Synopsis: After local art gallery owner Henri Fourcart is murdered, Tintin investigates (as usual) leading him to spiritual leader Endaddine Akass.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Tintin and Alph-Art Review
Synopsis: After local art gallery owner Henri Fourcart is murdered, Tintin investigates (as usual) leading him to spiritual leader Endaddine Akass.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Tintin in the Congo Review
Synopsis: Tintin is sent to the Belgian Congo to report on events in the country. While there, he encounters an illicit diamond smuggling ring.
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets Review
Synopsis: In Tintin's first adventure, he is sent to the Soviet Union to expose their Marxist regime.
Ghosts Review
Synopsis: Catrina and her family move to the town Bahia de la Luna in northern California due to her younger sister, Maya's, cystic fibrosis. There, they encounter ghosts because of Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Pearls Takes a Wrong Turn: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury Review
Synopsis: Pearls Takes a Wrong Turn is another Pearls Before Swine treasury collecting comics between mid-2015 to early 2017 which also published in book form in the collections I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck and Floundering Fathers.
Invader Zim #40
Synopsis: In the 40th issue of the Invader Zim comic series, everyone's favorite hyperactive fanboy, Recap Kid, gets sucked in a void where he needs to find his way back to his dimension. Along the way, he witnesses various versions of Zim and the rest of the cast in each alternate universe.
Rocko's Modern Afterlife Review
Synopsis: When a zombie
apocalypse hits O-Town, Rocko barricades himself and Spunky in the
comfort of his home. However, as the endemic spreads, the zombified
residents break into Rocko's house, forcing him to team up with his
uninfected friends to find a cure.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Invader ZIM Vol. 7 Review
Synopsis: In the 7th volume of the Invader Zim comic series, more hijinks pursue as Dib continues to attempt to expose Zim's true identity and a two issue storyline about Zim trying to escape prison after failing to pay his credit card bill.
Chi's Sweet Home, Volume 1 Review
Synopsis: Chi's Sweet Home Volume 1 revolves around the titular kitten's various escapades in the city and at home.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Black Hammer, Vol. 3: Age of Doom Part One Review
Synopsis:
In the fourth volume of Jeff Lemire's indie superhero series, Lucy
Weber takes on the torch as the next Black Hammer while finding out
startling details about the farm/small-town setting our motley crew of
characters are surrounded by.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Business Cat: Money, Power, Treats
This paperback collection is what introduced me to the webcomic Adventures of Business Cat which sadly ended its run last year due to the Tom Fonder's battle with depression.
Synopsis: Business Cat is a cat
with a human body who is the tycoon of one of the most affluent
corporations run by an anthropomorphic animal besides his competitor,
Business Dog and on the far lower end of the spectrum, Business Crab
(and yes, that's their actual names).
American Splendor: Another Dollar
Synopsis:
American Splendor: Another Dollar collects 4 issues from the 2006
Vertigo run of the autobiographical comic American Splendour revolving
the quotidian life of Cleveland native Harvey Pekar.
Saga, Vol. 7
Synopsis:
In the seventh volume of Brian K. Vaughan's bestselling series Saga,
Hazel and the rest of the family end up moving to a war-ridden comet
where they meet new individuals.
Friday, April 24, 2020
I Feel Sick Review
Synopsis:
In Jhonen Vasquez's second spinoff series from his magnum opus Johnny
the Homicidal Maniac, Devi deals with the same demented supernatural
forces that drove Johnny to lunacy.
Rick and Morty Presents, Vol. 1
Synopsis: Rick and Morty Presents, Vol. 1 contains four stories centering on one-off characters from Rick and Morty.
Adventure Time Vol. 15 Review
Synopsis:
In the 15th volume of the Adventure Time comics, after Princess
Bubblegum finds a treasure map, she launches a hot air balloon race in
search of the treasure. The race is divided into two teams, males (Finn,
Jake, BMO and a mysterious guy named Stanley Nougat) and females (PB,
Marceline, and Lumpy Space Princess).
Promethea, Vol. 1 Review
Synopsis: College student Sophie Bangs becomes next in line as mythological figure Promethea.
Ego and Hubris: The Michael Malice Story Review
Synopsis: Ego and Hubris: The Michael Malice Story is a Harvey Pekar biography about the life and times of the titular subject.
Pussey Review
Synopsis:
Daniel Clowes's Pussey! revolves around the life and times of the
eponymous character, Dan Pussey, creator the popular comic Nauseator, as
he wends he way through the comic book industry and deals with his
peers and his own social awkwardness and internal fantasies and
dispositions.
Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy Review
Synopsis:
Lumberjanes centers around the wacky misadventures of five adolescent
girls in summer camp as they encounter supernatural and paranormal
mishaps.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Wilson Review
Synopsis:
Wilson, a middle-aged 'sociable' but misanthropic guy who tries to
rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife and teenage daughter he never
knew he had.
Kim Reaper, Vol. 2: Vampire Island Review
Synopsis:
In the second volume of Sarah Graley's series, Kim (who works as a grim
reaper as the title implies), her girlfriend Bekka, and Tyler sneak in
a party in the titular location where they end up meeting an old friend
of Kim. More chaos and perilous adventure ensue from there.
Inside Mœbius, Vol. 1 Review
Synopsis:
Inside Moebius Vol. 1 collects the first two chapters of the author's
stream-of-consciousness journey in his mind as he meets his older
creations, historical figures, etc.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Warning Label Review
Synopsis:
Warning Label is a webtoon by Thomas F. Zahler following Danielle, a
woman working at a board game company in Austin, who is cursed by her
ex-boyfriend with a literal warning label showing her flaws. Her new
boyfriend Jeff, who works at a movie theater, tries helping her
acknowledge and fix these flaws while trying to confront his own ones.
