Author: Gene Ambaum

680 results.

Book Review: The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin, Illustrated by Charles Vess

By Gene Ambaum on October 15, 2019 at 10:36 am

The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin, Illustrated by Charles Vess. Saga Press, 2018. 9781481465588. 992pp. I have a British paperback that contains the first four Earthsea novels that’s tattered from both my wife and I rereading it, but we both love it so much we’ll never throw it away. This brick of a book contains not only those first four books (my favorite is either A Wizard of Earthsea or The Farthest Shore, whichever I’ve reread most recently) plus Tales from Earthsea and The Other Wind, a few other related stories, and the text of a lecture Le Guin gave in 1992. Vess’ drawings bring the entire book to life for me in a new way, which is saying something as these books live in my head. Most of the illustrations are black and white, though there’s a color plate at the beginning of each book in this volume. It’s worth noting that […]

Graphic Novel Reviews: Waves by Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel + In Waves by AJ Dungo

By Gene Ambaum on October 10, 2019 at 9:33 am

Waves by Ingrid Chabbert, Illustrated by Carole Maurel. Translated by Edward Gauvin. Archaia, 2019. 9781684153466. 93pp. This is Ingrid Chabbert’s account of losing her baby boy, who died shortly after he was born. Following his death, this graphic novel shifts from beautiful colors to black and white, though color slowly works its way back into the lives of Chabbert and her partner as they learn to live with their grief, and as Chabbert finishes the book she was working on for her son. This is a beautifully succinct graphic novel.   In Waves by AJ Dungo. Nobrow, 2019. 9781910620632. 373pp with a bibliography. Dungo alternates the story of the love of his life (and her death from cancer) with a brief history of surfing that begins in the Hawaiian islands in 1800. Kristin liked surfing, and while Dungo doesn’t claim to be an expert about its history, his illustrations do an amazing job of showing how it makes him and […]

Graphic Novel Review: Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

By Gene Ambaum on October 8, 2019 at 11:22 am

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. First Second, 2019. 9781250191731. 254pp plus a bunch of sketches at the end. I’m not a fan of crossover events in comics. Usually major comics companies bring together heroes or teams and no character gets enough focus to make the effort worthwhile. However Hatke’s Zita / Jack crossover is perfect as he brought together not only his two heroes, but every element you could have possibly loved in each series. He did it in a such a way that I’m going to go back and read both series again in order ASAP, followed by this book again. The giants are bringing a war to Jack that will destroy the world. Even with Zita and her friends’ help, they need to delay the giants from breaking down the door to Earth, and to find allies for the coming battle. Basically they’re going to need everyone’s help, and things don’t go as expected. […]

Graphic Novel Review: Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

By Gene Ambaum on October 3, 2019 at 11:22 am

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern. Andrews McMeel, 2019. 9781449497477. 203pp. This is the most hilariously odd graphic novel set at the end of the Regency period ever. Miss Lucy takes a sword cane to some gentlemen that deserve it, and is invited to join a secret ancient immortal vampire cult. But then, a self-obsessed Lord Byron shows up with his psychic eagle, Napoleon, to save her. Covered in blood they fly to his castle in the Scottish Highlands. That’s just in the opening pages. In the rest: a magic castle, more vampires, an ambush, a hot vampire killer, cross dressing, Sir Walter Scott, betrayal, a ball, lust, a succubus, several amazing entrances, a lot of cartoony blood and violence, and a public bath in Bath. The whole thing is nonstop madness. You can read more of McGovern’s comics at http://emilymcgovern.com/, including the short that this graphic novel is based on. (I love the simple cartoony style of this book […]

Book Review: Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods by Susanna Ryan

By Gene Ambaum on October 1, 2019 at 9:56 am

Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods by Susanna Ryan. Sasquatch Books, 2019. 9781632172617. 166pp with some amazing drawings of dogs on the endpapers. The Seattle Walk Report is a charming guide to the character of a bunch of different Seattle neighborhoods, including maps. Each walk includes fun features that are permanent and others that are totally random. They all encourage you to wander, keep your eyes open, and document what you see, in Seattle or wherever you are But since I’m from and live in Seattle, here are the bits I loved: Locks of the Ballard Locks, the two page spread of Parks Named After Seattle Women!, the drawing of The Central Library, and in particular the Lake City and Wedgewood Highlights. (I live mere blocks from one of the things on that page.) My wife seems to attract crows at certain times of year, so I’m sure she’ll love the So You’ve Been Attacked […]

