‹‹ First ‹ Prev Comments(0) Random Next › Last ››
‹‹ First ‹ Prev Comments(0) Random Next › Last ››

Graphic Novel Review: Adrift on a Painted Sea by Tim Bird

Posted on November 19, 2024 at 6:34 am by

Adrift on a Painted Sea by Tim Bird with paintings by Sue Bird. Avery Hill, 2024. 9781910395820.

Tim Bird’s mother, Sue, painted throughout her life, though she took a break when she was at university. She started painting again in her spare time after Tim and his sister were born, though, and enjoyed taking classes to expand her skills. (When she was little, she wanted to be a marine biologist, which explains why she painted so many pictures of the sea.)

This is the story of Sue, and of Tim remembering her after she has passed away because of cancer. Bird includes memories of her earlier in life, and later when she was sick and in the hospital — and they are the sort of memories I’ve had of loved ones just after they’ve died, so it made me feel as if I knew her. She surrounded her family with art. She was very well-loved. And she left behind a small mystery.

Tim Bird’s comics are amazing, but even better is the way he brings his mom’s paintings (as well as a few other non-comics images) into this graphic novel so they work as part of the narrative.

Worth noting: This book has a perfect ending.

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: Mary Tyler Moorehawk by Dave Baker

Posted on November 18, 2024 at 6:23 am by

Mary Tyler Moorehawk by Dave Baker. Top Shelf, 2024. 9781603095365.

I’ve never read a graphic novel that’s this heavily footnoted. I had an early PDF of this from the publisher, but after reading a few pages, I decided to hold off reading it until I had a physical copy. I could tell it was a book I was going to have to spend some time with, and that I was going to be flipping back and forth a lot. It also felt like it was going to be amazing. I was right on all counts.

(Even Baker’s introduction has multiple footnotes, and he describes the book this way: “…The book so dangerous it could unmake you. The book that is so labyrinthian that I am tempted to call into questions if…or when I could have ever made it.”)

The comics are “black” and white and pink. (“Black” because the book is more penciled than inked, though there are some inks, too.) They tell the story of a young woman facing off against multiversal villains. Every odd-numbered chapter opens with a two-page spread, a crowd scene summarizing characters that may appear in that chapter. These are weird and brilliant and will probably remind you of your favorite science fiction /fantasy / espionage cartoons. Even numbered chapters are articles from the journal Phyisicalist Today, also authored by Dave Baker, about the TV show Mary Tyler Moorehawk.

These articles and character summaries and the action in between formed a weird and wonderful whole in my brain (hole in my brain?) that felt like it was pulling me toward the book’s multiverse, or at least toward some vast conspiracy theory. It was odd and impressive and made this one of those books I need to dive into again (maybe starting from the middle next time) to give me a better sense of how it does what it does. Recommended if you like horrific monsters drawn cartoonishly, villains from old pulp stories, and heroes with a lot of heart.

 

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: Wonder Woman: Historia

Posted on November 12, 2024 at 6:32 am by

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnnick (writer), Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott (artists) and others. DC Comics, 2023. 9781779521354. Contains #1 – #3.

The story of the Amazon starts with seven goddesses who gather in Olympus because they’ve seen enough of the subjugation and abuses of men, and of their crimes against women. Six of them take action together despite Zeus’s idea of justice; each gives something of themselves to the original Amazons. The warriors they create are more than mortal., and they are doomed.

The story of Hippolyta, a mortal who will eventually become queen of the Amazons, begins with her abandoning an unwanted baby girl in the woods. When she tries to return to save her, she’s discovered by four men who do not intend to help her. The Amazons save her, and she longs to join them. Hippolyta sets off in pursuit of them and a different life.

The art in the book is spectacular, both realistic and otherworldly. My favorite thing is the pacing, though — the way the art, layouts, and lettering moved the story forward perfectly, panel to panel and page to page. The graphic novel’s oversized format makes it all more enjoyable.

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: My Aunt Is A Monster by Reimena Yee

Posted on November 7, 2024 at 5:19 am by

Safia lost her parents in a horrible fire. She’s never met the distant aunt, Hakim Whimsy, who she is taken to live with; Whimsy’s house is on a hill and it’s rumored a monster lives there. And that’s kinda true. Miss Cathryn welcomes her, and then Whimsy introduces herself. It’s clear she’s the monster, but Safia doesn’t notice because she’s blind. Safia is excited to learn that Whimsy was once an adventurer, and she’s made to feel at home in a house full of wonders. But Whimsy tells Safia that she was disfigured in an accident, and asks her not to tell anyone. (In fact, folks aren’t sure what happened to the adventurer Hakim Whimsy and her assistant Cathryn Blanca; folks think they’re lost, or maybe dead.)

