Welcome to The A.V. Club’s monthly comics preview, where we recommend new books to check out over the next few weeks. This month, we’ve got five noteworthy picks, including Hello Kitty’s new ongoing series, a poignant graphic novel debut, a madcap rom-com, and a thunderous superhero milestone.
The Nightingales by Emil Wilson (August 4)
The looseness and spontaneity of a sketchbook makes it a remarkably effective storytelling tool for cartoonists (see: Emil Ferris’ groundbreaking My Favorite Thing Is Monsters), blurring the line between character and creator by giving the reader the impression that they have accessed a personal document. Emil Wilson’s debut graphic novel, The Nightingales (Avid Reader Press), is the sketchbook of a teenage girl in 1985 small-town Oregon chronicling her experience with a new houseguest: her father’s coworker, a gay man with AIDS. The book is based on true events from Wilson’s life but he takes the perspective of his younger sister, making the book an exercise in familial empathy. Wilson comes from the world of advertising and design, and he embraces the sketchbook form as a way to break free from traditional comic-book layouts and explore more fluid ways of blending text and visuals. This also encourages experimentation as Wilson experiments with different styles to develop his voice, which in turn enriches the emotional journey of his lead character.
The Nightingales (Avid Reader Press)
Chachu #1 by Iman Vellani, Marianna Ignazzi, and Jordie Bellaire (August 5)
Iman Vellani’s turn as Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan is one of the standout performances of the post-Endgame MCU, and her real-life experience in Hollywood informs the story of her first creator-owned comic, Chachu (Image Comics). A five-issue mystery featuring art by Marianna Ignazzi and colorist Jordie Bellaire, Chachu follows a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian woman, Leila, who travels to Los Angeles to track down her estranged uncle and ends up working with him to find his missing young starlet wife. Set in 1979, the story gives Vellani the opportunity to craft a crime story without modern technological shortcuts, just an uncle and his niece hitting the road and bonding through their investigation. Ignazzi’s work on Catwoman and Exquisite Corpses (with Bellaire) has made her a rising star thanks to her crisp linework and expressive use of light and shadow. Chachu’s specific time period brings even more style to Ignazzi’s work as she incorporates the clothing, decor, and vehicular design of the late ’70s, with Bellaire grounding the story in era-appropriate browns, oranges, and smoky blues.
Chachu (Image Comics)
Hello Kitty: Hello World! #1 by Mariko Tamaki and Cody Lemieux (August 12)
Mariko Tamaki is best known for dramatic character studies like her graphic novel collaborations with her cousin, Jillian Tamaki, and the recent three-time Eisner Award winner, This Place Kills Me, but she’s equally adept with frothier fare. Tamaki’s two Double Trouble miniseries for Marvel were adorable takes on superhero rivalries, and now she’s taking on a global emblem of wholesome cuteness with Hello Kitty: Hello World! (IDW), the character’s first ongoing comic series. Hello Kitty’s world is shaken off its axis when the objects most associated with different Sanrio characters go missing, turning animal against animal as suspicion and paranoia overtake the community. Building the story around Sanrio’s visual iconography indicates just how important aesthetics are to the success of this property, and artist Cody Lemieux’s pitch-perfect artwork radiates warmth and candy-colored charm. It’s soft and simple in a very Sanrio way, channeling the same vibe that has made the company a merchandising juggernaut.
Hello Kitty: Hello World! (IDW)
Worst Man by Brandt&Stein (August 25)
When the wealthy need to terminate a romantic relationship, they hire Radcliffe Raleigh, a professional “worst man” that specializes in breaking up couples. It’s a juicy concept from the creative team Brandt&Stein, whose new graphic novel, Worst Man (Titan Comics), sends Radcliffe to a destination wedding where his presence triggers delightful rom-com chaos. The collaboration between Ted Brandt and Ro Stein is so tight that they publish work under a single shared artist name, and Worst Man showcases the effervescent energy that their partnership brings to the page. The character work is impeccable, from the designs to the facial expressions and body language, environments are captured in crisp detail, and the coloring gives everything a strong graphic punch. The vibrant palette heightens the playful qualities of a story full of wacky, sexy twists, and abstract backgrounds layer angular geometric blocks of color to evoke certain emotions. The result is a rom-com that takes advantage of the comic-book form to amp up both the humor and the dramatic stakes.
Worst Man (Titan Comics)
The Mortal Thor #14 (#800) by Al Ewing, Pasqual Ferry, Kieron Gillen, Chris Condon, and Jesse Lonergan (August 19)
Writer Al Ewing has been writing the adventures of the God Of Thunder since 2023, but his run drastically improved when The Immortal Thor gave way to The Mortal Thor last year. Thor “died” at the end of the previous series, and Sigurd Jarlson, a blond-haired hammer-wielding human, gives the story a new sense of purpose as Ewing and company explore how one ordinary (but still totally jacked) man stands up against corruption. Ewing also gains a sharper art team with rotating artists Pasqual Ferry and Juann Cabal, colorist Matt Milla, and top-tier guests like Jesús Saiz, providing a distinct visual identity for the status quo change. The Mortal Thor #14 (Marvel Comics) is an oversized special celebrating 800 issues of Thor comics, wrapping up the current storyline pitting Sigurd against Thor’s former alter ego turned villain, Donald Blake, and inviting some exceptional creators to play in the Asgardian sandbox. Details are scarce, but Kieron Gillen makes his grand return to this world with an unannounced artist, and writer Chris Condon teams up with artist Jesse Lonergan, whose work on last year’s Drome cemented him as one of the industry’s most innovative storytellers. It’s a starry celebration that should satisfy longtime Thor fans while continuing to push the character in an exciting new direction.
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