Author: Gene Ambaum

680 results.

Book Reviews and approval of Comments will resume in October.

By Gene Ambaum on August 30, 2024 at 6:45 am

I’m taking a bit of time away from my computer, but comics will continue to post until I’m back online. Take care! -Gene

Graphic Novel Review: Alterations

By Gene Ambaum on August 29, 2024 at 6:37 am

Alterations by Ray Xu. Union Square Kids, 2024. 9781454945840. 238pp. Kevin loves to draw and read comics. He’s constantly irritating to his older sister, Betty, and they share a room. Both kids pitch in to help their mom, who’s always working at her business, Lee’s Alterations and Cleaners. (Kevin’s parents are divorced, and his dad is just gone.) Luckily Kevin’s mom has some help in the form of her mother, Kevin’s Popo, who lives with them, cooks for them, tries to get both kids to eat a lot, and loves to watch Jeopardy. Kevin has problems at school, mostly involving a former friend and a nickname Kevin earns after bringing something super stinky (but super delicious) for lunch from home. The science fiction comics Kevin draws provide some distraction for him, and he has a few great friends who are there for him, too. Kevin is such a nice kid it’s easy to root for him, and this is a […]

Three Novellas!

By Gene Ambaum on August 27, 2024 at 6:34 am

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond. Tordotcom, 2024. 9781250290311. 167pp. I love the cover of this book, and there seem to be shelf talkers praising it at every bookstore I visit (and it holds up to the hype). It’s the story of a female knight, Maddileh, out to regain her honor by claiming a legendary sword, the Fireborne Blade, from the lair of a dragon. Accompanying her is a page who seems a little…off. This is a quick, original take on the dungeon crawl (though it’s a cave here); alternating chapters recount historic encounters between knights and dragons.       We Speak Through The Mountain by Premee Mohamed. ECW, 2024. 9781770417335. 145pp. This sequel to Mohamed’s post-apocalyptic novella The Annual Migration of Clouds follows Reid as she enrolls in a university filled with technology and resources (and hidden from the rest of the world). Her relationship with the parasite that infects her changes because of the university’s medical tech. […]

Graphic Novel Review: So Long Sad Love by Mirion Malle

By Gene Ambaum on August 22, 2024 at 6:31 am

So Long Sad Love by Mirion Malle. Translated by Aleshia Jensen. Drawn & Quarterly, 2024. 9781770466975. 204pp. This graphic novel opens with a scene where Cléo is considering having disappeared, how everything seems easier and how right the decision was. The rest of the book is about why she decided to disappear. it starts with her tabling at a small press comic show and hanging out with friends. She meets Farah Mahdi, who talks about joining a women-only collective that’s been helpful for her comics. During their conversation, it comes out that Cléo is dating Charles Mercier. Farah is shaken, and later, when Cléo talks with Charles, he’s worried about what Farah might have said about him. His behavior gets worse when he finds out Farah offered Cléo the opportunity to publish some of her work in a magazine. What happens next feels honest and real. It’s worth noting the book ends on a positive note as Cléo’s life continues […]

Graphic Novel Review: Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer

By Gene Ambaum on August 20, 2024 at 6:30 am

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781665930383. 250pp. Tate goes to a concert to see nonbinary violist Eli Violet play, but Eli’s anxiety gets the better of them and they don’t perform. Tate, inspired to learn the viola, starts practicing; they’re also clearly trying to work up the courage to come out as nonbinary, too. Tate’s parents send them to Camp Prodigy, “A place for musicians, from beginner to advanced.” There they have to deal with other violists with a range of personalities. Best of all, Eli is there, and no one seems to know who they are except Tate. They become fast friends and Eli helps Tate improve. Much of the book is about Eli trying to find their comfort zone, and Tate trying to balance ambition and practice with other concerns, including when to come out to their fellow campers and family. This is a straightforward, intense story of friendship, anxiety, being oneself, […]

Graphic Novel Review: Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Yang, art by Leuyen Pham

