Category: book review

The Hard Switch by Owen D. Pomery. Avery Hill, 2023. 9781910395707. 99pp. “The Hard Switch is coming.” It’ll happen when alcanite, the mineral that makes jump navigation (think faster-than-light travel) possible, is gone. Ada is dropped into a hidden wreck. […]
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Nafu Wants Food by Subi Bosa. Graphic Universe, 2025. 9798765629963. 112pp. Nafu is the gigantic, hungry creature on the cover, and as the title suggests, he’s hungry. In fact he eats all of Mongo Village’s food then drinks all of […]
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The Fire-Breathing Duckling by Frank Cammuso. TOON, 2025. 9781662665332. (Easy-To-Read Comics Level Two) Cammuso (Max Hamm: Fairy Tale Detective, Otto’s Orange Day, Knights of the Lunch Table) has fun with an ugly duckling story about a “duckling” who is clearly […]
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Here are two visually striking Batman graphic novels that have great stories, too. Batman: City of Madness by Christian Ward. DC Black Label, 2024. 9781779527028. 160pp.  Contains #1 – #3. Publisher’s Rating: Ages 17+. Ward (Invisible Kingdom, ODY-C, Blood Stained […]
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Universe! by Albert Monteys. Image, 2021. 9781534318076. 196pp of story plus an afterward that includes sketches and other information on Monteys’ process, including one-panel gags. Contains Universe #1 – 5 originally published online at panelsyndicate.com where you can still name […]
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The Summer War by Naomi Novik. Del Rey, 2025. 9780593984703. 127pp. “Celia was twelve years old when she cursed her brother.” Great opening line! Celia’s brother, Argent, is the greatest knight and their father’s heir. On the day Argent renounces […]
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Drome by Jesse Lonergan. 23rd St., 2025. 978-1250386939. 320pp. Lonergan (Hedra, All-Star, Arca, Man’s Best, Planet Paradise) creates an epic, mythic graphic novel about gods, heroes, elementals, the desire for power, and the dawn of civilization. Blue is strong, tough, […]
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Cannon by Lee Lai. Drawn & Quarterly, 2025. 9781770468023. 304pp. Cannon is everyone’s rock. She works in a kitchen that’s insane (her boss is truly the worst), and she’s taking care of her ailing Gung Gung, whose caregiver just resigned. […]
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These picture books published by Transit were all translated from Spanish, and each defied my expectations. Ashimpa: The Mysterious Word by Catarina Sobral. Translated by Juliana Barbassa. Transit Children’s Editions, 2025. 9798893380026. I’m sure that any book that opens with […]
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Masters of the Nefarious: Mollusk Rampage by Pierre La Police. Translated by Luke Burns. New York Review Comics, 2024. 9781681378343. 176pp. An absurd, surreal graphic novel made of one-panel comics, one on each page. It begins with a tidal wave […]
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