Characters: Grant
Graphic Novel Review: Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Ren Neetols
Posted on July 10, 2025 at 7:45 am by Gene Ambaum
Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Ren Neetols. Flying Eye Books, 2024. 9781838741556. 192pp.
Damian is the new kid at school and Frank is his only friend. Both have crushes on more popular kids who don’t seem to know they exist. But when Damian spends all of his money on a spirit flower that will allow him to see and talk to his mother’s ghost for a few days, everyone is more interested in his story, including Frank’s crush Meg and Damian’s own crush Elijah. But the truth is Damian accidentally summoned the spirit of a nine-year-old girl named Saskia who died in the woods, and he’s stuck with her for a few days. (No one else can see her except Damian and his cat.)
The lie Damian tells everyone — that he’s visiting with his mother — leads to popularity and “friends,” but Saskia is irritated. Meg claims to have summoned “the dead girl in the woods” (aka Sakskia) and even created videos about her, but it’s clearly not true. Saskia wants Damian to stand up for her and expose Meg, but Damian can’t do that without exposing his own lie. And then of course it all comes out anyway.
Neetols’ art has a manga-inspired feel that makes it perfect for a book that uses just a few colors of ink on most pages. (The spirit flower pops off the page with bright colors that don’t appear elsewhere in the graphic novel.) Moore’s story has a great pace and a scope that feels influenced by his work as a playwright. Together they’ve created an amazing coming-of-age graphic novel.
Graphic Novel Review: The Snips: A Bad Buzz Day by Raúl the Third
Posted on July 8, 2025 at 8:26 am by Gene Ambaum
The Snips: A Bad Buzz Day by Raúl the Third. Colors by Elaine Bay. Little, Brown, and Company, 2025. 9780316528689. 126pp.
Raúl the Third’s dedication is really all you need to know about this graphic novel.
“I drew this book pretending I was the Fleischer brothers,
UB Iwerks, Bernie Wrightson, and Osamu Tezuka.
Thanks for the inspiration!”
(The most amazing thing about The Snips is that the influence of each of the above artists is clear in one way or another.)
Scissors City is where the five barbers known as The Snips tackle hairtastrophes. They have their own museum, a world-famous H.Q., and celebrities come from all over the world to get their signature hairdos. Each has a particular set of skills, and they’re going to need them all to face the family of G. Paw Buzzington, inventor of the Buzzitron 2000, and the man who once held the world record at 524 haircuts in a day. The Snips took that record, but with the original Buzzitron 2000 in hand and the Unruly Hairthing to set loose in the city, Buzzington’s heirs are sure they can get the world record back.
This story’s energy is insane. This superhero-ish haircutting adventure is non-stop, the art feels both new and nostalgic, and I just could not put the book down. Bonus: I even learned a bit of Spanish.
A sequel, Enter the Wigmaster, will be published in January 2026.
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Graphic Novel Review: Checked Out by Katie Fricas
Posted on July 3, 2025 at 6:51 am by Gene Ambaum
Checked Out by Katie Fricas. Drawn & Quarterly, 2025. 9781770467811. 356pp.
Louise is an aspiring cartoonist trying to draw a graphic novel about pigeons in World War I while working at a shoe store. She’s also romantically entangled with a co-worker there who is not treating her well. But Lou soon leaves that all behind for a job in a private library as a page. (The library has a great section of books on WWI, and Lou gleefully reads in the stacks and overrides the system’s checkout limits for herself.) (Though Fricas works in a private library, too, I’m sure this is entirely fictional.)
There are odd patron interactions (I love Mr. Hassan!), awkward dating moments (see also: Marzipan, Burlesque Dance), and more than a little creative angst as Lou sinks deeper and deeper into working on her book, which amps up as the centennial of WWI approaches.
I loved this book so much! I know Katie a little in the real world and Checked Out is infused with her friendly personality in a way that makes me want to hang out with her right now. (Katie did a few signings and talks during ALA in Philadelphia last week, and I hope you got to meet her.)
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Picture Books!
Posted on July 1, 2025 at 7:16 am by Gene Ambaum
A Book Of Maps For You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III. Neal Porter Books, 2025. 9780823455706.
A young cartographer maps their town, including friendly neighbors, the school, the library, the art store, and even their house. Minor spoiler: At the end we find out it’s all a gesture of friendship for a kid new to town, which makes this already great book even better.
Who Wet My Pants? written by Bob Shea, illustrated by Zach Ohora. Little, Brown, and Company, 2019. 9780316525213.