Book Review: The Ultimate Droodles Compendium by Roger Price

By Gene Ambaum on September 26, 2019 at 10:58 am

The Ultimate Droodles Compendium by Roger Price. Tallfellow Press, 2019. 9781931290692. 280pp. Includes a forward by Leonard Maltin, an essay by Price from an earlier book, footnotes to make some of the more obscure (dated) references in the drawings comprehensible, sketches/notes from Prices’s secret files, a primer on how to make your own Droodles + a short biography of Price. These simple, single panel gag comics by comedian Roger Price were popular in the ’50s and ’60s, and were republished earlier this year as a bit of dad humor just in time for Father’s Day. You may not be able to trust me on this review — I am, after all, a dad. Each Droodle is a simple black and white drawing that can only be interpreted in the context of its caption (or its alternate caption, and/or its commentary). If you’ve seen Frank Zappa’s 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch, you’ve seen a Droodle. […]

Graphic Novel Review: When I Arrived At The Castle by Emily Carroll

By Gene Ambaum on September 24, 2019 at 10:41 am

When I Arrived At The Castle by Emily Carroll. Koyama, 2019. 9781927668689. 72pp, black and white and red. A cat-like young woman arrives at a castle on a stormy night. Soaked, she’s invited by her beautiful hostess, and then insulted for being meek. The Countess is repulsive, the place smells of earth, and soon after a bath the young woman gets a look at the horror inside her host. It does not deter the young woman from her mission to kill the Countess. This is an erotic horror tale drawn in black, white and red. Like all of Carroll’s work, it’s a masterclass in comics; everything from the lettering to the layouts to the drawings themselves is perfect.

Guest Book Review: Waiter Rant

By Gene Ambaum on September 21, 2019 at 8:01 am

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by The Waiter (Steve Dublanica). (He was anonymous initially, but later editions revealed his name at the end of the book, and now it’s on the cover.) 9780061256684. Harper Collins, 2008. 302pp. The Waiter who wrote this book didn’t plan to wait tables. The pace, the idea of taking home cash every night, and the lack of other job prospects in a slow economy kept him at The Bistro. The whole time he bemoaned his job — all he really wanted was to spend more time on this book. The chapter “Heaven and Hell” is one that anyone who works with the public will be able to understand, and my favorite. The Waiter recounts the time he had a shitty week — he was tired and cranky from working all the time and the tips were barely covering his bills. He was once again thinking about throwing in his apron […]

Graphic Novel Review: Stanislaw Lem’s The Seventh Voyage: A Graphic Novel by Jon Muth

By Gene Ambaum on September 19, 2019 at 12:02 pm

Stanislaw Lem’s The Seventh Voyage: A Graphic Novel by Jon Muth. Scholastic Graphix, 2019. 9780545004626. 80pp. Ijon Tichy is cruising in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, when his ship is hit by a small meteoroid. He suits up and goes outside to make repairs, but it’s impossible to do alone. His ship flies on, straight ahead, its velocity increasing. After a failed meal that he turns into a satellite around his ship, Tichy goes to bed, and is awoken by a version of himself from the future who wants to help with the repairs. He refuses to believe his future self was real, but he’s wrong — it’s the beginning of an absurd and comical time travel adventure. Jon Muth’s watercolors make this graphic adaptation of one of Lem’s Ijon Tichy stories even more lighthearted than it already is — when Tichy’s ship is struck in the first pages, he’s baking. And later the Tichy’s from different days and ties crowd […]

Graphic Novel Review: This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews

By Gene Ambaum on September 17, 2019 at 10:43 am

This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews. First Second, 2019. 9781626720534. 330pp. On the night of the Equinox Festival, Ben and four friends make a pact to follow the lanterns down the river. Do they really become stars? They promise to ride their bikes for as long as it takes to find out. But then Nathaniel starts following them (his dad and Ben’s dad are best friends). One by one, Ben’s friends drop out and head for home until only he and Nathaniel are left. (Nathaniel is a bit of an outsider, and Ben’s friends are promise-breaking jerks, so this is clearly for the best.) They meet a bear on his way to catch fish, who thinks the lanterns are fish, and who wishes he could join them as they swim among the stars. They separate at a towering cliff the boys cannot climb. The boys do figure out a way forward, and of course they meet the bear again, […]