By Gene Ambaum on August 15, 2024 at 6:13 am

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Yang, art by Leuyen Pham. First Second, 2024. 9781250908261. 352pp. Val has a year to find true love, or Saint Valentine wants her heart. (Their friendship started off as an imaginary friend / real friend sort of situation back when he presented as a winged cherub, but later he appears to her as a creepy old spirit). The complications: Val’s sad father, who told her a huge lie; her grandmother, a pushy but hilarious woman who always wants to feed Val and take her to church; and a super cute guy who likes her but doesn’t really seem to want to be her boyfriend. Plus that guy has an awkward cousin, whom she once embarrassed (or something) with a Valentine. Along for the ride is Bernice, Val’s friend who dates lots of boys and draws on her shoes. There’s a ton about lion dancing in the book, which Val gets good at. Scenes […]

Graphic Novel Review: Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

By Gene Ambaum on August 13, 2024 at 6:32 am

Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Ryan North and Erica Henderson. Penguin Workshop, 2023. 9780593224823. 206pp. This book opens with a cryptic trip to a big box store, and then a young woman (Marguerite) and her talking dog (Daisy) stealing an artifact called the Simian’s Paw. It’s the first magic totem on their list — there are two others — and if they get them the world will be saved. Or something. This a kinetic, lighthearted, post-apocalyptic graphic novel by the creative team behind Marvel’s Squirrel Girl. Worth noting: the book also has a toad, magic, a creepy uncle, and some time travel sort of stuff, too.    

Picture Books Adults Will Love, Too

By Gene Ambaum on August 8, 2024 at 6:04 am

The Heart Never Forgets written by Ana Ot, illustrated by Hayden Goodman. Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 2024. 978-1665913058 Every page of this book is visually stunning, including the endpapers. The story is about townspeople gathering for a masquerade as the narrator remembers her beloved grandfather. My favorite thing about this book is the costumes and how Goodman’s illustrations capture their dancing. It’s a beautiful book about loss.       The Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jiemei Lin. Carolrhoda Books, 2024. 9781728445687. This picture book is heartbreaking. Yang’s family’s first language was Hmong. They moved to the US as refugees from Thailand when she was young. This is forty-three-year-old Yang’s answer to why she became selectively mute in early grade school, and “wouldn’t speak in English voluntarily until…college.” (There’s a more detailed explanation in the author’s note at the end.) Lin’s illustrations are amazing at capturing and conveying everything from Yang’s withdrawal to the […]

Kids Graphic Novels

By Gene Ambaum on August 6, 2024 at 6:24 am

The Unlucky Kid by Bob Holt. Kids Can Press, 2024. 9781525306594 . 64pp. This graphic novel contains several short adventures featuring Quin, the titular Unlucky Kid. In the first, he goes to the beach with his favorite food and faces not only a crowd of hungry seagulls but a few less common problems. In the second, he’s eating corn on the cob when he discovers a loose tooth; his plan to have his dog help yank it out goes awry in an insane way. In the third, he goes fishing. Holt’s sense of humor is great and his art is even funnier.       The Great Puptective by Alina Tysoe. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781665938242. 124pp. One day Sasha the human brings her cat, Truffles, a new friend — an insane, overeager little dog named Poppy. He investigates mysteries that mostly aren’t mysteries at all, and he’s not just super annoying, he also gets Truffles […]

Graphic Novel Review: Leftstar And The Strange Occurrence by Jean Fhilippe

By Gene Ambaum on August 1, 2024 at 6:03 am

Leftstar And The Strange Occurrence by Jean Fhilippe. Silver Sprocket, 2023. 9798886200317. 88pp. Leftstar has been working on marine life in their creation, but after waking up they can’t re-enter that creation to get back to work. In a forest they meet a giant bat who, having overheard Leftstar’s conversation with a friend about what’s going on, takes Leftstar to someone who may be able to help. The magical setting is unexplained, the world feels gentle, and there are a bunch of scenes that feel like asides but that totally work. Fhilippe’s art is the star, as is the atmosphere it helps create. (Its tone reminds me of Jessi Zabarsky’s comics in the best way.)