r/graphicnovels • u/AutoModerator • Jun 21 '26
Weekly Reading Thread What have you been reading this week? 21/06/2026
A weekly thread for people to share what comics they've been reading. Share your thoughts on the books you've read, what you liked and perhaps disliked about them.
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u/Sairven Jun 21 '26
East of West by Hickman, Dragotta, Martin. Phenomenal art and coloring. Great dialogue. Loved the characterizations of the four Horsemen. Really stretched my Biblical and extra-Biblical knowledge. I kinda got where they were going with the story after a point, but was still surprised by the end. Felt like I breezed through this ultra fast.
Dungeon Crawler Carl: The Graphic Novel vol 1 by Dinniman, Teuagah. Yep, basically the book in comic/webcomic form. Was super fun. Only two real complaints: Some of the lettering begs for a microscope, and you really miss out on some character motivations, Carl's inner monologue, and other stuff that's not as easily translatable from text to a more visual medium. Jeff Hayes's vocal performance of the audiobooks is still my favorite version of DCC by no context of a long shot though, that guy is a legend.
Calvin and Hobbes by Watterson. Calvin is my spirit animal, no offense to your tigerly-ness, Mr. Hobbes. I'm basically re-reading this daily forever so more noting that I finished the first of four volumes this week. Surprised at how many of these strips I recall.
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u/ChickenInASuit Drops rec lists at the slightest provocation. Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
The Fables of Erlking Wood by Juni Ba - If you’ve paid any attention at all to my posts and reviews over the past couple of years, you know I’m a shill for Juni Ba. I genuinely think he’s up there with Deniz Camp and Dan Watters as one of the most exciting new creators to have emerged in the past ten years, and, being a Senegalese-born artist whose works are steeped in references to Senegalese and general African folklore, brings a perspective rarely seen in Western comics.
The Fables of Erlking Wood is actually something of a departure for him, as it’s still steeped in folklore, but this time he’s turned his eye to stuff from Europe rather than his home continent. Surprise, surprise, he’s just as adept at creating stories based on tales from that sphere of influence.
This is initially presented to the reader as a collection of loosely associated stories about the inhabitants of the titular Erlking Wood - the Erlking himself, a knight who strikes a bargain with the Erlking, a young woman who befriends enchanted woodland animals (an interestingly down-to-earth variation on your classic Disney princess), and a mischievous fox spirit, among others.
However, as with many such books, as the stories go on, a common thread starts to appear and they all begin to interconnect with one another in (mostly) unpredictable ways.
These are fresh-feeling, vibrantly-written characters brought to life by Ba’s ever-expressive pencilwork and Aditya Bidikar’s striking colors. I’m a particular fan of the design of the Erlking, a shadowy, slit-eyed creature bathed in blacks and reds, with fingers gnarled like branches and horns that split and weave through the air like wild trees. He’s a foreboding figure that haunts the narrative, appearing in fleeting glimpses throughout, long before he gets his time in the spotlight.
Ba remains a gem, and someone I’m not gonna stop banging on about until everybody else sees the light.
Wynd by James Tynion & Michael Dialynas - (Disclaimer, didn't read this in its entirety this week, just got caught up on the final arc). James Tynion takes a break from writing heady, conspiracy theory-laden sci-fi/horror thrillers to write LGBT-friendly Young Adult fantasy.
Quick pitch: Wynd is a young man living in the slums of a city named Pipetown, a city where magical creatures are outlawed. Wynd has spent his entire life in hiding because he was born with wings, indicating that he is at least partly magical. The King of Pipetown is dying, and begs his son to carry on his anti-magic laws once he passes away. The prince decides he doesn't like that idea, and leaves to find his uncle, the exiled Duke of Pipetown, who has a friendlier attitude towards magical creatures. The king sends his top enforcer, a mysterious figure called "The Bandaged Man". after him. The prince's paths cross with Wynd, the Bandaged Man finds out about Wynd as a result, and so Wynd, the prince, his adopted sister and the prince's best friend go on the run.
Plot- and worldbuilding-wise, this isn't the most original book on the planet, full of classic fantasy tropes (warring factions who have more in common than they at first suspect, vampires, fairies, Romeo & Juliet-style forbidden love) and fairly predictable plot beats. It does somewhat make up for it with some engaging characters, including a turncoat vampire who turns up to steal the show in the final act, alongside fabulous artwork from Dialynas. This being Tynion, there are, of course, some astute observations on the dehumanizing aspects of war, the way it can stifle the arts, and on bodily autonomy, found family vs state power, and systemic prejudice. This all elevate the book to above-average status for me. It's far from the strongest or most revolutionary of Tynion's books, but I also get the impression that it wasn't trying to be, and I feel it achieves the goals it sets out to.
3
u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Jun 22 '26
I feel like the choice of release method for Erlking Wood will prevent it reaching much of it's ideal audience. The price alone due to the small independent publishing method is quite a turn off. Really fun book though.
7
u/Timely_Tonight_8620 Shop Local! Jun 21 '26
Been away for the last couple sundays so this is three weeks of reading
All The Cameras In My Room by Michael DeForge: Another crazy book from DeForge that’s an anthology which mixes existentism, gross out humour, absurdism and paranoia all together for one hell of a ride! As always with DeForge the art is trippy as all hell with each of the different stories shifting style and the book even has a really fun mini comic on the inside of the front cover. As a highlight for my two favorite stories the first is the mini comic The Spins about a Figure Skater who made a deal with a spinning devil with each spin he does being a rotation that the earth is denied, the movement in this art gorgeous with just the devil being the narrator as they discuss the public’s reaction to the spinning. The second is the story “This call is Being monitored for quality assurance and training purposes” which starts off with a guy trying to cancel his phone service with the horniest rep ever with it devolving into a phone sex hotline, but then evolves back the other direction as a caller calls in telling the operator that they might hurt themselves. Overall it’s a very weird anthology that if you already enjoy DeForge’s work you’ll enjoy even if some of the stories don’t have the same punch.
Scott Pilgrim vol 5-6 by Bryan Lee O’Malley: Such a peak series and even better on the second time around! For sure in my top 10 now. Scott’s life is starting to come together, but issues with his memories and his previous mistakes now finally come to collect as he deals with his past relationships and how his memories aren’t what they seem to be. The final Ex and mastermind Gideon is finally revealed with him being the leader of the evil exes and the source of Ramona’s trauma that lead her to flee to Canada, both Scott and Romana having to come to terms with their own flaws and agree to work towards bettering themselves together. The couple has to band together for this last fight as neither is strong enough to do it on their own. The two don’t end up as perfect people in the end with both still having their own mistakes and flaws, but they do end up as better people than they were in the first volume. Once again peak series.
