The Italian cartoonist Gipi is still an unfamiliar name for most American readers. His work first became available in English when First Second imported his Notes For A War Story in 2007, and the couple of works that followed announced Gipi as one of the next great Italian cartoonists in a decade beset with European…
In Blackbird Days (Fantagraphics Books) the Italian master Manuele Fior plays with form and style in a series of experimental shorts, some of which appear like brief notes on a scene, while others are more elaborated and developed narratives. It’s difficult to pick a favorite, but the collection’s final story, “Gare…
Music is a notoriously difficult artform to depict on the comic-book page, but French cartoonist Blutch gives a master class in musical visualization with Total Jazz (Fantagraphics), a collection of comic strips originally published in Jazzman magazine. The majority have no dialogue, but they are far from silent.…
Every two weeks, Big Issues focuses on a newly released comic book of significance. This week, it is Why Art? Written and drawn by Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy, You & A Bike & A Road), this original graphic novel details the necessity of art with a blend of philosophy, spectacle, humor, and heart. This review…
“[I]n its latest move, 2 Dope Queens retains more than just its title. The show also maintains the same warmth, humor, and relevance, as [Phoebe] Robinson and [Jessica] Williams keep on riffing, parsing, and sharing. There are obviously some noticeable changes in this new medium, like relocating to an actual (movie)…
The world of alternative/indie comics is so big that it helps to have a tour guide, and anthologies are a great way of discovering new (or new-to-you) talent through a curated lineup. There are loads of anthologies on Kickstarter built around different genres, topics, and creator demographics, and while they have…
In comics, bodies can contort and shift and slide in every way imaginable—changing in size, proportion, color, or detail, from panel to panel, without losing a sense of continuity between them. Gender and sexuality also communicate something to others that changes based on context. In comics, that context can change…
The world of comic books is always expanding, and as more creators push the boundaries of the medium, they inspire new talents who continue to experiment and innovate. 2018 promises some exceptional works from a mix of industry veterans and rising stars, including unconventional new takes on established superheroes,…
Drugs and strip clubs.
Every two weeks, Big Issues focuses on a newly released comic book of significance. This week, it’s Zegas, a graphic novel by Michel Fiffe (COPRA, All-New Ultimates) that pairs ambitious, unorthodox visuals with intimate character storytelling.
Most comic readers will know Michel Fiffe from his self-published superhero series Copra, which reimagines DC’s Suicide Squad and other ’80s superheroes with a radically innovative art style and a story that is both emotionally grounded and exceptionally weird. All of those creative elements are on display in Zegas, a…
Over the course of the Atlantic slave trade, Brazil received more enslaved Africans than any other country in the world—approximately 40 percent of all enslaved Africans landed in Brazil. This fact is often overlooked, and, with it, the rich, lengthy, and tumultuous story of slave escapes and rebellions in Brazil.…
The rise of the Artist Edition is a highlight of the last decade in comics. IDW has been regularly releasing oversized hardcovers reproducing original artwork with full-color, high-resolution scans, and they are the closest most readers will get to raw pages from legends like Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, and Mike Mignola.…
On a distant alien planet, a quartet of human women have been tasked with researching the environment and civilizing the natives. But as is typical of these types of endeavors in science fiction, things go horribly wrong. Sophie Goldstein’s House Of Women is a striking, suspenseful new graphic novel from…
Cartoonist Katie Skelly has made a reputation for herself with her sexy, darkly comedic comics and illustrations, and she’s bringing her talent to Fantagraphics with this week’s My Pretty Vampire, an oversized hardcover graphic novel following a Brigitte Bardot-inspired vampire as she reclaims her agency from men that…
Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez were inducted into the Eisner Awards’ Hall of Fame last month, recognizing their cartooning excellence and specifically their sprawling work on Love And Rockets. Their Fantagraphics series debuted 35 years ago, and it’s still going strong, recently returning to a magazine format and a…
From war-torn South Vietnam to the apartment of supernatural stoners to a psychedelic plane of reality inside a laundry machine, the best comic books of 2017 (thus far) have taken readers to some fascinating places. The A.V. Club has assembled a list of the can’t-miss titles from the first half of the year, and it’s…
As the graphic novel market continues to grow, the medium is increasingly popular for established novelists who want to add a visual component to their stories. Writer Scott Westerfeld has already dabbled in comics with graphic novel spin-offs to his best-selling Uglies YA book series, but Spill Zone (First Second) is…
Norwegian cartoonist Jason is internationally renowned for his minimalist, deadpan comics starring anthropomorphized animal characters, but he’s doing something different with his latest Fantagraphics graphic novel. His visual style isn’t changing, but the subject matter is—for the first time ever, Jason is bringing…
Fante Bukowski is a horrible writer, but that doesn’t stop him from aggressively trying to get his work out into the world. The titular character of Noah Van Sciver’s Fante Bukowski graphic novels is rude, ignorant, and belligerent, and when he sets his mind on something, nothing can get in his way. Bukowski’s debut…
