By Fumi Yoshinaga
200 pages, black and white
Published by Digital Manga Publishing
Some books just defy any neat sort of categorization. That’s definitely the case with the first volume of Fumi Toshinaga’s Antique Bakery. Is it a romance? A workplace comedy? A series of mysteries? Well… apparently, the answer is that it’s whatever Toshinaga feels like at that given moment. And oddly enough, once it gives up trying to fall into a single style or category, that’s when it begins to shine.
By Thom Zahler
24 pages, color
Published by Maerkle Press
Some characters in comics are for all intents and purposes archetypes, the basic ideas and concepts that people look to. As such, it’s not uncommon to see analogues of these characters show up in other comics, especially ones like Superman and Wonder Woman. Reading Thom Zahler’s Love and Capes, however, reminded me that just because you’re using an archetype doesn’t preclude you from having a really good comic.
By Ivan Velez Jr.
104 pages, black and white
Published by Planet Bronx Productions
Over a decade ago, the Milestone Media title Blood Syndicate debuted. I was familiar with one of the two writers of that first issue, Dwayne McDuffie, but who was this Ivan Velez Jr. guy? After doing a little research (thanks in no small part to both McDuffie and Velez being on the now-defunct GEnie computer network) I found out that he’d also written and drawn a book called Tales of the Closet. I remember receiving the first four issues in the mail soon afterwards, and as silly as it sounds, if one could read a comic until the ink wore out that’s exactly what would’ve happened. Now Velez is collecting the entire series into three trade paperbacks, and I for one am delighted that a whole new audience will be able to find this series.
By Josh Howard
32 pages, color
Published by Devil’s Due Publishing
I prefer to read two issues of a comic book before I review it. It helps me get a better feel for the book; if it can maintain what was set up in the first issue, as well as to see exactly where it’s going. It’s a strategy that often pays off; in the case of a book like Black Harvest, what I saw between the first and second issues was different indeed.
Written by Dave Roman
Art by John Green
32 pages, black and white
Published by Cryptic Press
It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with Dave Roman and John Green’s Quicken Forbidden, a distinctly unusual and inventive comic series about a young girl who discovers that going down the proverbial rabbit hole is much more dangerous than Alice let on. And what better time to take a look at Quicken Forbidden than its final issue… right? Well, yes, actually.
By Will Allison
120 pages, black and white
Published by Radio Comix
When I first heard the title Pervert Club I was a little dubious. My initial reaction was that it was somehow a book that would be making fun of others, or somehow mocking. It wasn’t until an hour later that it suddenly hit me that there was a much more logical use of the word “pervert”—that the word was being reclaimed as a badge of honor, not shame. And happily? That’s exactly the case for this first collection of Will Allison’s fun little comic.
By Tim Fish
192 pages, black and white
Published by Poison Press
With the invasion of comics from Japan into English now in full force, newer readers might be surprised that just a few years ago many people would find it odd to see romance comics of any sort on sale. Now, of course, such a beast is a bit more unsurprising. That means it’s a perfect time for Tim Fish to collect his Cavalcade of Boys comic; if there was ever a modern comic book audience that wants more good romance comics, that time is definitely now.
By Robert Goodin
32 pages, black and white
Published by Robot Publishing
Years ago, Robert Goodin’s Robot Publishing released a bunch of gorgeous mini-comics that couldn’t help but catch your eye. They were full color, professionally printed, and all beautifully drawn by a wide variety of creators. Robot Publishing folded up shop a while ago, and I was sad to it go. Now Goodin’s just released his own mini-comic, Après-Shampooing, and just reading the stories reminded me how much I missed his taste in comics.
By Carla Speed McNeil
24 pages, black and white
Published by Lightspeed Press
In a serialized story, it’s understandable if a several-month gap between chapters leaves you a little perplexed when the next installment arrives. There are a few “once in a blue moon” series that have me pulling out all previous issues when a new issue hits the stands. Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder makes me do that, but for a very different reason. Each issue is a master of bringing you instantly into the story without confusion; you’ll want to re-read the entire story to date simply because you’re so entranced.
By Dave Johnson
56 pages, black and white
Published by Atomeka Press
Dave Johnson is an artist whose work primarily graces covers on comics like 100 Bullets and Detective Comics. Aside from his work on books like Superman: Red Son it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen him produce anything but some thoroughly striking covers. That was one of the most exciting things about The Johnson Sketchbook—seeing more pencils and inks from one of comics’s most accomplished cover artists.
