I’ve been reading lot’s more comics recently, both for work as I continue to develop two seperate comics courses for middle and high schoolers, but also for personal pleasure. I’ll still do bigger reviews for comics that I want to dig a bit more deeply into, but for now enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving meal of some (mostly) light and fun comics.
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Read if Looking for: quiet yet deep emotions, slow burn lesbian romance, weird spaceships, feisty characters.
This is a graphic novel that’s already being shortlisted as a timeless classic, and it honestly probably deserved a full review with how good and nuanced it is. I’ve read some of Walden’s shorter comics, and quite liked them. On a Sunbeam did not disappoint. It’s a science fiction epic featuring a slow burn romance, teenage angst done well, and a found family crew of restorationists with a history of taking their ship to very illegal places. The story was good, but Walden’s art is the star here. She’s a master of stillness and scale, mixing stark black with immersive and dramatic coloring choices. The entire book is a contrast between the epic proportions of deep space and the infinite depths of human emotion. Similarly, it is uninterested in a lot of traditionally classic science fiction elements: Why are the spaceships all fish? Why are there seemingly no men left alive? What type of technology is allowing characters to travel to the far edges of space in relatively little time? None of these questions will be answered, and I think having those answers would have detracted from the emotional beats the story was aiming for.
I think I was in the mood for something a bit faster paced while I read this, but a slow story was absolutely the right choice. It’s type of book I recommend with a warm cup of coffee, and is a great pick for the wintertime when the days are short. Features a cast entirely of women and nonbinary folks, with two lesbian relationships forming the core of the story.
Real Hero Shit by Kendra Wells
Read if Looking For: dysfunctional D&D parties, quippy dialogue, diverse queer representation, lighthearted and fun reads
This is definitely not the best comic I’ve read recently, but it was delightfully mindless fun. A ½ elf ½ devil prince impulsively decides to go adventuring as a way to break up the monotony of his life as the quintessential chaotic bisexual fuckboy. The trio of adventurers who ends up stuck with him (a gay elf rogue on the run from his past, a nonbinary cleric who uses e/eir pronouns, and a mage who has a bone to pick with the monarchy) reluctantly show him the ropes as they travel to a small town to investigate a series of deaths there. The plot didn’t quite hold together, but I liked the trajectory of character relationships, and it felt like the best type of comedy D&D podcast I can think of. Unless that vibe appeals to you though, I don’t think there’s much to offer from this. I loved it.
I wish the author had taken more (any) risks with panel layout. Even comparing the pages here to the others in this set of 5, it just feels a bit basic. I also see Wells laying the groundwork for a more serious sequel (which comes out next year, and which I will be reading) that looks to engage a bit more seriously in how royalty bears the weight of the actions of their predecessors, as well as some pretty dark backstories that got hinted at (torture flashbacks seem likely). However, I can’t credit this volume with any thematic work yet, even if I hope it’s coming down the pipeline.
The Witch’s Egg by Donya Todd
Read if Looking For: weird and quirky stories, eldritch horror fairy tales, tonal whiplash
This was a bit of a psychedelic adventure about a bisexual witch trying to ensure the safety of her egg. With art inspired by medieval woodcuts and quite a lot of old-style language, there was a lot that felt different from what I normally read. Todd was less concerned with traditional narrative structures or classic panel layouts than crafting a hallucinogenic throughline to follow this cat/witch hybrid. There were bits that didn’t make sense to me (which I was fine with) and more than a few moments where modern language shone through (I was less fine with this). Why does an angel of death have a valley girl accent? Why are spells that could have come from Macbeth living on the same page as texting abbreviations? I wish Todd had been more consistent in tone, as the rapid shifting between meme-culture and archaic dampened some of the really cool stylistic choices being made. My gut is that most won’t care for this, but those who like it will really like it.
(I did receive this book for free as a giveaway for participating in an AMA with the author on reddit. I was not asked to review it, nor do I think they even know this blog exists)
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
Read if Looking For: a modern take on ‘you’ve got mail’ (sort of), realistic fiction comics that dip their toes ever so slightly into fairy tales, honest characters and family dynamics, cozy and warm writing.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen is one of my all time favorite reads. When his next graphic novel dropped, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Angelica and the Bear Prince is … well it’s fine. It’s good, even. It just isn’t the perfection of The Magic Fish. In his author’s note, Ngyuen talked about how the tonal shift between these two books was intentional, and that he would be happy to have created something that people would call ‘vapid’ after the emotional intensity of his debut. And this book is a great winter book, a little bit like a hallmark movie for high school students.
Angelica (Jelly) quit most of her overwhelming workload after getting severe burnout. Her first step back into activities is helping out at a local theater company she has adored for years, and whose mascot she’s been chatting with in her DMs. She doesn’t know that the kid inside the costume is an old friend with a crush. Meanwhile, her best friend is going through relationship problems, and her family is grieving the death of her maternal grandmother. A retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon serves as a through-line for the story, providing parallels between the realistic fiction narrative and the fairy tale itself. Solidly good, but it’s not a book I’ll reread. On the bright side, Nguyen is still one of the best illustrators of hair I’ve found.
Spirit World by Alyssa Wong
Read if Looking For: gorgeous illustrations, plenty of fight scenes, nonbinary badasses, did I mention how great the art is?
Set in the DC extended universe, Spirit World follows Xanthe, who splits their time between the world of the living and the dead. They fold origami, using the finished products to summon full-sized counterparts to help in battle and investigation. In this mini-series, Xanthe teams up with Batgirl (a martial artist) and Constantine (a sorcerer) to investigate violent spirits that have been sneaking into the world of the living, and the troubles facing the Spirit World.
I thought that Haining did a phenomenal job with the illustrations. The pages are saturated with beautiful colors, dynamic fight scenes, a wide variety of gorgeously rendered villains. I think I’d describe this as a feast for the eyes, and I absolutely want to read more comics with art by them. Unfortunately, I found the story disjointed. It wanted to introduce and resolve a problem each chapter, instead of developing a storyline naturally over the course of an entire volume. Each chapter needs to stand in isolation if readers haven’t seen any others, but are also trying to build towards something greater. This overly-segmented story was then peppered with references to other events in the DC universe. It’s the type of reading that assumes you’re operating in a larger ecosystem, instead of consuming a single discrete story. Undoubtedly rewarding for those in that space, but a detriment to those who picked up this singular comic in isolation. This is a fairly common choice in superhero comics, and it remains one I dislike. Overall though, this was a light, fun, and action packed story with phenomenal art.
Marked for Plot 