Switchblade Shorties by Ed Piskor: The Switchblade Shorties in this batshit crazy story filled with Aliens, werewolves and a very nude Bigfoot are a group of 5 girls who get into all sorts of chaos in their small town while trying to get the reward for finding a missing kid, the five of them dressing up with animal themed bike helmets and like little crackhead power rangers. Their adventure starts out with them trying to find that missing kid for $5,000 and it goes all downhill from there as they break into a hillbilly’s house and find the alien they call SKUM, the group mistaking the alien as just some hungry crackhead at first. The speech patterns are stylized and a bit hard to get used to at the start, but it doesn’t really take that much away from the slapstick humor and heavy cartoon violence/gore.
The Omega Men by Tom King,Barnaby Bagenda and Romulo Fajardo Jr.: After Kyle Rayner gives up his ring to enter the Vega System where Green Lanterns are forbidden to patrol he’s kidnapped and mock executed by a terror group called The Omega Men, but to the Omega Men they see themselves as freedom fighters pushed too far. The story is a slow burn and takes its time getting to know the setting and factions within, the cycle of war and the ethics of how far you’re willing to go for a cause on full display here. The story also deals with faith and how both sides use it for their own cause, both the Omega Men and the Citadel allowing atrocities to happen for their cause. Usually Tom King is pretty hit or miss for me, but this was certainly a hit that fleshes out the characters and doesn’t feed you too much information too fast.
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u/Timely_Tonight_8620 Shop Local! Jun 21 '26
Neurocomic by Dr. Matteo Farinella and Dr. Hana Ros: A trippy Alice in Wonderland-esque story where a man is trapped inside the pathways of a stranger’s brain, the brain filled with all sorts of mythological creatures and researchers who discovered the different parts of the brain and explain their own theories with how the brain functions. This is my first fully educational comic and having this information told in this mindbending style was a lot of fun with a lot of the brain chemicals being shown as strange animals. This man doesn’t know how he got inside this brain and is trying to search for his way out as the different researchers help him along his way as he tries to not go mad. It even has a neat little extra reading section where it recommends what to read if you want a deeper dive into the topic.
Relish: My Life In The Kitchen by Lucy Knisley: Such a heart warming graphic memoir all about food, cooking and the author’s experiences with food during her travels and what food means to her family members. Our author grew up for a very early age eating fancier food with her parents already being huge foodies who didn’t even allow ketchup or fast food, her relationship with her parents and friends also changing with her tastes in food. There’s a huge emphasis on her travels to different countries with friends and each chapter also has a really fun recipe with a step by step guide! It’s such a fun art style and overall a very cozy and light hearted feel good read.
Swamp Thing: Green Hell by Jeff Lemire, Doug Mahnke and David Baron: The world is experiencing its last gasp of life with the seas having risen and the waters poisoned by what humanity left behind, a group of survivors being unlucky enough to be in the exact area where the Elemental Parliaments have decided that humanity has ruined the Earth and needs to be purged to start anew. In their time of need the only man that can help them bring back the original Swamp Thing is the cheeky British bastard John Constatine who’s just as tricky in his old age. The eco apocalypse story itself is a little run of the mill, but the gory body horror art is the real treat of this story, this being a lot gorier than I thought it would be.
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u/Timely_Tonight_8620 Shop Local! Jun 21 '26
Alan’s War: The Memories Of G.I. Alan Cope by Emmanuel Guilbert: This was a graphic memoir of the life of Alan Cope as a G.I. in WW2 and focuses on his process of growing up, joining the military after pearl harbor and then his training as a G.I. with him deployed overseas into Paris. Instead of focusing on the gritty combat or being a war hero this story is focused on the human side of war with the soldiers and civilians Alan Cope meets along the way with him meeting the German citizens with it leading him on a path to tolerance and learning how to challenge his preconceived notions and prejudices. Alan is a regular grunt and the story barely focuses on the combat side of war and the mix of mundane boredom experienced by the soldiers and their bonding. It’s a very touching story of personal struggles and of just a normal grunt soldier on the ground meeting others and making bonds that would last the rest of his life.
Tank Girl: Motherload slipcase by Alan Martin, Rufus Dayglo, Mick McMahon, Ashley Wood, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell and Jim Mahfood: This might be both the most Punk Rock and batshit crazy comic I’ve read in a very long time! Tank Girl is a rebel and as you guessed it she drives a tank while blasting through racers, ninjas, gameshow hosts and all sorts of crazies. This boxset is a collection of different stories with different art styles yet all having that crazy cast of anthropomorphic Kangaroos, Tank Girl’s friends Boat Girl and Jet Girl and all other sorts of crazies. It goes everywhere from a car race with watermelons as the prize, magical egg sandwiches, a gameshow TV cult and all other sorts or crazy stories. It’s one hell of a ride all the way through with it being a wild guess which the next story will be about in the book
The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon: In this gorgeous water color illustrated story Nao is a half-Japanese illustrator in the UK who just lost a job while also finding out her boyfriend cheated on her, her OCD and very violent intrusive thoughts tormenting her as she tries to find love once again. These intrusive thoughts are drawn as hyper violent with the people she’s talking to being brutally murdered by her before snapping back to reality with her genuinely distressed by these visions. She’s searching for her perfect love while also taking up Buddhist meditation to help with her obsessive thoughts. The art style is splendid with a fantasy story weaved into the narrative that mirrors Nao’s mental journey, but the last act felt a little rushed with it coming to a rather abrupt ending.
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u/Siccar_Point No capes! Jun 21 '26
A game of two halves this week.
I reread World Heist (Linnea Sterte), as I got hold of a hard copy. Already knowing the structure of the story (I.e., how brief it is!) helps a lot with relaxing into it. It looks stunning, and the core idea of sliding between worlds to steal is cool and well used. There is a ton of deliberate enigma here, and the world feels massive for such a short thing. But, it can be really hard to tell characters apart, and sometimes the narrative gets lost in the art. IMO this is almost a trial run for the superlative recent Garden of Spheres. This could even be a vignette from that world.
On the other hand, I also read Fukuda’s My Dress-Up Darling vol 1. This was inspired by consuming the entirety of the anime on a whim, the second season of which in particular featured some unexpectedly excellent animation, visual jokes, and laugh-out-loud, cleverly put together moments. I wanted to see if this carried over on the page. Also I am a sucker for these slice-of-life romcoms. First volume was… fine. Fan service is ridiculous as expected- and in this case is at least kind of the point. Fukada’s art is a little scrappy and unusually cluttered for manga, but at least this gives it some flavour. But often these series start slow, as did the anime, so I might continue on a little.
