Author: Gene Ambaum

Across the Rainbow Bridge: Stories of Norse Gods and Humans by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love. Candlewick Studio, 2021. 9781536217711. 87pp. I grew up reading tales of King Arthur and Greek/Roman heroes and gods, but I never really […]
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A Pillbug Story by Allison Conway. Black Panel Press, 2024. 978990521218. 196pp. Mille is a pill bug living in a bug town where she has lots of friends (that’s them on the cover): Alphie (ladybug), Holly (a spider), Ruby (an […]
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The Knives (A Criminal Book) by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Image, 2025. 9781534355590. 200pp. If you’ve never read one of Brubaker and Phillips’ Criminal graphic novels, this is a good place to start even though some of the characters […]
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Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn. Fantagraphics, 2025. 97988755000508. 216pp. At the end there’s a section on how to fold notes three different ways, “I made you a mixtape, hope you like it,” and a selection of VHS tapes titled […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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