Author: Gene Ambaum

727 results.

Graphic Novel Review: Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams

By Gene Ambaum on November 5, 2019 at 10:26 am

Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams. Abrams Comicarts, 2019. 9781419736742. 295pp. Erin Williams wakes up, puts on her makeup, walks her dog, and takes the train to work. Some of the people she encounters are pleasant. One guy, a pain in the ass, takes the last window seat just to take it away from everyone else. Another reminds her of someone she took home when she had her period. A man in a blue suit keeps looking at her, making her feel both threatened and lonely. This makes her think about someone she met at her grandfather’s funeral, and when she finally saw him as a predator, she realized how desperately she wanted to be seen (and how he didn’t see her at all). This is a compelling string of consciousness look at not just Williams’ commute, but her relationships and her daily fight for control of her body, both in public and private. It’s darkness, […]

Book Review: State of the Heart: Exploring the History, Science, and Future of Cardiac Disease by Haider Warraich

By Gene Ambaum on October 31, 2019 at 11:54 am

State of the Heart: Exploring the History, Science, and Future of Cardiac Disease by Haider Warraich. St. Martin’s Press, 2019. 9781250169709. 337pp with an index. Cardiologist Warraich writes about the history of heart disease in an incredibly compelling way, weaving personal experiences with tales of the history of the science. This includes many stories of poor research, ineffective treatments, and sketches of cardiology’s most famous and infamous personalities. My favorite parts in the book were about the importance of double blind studies, and how we as people are all apt to believe anecdotes without really looking into the details. He’s convinced me to look past the news stories I hear about medical treatments and to start looking for cold hard facts and citations. (I’m going to be even more of a a pain in the ass to my doctor from now on, basically. I’ll blame Dr. Warraich.) Overall the book gives a great sense of how far the treatment of […]

Graphic Novel Review: Simon & Louise by Max de Radiguès

By Gene Ambaum on October 29, 2019 at 11:30 am

Simon & Louise by Max de Radiguès. Translated by Aleshia Jensen. Conundrum Press, 2019. 9781772620351. 123pp. It’s the end of the school year. Louise is heading for Montpellier for the summer, but Simon just got a phone so they should be able to stay in touch. Simon’s story: Soon after she leaves, Simon sees that Louise has updated her status to single. She says her dad says she’s too young to be in love, and that she’ll see him in September. Simon decides her dad can’t keep them apart, lies to his mom about going on a trip with a friend, and starts hitchhiking to Montpellier to find her. (Minor spoiler: his trip is a bit harrowing and doesn’t end well.) Switch Louise’s story: A friend of hers was the one who changed her status. She was momentarily annoyed, but then wasn’t. She goes on a date with a boy who seems nice, but then isn’t (and then totally stands […]

All These Monsters!

By Gene Ambaum on October 24, 2019 at 4:48 pm

Willow has been drawing monsters all month and posting them to her tumblr. These are my favorites, but you should click on that link and have a look at the rest.

Graphic Novel Review: Fence Volume One. Written by CS Pacat, illustrated by Johanna The Mad

By Gene Ambaum on at 11:32 am

Fence Volume One. Written by CS Pacat, illustrated by Johanna The Mad, colors by Joana LaFuente. BOOM!, 2019. 9781684151929. Contains #1-#4. Nicholas Cox faces Seiji Katayama in his first fencing meet, and everyone knows Cox is going to lose. (It’s not a surprise that he does, but there is a moment that hints at his potential.) Cox vows to defeat Katayama. Flash forward six months to Kings Row Boys School, where the two competitors are roommates. As the tournament to decide who makes the fencing team gets underway, the stakes are highest for Cox who has to make the team or lose his scholarship. The best things about the book are its hilarious moments (my favorite being the background chatter when Cox says he’ll beat Katayama eventually — apparently he’s not the first to make such a vow) and the natural way it includes diverse characters. This is a strong opening for the series, and this volume was on the […]

Graphic Novel Review: Zenobia by Morten Dürr, illustrated by Lars Horneman

By Gene Ambaum on October 22, 2019 at 11:16 am

Zenobia by Morten Dürr, illustrated by Lars Horneman. Seven Stories Press, 2018. 9781609808730. 93pp. In the opening pages of this graphic novel, a young Syrian refugee’s boat capsizes. Under the water she has flashbacks about her joyous life at home with her parents, and about the day after the war started that they didn’t come home. She dreams of Zenobia, the warrior queen of Syria, and of the day her uncle came to get her s they could flee their war-torn country. It’s a quick, riveting read, and a book that’s nearly wordless. This is an affecting story that could find a home in any library.

Graphic Novel Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, with art by Harmony Becker

By Gene Ambaum on October 17, 2019 at 10:15 am

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott. Art by Harmony Becker. Top Shelf, 2019. 208pp. Takei’s memoir about being interned with his family as a young boy, during World War II, and its aftermath, opens with him and his brother being awoken by their parents and told to get dressed. Soldiers enforcing Executive Order 9066 have arrived to take them away. It’s upsetting and powerful. Flash forward to Takei’s TED talk in Kyoto in 2014, and then the story of his parents and his own birth, Japan’s unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor and the US reaction to it — a history lesson that includes includes “Lock up the Japs” as a popular political position. Most of the rest of the book tells the story of the Takei family’s forced relocations and incarceration beginning in Spring 1942 at Santa Anita Racetrack, Camp Rohwer in Arkansas, and Camp Tule Lake in northern California. The details about crowding […]

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. […]