The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me

The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh is a cute teen romance with a substantial message. If you’ve been enjoying the Sex Education TV show, this should be your next read, because there are a lot of similarities. Lacey, Evita, and Theo are the best of friends in their senior year of...

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Science Comics: Rockets: Defying Gravity

The Science Comics series is generally outstanding, but Rockets: Defying Gravity by Anne Drozd and Jerzy Drozd is one of the best. An exciting subject is made understandable though our charming hosts, a series of educated animals with connections to space exploration. The first chapter (as you can see...

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Boys TV Show May Be Better Than the Comic

Once upon a time, it would have been unthinkable to me not to prefer the “original” version of a comic adaptation. But now, after we’ve gotten some highly entertaining Marvel movies that streamline too many years of continuity into more approachable stories, and a cartoon version of Batman that’s more...

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Faith Erin Hicks’ New Book May Seem Familiar — An Interview

It’s been a great pleasure for me to follow the work and career of Faith Erin Hicks. I love her style, and she’s done some terrific reads over the years — The Nameless City trilogy, Friends With Boys, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. I’m eagerly anticipating her upcoming...

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Bolivar Sequel Announced

I really enjoyed Sean Rubin’s Bolivar, a charming picture book/graphic novel about a dinosaur living under the radar in New York City. Now comes word that a follow-up is coming in November 2019. Bolivar Eats New York is labeled a Discovery Adventure, exploring New York through the food of its boroughs....

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Congratulations to Kodansha on 10 Years!

This year, Kodansha is celebrating 10 years of publishing manga in English. For the “10 Years of Kodansha Comics” event, every month, they will spotlight a classic series. The January title is Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo, first published by Kodansha in October 2009. They have since released a hardcover...

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Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? Volume 5

Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? volume 5 keeps the series, about finding young women the perfect apartment, fresh in two ways. Author MAKIHIROCHI continues to find different reasons and challenges for the house-hunters, while we see more about what the real estate agent twins are doing for their...

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Under the Canopy: Trees Around the World

This gorgeous, oversized picture book will create new appreciation for nature, obviously, but also for cultures around the world. Under the Canopy: Trees Around the World is written by Iris Volant and illustrated by Cynthia Alonso. Each page describes a particular type of tree — such as willow, coconut,...

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Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Volume 9

As the series prepares for its conclusion (volume 10 is the final one), the characters in Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 9 contemplate the pending retirement of Yakumo, the last rakugo master. Yakumo and an old friend, a gangster, begin the volume with a garden stroll while they...

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Catwoman / Tweety and Sylvester Special #1

I know it’s ridiculous for me to be talking about Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester Special #1. It’s a silly event tie-in that came out four months ago. I bet no one even remembers it. But it’s a really good comic that shows what a skilled creator can do with even the most ridiculous premise. Gail Simone...

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Batman Annual #3

What would Batman be without his butler? In Batman Annual #3, by Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt, the answer is suggested to be “dead on the street”. I enjoyed this focus on a necessary but often overlooked aspect of Batman’s life, butler Alfred Pennyworth — and I say Batman because there’s nearly no Bruce...

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Satoko and Nada

Satoko and Nada means well and looks unusual for manga. Created by Yupechika, it’s the story of two college roommates in America. Satoko is Japanese, and Nada is a Saudi Arabian Muslim who wears a hijab. The series’ origin as a 4-koma (four-panel strip) online is apparent in its simple art style, with...

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Nightlights Sequel Now Available for Order

Lorena Alvarez’s Nightlights was a gorgeous, unsettling story about art and nightmares. Now there’s been a sequel announced, Hicotea: A Nightlights Story. The young artist Sandy returns and On a school field trip to the river, Sandy wanders away from her classmates and discovers an empty turtle shell....

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Giant Days #46

Giant Days #46 does something that’s surprisingly hard to do: tell a stand-alone story as part of a long-running series that’s satisfying on its own while faithful to the appeal of the title. Writer John Allison and artist Max Sarin have been working on Giant Days for most of the run, so that’s not...

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