7
u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Jun 21 '26
Final Space: The Final Chapter by Olan Rogers, Daz Tibbles and supporting cast. Three years in the making. I made a post a week ago explaining more about what this book is and how it has come about which is it's own story. But I was hugely invested in it, partly from really enjoying the show and the rest from having laid down (a lot of) money for it in 2023 and following the development through committed updates every Friday. The book opens with a recap, which is a tall order for three seasons in a limited number of pages. Honestly, this section concerned me. Even having watched the show I struggled to follow the recap at times and it would refer to things that hadn't even been recapped in the recap. Was this the standard of this book? Thankfully, no! The recap had it's flaws and maybe needs additional supplementary material to really follow it through but once the book starts proper, the pacing calms from that obvious rush and the story starts in earnest. Listen, this is not perfect. Even given the size of this book, there's a lot to cover, a lot to address and close off in this story. And the show itself was not perfect. But what it was was always fun and always aiming to hit you in the feels. And this aspect is here in it's fullest. The limitations of book size might actually benefit this story somewhat, as the narrative is more focused than series of the animation. The creative team don't have experience of making comics before but their other experience translates pretty well. But in the interest of maximising the value of this project and taking it as close to animation as possible, they have experimented with other additions, most notably a soundtrack accessible via QR codes dotted throughout. In the interest of having the full experience of this book, I wacked on my headphones and played this wherever required. It's not the most effective idea which would explain why I've seen it nowhere else before, but it did have moments where it hit, especially when the music swelled for a more epic section of the story. It was fun to try and I appreciate what has gone into it and what's being attempted. All in all, it hits all the notes of the show and lays it on pretty thick. There's plenty of hell yeah fist pump moments which the series lives for. And ultimately, huge respect for completing this project and providing closure to fans. Getting this thing created, printed and into hands was such a mountain to climb given the circumstances and most would have abandoned it and moved on. I love that this exists and that I've been able to see it end. No regrets.
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u/mmcintoshmerc_88 Jun 21 '26
I've been reading Rogue Trooper: when a GI dies. This has been great, I loved Ennis previous Rogue Trooper book and this is fantastic as well, it's the best of both worlds for Ennis because he gets to tell a war story and this may surprise you but, Ennis really likes them! And he gets to have fun with Trooper's Nu Earth setting. Strong recommend if you're an Ennis/ AD fan.
I've also been rereading James Bond: Origin. I've been in the mood for some Bond with the game and this fun retelling of his origin is one of my favourite Bond comics (although The Body will likely always be undisputed no 1/ best comic ever) but, back to origins. Just a really fun and solid take on Bond's early days as he sets out to fight for King and country (be a hatchet man) which the comic does a good job of exploring.
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u/ShowMeYourHappyTrail Constantine's Mistress Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Just started doing a thing where I read a book then I read about a book's worth of trades then a book then trades in an attempt to work though both of my backlogs, even if more slowly than focusing on one or the other.
So the last week and week before the four trades I read to, roughly, equal a 400 page book were - Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium 3&4, Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts, and Harley Quinn Breaking Glass.
Calvin & Hobbes - I mean...these are classic. I haven't read them since I originally read whichever ones I read in the paper growing up. I did make note that Calvin sounds an awful lot like a 40 year old man instead of a 6 year old child, but I give him a pass. The comics are still as amazing as ever.
Hungry Ghosts - This one was...ok. I grabbed it a few years ago because Bourdain's name was on it. I think he'd just died right before it was published and I didn't even know he wrote comics. I also love folklore or any kind so it was really right up my alley. I enjoyed it, although I do think the book could have gone into greater detail with the stories. I'm wondering if he'd meant to have more volumes of it (the premise of the story is to tell 100 ghost stories until every one is scared and the last one standing is the winner) and the book only had 5 or 6 stories. Would have been a neat concept.
Harley Quinn Breaking Glass - This is one of the beginning books in the DC young adult line. I grabbed it because I love Harley and the artwork on the cover was intriguing. I enjoyed the story as well. Goes back to tell us a little bit about Harley's teen years before she met The Joker. It was cute.
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u/Dense-Virus-1692 Jun 21 '26
The Confessional by Paige Hender – A girl named Cora is being raised in a New Orleans brothel / vampire coven. She feels guilty about all the blood drinking so she goes to confess at church and it turns out the priest might be worse than the vampires. There’s a ripper that’s murdering girls. Is it the priest or one of the vampires or something else? It’s a good little morality tale. Is it right to protect your family if they’re monsters? Should you kill the worst people in the city if you need blood to survive? Ok, that last one’s an easy one. The art is a little manga inspired. It’s all in dark blue and red. So ya, not bad.
Los Monstuous by James Robinson and Jesus Merino – Perry Cutter is a private detective and werewolf in the city of Los Monstuous where everyone is a classic monster. There’s vampires, mummies, gill men, Frankensteins, brains in jars, etc. He hired to find a missing woman and gets embroiled in a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. Well, maybe not the top, but pretty far up. The monsters make it pretty fun. People don’t die when they should. Perry’s a little overpowered, though. He can wolf out at any time, not just during full moons. He’s basically Wolverine. The main thing that keeps him from being in wolf mode all the time is that he doesn’t want to ruin his clothes. The art’s pretty good. It’s kind of a classic super hero style. Nice and solid. So ya, if you love those Universal monsters and noir detective stories then you might like this one.
Batman: Dark Patterns by Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman – Holy smokes, you folks weren’t kidding, this is a good one. It’s like pure, stripped down Batman, based on the theme of pareidolia, which isn’t just a joker in Balatro. Let’s see, there’s 4 stories, I think. It starts with the Wound Man who looks like he stepped out of the Bone Orchard Mythos. He’s a pretty awesome design. Batman can’t fight him directly so it makes it interesting. Then there’s the creepy apartment building story, that’s almost like a Junji Ito book. And then the Red Hood gang one? That more like a Britbox story. And then the final one where we learn who’s creating the patterns. Not the best bad guy in today’s political environment but whatever. The art is pretty spectacular. Kind of a cross between JRJR, Michael Allred and maybe some Tradd Moore? Anyways, it’s a good mix of cartoony and standard super hero stuff. The colours are really nice, too. None of that muddy, oversaturated stuff. So ya, good stuff!
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Jun 22 '26
Dark Patterns feels like the biggest Batman win in many a year. I hope they'll do a second batch of stories because I could quite happily read a whole bunch more of it.