It’s not too long before they’re off having one last adventure, though, and this takes up most of the book. It involves saboteurs, Whimsy’s rival, a hidden archeological site, magic, and Whimsy trying to conceal her appearance (which appears doomed to fail at some point). Plus Safia makes a friend, which is a rough adventure of its own.

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel) by R.L. Stine, adapted by Maddi Gonzalez

Posted on November 5, 2024 at 6:35 am by

The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel) by R.L. Stine, adapted by Maddi Gonzalez. Scholastic Graphix, 2024. 9781338879391. 160pp.

Carly Beth gets picked on at school, and she’s easy to scare. And she’s kind of tired of it. For Halloween she wants to be something scary and gross and freak everyone out. Her mom got her a duck costume (which Gonzalez makes looks pretty frightening), but Carly Beth doesn’t want to be a duck. So at the last minute she heads to a party shop to find a horrifying mask to wear. She doesn’t want the ones in the front room but then wanders into the back of the store where she finds a hideous mask. The store owner doesn’t want to sell it to her. He warns her against taking it. But she does. And after she puts it on, the mask not only seems like it’s a real face, it starts to change her behavior.

This is as horrifying as the original Twilight Zone episode it reminded me of, “The Masks”, which sticks in my mind to this day.

Tags No Comments - Read More

Trans Lifeline Fundraiser Success!

Posted on November 2, 2024 at 3:24 pm by

On Friday I put up another run of limited edition LEGO Card Catalog kits in our store to raise money for Trans Lifeline.

I assumed it would take a few weeks to sell these, but the kids sold out in just over 24 hours!

Thanks to everyone who picked up a kit or two!

If you missed out this year, we plan to  offer some of these again as part of a fundraiser in 2025.

Updated 11/11/2024 — We’ve just donated $1800 to TransLifeline. Thanks again for your generosity.

 

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: Masterpiece by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

Posted on October 31, 2024 at 6:04 am by

Masterpiece by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Dark Horse, 2024. 9781506730493. 175pp including a cover gallery and some sketchbook pages by Maleev.

Masterpiece Lawford is arrested by “FBI agents” during class in front of her high school classmates. Turns out the agents are goons in the employ of a rich a-hole who just discovered she exists, and who still wants revenge on her parents for what they stole from him fifteen years ago, and despite the fact that everyone is pretty sure they’re dead. He wants Masterpiece to hit a wealthy target of his choosing just as hard as her parents hit him. Masterpiece decides to bring them both down, since the target seems like an awful person, too.

On her side is the person who raised her, plus a really good friend who wants to help, and maybe The Paragon, a masked vigilante known for beating the crap out of famous bad people. And that’s is just the beginning of Masterpiece’s crew.

Bendis and Maleev created my favorite run of Marvel’s Daredevil, and I loved their Scarlet and Spider-Woman books too. This graphic novel feels like the love child of my three favorite heist movies: Ocean’s Eleven, David Mamet’s Heist, and 1992’s Sneakers. It’s fun, it has a brilliant teenage protagonist, and the twists and turns are fun. (And for some reason it has me mourning River Phoenix’s death all over again.)

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

Posted on October 29, 2024 at 7:43 am by

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag. Scholastic Graphix, 2024. 9781338839999. 480pp. including a graphic afterward that’s really cool.

Magdalena (Mags) Herrera works at a diner and takes care of her Abuela so she can stay in her house. In her grandma’s basement, Mags has a secret. It’s something she has to tend to, and it’s dangerous. She’s only ever told her friend Nessa about it, back when they were little.

Now Nessa is back visiting the desert town where they both grew up (and where Mags still lives). She’s taking pinhole photos, and talking about a romance that ended badly. And she sees that Mags frequently hooks up with Ava, whose boyfriend doesn’t know.

I couldn’t see where this story was going, and it worked better that way so I’m not giving much of a pitch for it; it’s spooky and the characters felt real and it became something I didn’t expect at all but really, really loved. I had an advanced review copy that’s mostly black and white and had to go out and buy the book as soon as it was published to read it again with Ostertag’s sparing, effective use of color. In so many ways, I’ve never seen another book like this.

Tags No Comments - Read More

Graphic Novel Review: The Night Mother Volume 1 written by Jeremy Lambert, illustrated by Alexa Sharpe

Posted on at 5:45 am by

 

The Night Mother Volume 1 written by Jeremy Lambert, illustrated by Alexa Sharpe. Oni Press, 2024. 9781637154946. 88pp.

The moon is frozen both in the sky and in Barnabus Tock’s clock. It hasn’t moved in a long time, and it’s been night since it happened. The current Night Mother, the ruler of the moon and those who live there, is using her power to prolong her life instead of doing her duty. The solution to that problem has something to do with Tock’s adopted daughter, Madeline, who’s having nightmares and hearing voices.

The story is, like the best fairytales, a little spooky. Its structure, length, and art remind me of a few of my favorite European graphic novels. I can’t wait for the next volume.

 

 

Tags No Comments - Read More