Putin’s Russia: The Rise of a Dictator by Darryl Cunningham My rating: 4 of 5 stars My goodness, this is a heck of a book. I finished it and had to make a mixture of ‘wait, what’ faces at the wall to calm down. Putin’s Russia has been on my wavelength for a while (IContinue reading “Putin’s Russia, the rise of a dictator by Darryl Cunningham”
Tag Archives: Comics / Graphic Novels
Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier My rating: 5 of 5 stars I recently found the first five of the graphic novel Baby-Sitters Club books in a local charity shop and reader, I screamed and grabbed them all and cackled my way home. I find these books intensely charming and rather brilliant things and so,Continue reading “Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier”
The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla
The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Retelling of the Secret Garden by Ivy Noelle Weir My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s difficult to tell you how much I loved this book without just shrieking “I LOVED THIS BOOK” and basically just repeating that for several paragraphs or so. The Secret Garden onContinue reading “The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla”
Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
Killing and Dying: Stories by Adrian Tomine My rating: 4 of 5 stars Hovering somewhere between literary fiction, comic, short story, and ‘crisp, stark ruminations about life’, Killing and Dying has left me a little bit breathless. I found it almost by accident in the library and picked it up because I am always hereContinue reading “Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine”
Welcome To The New World by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan
Welcome to the New World by Jake Halpern My rating: 4 of 5 stars A thoughtful and eloquent “graphic novel and true story” Welcome To The New World is the story of an arrival. The Aldabaan family, originally from Syria, have arrived in America at the same time that Donald Trump has arrived in theContinue reading “Welcome To The New World by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan”
Wonder Pony by Marie Spénale
Wonder Pony by Marie Spenale My rating: 4 of 5 stars God, I found this so incredibly charming. It’s a rather deliciously eccentric comic which details the adventures of Louison at her new boarding school. That includes all the normal parts of new school life – making friends and finding a place in the worldContinue reading “Wonder Pony by Marie Spénale”
Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg
Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am increasingly conscious that I am moving closer to the world of the Brontës, falling in love with it, and not being remotely mad about this, not at all. I would have fought against this a fewContinue reading “Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg”
Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart
Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart My rating: 4 of 5 stars Existing within the city – within the world – is often no simple nor straightforward thing, particularly for a woman and Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart is no simple nor straightforward thing. It is a complex, challenging, reflexive, and occasionally deeply wonderful meditation onContinue reading “Walking Distance by Lizzy Stewart”
The Dead Queen Detectives : The Crown Jewels by Bevis Musson
The Dead Queen Detectives : The Crown Jewels by Bevis Musson My rating: 4 of 5 stars One of the things I like to do is tweet about when I’m going to a comics convention and ask for advice on what to buy. I know what I like – feminist, girl-focused comics – and IContinue reading “The Dead Queen Detectives : The Crown Jewels by Bevis Musson”
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, a modern retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved this. So much. Little Women is one of those iconic texts and retellings of iconic texts can be challenging things. Do you stick with the iconic or do you goContinue reading “Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, a modern retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo”
Three Sisters of Haworth : Girl Annual 5
This is GIRL. It was launched in 1951 as a sister title to EAGLE, and I have a lot of love for it. Comics of this period are endlessly fascinating in how they look outward; the world was there for the taking, and this was a generation that both would – and could – takeContinue reading “Three Sisters of Haworth : Girl Annual 5”
To Kill A Mockingbird by Haper Lee, adapted and illustrated by Fred Fordham
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s kind of terrifying to adapt something because you’re not just adapting the thing in question. You’re trying to adapt the aura of it; some books have this indefinable something about them that you can’t ever pin down inContinue reading “To Kill A Mockingbird by Haper Lee, adapted and illustrated by Fred Fordham”
El Deafo by Cece Bell
El Deafo by Cece Bell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Sometimes, due to library reservation queues and the like, it takes me a long time to get to a book. And that’s a good thing, because it tells me that it’s being talked about, that it’s being passed from hand to hand fever-quick andContinue reading “El Deafo by Cece Bell”
Alpha : Bessora, Barroux, (Sarah Ardizzone (trans.))
Alpha. Abidjan to Gare du Nord by Bessora My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s difficult to know how to classify this raw and brilliant book, so perhaps I shall classify it as a story about people and leave it at that. I was lucky enough to interview Bessora, and her translator Sarah Ardizzone hereContinue reading “Alpha : Bessora, Barroux, (Sarah Ardizzone (trans.))”
