r/graphicnovels • u/AutoModerator • Feb 15 '26
Weekly Reading Thread What have you been reading this week? 15/02/2026
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/rainy_coaster Feb 18 '26
Just started Spent by Alison Bechdel. I'm reading it slowly to savour the experience.
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u/Insigniaet Feb 18 '26
Just finished Locke and Key Vol 2. That ending!
Currently starting Junji Ito's Frankenstein. Looking forward to this. Art should be good!
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u/Trike117 Feb 17 '26
Just finished Ultimate Wolverine, started Blood & Thunder, in the middle of Haunt.
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u/nuflark Feb 16 '26
Just finished Thirsty Mermaids, had a smile on my face the whole time. Also re-read Perdy by Kickliy, a badass western.
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u/AdamSMessinger Feb 16 '26
I’m doing a big “DC catch up”. This week I finished The Kingdom and volumes 4-6 of World’s Finest by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. I’m trying to catch up with Justice League Unlimited, Aquaman, and I’m taking the longest possible path for everything with all kinds of tangents.
The Kingdom was Mark Waid’s sequel to Kingdom Come. It had a prelude, a 2 issue series, and 5 one-shots. The 2 issue series provided as bookends to the one-shots. Jerry Ordway drew the prelude, Ariel Olivetti penciled and inked the first issue of the main series, and Mike Zeck drew the second issue of the main series. The art in it is no one’s best work. Especially reading this right after Kingdom Come. Matt Haley, Mark Pajarillo, Brian Apthorp, Barry Kitson, and Frank Quietly all did the various one-shots revolving around legacy characters introduced in Kingdom Come. These one-shots, for the most part, were all really well written character pieces. The Frank Quietly drawn one that focused on Offspring, the son of Plastic Man, was my favorite. Kitson and Quietly provide the strongest art here. The closing chapter to the saga focused on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all going through the time stream with good allegorical commentary about editorial and continuity by Waid. However, Mike Zeck looked like he drew it with his left foot. This was not the same guy who drew Punisher or Captain America. I found myself in a weird spot having trouble getting through it because of a lot of the mid art but I would often find myself enjoying the stories when I wrapped an issue. Waid had a good story and I think if the artistic talent involved had been… it wouldn’t be so forgotten.
The reason I read the Kingdom was because Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s World’s Finest did a Return to Kingdom Come story. It was good but my anal-retentive tendencies did not pay off with reading The Kingdom beforehand. It didn’t really add anything to Waid’s World’s Finest story. However, they brought in a character from Alex Ross/Geoff Johns’ Thy Kingdom Come story from the 00’s JSA run. It was really fun to see them especially drawn by Dan Mora. While non-Alex Ross Kingdom Come related material is always weird to see, Mora brought his A-game. It was the best looking version of this world not drawn by Ross. We get to see the origin of Magog and that was fun. There is also an interesting contrast of a Superman in the first few years of his career meeting a very seasoned Superman. The younger Superman has some pretty compelling criticisms.
Volume 5 was a hodgepodge of short stories with Superman and Batman meeting for one of the first times. There was a Joker/Luthor team up story that was pretty fun, and then a 5th dimensional Justice League team-up with Batmite. They were all fun but fairly forgettable. The best was easily the Joker/Luthor team-up story. Steve Pugh and Travis Mercer did a great job on their respective stories. Of course they’re not Dan Mora but I enjoyed what they brought to the table.
The 5th Dimensional Justice League story led into Volume 6 which saw Mr. Mxyplik and Batmite come to Batman and Superman for help with someone murdering imps. This story was A LOT of fun. It was Superman and Batman dealing with magic and all the wackiness that comes with 5th Dimensional imp magic. Waid really did some interesting stuff with the concepts of dimensions, space, and time. He also did a good job of making Mxyplik a character with depth instead of just a mischief maker who stirs shit for fun. Dan Mora cuts loose and draws some of his best stuff with bombastic magical fights. This is Mora’s last story arc on World’s Finest and it’s a hell of one to go out on. The last story is a one-shot with Gleb Melnikov drawing Superman and Batman’s first trip to Paradise Island. It was an interesting murder mystery and Melnikov is an underrated storyteller.
If you’re not reading Waid’s World’s Finest, it’s worth catching up on. This will go down as one of the best things he’s written if the quality of this is persistent. I got about another 20 issues to catch up and I’m looking forward to it!
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u/No_Shallot_8195 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
Finishing up Chew then reading the new reprint of Lemire's The Nobody. Not sure if I should start Scalped or Black Science after that. I also got The Eternaut coming in the post.
My manga reads have been : The Climber, Frieren, Ajin, Kingdom and City Hunter.
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u/dufrene Feb 16 '26
I’m reading Muybridge by Guy Delisle. I’m not usually into nonfiction but I’m a big fan of Delisle and this book is funny and interesting.
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u/rainy_coaster Feb 18 '26
Also a big Delisle fan and I really enjoyed Muybridge. I learned a lot I didn't know I'd be interested to learn!
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u/Ok-Mortgage-1910 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
This week I re-read James Tynion's Wynd series including the newest volume, The Power of the Blood. I really like this series and am excited for the final volume slated for the end of this year.
I also re-read Hobtown Mystery Stories volumes 1 & 2 and enjoyed them even more this time through. Then I read the newest volume and was a bit disappointed after such a long wait. I'll definitely give it another go and maybe reevaluate after future volumes come out. This one felt very different since it used reverse chronological order for the chapters but really I just felt like the most interesting things were happening between the scenes and being talked about moreso than shown. Still awesome that this series is ongoing. Super fun.
Lastly Exquisite Corpse and The Last Queen. These are English translations of French comics. I really liked both and the artwork in Last Queen is fantastic. Highly recommend. Both were quick reads.
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u/Nevyn00 Feb 15 '26
Kaya Book 5 by Wes Craig. I've been following along with the trades since the first one came out, and I think the rhythm is clear to me now. Odd numbered books are good, even numbered books are better. Even though there's a mission at hand, most of this book is just preparing the characters for what's to come in the next act.