Reuben is bringing donuts to the members of Scout Troop 73 when he discovers his pants are wet. He demands to know who wet his pants, though the answer is, of course, obvious. The other scouts try to get him to realize it’s not a big deal.
Bonus: The endpapers are filled with illustrations merit badges including my favorite, Pinball Wizard.
A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Vera Brosgol. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2022. 9780062890290.
A witch giving a cooking demonstration for a TV show goes to add the most important ingredient to her soup — a spoonful of frogs — and the frogs absolutely will not cooperate. They hide, they jump, they flee!
It’s epic and I loved it even though I don’t cook much.
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Graphic Novel Review: Mujina Into The Deep Volume 1 by Inio Asano
Posted on June 26, 2025 at 6:45 am by Gene Ambaum
Mujina Into The Deep Volume 1 by Inio Asano. Translation by JN Productions. Viz Signature, 2025.9781974749997. Publisher’s Rating: M Mature,
Ninjas fight on rooftops; the deadliest look like teenage girls. Some work as bodyguards or escorts, others are assassins. The most popular seems to be Tenko the Mujina, a blond (I think) assassin who is also a social media influencer and flaunts her status as a mujina rather than hiding it.
(Mujina are not part of society. They gave up or have no human rights. They can’t use hospitals or transit or anything else associated with society — they’re not considered people — which means they also can’t be arrested. And it’s also not a crime to kill them. They’re nothing, basically.)
Imagine deadly, sword-wielding young women leaping from rooftop to rooftop with swords drawn and you’ve got the stunning “splash pages” of this manga. There’s also a story developing involving an innocent girl who ran away from home, Ubume the legendary assassin, the aforementioned Tenko (she’s obsessed with Ubume after they have a fight), and the director of a small gaming studio who takes in two of the other characters before the end of this first volume.
This series is, so far, much more immediately adult than other books by Asano that I’ve read. The opening pages feature graphic nudity, sex, and an older man trying to take advantage of a young runaway. The book also contains graphic violence. I note all of this just in case it sounds like your thing (or not).
The second book in the series develops the world a bit more — it’s a bit confusing here, but it’s clear Asano is going somewhere and I’m in.
Graphic Novel Review: Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith
Posted on June 24, 2025 at 6:45 am by Gene Ambaum
Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith. Chronicle, 2022. 9781797205458. 192pp including two pages that show an overview of the process of making the comics from scripts through coloring.
“To the Black girls around the world,
you are seen,
and you are beautiful.”
— dedication at the front of the graphic novel
Wash Day Diaries is about the world and friendship of four young black women who love each other. Each of their narratives involves taking care of their hair (and sometimes each other’s). Kim is dealing with some unwanted attention from Malik and doesn’t seem interested in his apologies. She’s also getting ready to put on a show. She lives with Cookie, who is willing to drop everything to take care of others; in the course of the stories she braids Davene’s hair when she needs a little looking after, and even helps her Abuela, who wants to make amends for the way she’s treated Cookie. In the middle of it all is a text-based gossip session between the four while Nisha is at a salon having her hair done, as she relates the story of the love triangle she finds herself at the center of.
At the end of the book, everyone comes together to support Kim as she takes the stage. It’s a great ending to such a wonderfully developed, character-based graphic novel.
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Graphic Novel Review: There’s No Time Like The Present by Paul B. Rainey
Posted on June 19, 2025 at 7:23 am by Gene Ambaum
There’s No Time Like The Present by Paul B. Rainey. Drawn & Quarterly, 2025. 336pp.
Rainey’s follow-up to one of my favorite graphic novels of 2023, Why Don’t You Love Me?, also features screwed-up characters, alternate realities, and a lot of deadpan humor. Plus science fiction fandom and its endless collectibles are at the heart of this story. I feel like this book was written for me.
The opening scene takes place on a bus and includes an issue of Previews magazine, references to the A-team and Dr. Who, and a dude with a horn in the middle of his head (he’s from the future and maybe an alternate reality). Cliff is taking the bus to meet his friend Barry, who still lives with his parents, and is waiting for a Star Wars DVD from the future, which he ordered via the Ultranet. Cliff disapproves of stuff from the future, but Barry is totally into it, including future porn. Wilbur, the owner of the local sci-fi shop who we meet a bit later, is distressed because he knows, via the Ultranet, that a chain sci-fi megastore will soon be opening in the local mall; this will be the end of Barry’s business. Kelly, Cliff’s housemate and possible love interest, misinterprets a gift Cliff buys her and then gets a terrible performance review at work that she didn’t deserve.