The Arrival : Shaun Tan
The Arrival by Shaun Tan My rating: 5 of 5 stars It hit me recently that I’d never reviewed this, this story of eloquence and love and shadows, and that was something I had to make right. The Arrival holds a difficult place in my heart in that, I think, I read it too soon.Continue reading “The Arrival : Shaun Tan”
Collecting Sticks : Joe Decie
Collecting Sticks by Joe Decie My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was at a conference the other day where talk turned to the idea of ‘kindness’ and how writing can give an opportunity for emotions to be expressed another way. To shine a light into the darkness. It’s a complex idea and one thatContinue reading “Collecting Sticks : Joe Decie”
The Pirates of Pangaea : Daniel Hartwell & Neill Cameron
The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 by Dan Hartwell My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Like H Rider Haggard. But with dinosaurs.” That was how I described this dynamic and rather wonderful comic from the team of Daniel Hartwell and Neill Cameron; the Pirates of Pangaea gives us boy’s own adventures, cut from the pagesContinue reading “The Pirates of Pangaea : Daniel Hartwell & Neill Cameron”
The Motherless Oven : Rob Davis
The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis My rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s hard to review this twisting, dark labyrinth of a book because reading it felt less like reading, and more like a theatrical experience. I’m conscious that that’s such a loose way to talk about reading for every text is full of theatreContinue reading “The Motherless Oven : Rob Davis”
Briony Hatch : Penelope & Ginny Skinner
Briony Hatch by Penelope Skinner My rating: 4 of 5 stars Briony Hatch is a slim graphic novel, coloured in black and whites and reminiscent of something doodled in pen and ink on the inside of an exercise book. It’s definitely a story of two halves; the intense teenage ennui of life and the struggleContinue reading “Briony Hatch : Penelope & Ginny Skinner”
Nancy Drew – Ghost In The Machinery : Stefan Petrucha & Sho Murase
Ghost in the Machinery by Stefan Petrucha My rating: 3 of 5 stars An odd thing this, but sort of madly appealing in a problematic sort of way; Ghost In The Machinery is an adventure “so big that it takes three graphic novels to tell the whole story”. Ghost In The Machinery is the firstContinue reading “Nancy Drew – Ghost In The Machinery : Stefan Petrucha & Sho Murase”
Corpse Talk : Adam T Murphy
Corpse Talk by Murphy, Adam My rating: 5 of 5 stars Corpse Talk is lovely. That’s an odd thing to say about a series of comics situated around the idea of the creator, Adam Murphy, interviewing various corpses that have been dug up. The corpses are all famous people such as Marie Antoinette, Henry VII,Continue reading “Corpse Talk : Adam T Murphy”
Endangered and More Strange Stories : Art Heroes
I am going to be attending Thought Bubble soon. (Which is exciting, no? I do love me some conventions. Last time I attended one, aaages ago, my friend and I spoke to Paul Cornell and asked him to stop making stories which make us cry. We saw Paul leave shortly after. No connection, I promiseContinue reading “Endangered and More Strange Stories : Art Heroes”
Smile : Raina Telgemeier
Smile by Raina Telgemeier My rating: 5 of 5 stars There is very little about this adorable, funny and heartfelt coming of age comic that I did not love. Inspired by the authors own dental experiences, Raina goes through the most epic of toothly sagas after falling over and losing her two front teeth. WeContinue reading “Smile : Raina Telgemeier”
The Tentacles of Doom : Andi Watson
The Tentacles of Doom!. Andi Watson by Andi Watson My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s something sort of relentlessly appealing about Gum Girl and it’s something you sort of have to accept. This collection of three short stories, the second in the series (the first being Catastrophe Calling) are very carefully crafted adventures ofContinue reading “The Tentacles of Doom : Andi Watson”
I Kill Giants : Joe Kelly & JM Ken Niimura
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s hard to precis a book like this without throwing immense spoilers around the room and pointing to said spoilers with neon flashing arrows. As a result of this, I hope you’ll forgive me for delivering a fairly bald synopsis albeit it oneContinue reading “I Kill Giants : Joe Kelly & JM Ken Niimura”
The Savage : David Almond / Dave McKean
The Savage by David Almond My rating: 5 of 5 stars The wild child phenomenon is something that’s been represented repeatedly in literature, perhaps most notably in the case of The Wild Boy of Aveyron. But it’s never been treated like this. Almond and McKean have produced a strange, enthralling hybrid of a book. It’sContinue reading “The Savage : David Almond / Dave McKean”
Avengers vs X-Men : Brian Michael Bendis
Avengers vs. X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis My rating: 2 of 5 stars Whilst doing my ritual X-Men and Avengers “Who’s Alive? Who’s Dead” Game proved somewhat easier in this book (basically everybody’s everything!), I remain somewhat disappointed at the final product. The Phoenix is back. And I properly love the Phoenix and have doneContinue reading “Avengers vs X-Men : Brian Michael Bendis”
A Family Secret : Eric Heuvel
A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked this up alongside The Search by the same author. Both books are published in collaboration with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and focus on the Dutch during World War Two. Whilst I found the sister title a little structurally awkward,Continue reading “A Family Secret : Eric Heuvel”
The Walking Dead (Volume One – Days Gone By) : Robert Kirkman & Tony Moor