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels Review
Rating: 5/5
Disclaimer: I have not read Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics so I cannot make comparisons to them.
As an aspiring cartoonist, I hold this book as an essential guide to the writing and illustration process of graphic novels/comics. In Making Comics, cartoonist and comics theorist Scott McCloud effectively utilizes the graphic novel medium to escort his readers through the various stages of creating a comic as he provides a myriad of excerpts from different works to showcase the diverse dimensions and emotions one can evoke from the complex facial expressions, character designs, prose, etc to elicit an almost cinematic effect. Furthermore, while some of the artistic techniques have evolved and changed since the book's initial publication, most of the advice given related to the storytelling process remains relevant.
In a nutshell, I highly recommend this how-to guide to anyone interested in what can be termed 'the ninth art form'.
Alan Moore's Writing for Comics Review
Synopsis:
Alan Moore's Writing for Comics is a 2003 reprint of the titular
author's 1985-86 essay along with an afterword reflecting upon the
original essay.
No Longer Human (Junji Ito) Review
Note: I haven't read the original 1948 novel by Osamu Dazai. Therefore, I cannot draw any comparisons between it and this manga adaptation.
Synopsis:
No Longer Human is a semi-autobiographical work chronicling the
harrowing life and times of Oba Yozo, a literary facsimile of the author
himself.
The Complete Crumb Comics, Vol. 1: The Early Years of Bitter Struggle Review
Synopsis:
The Complete Crumb Comics, Vol. 1: The Early Years of Bitter Struggle
compiles previously unreleased cartoons from Robert Crumb's early
adolescent years he worked and collaborated on with his siblings Charles
and Maxon Crumb from 1958-1962 along with R. Crumb's high school
journal entries.
The Cost of Being a Girl: Working Teens and the Origins of the Gender Wage Gap Review
In The Cost of Being Girl, writer Yasemin Besen-Cassino explore the ongoing debate of gender wage gap in the U.S., which was and still is attributed to by many scholarly researchers to things such as maternity leave and more women working part-time rather than full in order to take care of their children. However, Yasemin eruditely points out the errors in these studies, that being they all focus on adults and not the tween/teen cohort where employment begins (namely at 12 years of age). To verify her point, Yasemin gathers the meager studies conducted on that age demographic along with her own interviews with and surveys on female young adults (since she could not do so with minors), much of whom started out their first careers as babysitters dissuaded from asking for a higher salary out of fear of being perceived as 'greedy' or 'insincere' about their jobs, a problem the opposite sex doesn't face nearly as often. As a result, this stigmatic fear continues throughout adulthood. Furthermore, the author shows the socioeconomic and ethnic nuances in the unequal treatment of females which prove again, while we have come a long way from the past decades, we still have a muddy path to clean before we overcome our intrinsic sexism and prejudiced notions in what should be a more Progressive America.
Overall, this book is an insightful eye-opener on an issue many of us are misled to believe is nearly eradicated. I highly suggest it to any person who wants a deeper understanding of the complexities of the gender gap.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
CARL Review
Synopsis: CARL primarily centers around the titular robot psychiatrist as he attempts to gain trust and acceptance in society as an equal after his creator/father, Alda, installs a software causing CARL to become sentient.
Monday, April 20, 2020
Megahex Review
Synopsis:
Megahex is a stoner comedy graphic novel from Fantagraphics Books
revolving around witch and cat couple Megg and Mogg and their roommate Owl who is always an unfortunate victim of the duo's mishaps and pranks.
Bad Gateway Review
Synopsis:
After Owl moves out, Werewolf Jones moves in while Megg and Mogg's life
deteriorates as they struggle to make ends meet in the midst of their
psychological turmoil.
No One is Too Small to Make a Difference Review
Rating: 2.5/5
In the past year, 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Tunberg has gained a prodigious amount of traction in the media after skipping school on Fridays in favor of peacefully demonstrating on the streets about climate change awareness and riding a zero-carbon solar boat around the world. Like many people, I appreciate her mettle to go out and use her young age as a catalyst for matter-of-fact and forceful rhetoric as well as her unrelenting persistence. However, there are many dissidents (including a few reviews on Goodreads who-shall-not-be-named) who perceive her as more of a burden for a number of reasons along these lines:
Walk with Wings Review
Once upon a time about a week ago from writing this review there lived a bloke who went by the name Samuel Edme spending quality time during his fortnight-long stay in his hometown, The Big Apple, at a local Barnes n Noble shop in Brooklyn perusing through the new Pearls Before Swine treasury, Pearls Takes a Wrong Turn. All of sudden, he heard an announcement for a book reading/signing by an author, from the land where people regularly consume spotted dicks and faggots, he had never heard of hitherto known as Tene Edwards promoting her new poetry anthology Walk with Wings. A fairy charmed Samuel with an enticing spell called curiosity, sending him from the bottom floor where he was to the upper on a lift. It was the first time he met an author in person since he was six years old when his old teacher's parents came to the school to read excerpts from their anecdotal collection. Not to digress, the author was an amiable personality whose life story enraptured Sam in sheets of inspiration and intrigue as well as the heart-stopping amazement of meeting a writer face-to-face and asking questions about her work. As a token of friendliness and gratitude, he purchased her book, had it signed, and took a picture with her. While the experience was riveting, the book itself is a different story.
Note: The previous paragraph was based off a true story despite its facetious nature
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