In the 1940s and 1950s, mental health issues were often ignored. A Japanese artist named Kusama heard voices, had panic attacks, and suffered from hallucinations. Why? It is a chicken and an egg question. Did Kusama’s mental health issues drive her mother to be strict? Or did her mother’s harshContinue Reading
Who doesn’t know Willie Nelson? From his iconic long braids to his Farm Aid concerts, Willie has long been in the public eye. But what other things about Willie’s history are most people aware of? Not many. For that, there is Willie Nelson: A Graphic History. Willie was born inContinue Reading
Atlas at War! contains 50 war comics that initially ran from 1951 to 1960. The comics are raw and violent—just like the wars they depict. They are definitely not politically correct, especially to the villains of World War II and the Korean War. However, the stories give us an opportunityContinue Reading
In Not Your Idol Vol 2, high school students Nina and Hikaru continue to explore their relationship. But now there is another student trying to break them up. I was disappointed by Vol 2. It was much slower paced than the first volume, which I loved. There are many conversationsContinue Reading
The Forger family return in Spy X Family Vol 2. Spy dad Loid, assassin mom Yor, and telepathic adopted daughter Anya return to prevent a world war from being started in Westalis. But first, they have to enroll Anya in the prestigious Eden Academy and have her befriend the evilContinue Reading
Teenage Erica has an ultra-religious family. She also has night terrors and/or sleep paralysis, where she imagines a demon is after her. When the family moves to a new town, Erica has The Watcher as her next-door neighbor. Is he just a pervy peeper or does he want something more?Continue Reading
Venus in the Blind Spot is an excellent horror manga story collection that is highly recommended for its original plots. Someone is killing the young people in Japan! Killing, undressing, and stitching them together with fishing line. It occurs whenever two or more people gather together. A group called BillionsContinue Reading
If you are not Catholic, Lutheran, LDS, Reformed or Orthodox, you may not have been taught what happened to Jesus after he was crucified and before he was resurrected. The Harrowing of Hell tells of Jesus descent into the underworld. Whether you are a believer in the story or not,Continue Reading
Smart Ruby, princess Weiss, athletic Blake, and Ruby’s older sister Yang are roommates at Beacon Academy hoping to become huntresses to kill Grimm in RWBY: The Official Manga Vol 1. Who doesn’t like a school setting where the students are training to be something extraordinary? Harry Potter and the X-MenContinue Reading
“They’ve turned the Empire State Building into a—no…it can’t be…a giant pantry? And we’re the meals.” —from the epic graphic novel, Vampire State Building. During a remodeling, a mysterious hidden room with a locked iron door is found behind the walls of the Empire State Building. After opening the room,Continue Reading
An island in Estonia is being ruled by children who kill everyone over 40 because “You are Obsolete.” The children’s leader, Martina, has asked Livia to tell their story to the world. Livia is horrified. Just because you call out the source material you are copying (Twilight Zone and Logan’sContinue Reading
The Face of Struggle is an excellent example of how art alone can tell a story. There are no words—only pictures explaining the tale. The pictures are drawn like woodcuts. They use only black, red and negative white space to show the plot. And what a timely storyline! Trump supportersContinue Reading
Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows is a good example of the atmospheric horror of the 1800s despite being published in 1907. Think of the books (not the movies) Dracula and Frankenstein. I thought the pen and ink drawings were effective in depicting the plot. However, a bit of color would haveContinue Reading
It takes more than DNA to make a family. See how this is purely evident in the excellent manga, Spy x Family Vol 1. “Everyone has a secret self they don’t show to other people. Not to friends…not to lovers…not even to family. They hide who they are and whatContinue Reading
Something is Killing the Children Vol 1 is an excellent start to a new horror comic series. One dark night, four boys are playing truth or dare. James tells a story about a monster in a ravine. The other boys don’t believe him and go to the ravine to proveContinue Reading
Something evil lurks inside a Long Beach warehouse in A Walk Through Hell. Two FBI agents, Goss and Hunzikker, walk into a warehouse never to return. An eight-person SWAT team is sent in to find the missing agents. Thirty seconds later, they come out talking of dread and someone comingContinue Reading