Frieren Beyond the Journey's End Book 14 by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe. The First Class Mage association has roped our party into another mission. This time, there's an assassination plot against Serie. But more importantly, we get to see Frieren sulk after being ripped off by a merchant.
Testament by J. Marshall Smith. Testament is a robot sent to look after the women who are going study a distant planet. There's no plan for a permanent colony, so as the years go by, the population dies out, until it's down to one woman and Testament. Choosing to make a final trip to watch crabs migrate, the two discuss faith, religion and ritual. This was really good, even as I'm not sure I fully got it, but I know I'll be re-reading it in time.
Between the Sand and the Sea by C.A.P. Ward. After moving inland, a young man finds himself pulled back to the sea. A fairly short comic, the story isn't much, but the art is excellent.
Crawl Space by Violet Kitchen. Kel is obsessed with small spaces and cave rescues. The main character is in middle school, and the figures have a YA feel, but there's a darkness to the art, and a lot of silent pages, that help us feel the morbid fascination that she has.
Dumbing of Age Book 14 by David Willis. Dumbing of Age is a webcomic that I now habitually kickstart each subsequent book instead of reading daily. The main character is Joyce, a fundamentalist Christian who goes to college and starts questioning what she learned. But also there's humor, and so many people date and break up in different configurations that it could be a soap opera (or the X-Men). Since it's done in comic strips, the pace can be glacial. At book 14, we are only in their second semester, and that's only because there was a time skip around book 10.
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u/jackduluoz007 Feb 15 '26
Reign of X, vols. 1-14 by Gerry Duggan, Simon Spurrier, Tini Howard, Ed Brisson, Bryan Hill, Benjamin Percy, and various artists. "Reign of X" continues my Krakoa-era deep dive, and this stretch really feels like a transitional middle act. The mutant nation is at its peak: expanding into space, flexing political muscle, and hosting the Hellfire Gala. But you can feel the early cracks forming beneath the surface. Al Ewing’s "S.W.O.R.D." is the clear standout to me here. The idea of a mutant space program is exactly the kind of big-swing worldbuilding this era thrives on. On the other hand, not everything lands. "Children of the Atom" is derivative, forced, and largely pointless, and a few of the other arcs feel like they’re spinning wheels rather than pushing the larger narrative forward. Without Hickman steering every beat, the line becomes more fragmented, sometimes interestingly so, sometimes not. Still, as a bridge between "X of Swords" and the darker turns to come, this era is worth the ride. When it’s focused, it’s still fun and ambitious. When it drifts, it reminds you how hard it is to maintain that early Krakoa magic, particularly without Hickman’s involvement. 6.7/10
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u/ChickenInASuit Drops rec lists at the slightest provocation. Feb 15 '26
Drome by Jesse Lonergan
I always find it difficult to write reviews of comics that are very minimalist in dialogue and/or plot, because even more than most comics they are steadfastly visual works and the majority of my praise could be summarized with “Look at this! LOOK AT THIS!”
So, TL;DR on this review: Just fucking LOOK AT IT. Drome is an absolutely gorgeous spectacle of a book and a masterwork in minimalist storytelling that uses the medium of visual art to tell a full and satisfying story with barely enough dialogue to fill a single page.
I’m particularly impressed by Lonergan’s ability to establish and convey a character’s personality and motivations through visuals alone. Nobody in this story gets to monologue or to provide much in the way of backstory, but all the characters are given full and distinctive personalities.
Sometimes these personalities are portrayed in unsubtle moments: there’s an early page of the villain hanging a trophy on a wall. The origin of this trophy is established a couple pages prior, and just that one image, and the implications behind it (trust me when I say there’s only one method he could have used to obtain the trophy) tells you nearly everything you need to know about this character, his motivations and the way he views certain people.
However, there are other moments that are far more delicate and easy to miss - a slight change in facial expression in reaction to an event, or a small gesture that establishes someone’s priorities - and it’s fascinating to read and reread all these pages to catch those moments.
And that honestly is a good summary of this book as a whole. It’s both the story of a grand power struggle between two primordial deities as they play games with their mortal pawns, and also the story of those pawns as they navigate a world susceptible to dramatic change at any unexpected moment according to the whims of their Gods.
There are quiet moments of character reflection, and enormous, epic battle sequences that span several pages, all deftly delivered almost dialogue-free by Lonergan, a seasoned master of his craft.
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u/ark5000 Feb 15 '26
I’m on vacation and brought with me and read Umbrella Academy, What’s the furthest place from here, coyotes, crossover, the low low woods, we only kill each other, and on the plane ride home reading Low.
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u/bloodyzombies1 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
The Incal: Impressed with the art so far, and the story is acting as a good vehicle for the spectacle. The two things it reminds me of are Akira and Grant Morrison's writing. Akira in the sense that everything moves at a breakneck pace, and Morrison in that there's enough creative ideas and philosophy peppered throughout that it doesn't feel entirely hollow. The story is still shallow enough that I wouldn't call it a personal favorite, but it is much more satisfying than many other artist-first comics I've read.
Plastic Man by Kyle Baker: Another book you read for the art; Baker's expressive, exaggerated characters feel closest to a Ren & Stimpy cartoon. But it's more than just pretty pictures; the sequential storytelling in his art is so clear that it makes the book flow incredibly well. That mix of engaging storytelling and an appealing art style should be the bare minimum for comics; it's a shame it isn't. The scripts aren't as strong as the art, but they're still funny and offer a nice mix of Looney Tunes hijinks and satire of the events of the time, within both DC and the real world.