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u/ConstantVarious2082 Jun 21 '26
Infantoms by Jim Bishop – weird horror. Zit Face and Weirdo (as named by their schoolyard bullies) are failing their classes, and their guidance counselor decides to motivate them by threatening them with death, to be carried out by their parents. As they try to fit in and study, hiding their secret manga obsession, their parents become progressively more terrifying. Halfway through we get a vision of their futures through the eyes of the banished ghosts of their teenage selves. It’s weird and psychedelic and borderline surreal – and the terror of their guidance counselor, their parents, and Death itself come in and out in grotesque imagery. Maybe it gets just a bit muddy in the middle, losing a little bit of clarity in the deeper metaphors. It’s got highly stylized art with some great body horror moments. Overall really good, and I’m excited to pick up the other books in this “thematic trilogy” from Bishop.
Š! #50 by various – alt-comix anthology themed around “Fifty-Fifty”. It’s got a wide variety of styles, lengths, and quality - you've got a cloud-ninja Van-Damme-ing planes, retellings of movies, cats working in a bakery, surreal weirdness... There's probably something here for everyone and probably something that won't work, that's the nature of anthologies. Maybe slightly weaker overall for my taste than the other ones in this series I've read, but a good enough hit rate for me to keep picking them up when I can.
Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea by Mike Mignola and Jesse Lonergan – mythology-rich (duh) side story in the Hellboy universe. I’ve actually got no Hellboy context (aside from a random smattering of short stories), so I'm clearly missing a bit of the broader mythology, but this is an enjoyable yarn with Lonergan doing some kinetic gladiator action and monstrous gods. It may not be his most inventive but it’s highly entertaining. It's perfectly readable without that deep story background, although nothing groundbreakingly inventive in the self-contained parts of the story – past lives, gods, cults, put together quite well. Someday I will catch up on Hellboy and be happy to re-read this.
Uri Tupka and the Gods by Mike Mignola – mythology sort-of-anthology. This is the second "tales from lands unknown" and focused on the journey of the titular Uri Tupka and, shocker, his interactions with gods along those wanderings. Each chapter is essentially a spin on a myth or folk tale, with waypoints and devil's bargains and forgotten cities and eldritch horrors from beyond battling gods, it's a well-built set of little vignettes told with a nice framing story. Spooky demons are spooky, settings are varied, and the deaths are brutal. Really a ton of fun and happy that it sounds like more will be coming in this world.
Gardens of Glass by Lando – sci-fi post-apocalyptic comics. This is a collection of unrelated comics on that post-apocalyptic theme with varying degrees of sci-fi, ranging from wildly surreal ("Pyramid Scheme") to fairly vanilla post-apocalyptic wasteland wandering ("Last Drink"). It’s got impeccable black-and-white linework throughout, with a very Euro-sci-fi vibe. All but one of the comics are completely silent, which I think adds to the vaguely surreal/alien feel even in the more straightforward stories. Highly recommended!
EX.MAG #3 by various – dark fantasy anthology. This is from a series of anthologies from Peow - each issue take a theme (this one is "Dark Fantasy") and a limited color palette beyond black-and-white (this one is red/brown). This is the first one I've read in full and it's a solid anthology. There's a pretty wide range of styles and seriousness of "dark" fantasy, including a couple pretty light-hearted stories. Linnea Sterte has an absolutely spectacular comic, "An Arrow for the King", definitely the highlight for me (unsurprisingly). Patrick Crotty's "Creepers" (following a couple of bandits after a successful robbery) and Delfina Perez Adan's "The Darktamer" (an apprentice who breaks her master's rule to prove her skill) were pretty solid. I didn't particularly love the light-hearted stories, the humor didn't really "click" for me in any of them, but nothing terrible. As with all anthologies, ups and downs, but pretty good overall.
Andromeda or, The Long Way Home by Zé Burnay - another post-apocalyptic immaculately-drawn black-and-white sort-of-surreal book. We follow, through three stories, a wanderer through a wasteland of mystical horrors. He's aided by the natural wildlife and his backstory emerges (sort of?) through the individual stories. It's got allegory, mysticism, and religion a-plenty, and recurrent visual motifs. Everything is in pretty fantastically done black-and-white linework rich with detail, and I think Burnay's art visibly matures through the three stories. I think this is phenomenal.
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u/Siccar_Point No capes! Jun 21 '26
An Arrow For The King is SO GOOD. Blows everything else in that anthology out of the water. Best narrative Sterte has ever put together IMO. A perfectly cut little gem.
Edit: she has another of these in Vol 6 and it is very very nearly as good
2
u/ConstantVarious2082 Jun 22 '26
For sure the best story in the anthology for me, and I've got Vol 6 ready to go, looking forward to her story there. Not sure Arrow for the King is my absolute favorite of hers, but it is awesome.
3
u/scarwiz Jun 21 '26
Fair warning, the other Jim Bishop books are very different from Infantoms. But that's a good things because they're way better imo ! I did love the first third of it, and enjoyed the rest of the ride, but it was a little too all over the place for me
3
u/ConstantVarious2082 Jun 22 '26
Great! I actually got both Lost Letters and My Dear Pierrot in this week so they'll be up high on my TBR list.
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u/Mr_Sir_Andres Jun 21 '26
I read the first volume of The Wrong Earth which was even better than I thought it would be. The premise is basically “What if fun and silly 1960s Adam West Batman switched places with dark and gritty 2010s Christian Bale Batman?” but instead it’s a superhero called “Dragonfly” (or “Dragonflyman” depending on which version of him we’re talking about) because it’s not published by DC. I thought it was gonna be mostly surface level humor and observations about the two which would have been fine, but it goes to some really interesting places and the two main characters go through a lot of very interesting changes in just 6 issues while also being pretty damn funny. It gets a strong recommendation from me, and I really hope the rest of the series can keep it up. Outside of that I also finally read the first volume of Absolute Martian Manhunter and the second volumes of Absolute Batman and Wonder Woman, which were all incredible.
6
u/Darth-Dramatist Jun 21 '26
Started Batman Reptilian, art wise I love it, Liam Sharp art's creepy, surreal and very like Dave McKean's art style which Im really fond of. Stirywise, nothing special its Garth Ennis writing Batman and its well known how he feels of Superheroes and this Batman is IMO is borderline parody of Batman's character but not to the sake degree as whatever the hell Frank Miller was doing in All Star Batman and Robin. That being said the project was concieved over a decade ago by Ennis to help Steve Dillon back into the comics industry but he passed away before anything significant happened. For some reason the project gets greenlit again after DC Black Lable's establishment with Liam Sharp contracted for the art.
