While the American comics scene is highly regarded, it's always nice to be reminded of what good storytelling sans superheroes and world-shattering events looks like. Sometimes it's enjoyable to just lose oneself in a good European comic, preferably translated. Then again, some are still easy to follow if they haven't been translated because they let […]
This past weekend saw the debut of CatConLA, first ever convention for all things cats. Celebrity cats like Lil Bub and Pudge were in attendance, along with cat-themed panels, vendors selling their cat-inspired wares, and artists with cat-centric pieces. One of the most sought-after artists in attendance was Jenny Parks, known for her geek-centric cat […]
This past weekend saw the debut of CatConLA, first ever convention for all things cats. Celebrity cats like Lil Bub and Pudge were in attendance, along with cat-themed panels, vendors selling their cat-inspired wares, and artists with cat-centric pieces. One of the artists in attendance was Rachel Dukes, creator of Frankie Comics and Mixtape Comics. […]
Tomorrow sees the release of Mike's Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and Terror in Tel Aviv from First Second Books. The graphic novel covers filmmaker Jack Baxter's experience filming the documentary Blues by the Beach in Tel Aviv about a blues bar, which shortly after becomes the target of a suicide bombing during […]
Some readers enjoy the hunt for those older comics from bygone eras to fill their collections, and regain their childhoods. While I grew up reading superhero comics, others before me turned to Disney comics instead, or alternative comix that had no sign of spandex or anything considered normal. These collections scatter in the winds of […]
Thousands are dying across the world. Sports teams are winning championships. The stock market is rising and falling. But I don't care about any of that stuff until I've read my comics! As a child, I was delighted to read the comics section every morning during breakfast. It's a habit I picked up from my […]
If I'm really a fan of something, I have no problem buying it twice (or "double-dipping"). This rarely happens nowadays, but take The Umbrella Academy for instance: I bought all the issues when they first came out, then the trades and hardcovers, then eventually the deluxe edition because how could I not?! Sometime we hold […]
When it comes to talking about the Middle East, not a lot of people are thrilled about the subject. And can you blame them? It's a conversation that may start out as civil, but then quickly devolves into a tenser, sometimes hostile discussion depending on the participants' viewpoints. Of course the vast majority of people […]
When I think about the Best Graphic Album-New category, I equate it to the Academy Award for Best Picture. All the nominees have been praised for the past year for being the best that comics has to offer, and being nominated for several awards from multiple organizations simply validates the power they hold over the […]
Sometimes readers want to read a biography or a history book, but don't necessarily want to look at hundreds of pages of just tiny little words. Sometimes, readers also need a break from the tights and capes. Why not combine the best of both worlds and read a comic that focuses on a subject you […]
One of the things I love most about comic anthologies is the diversity of the content. Anthologies tend to be a mixed bag of stories and art, but in the end there's definitely something for everyone. I can't list how many artists and writers I've come to discover in the pages of 2000AD and Dark […]
The bound & published medium isn't for everyone, for sometimes it can be constricting for such massive, imaginative ideas when it comes to storytelling. Not only that, but to offer a story online makes it accessible to virtually everyone with a computer or smartphone with an internet connection. Just make sure it's on a consistent […]
Do bricks get excited when they're about to get laid? I imagine they'd be rock hard. Thank you! I'll be here all week! Tip your waitresses! The humor business is a challenging one, for we all think we're comedians. My friend Jordan and I always attempted to go to Open Mic Nights at Hopmonk Tavern […]
Last Wednesday saw the release of Dragons Beware! by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado, a sequel to their first book, Giants Beware! from back in 2012. The story follows the ongoing adventures of the bravest little girl in all the land, Claudette, as she seeks to avenge her father and slay the dragon that gobbled-up […]
Surely we all remember what it was like to be a teenager. We were young, invincible know-it-alls that refused to be put in the mold society had picked out for us. We were rebels without causes, and no one could possibly understand how we felt because we were the only ones to ever struggle with […]
I'm not one to brag, but when I was a young tyke I slayed my fair share of monstrosities. With the help of my trusty Excalibur (aka any sturdy stick), I kept the backyard as well as the neighborhood safe as my friends and I sought out adventure. We vanquished evil, conquered dark and sinister […]
My mother is a 3rd grade teacher, and anytime I'm done reviewing a graphic novel aimed at kids that I've been sent by a publisher, I donate it to her classroom. I always feel good about this, because a part of me feels like I'm encouraging a small group of kids to continue on the […]
I devoured books left and right as a kid. The bigger and more colorful the images, the better. The one that always kept me occupied was Where's Waldo? (or as you foreigners call it, Where's Wally?), because while my eyes were sharp as a hawk, sometimes I could never find those darn scrolls. It was […]
Every year brings an onslaught of new titles. Some are relaunches, others are brand-spanking-new. All of them, no matter the publisher, are competing for your attention and money, for unless you're able/willing to read every single series ever, you need to trim a few titles to make room for the newer ones. And who doesn't […]
While it's nice to have a couple of ongoing series queued up in your pull box, sometimes just settling with a limited series can make for a nice break in the cycle. These are series that have a shelf life of only a few issues, then they're off to be collected in a trade paperback […]