Action Comics by Mark Waid: This absolutely blew me away. Waid's current run is essentially a Spider-Man comic disguised as a Superman story. It's about the first year of Clark Kent's career as a teenage hero, juggling the responsibilities that come with growing up and being a hero. But what makes it work is the way Waid writes Clark; he's so passionate about doing good that he's very likable, and watching him screw up and get frustrated is more relatable than the typical Superman characterization. And the lessons Clark learns, like when to use force, work not only as resolutions to the stories, but as ways for Waid to explain fundamental aspects of the Superman character. The art is unfortunately pretty inconsistent, but it's servicable enough. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but if it can sustain this level of quality for an extended period, it may go down as one of the best modern Superman runs.
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u/DustDevil66 Feb 15 '26
East District- Ash H.G.
Very cool. Very dreamy in a very nightmarish way. Tbh saying lynchian can feel really lazy but it does have a lot of lynch vibes. I guess the story premise js a bunch of kids living in some post apocalyptic world where there’s like skinwalker/bodysnatcher type monsters pretending to be regular children. They’re played somewhere between zombies and some sort of symptom of some greater cosmic horror.
A friend has gone missing and it just kind of follows the lives of these kids for a bit. It just has a very dark, gloomy, and foreboding atmosphere the whole time. I think this was an incredible exercise in mood setting by the artist. I really love the art but it’s definitely rougher and i know most people here seem to favor a more clean or detailed presentation. If you’re down with rougher work though i think there’s a lot to love here
A Frog in the Fall- Linnea Sterte
I mostly got this as a gift for a friend as she will be graduating college soon. I had read it was about a frog that had sort of just graduated from being a tadpole and was going on a journey at the beginning of a new era of their life and i thought that would make a lovely thematically-fitting gift. So i picked up two copies, one for her and one for myself.
It was enjoyable. It certainly has the vibe of a well written children’s book that can appeal to people of all ages. Plenty of whimsy here. Not short on whimsy at all. I like the gay toads. The persimmon lady was my favorite.
I do feel, based on the way people speak of this book here, that i did enjoy this a bit less than others. That’s not really a dig on it, i think it is clearly very good, it just kind of didn’t have the immediate or lasting impact on me it would have to have for me to consider it a favorite. Not trying to be a contrarian, i just wanted to share that in case others felt similarly
Star of Swan-Margot Ferrick
Finally got this after it was out of stock every time i looked for it for the past like ~7 months. A bit hard to follow at first what with the randomly alternating visual perspective but the art is outstanding and it made my tummy hurt and i got very sad there at the end. Cults and technology and deep insecurity ugh. The world is very scary and gross certainly less pleasant than the frog but more impactful, personally
Total THB- Paul Pope
This was part of my mystery mail subscription. Tbh i have no prior experience with Pope and had never heard of THB before. I was a bit disappointed when i got this because generally speaking scifi comics arent my favorite and tbqh the cover sucks and leaves a terrible first impression. It’s funny, a few weeks after i received this i saw austin english go on a short rant about how much the cover of this sucks and how amazon, thumbnails, and advertising to the lowest common denominator is ruining book covers or something probably true. It’s really a shit cover.
Anyway, this was very fun. Very inventive, the art is great, and it has a really great low budget 80s 90s sci fi vibe to it. Loved the multi issue fight with the robot and the piano. Really fun to make the sound effects in my head when the piano would smash into things. Just super fun. Easy recommend.
Hate Revisited!- Peter Bagge
Bagge’s writing has always reeked of a certain kind of gen x “everyone is stupid except me” vibe and his general socially conservative libertarian bent has always been there as well, but the thing is at least his early work (the seattle stories) in the 90s still managed to be well written, propulsive, and funny. This is pretty much none of those things.
To keep it short I just found this really boring and Bagge just feels really out of touch. There’s a strong “both sides” ism throughout regarding modern politics and multiple prominent points where his racism and homophobia shows through in the writing. Something that feels easier to excuse in older works (which were, again, also actually funny), but just a major drag and uncomfortable to witness in a comic written in the last five years.
The shittiest part of all was this absolutely awful collection of shorts at the end about some characters named stretch-pants. Unbearably un-funny, extremely transphobic, and weirdly makes light of child sexual abuse? It feels like a riff on late 60’s era underground comix but even the worst and most offensive slop crumb put out displayed better technique, both in writing and art, than this crap.
Oba Electroplating Factory- Tsuge Yoshiharu
I’ve really enjoyed these d+q collections of his works. They each have a very different emotional vibe to them and it’s interesting to see how he developed as an artist. This one was pretty depressing honestly but i enjoyed it
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Feb 15 '26
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u/DustDevil66 Feb 15 '26
Lmao, yknow, i didn’t! 😆 My experience with his work begins and ends with Hate and the minor bit of reading I did about his whole libertarian thing. But that really doesn’t surprise me. I get the feeling he thinks he’s being tongue in cheek but it really does just feel he thinks he is a lot smarter than he really is. I really did quite enjoy the first half of the original Hate run it’s too bad he lost the plot on what made his work fun
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u/DustDevil66 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
I got some single issues from the last gap sale i guess I’ll mention those too.
Palookaville 2- Seth
I’m not sure the first three issues of Palookaville have been collected anywhere. My only experience with his work so far has been Clyde Fans (marvelously depressing for someone who struggles with a bit of agoraphobia) and i had been curious about his earlier work. This was nice. Just a very light and relaxing vibe. Very slice of life. MC is a cook at some restaurant in a coastal town. Fish and steaks, yknow. Tbh there’s really not much to say about the story. Like, there’s definitely a story but the mood is really the interesting thing. A lovely mood it is
Wimmen’s Comix 7-Various women lol. I don’t want to type that many names.
Fun. I like vintage second wave feminist art. Very salacious and edgy and ra ra be sexy kill men sort of stuff. Fun to see each authors voice both in writing and art and see where they went with the theme (crime). I picked up the collected edition of the whole series recently but i figured why not experience a bit of it old school style to start.
Weirdo 24- Ed. Aline Kominsky-Crumb, many artists
There are a number of artists here i don’t have a ton of experience with and I’m trying to do a deep dive into underground comics this year i think. I liked the collaborative story between dori seda and someone whose name i am forgetting, the one by the zippy guy, alines story about fat camp, and the kim deitch piece at the end.