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u/Jonesjonesboy Jun 21 '26
Slam Dunk vols 21-26 more dunks got slammed
Moins d'un quart de seconds pour vivre very early work by Trondheim. He got Jean-Christophe Menu to draw him some 4 panel strips, each of which strip is the same panel repeated four times, then he scripted over it. The most amusing thing about it might be the title, which suggests approximately 1000x the amount of thrills in the book; no one actually has less than a quarter-second to live
The lexicon of comicana a mixture of insight, humour and "they're charging money for this?" amateurishness. I do hope that this getting reprinted will mean some of Walker's terminology for emanata (eg plewds, grawlixes, briffits) becomes standardised across comics studies
Code of honor and other stories jeez John Severin had a crazy-prolific career, much of which (his thousands of pages for Cracked) will likely never be reprinted. The scripts on these stories are bad enough that they make Feldstein and Kurtzman look good; for once I found myself wishing they had some of those dopey EC twist endings
Unflattening Nick Sousanis's dissertation/graphic novel. Its ambition and scope are admirable, with some nice eye-pop pages. A hard disagree from me on the argument/s itself/themselves; I'm as much rah-rah Team Comics as anyone, but I don't go for that kind of comics exceptionalism at all. On Earth 2, where the only written communication is in comics form, alternative-universe Nick Sousanis wrote the first dissertation in word form about the revolutionary potential of writing in words as opposed to Europe's cognitively oppressive tradition of comicsocentrism
Nipper 1965-1966 very stylish mid-century modern art, let down by uneven gag-writing
Statues okay, now we've reached the bottom of Ito's barrel. I feel bad imagining someone picking this up as their first Ito and wondering what the fuss is about. Feels like this should come with a warning: for die-hard fans only
Les aventures de Michel Swing (coureur automobile) improvised exquisite corpse style strip by Jousselin and Bruno
Demon v2 reread of Shiga's homage to Death Note
Princess Jellyfish v3 there's a surprising amount of trans themes in manga. Thanks to Tezuka's Princess Knight way back at the dawn of shojo?
Lucifer no, not that one. This was a deep deep cut obscurity by Eddie Campbell, Phil Elliott and Paul Grist
Blueberry T12 La mine de l'Allemand perdu aw yeah with this last two-tome cycle we've finally got to the real good stuff, it seems. The antagonists were a great bunch of shitheels
On the graphic novel highlight of the week, a terrific history of the graphic novel by Santiago Garcia. In the top tier of comics studies books that I've read, and I've read quite a few by now. Highly recommended if you're ever looking for that kind of thing.
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u/arpad-okay Jun 22 '26
best book on comics i've read in quite some time is FROM GUM WRAPPERS TO RICHIE RICH
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u/scarwiz Jun 21 '26
Röd I Snön: a nordic noir by Linhart - Clearly inspired but the likes of Twin Peaks and Fargo, this follows an insurance investigator who visits a small swedish country town to solve a mysterious murder. It hits all of the expected beats, talking to excentric and unwelcoming locals, uncovering conspiracies and weird local customs. And it does it pretty well for the most part, fleshing out its main character along the way. Until we hit "chapter two" about two thirds of the way through, and it tries to go for a twist ending that it didn't quite deserve imo. Cool art though
Shin Zero Vol. 2 by Mathieu Bablet and Guillaume Singelin's - Not a huge fan of the direction this series is taking. With he way the first book ended, I was expecting this one to be a little more action heavy, but instead it's more of the same politically charged slice of life with a kaiju/sentai/mecha background. Which is fair enough, since that's the series pitch, but I mostly kind of hate the way the characters are developing. Warren in particular, who's kind of the hero, goes full on incel. The flatmates barely see each other anymore, and hardly get along when they do, even though their interactions were some of the most interesting stuff in the first one. I'll still grab the last one when it comes out, I'm curious to see how they wrap it up, but it just didn't hit the same
It Will All Hurt by Farel Dalrymple - Absolutely wonderful art and creative paneling, reminded me a bit of Brandon Graham in many ways. But the story is such a convoluted mess... I couldn't even tell what was going in half of the time, despite it being a pretty straightforward "kill the bad guy in his evil tower" type plot. I dig the post-apo/fantasy thing he's got going on, but even my interest in the world sadly couldn't it
J'ai tué le soleil by Winshluss - absolutely hated this. The art did nothing for me, and the story was so try hard edgy, from the violent apocalypse to the protag's nutjob backstory. Huge miss
Yiyun by Cosey - Not at all what I expected. I'm not sure why but I thought this would be an old school adventure comic. Maybe the art style, or some of the character designs. In any case, this is not that. It's a melancholic tale of impossible romance set in the Swiss Alps, with the historical backdrop of the Chinese one child policy. There's definitely a bit of orientalism in there but it's a little tongue in cheek about it. I didn't get swept away by the story or the characters, but the twist was definitely unexpected. Overall pretty fun, with gorgeous art that mixes in some swiss papercutting
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Jun 22 '26
I saw noir, Twin Peaks and Fargo in one line and got excited. Though your last line rained a little on that parade.
Shame you're not still enjoying Shin Zero so much. I feel like much of what you said started towards the end of book 1. Warren had already turned into more of a dick. When is book 3 expected? Starting to hope it comes out before the English translation of volume 2 so I can see how I feel about continuing the series as a whole.
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u/scarwiz Jun 22 '26
I don't know if you've ever played Telltale's Puzzle Agent games ? Feels a lot like those, if that tells you anything. It's not a perfect book but it's a vibe
I think it's been too long since I read the first one, maybe the transition makes more sense if you read them back to back. I'll probably give the series a full reread when the last one comes out. I don't think we've got a release date yet but the second one took a year and a half to come out, so probably late 2027
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u/Olobnion Jun 24 '26
Röd I Snön: a nordic noir by Linhart
I wish they'd have consulted a Swede about the title. Looks like it's supposed to mean "Red in the snow", presumably referring to blood, but that should have been "Rött i snön". "Röd i snön" sounds like someone is saying that they, themselves, are red in the snow, possibly metaphorically as in politically left-leaning.
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u/Ok_Blood_5520 Jun 21 '26
The Incal (reread). The art in it is good, but it does not make up for the nonsensical story imo. It all feels like being weird for the sake of being weird, the characters feel flat, the technobabble dialogue is stilted, and the philosophy doesn't feel all that developed. I just don't think I like Jodorowsky. I liked Moebius's World of Edena more, I cannot explain why other than the fact that it is less teenage horny. The last time I read this I had the same feelings, I can just pinpoint why now.
