The Dark Matter of Mona Starr

Laura Lee Gulledge has never shied away from telling stories of young women artists struggling with difficult issues. In Will & Whit, it was grief and finding one’s community. In Page by Paige, it was loneliness in a new place. In The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, it’s depression. The result is a welcome...

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Summit of the Gods Now an Animated Movie

The Summit of the Gods was a mountaineering manga published in English by Fanfare/Ponent Mon between 2009 and 2015. (I’ve previously reviewed Volume 2 and Volume 3.) The appeal for me was the amazing art by Jiro Taniguchi. I’ve just noticed that it was adapted into an animated film by French director...

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Sherlock’s Secretary

Addy Zhuang has a job many of us would kill for. He’s been hired to answer Sherlock Holmes’ mail. Well, the messages that people send to 221B Baker Street, one of the most famous addresses of all time. Sherlock’s Secretary is a present-day mystery novel that begins when someone steals some of Sherlock’s...

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A Thing Called Truth #1-2

The five-issue miniseries A Thing Called Truth promises to be a strangers-to-lovers road trip. It’s written by Iolanda Zanfardino (Midnight Radio) and illustrated by Elisa Romboli (Alice in Leatherland, also with Zanfardino). In issue #1, we meet Dr. Magdalene Traumer, who has created world-changing...

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Oddball: A Sarah’s Scribbles Collection

Oddball: A Sarah’s Scribbles Collection is the fourth book — after Adulthood Is a Myth, Big Mushy Happy Lump, and Herding Cats — for these autobio/observational webcomics by Sarah Andersen. It was my favorite yet, perhaps because I’d already seen some of the comics online and loved them. I’m a particular...

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A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942

There have been many Sherlock Holmes stories and pastiches set in both the classic (1890–1910, or thereabouts) and modern eras. A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942 takes a different approach, with a setting inspired by the 1940s Universal Pictures film series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce....

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Coin-Op Carnival #1

Ryan Claytor (And Then One Day) sent over a copy of his latest project, Coin-Op Carnival. Co-written with Nick Baldridge, it’s an illustrated zine that aims to “celebrate and explore the history of electro-mechanical coin-operated amusement devices.” That means, for those of us (like me) not clued in,...

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Interview With George Michail, Writer of Cover of Darkness

I met George Michail last month at the New York Comic Con. He’s got a new comic, Cover of Darkness, coming out in January from Source Point Press, and he agreed to answer a few of my questions. Q: How and why did you start writing comics? A: I’ve always loved comics, ever since I was a little boy. If...

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Maker Comics: Create a Costume!

Create a Costume! is another outstanding entry in the Maker Comics line. Kids these days want to dress up for conventions and other gatherings, and the emphasis here is very much encouraging do-it-yourself. Guided by the Costume Critter, a hamster in a hat and cape, Bea and Parker learn how to decorate,...

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Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol

One of the cool-but-frustrating things about doing this is that I sometimes get to see really neat things that you won’t be able to. I don’t mean that as a taunt, but as recognition that this animated film/documentary (a fascinating blend) is currently playing film festivals, so the ability to see it...

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Batman: Year One Commemorative Edition

The animated movie version of Batman: Year One came out a little over ten years ago. The studio has now released Batman: Year One Commemorative Edition on 4K UltraHD to mark the anniversary. (And they were kind enough to send me a copy!) This is one of the better DCU animated movies, as you can see...

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Sherlock Holmes and the Molly-Boy Murders

In Sherlock Holmes and the Molly-Boy Murders, Margaret Walsh manages quite the feat: she combines the traditional feel of a classic Holmes pastiche with a modern sensibility when it comes to characters and motivations, enlivened with flashes of dry humor. Someone is killing and mutilating young men...

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The Beechwood Helm

A friend turned me on to this short but gorgeous comic by Letty Wilson from the small, UK-based Quindrie Press. Two knights, friends, are returning from a skirmish when they encounter a mysterious knight in red armor who challenges them. That’s the panel that won me over. (It helped that I had the tiniest...

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