The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman My rating: 5 of 5 stars I came to this series after getting hooked on the TV adaptation. I’d heard of it, watched it fly off the shelves in my library, but never really connected with it. The stunning cinematography in the show andContinue reading “The Walking Dead (Volume One – Days Gone By) : Robert Kirkman & Tony Moor”
Maus : Art Spiegelman
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman My rating: 5 of 5 stars With books like Maus, that have become epochal, it is sometimes hard to know where to begin. So this review shall begin at the beginning; at the start of things, where my knowledge of comics was that of the 90s X Men cartoonContinue reading “Maus : Art Spiegelman”
Vern and Lettuce : Sarah McIntyre
If you’ve not discovered the utter, and continual, joys of the DFC Library then now’s the time to do so. Every title I’ve picked up from their imprint has been uniformly outstanding – and I’m so pleased that Sarah McIntyre’s ‘Vern and Lettuce’ compilation is another one to add to that list. Lettuce the rabbit, andContinue reading “Vern and Lettuce : Sarah McIntyre”
Beowulf : Gareth Hinds
Beowulf by Gareth Hinds My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book. Oh this glorious, and gorgeous, and breath-taking book. Based on the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, this graphic novel adaptation by Gareth Hinds. is stunning. I’ve not read the original poem so cannot comment on the translation of the narrative, or its adherence toContinue reading “Beowulf : Gareth Hinds”
Les Bandes Dessinées
Bandes Dessinées (BDs) are a staple of my French holidays. Ever since childhood, I remember walking past the rows and rows of graphic novels in the supermarket. And the thing that got me was that they were just so simply *there*. Not tucked away in some specialist little shop, or hidden ashamedly round the backContinue reading “Les Bandes Dessinées”
Charm School – Advice For The Thoroughly Modern Girl
Charm School Advice For The Thoroughly Modern Girl by Lara Maiklem My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh how I love this book let me count the ways. Split into three parts, it’s a collection of comic strips from the 1950s magazine for girls called, um, ‘Girl’. What Girl did was it published a seriesContinue reading “Charm School – Advice For The Thoroughly Modern Girl”
Pride of Baghdad : Brian K Vaughan & Niko Henrichon
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Have I told you how much I love Pride? I fell in love with Brian K Vaughan after discovering Runaways (which I blogged about here) and first discovered Pride on a day when the rains opened and I sheltered in a libraryContinue reading “Pride of Baghdad : Brian K Vaughan & Niko Henrichon”
Angel & Faith – Live Through This : Christos N. Gage, Rebekah Isaacs
Angel & Faith: Live through This by Christos N. Gage My rating: 5 of 5 stars Being in a post season eight funk, I approached this book with some trepidation. Angel coming to terms with his actions? Great. Whatever. And then Faith told Angel: “Y’know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes about as much senseContinue reading “Angel & Faith – Live Through This : Christos N. Gage, Rebekah Isaacs”
Runaways (a love letter)
Dear Runaways, May I tell you a secret? I still love you. Gert. Nico. Karolina. Molly. Mighty Molly Hayes with your hat of awesome. I still love you. All of you. My beautiful, brilliant, bad-as-hell Runaways. When I saw that the second round of the Women Write About Comics blog carnival was Favourite Stories StarringContinue reading “Runaways (a love letter)”
Gingerbread Girl : Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover
Gingerbread Girl by Paul Tobin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Gingerbread Girl. I’d seen a few pages of it before and always meant to read this. I was, I admit, heavily attracted by the Vertigo-esque cover design. I remembered Gingerbread Girl existed when I saw that there’d been a review posted on Twitter byContinue reading “Gingerbread Girl : Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover”
X23 #1 just blew my mind
(Please note: some of the content / images of what I’m about to link to and discuss may prove upsetting). Language is an amazing thing. I’ve read books which can slice you open; knives ripping inside your head to let the emotion spill out. And it blows my mind each and every time I readContinue reading “X23 #1 just blew my mind”
The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels : Danny Fingeroth
The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels by Danny Fingeroth My rating: 2 of 5 stars Whilst there’s no doubt that The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels is well researched and covers certain angles of the comic book industry in great depth, I found it distinctly less exciting than I’d hoped. There’s something awkward about reviewingContinue reading “The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels : Danny Fingeroth”
Amanda Waller : before & after
My second post in my series of graphic novel related issues makes me sad. I’ve spoken before about my confusion over how women are represented in comics: Fat is a graphic issue and it’s something that I still have issues with. And Amanda Waller’s redesign (reboot? I’m genuinely not sure what to call it) has depressedContinue reading “Amanda Waller : before & after”
Moments like this make me love comics
Check this out. It’s ‘The Waiting Room’ by Sarah Glidden. This blew my mind a little bit. I love the artwork. The quietness of the watercolours make each panel into a curious mixture of dreams and reality. There’s such a harmony to this; the characters complement the words and the words complement the characters soContinue reading “Moments like this make me love comics”
Daisy May Johnson 