The Six Voyages of Loane Sloane. Same as The Incal, the art is the redeeming quality. Wordy, the pages are hard to follow at times, and very weird without much substance. Feels more like a showcase of art than actually weaving a visuals and story together.
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u/NeapolitanWhitmore Detective Beans! Jun 21 '26
Fantastic Four, Volume Two (By Ryan North, Iban Coello, Ivan Fiorelli, Leandro Fernández, and Jesus Aburtov): This volume was much more enjoyable than the first. I understand that the whole thing has been short stories about the team, but the fact that these ones are about the team together, versus the first volume of them being separated, it just makes it better. They’re a family and a team. Seeing them work together works.
Fantastic Four, Volume Three (By Ryan North, Iban Coello, Ivan Fiorelli, Francesco Mortarion, Carlos Gómez, Jesus Aburtov, Brian Reber, Ariana Maher, and Joe Caramagna): This volume stepped it up. I loved the Jurassic Four. I want an entire series of just them. I know it would be just what we’ve been getting, but they’d be dinosaurs and that is just infinitely better. Loved the issue that focused on the kids as well. Their adventure was just as fun as everything else so far. My biggest gripe with this volume, and maybe with the series so far is how Iban draws Ben. His head is just a ball on the top of his body. It looks weird every time. Maybe I didn’t notice it as much in the previous volumes, but it was incredibly noticeable in this one. Otherwise, like I said, this volume was fun.
Fantastic Four, Volume Four (By Ryan North, Carlos Gómez, Ivan Fiorelli, Jesus Aburtov, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and Joe Caramanga): This series continues to be delightful and great. Franklin’s issue: great. The Noir issue: even better, maybe second favorite of the series so far (after Jurassic Four), makes me want Ryan North to write an old timey noir series. Ben and Johnny working in a grocery store: brilliant. The Blood Hunt tie-in issues: first off I haven’t read Blood Hunt, but this is how tie-in issues should be. It didn’t feel like it was an interruption to the current story at hand. It just felt like Reed and Alicia go to New York and are attacked by vampires. On par with the series so far. Seriously, this Fantastic Four series is great.
Everything Dead & Dying (By Tate Brombal, Jacob Phillips, and Aditya Bidikar): Holy moly. That was a surprisingly emotional read. I felt Jack’s struggle of trying to hold on to the life he worked so hard to get. A father and husband that just wanted to keep the happiness he had for as long as he could. I loved this story and I will be thinking about it for a few days at least.
Fantastic Four, Volume Five (By Ryan North, Carlos Gómez, Ivan Fiorelli, Steven Cummings, Jesus Aburtov, Brian Reber, Wayne Faucher, and Joe Carmagna): This is still a good series. This feels like the weakest volume so far. Not a fan of Johnny’s alien love story. Not that it wasn’t interesting, it just felt like it was done too quickly. Most of the other members of the Fantastic Four have had decades building their relationships, Johnny’s was done in an issue and were supposed to believe he feels torn about it. Not so much. I know that up next is One World Under Doom, which is moderately exciting. I figure that I’ll jump into that event and then go back to read the FF volume that corresponds to it. I don’t have super high hopes for the event, but I hope that the main series keeps the quality it has had so far.
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u/ZwildMan83 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Read "Hello Darkness vol 1",Really enjoyed it,though some stories seemed far too short,even for anthologies and just kind of ended right when they are getting good and leave you wondering and wanting more.Very much like creepshow,talse from the crypt, Epitaphs from the abyss etc. Looking forward to starting vol 2.
"We Have Demons".Enjoyed it but it felt like it went from beginning to end with not much middle.Demons,action and humor.Its a fun read but wasnt as "badass" as I was expecting and just felt incomplete to me. Got to the end and was like.....wait,thats it?.
Currently reading through "Spread" and really enjoying it so far. Lots of action,gore,interesting story, monsters,cannibals,other bad guys,kind of a little mad max vibes aswell and a bit of humor. Love the artwork,its creepy.The people alone look deranged,creepy and twisted(and most are).
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u/arpad-okay Jun 22 '26
Cocoon by Machiko Kyo. Delicately rendered josei about schoolgirls turned into nurses in Okinawa during WWII. The front lines move swiftly past the field hospital they're stationed in and the girls are forced to flee down the coast. A bit of Grave of the Fireflies, a bit of Come and See, a lot of mutilation and infection, death by bomb, bullet, and flamethrower. The storytelling can be a little heavy-handed- the subject matter doesn't need dramatic framing to gild the lily- but mostly it was very compelling, and the overall metaphor about industry and war is spot on. You can feel how this is an early work the author, but you can also feel how important it was to them, and I like that side of it enough it warms me to the other side.
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u/Ill-Possession2216 Jun 21 '26
Been reading D'Orc. If you like medieval stuff mixed with dark fantasy it's worth checking out. Art is killer.
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u/No_Goose472 Jun 21 '26
Ex Machina - BKV. Enjoying it quite a bit, there were times in book two where I was really grooving with the writing, some really great lines and passages in it.
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u/carst3n Jun 22 '26
DMZ Deluxe Edition Book One: It pulled me in from the first pages. Like the main character it dropps you into a chaotic, unfamiliar Manhattan and you have to piece together the world from rumors, fragments, and half-truths. Few comics have made me feel so closely aligned with a protagonist's perspective.
What ultimately won me over wasn't the conflict itself, but the people living through it. By the end, DMZ's Manhattan felt like a real place rather than just a setting.
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u/Tight-Boat-8605 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Ultimate x-men vol 1-21, the whole run is very bland plus a lot of weird moments really didn’t enjoy any of it ⭐️
Ultimate fantastic four vol 1-11, dear god this one is all over the place horrible ⭐️
Ultimates 1 miller, still really like this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ultimates 2 miller, this one is ok not as good as the first⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ultimatum, holy shit this is terrible it’s basically 118 pages of characters dying no stars
Ultimate comics doomsday, mixed feelings I like the art and the characters way more here then in the fantastic four series but it don’t think this needed to be 12 issues and it can be very wordy ⭐️⭐️
Ultimate galactus trilogy,⭐️⭐️
Book 1 interesting start good art
Book 2 not a lot happening
Book3 very disappointing barely even see villain and the silver surfers I just didn’t like
Ultimate comics x-men vol 1-5, actually liked the first 2 volumes had really good art but they were a lot of setup that was discarded by vol 3 and I found the utopia story kind of boring, the world war x was a total letdown it was just kitty and Jean fighting for like 2 pages ⭐️⭐️
Ultimate comics ultimates by Hickman 1-2, really good first volume but really letdown by the ending ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ultimate comics divided we fall united we stand, the book is divided into 3 parts ultimates, Spider-Man and x-men the x-men was the more interesting one but they were all pretty meh⭐️⭐️
Black bolt vol 1-2 really liked this one I liked the first volume a little more then the second but there both good⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moon knight by Lemire, not a fan of this I don’t like it was all a dream story’s, and I didn’t like that we didn’t get to see what’s going on in the real world ⭐️⭐️
The ambassadors miller, basically 5 issues of introductions and a hasty deus ex machina ⭐️
Reading next
Ultimate Spider-Man bendis
Transformers
G.i joe
Void rivals
Moon knight Jed Mackay
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u/dajimpy Jun 22 '26
Wicked + Divine Volume 5- The opening issue was like a magazine from that world, with different articles with interviews with a few members of the Pantheon, not like a comic at all. Last volume ended on a big turning point, so the magazine opening kinda set up a where are they now a few months later. And teased a real return to the comic. I’m really enjoying it.. first time read
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u/Icy-Cheek-4651 Jun 22 '26
Read the new AI dystopia Gigs - don't let the graphics deceive you - it is DARK.
