Biographies are a difficult genre to tackle gracefully, and graphic biographies especially so. Unlike fiction and even autobiographies, biographies require a deeply intimate understanding of the subject but also a rigorously sourced and researched understanding of history. David F. Walker has shown in works like Shaft …
Netflix had a surprise success with The End Of The Fucking World, the adaptation of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel of the same name made in partnership with U.K.’s Channel 4. Late in 2018 came the announcement that Netflix will adapt another Forsman graphic novel, 2017’s I Am Not Okay With This (Fantagraphics). It …
The gulf between manga and Western comics seems to shrink in fits and starts as some genres and titles become popular with American readers. There’s a particular gap between slice-of-life manga and American readers (though young women especially have been steady consumers of these stories). Manga provides for readers…
Berlin (Drawn & Quarterly) is an imposing book. It’s nearly two inches thick and the size of a hefty textbook, the kind that takes effort to read. The title aptly indicates exactly what the book is about: though there are more than a dozen characters that flow through the story, Berlin itself is the star of the show,…
In time for the holidays and the prospect of facing your own family drama comes Motherlands (Vertigo), a comic centering on fraught familial relationships, to put it mildly. The story revolves around Tabitha Tubach, a “retriever” licensed to pursue criminals across multiple universes, and she does so without the…
The biggest initial draw of Bitter Root #1 (Image) is the creative team. David F. Walker and Sanford Greene worked together on the much-loved and far too short-lived Power Man and Iron Fist book for just 15 issues, and the announcement of Bitter Root at last year’s Image Expo was met with a lot of enthusiasm from…
As awareness of comic books and graphic novels continue to grow among mainstream audiences, one of the biggest challenges creators face is choosing the right projects and topics to tackle in their medium. There are stories that are ill-suited to the format, and it’s always disappointing to encounter one. Che: A…
The Black Panther film came out just eight months ago, injecting the Marvel Cinematic Universe with fresh life and building on the success of Thor: Ragnarok to invigorate an increasingly overburdened franchise. And while Ta-Nehisi Coates has been guiding T’Challa though far more than the originally planned miniseries,…
If you’re unfamiliar with the name Tillie Walden because you stick to the cape-and-cowl side of the comic shop, you’re missing out on one of the most increasingly popular and well-regarded names in the comics industry. Now just 22 years old, Walden was one of the youngest-ever Eisner winners when she earned the…
What sets Woman World (Drawn & Quarterly) apart from the wealth of other webcomics that have begun to get print publishing deals isn’t an artistic quality or subject matter. Originally shared with readers via Instagram, the majority of Woman World’s story can be told in single pages, three to nine panels each. The…
The benefit of large comics publishers offering smaller imprints is that it provides a built-in space for titles that differ in some way from the main lineup. They’re often experimental or off-brand, highly creative, and deeply personal. For years, fans have been bemoaning Vertigo’s slow starvation under DC’s…
Comixology, one of the easiest platforms on which to buy and store comics, has expanded into creating original content. Much like parent company Amazon’s tactics when it comes to original video content, Comixology originals span a variety of different genres and formats and promise more to come.
Just a few short months after their previous project together came to a close, Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins return with a new story. At first glance, Black Badge #1 (Boom! Studios) has more in common with Lumberjanes than Grass Kings, opening with a handful of boys traveling together as part of a scouting group.…
There’s no shortage of comics addressing the state of the world, either confronting the political climate directly or with a bit more subtlety. The New World #1 (Image) is only one such vision, set in a middle future just a couple decades out that echoes the present. After nuclear blasts wiped out significant parts of…
Some of the most popular podcasts today are about murder or tabletop roleplaying games. While it’s not the only show of its type, The Adventure Zone has grown a large and enthusiastic audience, large enough to (hopefully) support a published graphic novel. The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins (First Second) is…
It should be no surprise to even casual fans that Batman’s impending wedding is the focus of a lot of what’s happening in his corner of the DC universe. Along with Brian Michael Bendis’ new work at the publisher, the Bat-Cat wedding has been one of the most hyped events in a long time. Romance has long been missing…
With the successful relaunch and expansion of the Archie universe, it’s no surprise that publishers continue to revisit other aging classics. They have name recognition across multiple demographics, and many of them are overdue for a revamp. Nancy Drew #1 (Dynamite) is the perfect example of how to initiate a…
Simon Spurrier is not the kind of comics creator who shies away from ambitious ideas. The recently wrapped Angelic sported pastel flying monkeys in an apocalyptic post-humans world, and Cry Havoc mixed monsters and myths informed by modern technology placed over the backdrop of Western colonialist warfare. So it’s…
A Walk Through Hell isn’t a hard sell for the right kind of reader. The largest hurdle it may need to clear is that a lot of readers still haven’t heard of Aftershock Comics, a relatively new publisher founded just three years ago but that’s already recruited talents like Warren Ellis, Marguerite Bennett, Amanda…
