September 11, 2001 Review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: This dramatized narrative follows a young French woman as she recounts the events surrounding the September 11 attacks and how they affected her life.

 

Boo's It's Sex Review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Four college freshman move into a dorm haunted by a ghost named Tara who regularly gives them tips on sex education.

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'.