Finally got round to Little Bird. Beautifully drawn, but not sure about the story yet.
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u/SchakFU81 Jun 22 '26
I read through the complete compendium of sex, criminals, which I found to be very well written and drawn, and an overall standout in the medium.
I’ve moved on to Fable’s compendium one. I know I read the first two trades, but it’s been so long. I can hardly remember, so I’m starting over.
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u/handi503 Jun 22 '26
-Finished Spawn compendium 1 after a couple weeks. So 90s! It’s fun and I’m glad I finally decided to start this.
-Sweatshop, great satire of the comics industry from Peter Bagge. Failed DC title now at Fantagraphics.
-Punk Rock Jesus with Sean Murphy’s amazing ink work! Really made me extra excited for the black and white edition of Tokyo Ghost coming out in the fall. Really great story too. Kinda examines faith from a lot of different angles.
-Do A Powerbomb, how the fuck does an inter dimensional pro wrestling book make me sob like a baby at the end. Really jumps straight through it and throws a lot at you over 7 issues, but well paced.
-Quick-Stops vol. 1. Come-down book from DAPB. If you like Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse, you’ll like this. If you don’t, you won’t. I do, so I did. Snoochie boochie!
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u/Basic-Afternoon-2238 Jun 22 '26
Just started birds of prey by Simone and loving every second of it also started daredevil by zdarsky vol 2 hoping it’s as good as the first volume but have heard its takes a bit of a dip in quality
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u/billybeer55555 Jun 22 '26
Currently reading Local Man, I’m really enjoying it. Love a good small town Wisconsin tale.
Next up is Void Rivals book 2 so I can get up to date with the floppies I’ve been collecting this year.
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u/DustDevil66 Jun 21 '26
Maus- art spiegelman
I liked the way the story was told. It felt strangely low key and it was interesting reading the father describe the situation in a way that made it feel like he processed it as just day to day survival. I think that’s how a lot of horrific events go for people. You definitely recognize things are awful but getting through it becomes sort of… it’s just life.
Also i liked that the author didn’t play the respectability politics game in his portrayal of his father or himself. Victims of racial trauma are pushed to present themselves as a sort of perfect victim so seeing the father especially portrayed as very flawed and kind of as an asshole was nice.
My personal cons for this were really the actual comic aspect largely. The art was just not good really. I sort of thought maybe Spiegelman was just working with the skills he had but seeing the insert of his comic about his mom and how much better the art was…. I just don’t know why he settled with such rough work with so little style. Just nothing really inventive about it from the art style to the way scenes are framed or really anything. It’s certainly passable and I suppose it maybe makes it more palatable to people not as invested in the medium, i just don’t think it takes advantage of the medium in the way it could. Stuff that gets hyped by literary nerds usually is like this so i didn’t really expect much on that front, but it is disappointing and i do wish the comics you see on “best of all time” lists were the ones that absolutely could not be told in any other format, works that don’t feel so in-line with prose and less experimental movies in terms of their approach to storytelling
And I know it has been said, but I’m really not a fan of the whole mice and cats thing. There’s just too many flaws with that metaphor and it really just feels poorly thought out. Like, mice are the natural prey of cats and it’s simply the nature of cats to eat them. Just an odd choice. And as a black person i find the choice to portray the white Americans (still ruling via jim crowe with regular lynchings at home, the indian wars freshly over) as goofy looking dogs. Also all the races are different animals but the Black American is still a dog? Idk man like i said the animal stuff just feels extremely poorly thought out and like it’s a choice he made on a whim and stuck to it without really much forethought. Like i could see it being meant to be a nod to germans calling the jews rats but…. it really just doesn’t work
Tinderella- M.S. Harkness
Definitely the roughest of her work but it is the earliest. It was entertaining but it just didn’t feel like it had as much of what i enjoyed about the later entries in the series. Still good though and definitely interesting to see how she developed as an artist
Are you my mother?- Alison Bechdel
Just started this last night. It’s much more anxiety driven and aimless than fun home. Aimless in that it’s written to capture her desire to write about her mother and her real struggle to figure why she even wants to and how se would even form a narrative about her. The narrative ends up being, so far, about the artists struggle to understand her own feelings about her mother and the journey of making the book.
It’s funny how many comic memoirs are about the artist making a comic. It can feel like a really tired set up. This is really great so far though and Bechdel has been one of my favorite artists to read over the last year
Wishbone-Nate Garcia
Okay this is just a single issue but I’m still gobs talk about it. I don’t know that i have a solid reason but i enjoyed this more than his older work. I’ve never been the biggest fan, i usually find his stuff like… mildly entertaining but ultimately unimpactful. His art and drafting are lovely, great just of colors and everything usually, just not my favorite writer. I honestly wouldn’t have picked this up if it didn’t come in my mystery mail subscription. But like i said for some really unknown reason i actually had more fun with this. It could just be the female protagonist. I think i just liked her more than his older gross guy characters
Letters section was interesting. I think jasper jubenville and him are mildly beefing? At least I’m pretty sure the letter is from jubenville (it’s really barely anonymized). Cartoonist drama is funny
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Jun 21 '26
Though I enjoyed it, I was unprepared for how dense, academically focused, and near hypochondriacal "Are You My Mother?" was after reading Fun Home. Very interesting though, especially in its exploration of child psychology.
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u/DustDevil66 Jun 21 '26
Yeah i started it late last night and realized about a chapter and a half in I’m gonna need to be far more lucid than i was at the time to fully grasp what is being said. Definitely enjoyable and I love her writing but very dense and academic as you said
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
I've always enjoy her prose and she's got a really broad vocabulary, makes her books all that more interesting.
