Category: Graphic Novels

Heart Attack by Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki & Mike Spicer

In comparison to most of the graphic novels for grown-ups I’ve read recently, this felt quite long, but I think there’s a good reason for that. The original, published in 2020, only collected the first six issues of the series. This follow-up contains those and six more chapters that round out, at least for now, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/18/heart-attack-by-shawn-kittelsen-eric-zawadzki-mike-spicer/

Parasocial by Alex de Campi & Erica Henderson

It should give you some idea of how expertly inhabited this male-protagonist-driven graphic novel is that I was genuinely surprised that the author and artist are both women. The story itself takes place just as pandemic lockdowns are easing in the USA. People are going to fan conventions again, tho with greater precautions than before, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/16/parasocial-by-alex-de-campi-erica-henderson/

Fry Guys by Eric Geron & Jannie Ho

This cute graphic novel for children also found an avid reader in myself, lover of all things potato and puns. Good friends Curly, Waffle and Sweet are musing over how life could be more exciting in their small town of Spudsville, Idaho, when the worst happens and they get exactly what Waffle wished for: adventure! …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/13/fry-guys-by-eric-geron-jannie-ho/

Freaking Romance: Volume One by Snailords

One of the problems with putting a long-running webtoon into graphic novel form is that it can be hard sometimes to figure out what makes a good stopping point. And that’s pretty much my only criticism of this (now complete) paranormal romance story, as two haunted people discover that they’re sharing an apartment with something …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/12/freaking-romance-volume-one-by-snailords/

Enlightened by Sachi Ediriweera

Haha, oh wow, reading the story of a dude who’s so self-involved that he takes off on his unsuspecting wife and kid without any warning is so not what I need right now. And that’s a shame because the story of Siddhartha — the prince who would become Gautama Buddha — is certainly fascinating, and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/10/enlightened-by-sachi-ediriweera/

Cosmic Detective by Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt & David Rubín

Look, you hand me something with Matt Kindt’s name on it, I’m gonna read it, that’s just the rules. For his latest graphic novel, Mr Kindt has teamed up with a dream team of fellow writer Jeff Lemire (who’s famous for a lot of acclaimed stuff I haven’t yet read. I’m SORRY, I don’t have …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/05/cosmic-detective-by-jeff-lemire-matt-kindt-david-rubin/

Art Brut, Vol 1: The Winking Woman by W. Maxwell Prince & Martín Morazzo

with colors by Mat Lopes, backup colors by Chris O’Halloran, and letters & design by Good Old Neon. This is easily one of the most intelligently artistic graphic novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. You don’t have to be an art history major to enjoy this book but a passing familiarity with the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/26/art-brut-vol-1-the-winking-woman-by-w-maxwell-prince-martin-morazzo/

Sea Serpent’s Heir, Book Two: Black Wave by Mairghread Scott & Pablo Túnica

What a vast and welcome improvement on the tepid first volume! In fairness, that compliment applies strictly to the story, as Pablo Tunica’s art has been excellent from the very beginning. His illustrations are as consistently kinetic and majestic and grotesque as the sea and its inhabitants, truly leaning in to the weird, hardscrabble nature …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/21/sea-serpents-heir-book-two-black-wave-by-mairghread-scott-pablo-tunica/

Not A New York Love Story by Julian Voloj & Andreas Gefe

I finished this terrific graphic novel and said out loud, “They should turn this into a movie!” Honestly, it’s the kind of story that I love to see on film: beautiful, visual, meaningful. Bonus for having an editor who can pace it better than my reading speed does, and a director who knows how to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/18/not-a-new-york-love-story-by-julian-voloj-andreas-gefe/

Die Känguru-Comics written by Marc-Uwe Kling

Känguru Comics

and illustrated by Bernd Kessel One of twenty-first century Germany’s best-known characters is a kangaroo. Talking, obviously, but less obviously a Communist, a fan of Nirvana (“The band?” asks Marc-Uwe Kling, narrator of the stories. “No, the Beyond,” says the kangaroo, and after a pause, “Of course the band! You like to pose unnecessary questions!” …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/06/die-kanguru-comics-written-by-marc-uwe-kling/