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u/Sairven Feb 15 '26
Calvin and Hobbes by Watterson. Like to read three weeks' worth of strips in between the other stuff for levity. Still in his first year. So glad I got this collection, I'll be reading and re-reading this for decades.
Witchfinder vol 1 by Mignola/others. Yeah buddy, this was exactly what I was hoping from the premise and bits of leafing through before purchase. Victorian era Mignola-verse Just WorksTM , looking forward to the next volume whenever it finally comes up in the reading order.
Attack on Titan omnibus volumes 5-7 by Hajime Isayama. I like to avoid spoilers as much as possible. But wow. I finished omnibus vol 7 in nearly one sitting. So many things coming together, opening new arcs, etc. Phenomenal.
Hellboy: Weird Tales by Mignola/others. Did not finish, read the two canon stories and a few others. The canon stuff was great, everything else felt like professional fanfic. Not bad, not great. I'm glad I got this in the Humble Bundle, I'll finish it whenever I've exhausted the tons of other Mignola-verse stuff I wanna read (which is 99% of it haha).
Superman For All Seasons by Loeb/Sale. Had this on the read list for a while and it came at the right time. Touching story spanning four seasons. Even lacking Supes nostalgia, I still got a little teary eyed quite a few times.
Lobster Johnson vol 1 by Mignola/others. Even though I'd been looking forward to this, I was still apprehensive about stories dedicated to a hero/superhero in the Mignola-verse. Turned out to be super fun times. Nothing ground breaking or whatever, just some solid adventures. Thinking about grabbing the physical copies that are coming later this year.
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u/bloodyzombies1 Feb 16 '26
All Seasons really is great. It's one of the few good depictions of depression in superhero comics.
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u/belongtotherain Feb 15 '26
Just finished issue five of Everything Dead and Dying. Really enjoyed it and felt it was a very original take on the zombie genre.
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u/scarwiz Feb 15 '26
Square Eyed by Luke Jones and Anna Mill - An absolute wonder of a book. Just as good as I remember it, if not better.
The creator of this world's most prevalent AR social media wakes up in a rehab center, disconnected from the network, and with no memory of how she got there.
A psychological and psychedelic tec-thriller that meanders its way to hectic climax and an ending open to interpretation, exploring our relationship with technology and its place in the capitalist hellscape we inhabit.
I get that it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea, it certainly doesn't hold the reader by the hand. But if you manage to grab onto the world they're building, you're in for the ride of your life
The real kicker though, is the art. Somehow both realistic and detailed but hyper stylized. The color palette is to die for, and it's use of color and overlays makes for such an incredible esthetic. Perfect use of shadow and silhouettes, some wildly creative "camera work". It's just a delight through and through
Makes me all the more sad we'll probably never see another work by these two...
Charity & Sylvia by Tillie Walden - Another Tillie Walden banger.
This one is unexpected for me because I have an aversion to both biographies and period pieces, and Walden's biggest draw for me are her fiery colors. I was so ready to hate this.
But she did it again !
We follow Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake's relationship, as they navigate same-sex relations at the dawn of the United States.
The book is broken up in one or two page vignettes, much like the diary entries it is based on. It's a perfect balance between beautiful quiet moments, heavy hitting emotional ones, and the couples day to day lives. It lacks some of the fervour of her earlier work, but absolutely makes up for it in heart. And while Walden's gorgeous colors are definitely missed, she still managed to sneak in some really stunning pages.
Definitely not one to be missed this summer !
Sports is Hell by Ben Passmore - What a trip..
A superbowl win turns into a city-wide riot... turns into a racial reenactment of the game under duress..?
Part political manifesto, part dystopian warfare, and a big dose of absurdity.
Not my favorite Passmore book, I got lost int he chaos a little, but it's got energy for sure
L'âge d'Or by Cyril Pedrosa and Roxane Moreil - A story of family and treachery set in medieval times, and lushly illustrated with an hypnotic color palette. This book is drop dead gorgeous from start to finish, and the story weaves and winds expertly. And while all of the characters haven't quite caught up to it yet, the moral of it all seems quite novative for a story set in feudal times. Looking forward to the second half
Yon Vol. 2 by Camille Broutin - Another great volume, that slowly unravels the mystery of the "phenomenon". Most of the action takes place inside the building, and it's done setting the scene, so it's not quite as jaw droppingly pretty, but there's some gorgeous moments in there still. Mostly though, it's cold and calculating, like our protagonist. But it's also very funny at times, which was a surprising tonal shift compared to the first book. It's pretty clear things will only escalate from here on out, and I can't wait to see how she wraps ut up in only a couple of volumes
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Feb 15 '26
What's Anna Mill's day job if she won't be making any more graphic novels?
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u/scarwiz Feb 15 '26
I think they're both architects, which explains some of the art direction I think
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u/Dense-Virus-1692 Feb 15 '26
The House by Paco Roca – Oof, this one hits hard. It’s about adult children coming back to their childhood home to fix it up after their dad has died. It’s only a vacation home so it really should be called The Cottage, at least in Canada. One brother is the responsible one, the other is a writer, and the sister kinda mediates peace between them. They work, reminisce and argue. In the end they might not even want to sell the house. The art is super nice. It’s nice balance between realistic and cartoony. The colours make you want to hop on a plane to Spain and bask in the sunlight. The layouts can be a little confusing at times, though. Sometimes it goes vertical and sometimes it’s horizontal. You have to pay attention to the gutters. But other than that it’s perfect. Well, the subject matter is hearwrenching, but that’s life.