All of the above has implications for the sad lives of these characters in the future. The whole narrative reminded me a bit of a Philip K. Dick novel — there’s this amazing Ultranet technology, and the present has a clear relationship with the future but nothing great is coming of it at all.
Rainey had me laughing out loud as the story progressed in ways I could not predict. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but do not flip ahead in the book, you should arrive at the end of the book naturally. (This doesn’t mean I’d be against the Ultranet — I’d totally use it to watch future Star Trek episodes.)
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Graphic Novel Review: There’s No Time Like The Present by Paul B. Rainey
Posted on June 17, 2025 at 6:22 am by Gene Ambaum
There’s No Time Like The Present by Paul B. Rainey. Drawn & Quarterly, 2025. 336pp.
Rainey’s follow-up to one of my favorite graphic novels of 2023, Why Don’t You Love Me?, also features screwed-up characters, alternate realities, and a lot of deadpan humor. Plus science fiction fandom and its endless collectibles are at the heart of this story. I feel like this book was written for me.
The opening scene takes place on a bus and includes an issue of Previews magazine, references to the A-team and Dr. Who, and a dude with a horn in the middle of his head (he’s from the future and maybe an alternate reality). Cliff is taking the bus to meet his friend Barry, who still lives with his parents, and is waiting for a Star Wars DVD from the future, which he ordered via the Ultranet. Cliff disapproves of stuff from the future, but Barry is totally into it, including future porn. Wilbur, the owner of the local sci-fi shop who we meet a bit later, is distressed because he knows, via the Ultranet, that a chain sci-fi megastore will soon be opening in the local mall; this will be the end of Barry’s business. Kelly, Cliff’s housemate and possible love interest, misinterprets a gift Cliff buys her and then gets a terrible performance review at work that she didn’t deserve.
All of the above has implications for the sad lives of these characters in the future. The whole narrative reminded me a bit of a Philip K. Dick novel — there’s this amazing Ultranet technology, and the present has a clear relationship with the future but nothing great is coming of it at all.
Rainey had me laughing out loud as the story progressed in ways I could not predict. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but do not flip ahead in the book, you should arrive at the end of the book naturally. (Does that mean I’m against the Ultranet? I’ve got to think about that…)
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Picture Books!
Posted on June 12, 2025 at 7:39 am by Gene Ambaum
Mixed Feelings by Liana Finck. Rise / Penguin Workshop, 2025. 9780593660423.
I love New Yorker cartoonist Finck’s picture books! (I think this is her second.) The kids in it have feelings that can’t be expressed in a single word, and luckily they have Finck’s illustrations to help. It’s complex and beautiful. It has perfect front and back covers, too.
Bearsuit Turtle Makes A Friend by Bob Shea. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025. 9781419771552.
A turtle in a bear suit tries to convince his friend (another turtle) that he’s a for-real bear. It’s fun and then it goes off the rails, which leads to a deeper friendship for the two. Amazing little book.
George & Lenny Are Always Together by Jon Agee. Rocky Pond Books, 2025. 9780593857731.
George (a bear) and Lenny (a rabbit) are always together. And that’s awesome. But then Lenny decides to find out if being alone is just as much fun as being together. It’s a bit hard to get George to understand.
Agee is my favorite picture book author. I overuse that f-word, but I absolutely mean it here. The way he draws is as magical as the stories he creates.
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Graphic Novel Review: Brownstone by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia
Posted on June 10, 2025 at 6:27 am by Gene Ambaum
Brownstone by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia. Versify, 2024. 9780358394747. 318pp.
Fourteen-year-old Almudena has never met her Guatemalan father, Xavier. When her mother gets a chance to tour with a dance production, she drops Almudena off to spend the summer with him. Xavier doesn’t speak much English at all, but it’s better than Almudena’s Spanish. And she’s super confused about what it means to be Guatemalan. But in helping to restore Xavier’s broken-down brownstone, with more than a bit of translation assistance from his girlfriend, she and her father start to form a bond. Almudena also gets to know the neighbors and the Latin American neighborhood, and to form friendships despite some of the teasing she endures.
This is a lovely story that spans only three months and ends with a real sense of community. My favorite minor character is Tomaz, a young man with a brain injury who acts like he’s in an anime-inspired fighting video game. He even expects prizes! (He’s a nice dude, though some find him a bit scary.) Queralt, Almudena’s friend who runs a nearby bodega, is a close second. Throughout Teer’s writing is superb, and Julia’s sequential art is so great it just kind of disappeared into my brain as I read the book. (Worth noting: I absolutely love the way they draw Almudena’s hair in the book, though it makes me miss mine.)
It’s no surprise that this graphic novel won the Printz Award last January.
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