I reviewed a lot of the Complete Peanuts series when they were coming out – I bought them all, and read them contemporaneously, but the blog started up in the middle of that timeframe – so there’s already a lot of words on this blog about Charles M. Schulz and his comics. This one, back in…
Every book is from a particular person, with a distinctive point of view. The best authors realize that, and are as deeply themselves as they can be, to emphasize the things only they would say, in the ways only they would say it. Wild That We’re Alive is a collection of diary comics, from one…
I like reading short stories much more than I like writing about them. And I don’t read short fiction all that much, so maybe I don’t even enjoy even reading them as much as I think I do. That’s complicated math, so I’ll leave it there. Jordan Crane has been making comics for thirty years,…
Growing up, I learned many things, among them that John Carradine never met scenery he couldn’t chew and that his Billy the Kid vs. Dracula is one of the all-time bad movies. It’s also fallen into the public domain, so multiple versions can be found for sale. Joining the collection is this new 50th-anniversary Blu-ray…
I’m still not sure if Ben Sears intends his comics to be all-ages (or, more specifically, most-ages, for tweens and up), or if it’s a by-product of the stories that he tells. Either way, I’d say his books are OK for tweens, mostly, if that’s something you care about. Young Shadow & the Watchdogs is Sears’…
Iron Man: Super SmashBy Dean Hale and Douglas Holgate96 pages/Abrams Fanfare/$12.99 The team behind the entertaining Iron Man: Something Strange is back with a new graphic novel for younger readers, this time pairing Shellhead with the jade-jawed giant himself, the Hulk. In this whimsical adventure, Iron Man senses the Hulk has something against him, and…
The British Are Coming Vol. 1By Rick Atkinson, Nora Neus, and Frederico Pietrobon320 pages/10 Speed Graphics/$35 Adapting prose storytelling to a graphic novel is tricky. Sure, it’s easier to visualize colonial America than describe it in words, but you also need to ensure readers know what they’re looking at and why. In this adaptation of…
Shatter the UniverseBy Diana Ma316 pages/Abrams Amulet/$19.99 The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers has always been a mystery to me. I understand the concept, but found the initial series, when imported to the USA by Saban, cheap with bad storytelling. But those colorful costumes and theme of unity and power proved irresistible in the 1980s. The…
Mike Mignola seems to be settling into his “Lands Unknown” for an extended stay; that’s a good thing for those of us who enjoyed the light touch and quirky bits of folklore – not to mention the pure joy of storytelling evident throughout – that he brought to the first “Lands Unknown” book, Bowling for…
We Are Pan By Andre Frattino, Yasmin Flores Montañez, and Fabi Marques184 pages/Top Shelf Productions/$19.99 One of the best parts of mainstream publishers widening the breadth of graphic novels now available for readers of all ages. One of the hottest categories seems to be creating nonfiction, exploring memoir, and little-known tidbits of history. I was…
Disney Descendants: A Lost RevengeBy Kalynn Bayron and Asiah Fulmore176 pages/Abrams Fanfare/$16.99 Fairy tales require a suspension of belief, a willingness to accept the impossible as possible. It gives us a sense of wonder that magic is real. Tapping into that, Walt Disney adapted these fairy tales for modern-day audiences with charming animated musicals and…
Talking fast and being whip-smart got you noticed at the turn of the century. Aaron Sorkin set the pace with The West Wing, but it met its match on October 5, 2000, when the WB invited us to visit Stars Hollow, CT (population 9,973), and stay a spell. The Gilmore Girls was unlike any dramas…