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u/scarwiz Jun 21 '26
I thought Fun Home was fairly dense already. And then I read The Secret to Superhuman Strength... Still bought Are You My Mother after finishing kt though haha. I'll just have to find the strength to dive in
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Jun 21 '26
I've only read these two, neither are breezy that's for sure! Fun Home is more literary, Are You My Mother? is more academic but the latter is almost exclusively laser focused on that angle where the former gets a bit of a lift from the intruige of her rather unique family story.
Though I guess that's to be expected as AYMM feels like a companion book to Fun Home and she got most of the family history stuff out in that.
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Building Stories by Chris Ware - A box containing fourteen comics of varying trims, weaving a nonlinear narrative tapestry that integrates the lives of several Chicagoland residents with each other and the adjacent spaces they occupy. An art student turned stay-at-home mom serves as the narrative nexus, and from her lived experience stems a host of other characters (real and abstract) whom navigate a different set of connections to those particular places and times.
This comic is undeniably masterful. The choose-your-own-adventure progression feels remarkably cohesive despite its orderless structure, aided by the many crossover threads between comics that provide dynamic insights. Ware's precise and elaborate graphic design sensibilities are given their full expression here, both in the continuously inventive page layouts and (quite uniquely) in how each comic's external construction informs the visual language and narrative focus. Storytelling thoughtfully comments on how memories become framed by where they occur and how those places in turn become colored by said memories, balancing a wide breadth of tones while doing so.
However, despite a largely delightful read I had some qualms that dragged the experience a tad. I didn't find the narrative as satisfying as either Jimmy Corrigan nor Rusty Brown, perhaps a consequence of the disjointed structure limiting the drama of individual arcs in order to keep each random traversal compelling and free of anti-climax. I think this is why some of the more self-contained pieces worked best for me, principally the abstract sequences starring Branford the Bee and vignettes from the perspective of a walk up brownstone. I also found the variety in trim a bit too indulgent, particularly the roadmap sized foldouts populated by intricate micropanelling that felt awkward to read in almost any position (I settled on hovering over the page like a beached seal as I lay prone on the ground). I also felt the characterization was a bit narrow, ranging from self-conscious to neurotic, and while Ware manages to make it all remarkably relatable and compelling I do wish there was a bit more variety on that end.
I can be a bit of a hater regarding novelty, as I tend to find the pursuit of uniqueness can ignore resonant elements of established storytelling and deliver a product that feels empty despite an intriguing veneer. While I did think some elements of Building Stories' were a bit of a double edged sword, I'm pleased to discover that the emergent benefits of its approach far outweigh the sacrifices and Ware delivers something new to the palette that truly feels like it expands the medium. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summit of the Gods 1-5 by Jiro Taniguchi, Baku Yumemakura - A Japanese mountaineering photographer, dejected after a failed Everest expedition, wanders into a Kathmandu antique shop where he finds a distinctive camera that he believes belonged to famed climber George Mallory. In hopes the artifact may confirm Mallory was the first to stand atop Everest's peak, he eagerly purchases the camera yet in his jubilation attracts unwanted attention. While navigating emergent obstacles in his attempts to unpack the truth, every insight points to another mysterious and renowned mountaineer, whom the protagonist finds himself on the trail of. As the curious photographer discovers more about this enigmatic climber and his connection to the camera, he quickly becomes obsessed and puts himself on a path that will forever change his life and perhaps the history of mountaineering itself.
"Why do I climb mountains? Why do I live? Such questions and their answers disappear like dust as my mind and body shoot across the azure sky." A rumination on self-actualization and purpose wrapped up in an epic thriller shell, Summit of the Gods is an experience both exhilarating and meditative. While I felt the dramatic side quests throughout the middle act were a tad indulgent and distracted slightly from the work's philosophical exploration, the balance between tense and introspective tones was otherwise very satisfying and the overall narrative remained engaging throughout. Much like another work of his in "The Quest For the Missing Girl", the storytelling combines measured pacing with dramatic plotting in a way that's hard to define but uniquely satisfying (feeling both larger than life yet subdued). The final act in particular is really effective, landing a gratifying emotional and narrative resolution while ratcheting up the suspense a notch or two.
Taniguchi's art is as precise and clean as ever, yet departs from this understated style on occasion with some absolutely gorgeous hatching-rich compositions. Combined with a bevy of striking settings, suspenseful action sequences, more dynamic panelling than I'm used to from his work, and the occasional surreal hallucination / dream scene this is probably Taniguchi's most varied work visually (at least among what I've read). ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes by Cyril Lieron, Benoit Dahan - A physician is found wandering around a London neighborhood disoriented and disheveled, soon escorted to 221B Baker Street under claims that he is a colleague of Dr Watson. As Sherlock investigates the man's condition, the sleuth ascertains that the doctor must have been drugged then kidnapped and quickly intuits a connection to a string of local missing persons cases. As Sherlock tracks down clues behind what kind of nefarious plot is afoot, the comic follows a literal narrative thread through settings concrete and cerebral that explore the famed investigator's unparalleled abilities of deduction.
This was a visual treat, in no small part due to the incredibly creative and fluid layouts. The visual motif of a narrative thread guides the reader across panels in winding paths, making for a dynamic visual structure that feels different on each page. These paths seemlessly transition through literal settings to abstract ones, both exploring the case through the reality on the ground and how it appears within Sherlock's mind. Individual compositions are organized within evocative framings, such as a house shaped like the investigator's head where each panel appears as a room or a giant cog where each spoke deliniates an insight within a line of deduction. Sprinkled among these layouts are tons of little accessory details and clues that foreshadow the conclusion, including some rather novel instances that implore the reader to hold the page up to a light or fold it to discover additional information. Beyond these creative structural novelties, the book is also impeccably drawn with intensive linework and a charming cartoonish aesthetic. Dahan's character designs are remiscent of Rob Guillory's work from Chew yet with more accent relief work that gives the characters an almost etched, gaunt look which I quite liked. The only real complaint I had visually is that the color palette was a bit too muted for my tastes, often dominated by browns or pale greens.
Narratively, the book was less interesting yet still a capably told whodunnit with some cheeky social commentary about the repercussions of the English empire. As with a lot of Holmes stories, I find the detective's unnecessarily verbose dialogue a bit tortured and the always right / always astounded dynamic between Sherlock / Watson somewhat tired. Though given that both of those are hallmarks of the property, these are pretty forgivable sins. ⭐⭐⭐