Land of the Lustrous vol 1 by Haruko Ichikawa – This one has a pretty cool concept. The Lustrous are anthropomorphic gems that look human but are made out of minerals. They can be chopped up but they come back to life when they’re put back together. They’re always under threat of being attacked by some moon people so they’re constantly training, anime ninja style. The main character, Phosphophyllite (aka Phos), is too soft to fight so she’s given the job of writing a whole wikipedia about their world. She has to hunt down Cinnabar, who’s the only gem that can stay awake at night. Cinnabar is dangerous though, because she oozes out mercury that kills everything. You learn a lot about gems in this book. I’ve never heard about phos or cinnabar before. And there’s one called Bort which is what crappy diamonds are called. It’s not just a Simpsons joke. The art reminds me of Tezuka’s adult comics like Phoenix. Everyone is super skinny with super long torsos and legs. There aren’t too many backgrounds. It’s kinda hard to tell what kind of planet they’re on. Is it Earth? Anyways, like I said it’s a cool concept and I’ll have to keep reading it.
Transformers vol 1 by Daniel Warren Johnson – I was told a long time ago that I should read this series and I finally got around to it. And I gotta say they were right. It’s like the cartoon except there’s a lot more death. These guys can actually hit what they aim at. And humans get smooshed pretty easily which is good because, as someone in this thread said before, DWJ’s heroes need to be sad. Everyone needs to have lost a loved one. The art is rough but it’s got a tonne of energy, of course. Lots of motion blurring and stuff. The robots aren’t exactly geometrically perfect, but who cares. I bet he has a lot of the toys on his drawing table, eh? It starts out with only a few of the robots but more and more get brought back to life over the course of the story. I’m sure there will be tonnes of cool characters in later books. Anyways, this book is pretty much what was running through my head when I was watching the cartoon in the 80s. Just give my giant robots and brutal violence and I’m happy.
Witchcraft by Sole Otero – Three sisters emigrate to Argentina and cause a wee bit of trouble, to say the least. The book is structured like a collection of short stories. It took me a while to notice that they’re all connected. I was like “Dario was mentioned in the last story. Is it the same guy?” The sisters practice some sort of sex magic. Guys get hypnotized a lot. Is it supernatural or are they just horny? Each chapter has its own style. One is almost like a sidescrolling video game and another is a child’s diary. The rest are more traditional. All the people are drawn with big lumpy bodies and tiny heads. I recognized her style from her last book, Mothballs. It’s a funny style that’s juxtaposed with the serious subject matter. I think it works, though. It’s a creepy book. It’s also pretty thick and heavy so maybe don’t pick it up when you have a lot of other holds ready at the library...
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u/Blizzard757 Feb 16 '26
I’m glad you enjoyed The House. I enjoyed it so much that I instantly bought Wrinkles and “Los Zurcos del Azar” ( don’t know it’s name in english). I’m fully inversed in Paco Roca’s work, I’m trying to buy all his work.
Although I disagree with the layouts being a little bit confusing, I do get where you are coming from.
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u/Wheelchair_Dontcare Feb 15 '26
The walking dead compendium volume two
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u/Alaskan_Guy Feb 15 '26
I got compendium 1-3 for $4 each at the used book store here. Somehow I missed the TV show and books when they came out. Figured for $12 I should give it a try. Needless to say I just paid full price for vol 4 cause its really been a fun read so far.
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u/Wheelchair_Dontcare Feb 15 '26
I watched the show religiously when it came out and gave up the last few seasons. I decided to pick up the books to see what it's like and oh my god, it's so good! I've read 1000's of pages and shocked it went by so fast. I like the colour versions.
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u/Leothefox Blathered on about Tintin. Feb 15 '26
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
I read this out of spite. Someone I don’t like very much was ragging on this for terrible reasons, so I felt inclined to see what it was actually like. Ultimately, I found it rather enjoyable.
Greta is an apprentice blacksmith carrying on the family tradition. When she finds a small dragon being hounded by dogs she saves it and is told where the owner lives. Meeting the owner, Hesekiel, Greta is introduced to the world of tea dragons. Small, dog-sized dragons who grow leaves from their horns/manes which can be used to brew delicious magical tea. Greta becomes enamoured with the idea of tea dragons, and Hesekiel’s young ward, Minette.
It’s overall a very soft, very sweet, very gay little slice of life story about learning to care for tea dragons, making new friends, and finding new passions. It’s not the most complex story, but the idea of tea dragons is somewhat unique and the relationships within feel believable, sweet, charming and inclusive. I believe this is intended for a younger age group, and kids would pick this all up very easily, but I still think there’s enough soft, gentle charm here to have some appeal to older audiences.
The artwork is honestly just honestly nice in my opinion. Block coloured characters with soft edges, often with patterned backgrounds that remind me of stylised wallpaper. It gives everything a feel of paper cutout characters on a paper world, helped by the decidedly matte paper it’s printed on.
Honestly just a very pleasant book all round that I’d happily recommend to anyone looking for a gentle little story about fostering friendships, new passions and continuing traditions, or after a little bit of light lgbt romance.
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u/martymcfly22 Preacher? i hardly know her! Feb 15 '26
Read The Freak by Matt Lesniewski (2025). Interesting premise and art style. Pretty brisk read (10 minutes tops).
Reading Holy Lacrimony by Michael DeForge. I’ve read everything by MDF. He is so whacky and unique. I just can’t help myself, I have to read everything he puts out. Verdict on this one tbd. My favorite of his is Heaven No Hell. My least favorite is probably Leaving Richard’s Valley, even though I still enjoyed it.
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u/Reyntoons Feb 15 '26
I’m the same way with DeForge, I have to read everything by him. He’s amazing. But I have the opposite taste: one of my FAVES is Leaving Richards Valley, (and also Sticks Angelika FWIW). Loved Heaven No Hell, but haven’t read Holy Lacrimony yet!
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u/martymcfly22 Preacher? i hardly know her! Feb 15 '26
I appreciate Richard’s Valley. For me, it was a tad more of a slog to get through than his other stuff.
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Feb 15 '26
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u/martymcfly22 Preacher? i hardly know her! Feb 15 '26
Actually no. But I did read it in 5 or 6 bigger chunks.
