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The Assignment: Trans for Shock Value

I am flabbergasted that anyone thought publishing The Assignment was a good idea these days. But it’s a tie-in to a movie already made (filmed November 2015, supposedly to be released in the US this year) starring Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver, and Titan Comics loves its licensed comics. This...

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The Problems With Riverdale

Now that I’ve watched the first episode of Riverdale, the dark-and-moody teen-focused Archie comic adaptation, I had some thoughts on issues with the show. KJ Apa looks too old. Press says he’s just 19, but he looks mid-20s, a man, not a teenager. They play this off with comments about how he “got hot”...

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The Saviors: Advice for Anyone Publishing With Image

The Saviors collects the five-issue miniseries written by James Robinson and illustrated by J. Bone. It’s the story of a slacker who discovers and tries to stop an alien conspiracy to conquer the earth, or as Robinson puts it, “a pro-marijuana series, neatly wrapped in an alien invasion comic.” Tomas...

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Anime and Sailor Moon Are Truly Mainstream

While flipping through the February 2017 issue of Glamour magazine (the one with the pantsless women of Girls on the cover), I was surprised to note the following one-page article: That’s right, a recommendation page of makeup products for those who love Sailor Moon. (Which apparently means things that...

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Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Two #14

When all else fails, write what you know — which may be why this first of two issues of “Invasion of the Mindmorphs” features a writer/artist team of comic creators. Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Two #14 will be out February 1. Writer Robbie Morrison and artist Rachael Stott present a story about...

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Leave Me Alone!

Vera Brosgol, author of the fantastic graphic novel Anya’s Ghost, has released a picture book about finding your own space (as announced last summer). Leave Me Alone! is about a grandmother who just wants to get some knitting done. She’s got some tasks to complete before winter, but all the kids in...

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Adventures of Superhero Girl Comes Back to Print in Expanded Edition

Faith Erin Hicks’ The Adventures of Superhero Girl collects a bunch of funny, entertaining comics about a young woman trying to figure out how to be a superhero and an adult. It’s got terrific writing and cartooning as well as good amounts of heart and sympathy to the problems of getting yourself started...

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New York Times Eliminating Comic Bestseller Lists?

Rumors are circulating that, as of February 5, the New York Times will no longer be publishing their graphic novel and manga bestseller lists. Graphic novels can no longer be @nytimes bestsellers as of February 5th. No explanation for change, I think we deserve one. Please RT! — Charlie Olsen (@ComicsisPeople)...

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Jem and the Holograms Ends With Oversized Issue #26

After I just talked about how I liked issue #23 comes the news that the Jem and the Holograms comic series will be ending in April with issue #26. Issues #24-26, written by series writer Kelly Thompson and illustrated by Gisele Lagace, make up the “Truly Outrageous” arc. The final issue is planned to...

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Spell on Wheels #4

As the witches’ road trip continues, this issue is great for fans of the “monster boyfriend” theme. The women’s next stopping point turns out to be an abandoned-looking house in the wilds of Maryland, where Megan Levens gets a chance to draw an attractive young beast man. Kate Leth’s story is fun and...

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Weekly Shonen Jump Celebrates 5 Years

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the digital magazine Weekly Shonen Jump (which collects various manga chapters on the same day as their release in Japan), Viz has announced a special offer and live event. Congrats on the anniversary! * On Monday, January 30 (for 24 hours only), a yearly subscription...

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A New WWE/Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Movie Coming

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, which put the classic Hanna-Barbera kid detectives together with a whole flock of professional wrestlers. Now comes word of the next mashup. This time, WWE Superstars Big Show, Alicia Fox, Roman...

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Jem and the Holograms #23

Jem and the Holograms #23 concludes the “Enter the Stingers” storyline, which began in issue #19. I’m impressed by how well writer Kelly Thompson pulled it all together, because this was the first Jem arc that made me feel left out. I’ve never seen the show; my only exposure to the characters has been...

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Nobrow to Reprint Graphic Biographies in Single Softcover

I enjoyed the three Nobrow graphic biographies by Corinne Maier and Anne Simon when I read them last year. I learned new things about the subjects and appreciated the storytelling. Now Nobrow is reissuing the three of them in one volume as Marx, Freud, Einstein: Heroes of the Mind. No price available...

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Are You Going to Visit Riverdale?

The Archie Comics-inspired Riverdale TV series debuts this Thursday, January 26, at 9 Eastern/8 Central on The CW. Unlike how most people think of the comics, it’s not a goofy comedy about a guy tripping over things while trying to date two girls. It’s being heavily compared to Twin Peaks, with a strong...

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The Importance of Visuals

The insightful and fearless Keith Knight has published an essay comic called “Here’s one Obama accomplishment nobody can take away”. It ranges widely yet concisely over the recent past, with the key central point being that it matters to have had a black man serve as President of the United States....

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A New Science Fiction TV Network Giveaway

I didn’t realize that there was a science fiction TV network available for free. I quit watching SyFy when I gave up cable, but now there’s COMET TV, “dedicated to sci-fi entertainment offering popular favorites, cult classics, and undiscovered gems”. Use the link to find out where they’re available...

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How Long Is Too Long? Nothing Better Kickstarter

I enjoyed Nothing Better, the story by Tyler Page about two college roommates struggling with finding their own beliefs. But I last read it in 2009, when I reviewed the second volume. Now comes word that he’s ready to release a third collection, launching a Kickstarter to collect work that had been...

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The Big Rewind

I absolutely adored The Big Rewind by Libby Cudmore. It’s a wonderful blend of murder mystery, satiric portrait of hipster life, quarter-century nostalgia (silly as that is), awkward burgeoning romance, and love for music, with the right song capturing the perfect memory or even changing your life....

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A Very Timely Educational Comic

I really liked this comic by Shannon Wright and Sarah Mirk, “Eight Ways To Resist Donald Trump“. It’s timely, full of useful information, and approachable. One could consider it simply an illustrated list, instead of a comic, but the images add so much emotional affect to the items. I particularly could...

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Read Super Hero Girls: Past Times at Super Hero High for Free

Through the end of the month, DC Comics has made the first two issues of the digital comic series Super Hero Girls: Past Times at Super Hero High free! Their announcement has the details and promo code — you’ll need a ComiXology account — as well as some preview pages from the latest issue, number 8,...

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Immortal Guys Solving Crimes

I have recently realized that I enjoy a rather specialized television sub-genre: immortal guys and normal women solving crimes. Examples: Lucifer season 2 has just returned, with the prince of hell trying to figure out his feelings for the police detective he works with. In this most recent episode,...

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