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 15 '26
I've been curious to check out The Freak, some really playful linework in that.
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Feb 15 '26
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u/DustDevil66 Feb 15 '26
Life drawing was actually my first experience with jaime’s work after just having read some of gilberts collections over the last few years and it hit pretty hard for me even without knowing the backgrounds of any of the characters. There’s a very lived-in feel to everyone in the book. It felt like a very beautifully done play almost.
Anyway, i’m sure it hits harder if you know the characters but i wanted to let you know it still is pretty outstanding without that knowledge!
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u/crash_orange Feb 15 '26
The New American Splendor Anthology by Harvey Pekar (and friends). Been absolutely devouring it as bed time reading the past few nights. Really love Harvey's neurotically fueled slice of life style
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Feb 15 '26
Absolute Batman vol 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. Introducing Absolute Bane, who is an absolute unit. At times he's a Titan. This book continues to be pretty bombastic and they go a little bat-shit with Bane (yea, I know what I did). I'm not entirely sure the Absolute take on Bats really distinguishes itself all that much with the changes it makes. Even if Bruce is broke, half his rogues are now his buddies who know he's the Bat and are seemingly behind him, it doesn't really change much of how the Bat stuff plays out. You could stuff these stories into a standard non-canon book and they'd work pretty much the same. I'm maybe judging it harshly on that front because Manhunter went completely wild with it and virtually created something new. Nevertheless, it continues to be fun and I'm surprised to find myself enjoying it. I dare say I like it more than Snyder's original Bat run, barring maybe the first volume. Roll on the Joker.
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u/NeapolitanWhitmore Detective Beans! Feb 15 '26
I think that if Snyder kept the venom in Bruce we could have explored something very new. But Batman lost it in a very Batmany way. This series feels more fun to read than other Batman books, which I personally credit Dragotta for.
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Feb 15 '26
I thought it was heading in that direction too. They did some serious stuff to him in these issues and it was a gateway to progressing with something new, but then they just binned it.
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u/Medium_Theory_8185 Feb 15 '26
Winnie-the-Pooh by Travis Dandro. As an adaptation it's fairly true to the source material (and has infinitely more charm than most comics being published for children). Not my usual reading matter but I've been trying to get back into comics after a dramatic falling off. I had shortlisted this years ago, I don't recall just why, and suddenly happened onto a cheap copy. Serendipity! I loved it. Dandro's carefully structured layouts, gentle sketching, and his gift for movement and progression are a joy to behold, something many artists could stand to learn from. My last foray into the Hundred Acre Wood was a Latin translation as Winnie-Ille-Pu that left me with a Thousand Yard Stare. This was easier to absorb with none of the trauma.
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u/NeapolitanWhitmore Detective Beans! Feb 15 '26
Little Bird (By Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar): This is a reread for me. However, I know last time I read it, I didn’t like it. I can’t quite recall what it was exactly that I didn’t like about it. Truth be told I picked up Precious Metal and decided to give this another go beforehand. I’m really glad that I did. I found it to be a well done book. I found myself wanting to know more about the supporting characters, the history, the resistance, New Vatican, and just the world as a whole.
Ian Bertram is incredible. I often read comics by reading the words and then looking at the panel. I found myself looking at the panels, reading, looking at the panel again, finishing the page and looking at the page as a whole.
One thing that bothered me was, there were times where a character would mention that some time had passed and I had no idea. It’s not a huge thing but it threw me off every time. I also didn’t like the last interaction between Little Bird and The Bishop. They had their big confrontation already, and it felt conclusive. Then they see each other again (after another time skip of course). It felt unnecessary. The story could have ended after we see the Bishop and the Axe. Or even just cut out the page or two when The Bishop and Little Bird interact.
Either way, I like the world, and I mostly enjoyed the story. I feel ready to jump into Precious Metal.
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u/simonxvx Feb 15 '26 edited 10d ago
"[this comment has been deleted since I don't want Google AI Overview to share what I'm posting about"
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 15 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa - A young boy is frightened by three shadowy figures, seen on the horizon from his bedroom window, and is assured by his parents that these silhouettes are simply distant trees. However, the mother and father soon realize the shadows are shifting shape and discover the spectres in question are in pursuit of their child.
Thoroughly loved this, a clever and thematically rich concept with stirring and dynamic art.
This story is quite an evocative metaphor for the difficulty as a parent in confronting an emergent, life threatening situation facing your children. The titular shadows could be illness, a random accident, or any other calamity outside of a parent's control that leaves them feeling powerless. As a visual motif, the distant illusion of shadows is a relatable and resonant one in addition to fitting the emotional theme perfectly. The plot itself is also engaging and has plenty of twists and turns that serve to enhance the core metaphor, including a rather moving ending.
Artistically, Pedrosa combines distinct styles super effectively and creates an overall visual personality that is really engaging. Calmer scenes are presented with a joyful, almost bouncy cartoonish curvature to them and tense moments given a more angular, and scratchy aesthetic with severe shadowing. When situations become uncertain, these styles start to alternate, scale, and bleed into each other which creates a visual experience that is consistently fresh and deeply expressive. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lone Sloan: Delirius by Philippe Druillet, Jacques Lob - Lone Sloane is recruited for a heist on a debaucherous pleasure planet, where after being repeatedly manipulated he decides to play all sides against each other.
Druillet really benefited from having Lob handle the script here as the narrative was far more engaging than the stories of 6 Voyages, if not a bit circuitous at times. The resolution was also solid; dark, comedic, and exciting with a great set piece.
The star of the show however continued to be Druillet's art which was epic, copiously detailed, and constantly played with panel structure. Every page is a spectacle, all the things all of the time.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lone Sloan: 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane by Philippe Druillet - Six short stories that construct the legend of Lone Sloane, Terran traveler of the stars who becomes blessed by galactic gods and finds himself embroiled in one cosmic conflict after another.
This feels like the pinnacle of bitchin' science fantasy van art. The exhaustive depictions of vast interstellar monuments, massive spaceships, and godly cosmic powers are truly something to behold.
It's all so gloriously rendered that the narratives are largely sideshows, which is good as they're often clumsily told and opaque. That being said, each of the six stories are epic in scope and the settings feel genuinely far flung, alien, and immersive. The often difficult to parse dialogue actually helps to heighten the unfamiliarity, even if the sloppy plotting and clunkily narrated exposition relinquishes those gains.
But again, the stories could be utterly impenetrable and I would have loved this as the art establishes an absurdly high floor for overall entertainment. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Om by Andy Barron - A silent series of short vignettes, sharing a deceptively inviting alien landscape and a cast of boisterous characters.
This book is a visual tour de force, just a pure feast for the eyes. The linework is so curvy and fluid, with compositions nearly devoid of straight lines or corners . Colorwork is incredibly vibrant yet the grayscale work is also striking, each approach yielding eye popping results with a deep array of shades. Even the layouts can get playful with some fragmented panelling, a mix of circular and rectangular framing, and some loosely structured pages.
While the stories are quite simple, there is a bevy of visual world building on display and a surprising diversity in tones from the whimsical to the grotesque. The stories all being silent also moves the pace along nicely and makes for a breezy and beautiful read. The characters also have a lot of personality and make for expressive vehicles for navigating the collection of creative scenarios. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Collected Toppi 7: Sharaz-De by Sergio Toppi - Adapting "A Thousand and One Nights", this collection sees Scheherazade stand-in 'Sharaz-De' serve as storyteller for a series of folk tales set in the Arab Peninsula. While the stories themselves aren't my favorite of Toppi's works they provide ample fodder for his incredible art through utilization of Golden Age Arabic architecture, magical Djinn, striking landscapes, and ornate costuming.
Everything Toppi does well visually is present here just kicked up another notch; patchwork patterns excel at imbuing topology and texture, compositions link and nest into complex collage-like layouts, and perspective & depth are regularly toyed with to create crowded scenes that still feel expansive. While some of the color work is rather underwhelming, obfuscating the line work or obviating the need for it all together, the coloration for the middle story admirably mimicked how Toppi's linework informs the morphing textures and layouts. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Feb 15 '26
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 15 '26
My immeasurable shame! (Stars have now been properly assigned to Om)
Even as a non-parent I felt Three Shadows was rather moving, if you do revisit it I'd be interested to hear if there was any difference in your opinion.
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Feb 15 '26
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 16 '26
There has almost been as much time between when Three Shadows came out and when I started reading comics as there has been between when I started and now haha.
First second is one of those labels whose brand identity never felt very strong to me, this focus shift is probably part of it.
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
Red Night by Hanawa Kazuichi - A bizarre, deranged, and perverse manga anthology of black comedy vignettes from the 70s & 80s.
The humor in this is rather hard to describe, part macabre farce and part anti-humor absurdism that reads like a precursor to the aughts' "dead baby jokes" mixed with a dash of depraved sexual detours and a string of non-sequitur subversions. The comedy didn't always land, but yielded more than a few crazed cackles from me.
What makes the humor even more interesting is how it's contrasted by the incredibly detailed, even ornate art. Panels are often exhaustively pencilled and decorated with filigree borders all to depict some inane scene like a man hiding under a bridge to lick passerby women's ankles or a pervert pretending to be a rain god who conscripts a devout villager to piss all over him. ⭐⭐⭐
Lone Sloane: Gail by Philippe Druillet - Sloane infiltrates and overthrows a penal colony at the center of a conflict between two galactic powers, while a shadowy underground force manipulates events behind the scenes.
What an absolutely gorgeous mess of a book this is. Continues the visual tour de force that has been Lone Sloan this far with another entry of spectacularly detailed compositions, playful layouts, and jaw dropping spreads. This book adds to that formula some really distinct spotty coloration, almost like spray or aged film but neon in palette. There's also some integration of photography here, which was honestly more silly than anything (but still fun).
While the plot is rather broad and trite, it could have been a serviceable vehicle for the incredible art if it wasn't also so clumsily told and opaque. Deus Ex Machinas abound (Sloane summons demons out of nowhere), technobabble ridden prose aplenty, and run-on sentences fill nearly every text bubble. Sadly, this does drag the experience... at least until you turn the page and say "well would you look at that!" ⭐⭐⭐
New Ecology by Jesse Jacobs -A strange, alien ecology appears out of nowhere and organisms within it emit sounds at the atomic level. Humans investigate its properties and devise ways to exploit the new ecology but it continues to expand invasively and humans are increasingly forced to adapt in order to survive.
Probably my favorite of the three Jacobs comics I've read so far, despite the short length, with a peculiar premise and memorable art. The patchwork rainbow aesthetic of the alien ecology also creates a nice contrast with Jacob's usual style. ⭐⭐⭐
Coral by Fanoele - A fun little exploratory sci-fi issue about a traveler escaping dangers while hopping from habitat to habitat.
Has some cheeky humor and a creative ending which both added another dimension to this.
The art was really pleasant, ligne claire accompanies pastel coloration for a really cozy aesthetic and the varied settings / creatures made the experience quite engaging. ⭐⭐⭐
Journal of my Father by Jiro Taniguchi - A solid memoir about Taniguchi reevaluating his perceptions of his father during the man's funeral in addition to ruminating over the choices that lead to their estranged relationship.
There are a lot of engaging introspective and emotional moments in this book that will resonate with anyone who has left things unsaid to a deceased loved one. Taniguchi's personal reflection is framed by the unique wrinkles of his family history in addition to the cultural quirks of Japan which each provide some interesting context.
However, the reading experience was rather uneven as the bulk of the compelling content is weighted towards the back half with much on the first being fairly rote childhood memoir exposition. It could have benefited a bit from a more nonlinear structure with some of the tough conclusions he made about their relationships peppered throughout, framing the youth content.
Taniguchi's art is as precise and sober as ever and provides a showcase for his skill at subtle emotion and character depiction. Sadly, the more technical and less stylistic art also made the already slow first half drag even more for me. ⭐⭐⭐
Space Jellyfish by Jesse Jacobs - Fun farcical sci-fi mini comic by Jesse Jacobs about how humanity evolves over time after earth slowly loses its gravity. ⭐⭐⭐
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u/TheDaneOf5683 Cross Game + Duncan The Wonder Dog Feb 18 '26
as an FYI, Journal Of My Father is fiction, not memoir
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 18 '26
Haha, I didn't even realize. Thanks for the clarification!
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u/TheDaneOf5683 Cross Game + Duncan The Wonder Dog Feb 18 '26
I think it changes the flavor somewhat to read it as fiction. For me, it makes it a better story, but I know some enjoy thinking it was memoir.
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u/drown_like_its_1999 I'm Batman Feb 18 '26
I can understand that, with the parties involved being fictional it's more interesting to speculate about their past and future. Being fictional also makes it feel more like a time capsule for that "baby boom" generation in Japan instead of just an anecdotal personal history.
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u/ConstantVarious2082 Feb 15 '26
Dungeon: Zenith – Volumes 3, 4, 5 by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, and Boulet – great fantasy cartooning. Dungeon (or Donjon) is a long-running epic sprawling across centuries, focusing on the duck Herbert who is, in the “Zenith” sub-series, a flunky at the titular Dungeon. It’s a sort-of-parody of standard fantasy (particularly Dungeons and Dragons), viewed from the perspective of the “bad guys” working in the dungeon where adventurers seek their glory and riches. Through the series, artists swap around, but these three volumes all are illustrated Boulet, who does a great job with fun expressive characters, evocative magic, and cool settings. The story here really is mostly centered on Herbert and his friend Marvin (a dragon), and their respective love lives. They oscillate from hilarious to deeply somber, and the serious moments hit hard. Most of them, though, are wacky and silly adventures, pastiches of fantasy tropes, and a healthy dollop of sarcasm. They’re fantastic and I’m excited to expand to the other sub-series soon.
Lone Sloane – 6 Voyages, Delirius, Gail by Philippe Druillet (with Jacques Lob on Delirius) – wild artistically bonkers sci-fi. Lone Sloane is a wandering space-farer searching for Earth in a universe full of Lovecraftian eldritch gods and all the space opera standards you could want. Druillet's art is insane, and these volumes included enough variety with basically his trademark space-gothic-architecture, wild spaceships, and some fun organic weirdness and the couple spots where he slips in photos. I think he's the best I've seen at imparting an incredible sense of "scale" - cosmic breadth really dwarfing our senses and comprehension. I also love the almost abandonment of "panels" even when the pages are not just full-page art, and how things are bordered and separated. His writing, both plot and dialog, is not on par with the art, but we get some fun short sci-fi in 6 Voyages, and Delirius (written by Jacques Lob) does a fun job with a standard-ish sci-fi trope of "planet-wide hedonism". Gail gets weirdest, artistically and thematically, reading a lot like his The Night, also written shortly after his wife's death and involving more than a bit of raging-against-the-powers-that-be. Great set, and I've got a couple more volumes on the way.
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Feb 15 '26
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u/ConstantVarious2082 Feb 15 '26
I'm so close to completing the English collection, and I suppose I could just get all the remaining albums in French in one fell swoop, maybe I can catch up before anything new comes out... Or will that drive me into the Trondheim-completist hole where I'd be **really** in trouble?
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Feb 15 '26
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u/ConstantVarious2082 Feb 16 '26
Yikes, I was going off English Wikipedia's volume list, which is missing 6 (I think?) Parade volumes... This is going to be an even bigger endeavor than I expected...
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u/Timely_Tonight_8620 Shop Local! Feb 15 '26
Here by Richard McGuire: Wow that was a real visual treat of a story! This story itself is about one corner of a room with the different people and times it existed in, the times meddling together through overlapping on the same page with a very fun art style! This little corner of a home changes color, decorations and people as we see those who lived there grow up and pass away. It’s very low dialogue with sometimes no speech bubbles at all as we see the history of the land as well with the time jumping all around each page. Our little corner endures time as the people living inside repeat similar behaviors that show the shared human experience. A gorgeous feast for the eyes that’s a bit of a quick read, but it’s worth it for the non linear story telling and brilliant paneling.
Prophet vol 4-5 by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis, Joseph Bergin III, Ron Wimberly, Dave Taylor, Ron Ackins and Grim Wilkins: The war rages on for Earth between the John empire and the rogue group of Johns and aliens, the violence and action ramping up to 11 with all sorts of crazy looking aliens some spectacular body horror with all the different Johns. This second half really goes to cosmic level with the stakes higher than ever, the art style still shifting over the issues which gives it a really wild look! Overall this was a 10/10 scifi story and the best scifi comic I’ve read so far! Lovely art and a powerful action that's coated in bright colors and gore.
W the Whore by Anke Feuchtenberge and Katrin de Vries: A surrealist black and white comic about the titular character W the Whore in her struggles for freedom, desire, and her body as well with the art style very dreamlike(or nightmare) with the deep inks and shifting characters really giving the story an eerie vibe. Our main character shapeshifts throughout the story in these multiple anthology stories that feel heavily symbolic of motherhood and social expectations. It has a very avant garde feeling with the art shifting from page to page, this being quite the unsettling read with how alien the backgrounds look.
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u/_rwzfs Feb 22 '26
Never read a graphic novel before but got recommended some Moebius while looking for art references and I thought I'd give him a go.
Read the four Arzach stories, Dallade, the White Citadel, and Ktulu. Got a few other Moebius collections that I'm interested in looking at.
Also downloaded Crawl Space by Jesse Jacobs, the Frank book by Jim Woodring, and Gideon Falls.
Anyone got any other recommendations or pointers for a new reader?