Damn, y’all, Hex Wives is not here to play. This is a graphic novel (a collection of Hex Wives #1-6) about some seriously angry women and I am HERE for it. Only problem is, it ends just as things are really getting good. Our story begins in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 as a coven of witches (all women, and led by lovers Nadiya and Isadora) battles a group of men known as The Architects. As … Continue reading Hex Wives by Ben Blacker & Mirka Andolfo →
Well this was just…neat! Bloodlust and Bonnets is a graphic novel in which a bloodthirsty Regency ingenue named Lucy teams up with Byron the poet and Sham, a vampire hunter, to fight vampires. The fact that Byron never seems to understand what’s going on, Sham is always lost, and Lucy would actually like to BE a vampire confuses the matter immensely, leading to hijinks and an amazing amount of red ink. At the start of … Continue reading Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern →
This YA graphic novel is very sweet and perfect for fall. I’m not sure that much about it will stay with me, but it was a good use of a leisurely autumn lunch break. Mooncakes tells the story of Nova, a teen witch, and her childhood friend Tam, a werewolf, who is back in town after a several-year absence. Tam is trying to defeat a local demon who has possessed a horse (unlike most of … Continue reading Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu →
Sleepless is an inventive and incredibly gorgeous romance told in two volumes, both of which are out now. It features one of the best love stories I’ve read in comics and with every page I exclaimed, “That dress tho!” The setting, a fantasy kingdom, is inspired by the Italian and Moroccan Renaissance. The heroine is a woman of color with a pet fennec fox. The hero is her bodyguard. Every page is frameable. The heroine, Poppy, … Continue reading Sleepless by Sarah Vaughn →
Moonstruck Vol. 1 is a cute but incoherent comic about a werewolf barista named Julie who lives in a world in which magical creatures abound. Julie is about to go on her second date with Selena. For reasons I failed to comprehend, Julie asks her centaur friend, Chet, to accompany her and Selena on the second date. They go to a magic show at which the magician makes Chet human and promptly disappears. The rest of … Continue reading Moonstruck, Vol 1. by Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle →
I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is exactly what it says it is – a graphic memoir in which comics illustrator Natalie Nourigat describes moving from Portland, Oregon, where she did freelance work, to Los Angeles, California, where she currently works as a storyboard artist. It’s a vibrant and personal description of how to apply for a job in animation, what the job itself is like, and how to live in L.A. on … Continue reading I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat →
My Boyfriend is a Bear is a graphic novel about a woman whose boyfriend is a bear. Not a shifter, but rather an actual, non-metaphorical bear. They meet when the narrator, Nora, goes on a camping trip with a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend who berates her for bringing fashion magazines with her (he thinks she should read “London or Kerouac”). Nora marches off to the woods and buries her magazines. She goes home to LA, dumps the boyfriend, … Continue reading My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon and Cat Farris →
Bingo Love is a sweet romance graphic novel about true love between two Black women. Two teenagers, Mari and Hazel, meet at a church bingo game in 1963. They share their first kiss in front of church after another bingo game, but are separated by their parents. Hazel, the narrator, goes on with her life, missing Mari but marrying a veteran named James and having a stable but passionless marriage. Decades later, Hazel meets Mari … Continue reading Bingo Love by Tee Franklin →
Persephone is a graphic novel that re-imagines the Persephone story from Greek mythology as a fantasy about science, magic, mothers, and daughters. It’s not a romance. Instead, it’s a coming-of-age story about a girl who has to emerge from her mother’s shadow and find her own identity. In this version, the world above (Eleusis) and the world below (Hades) existed in peace until Hades, Lord of the Underworld, became paranoid and launched war on Eleusis. Hades … Continue reading Persephone by Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky →
Betty’s Boob is a graphic novel about a woman’s emotional and physical recovery from a mastectomy. It’s joyous and body-positive. However, it doesn’t pull any punches with depicting the physical and emotional pain that Betty goes through along the way. Because of this, some people may find this book to be triggering rather than empowering – it depends on the individual reader. The book is almost completely wordless. Betty wakes up from a mastectomy and demands … Continue reading About Betty’s Boob by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau →
Jane is a new graphic novel that retells the story of Jane Eyre in a modern setting. The story itself gets a little wacky in places, but the art elevates it into something special. If you haven’t read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, then this comic will work for you as a solid Cinderella/billionaire romance. As homage to Jane Eyre, it’s uneven. In Jane, Jane is an orphaned art student who moves to New York City. Her scholarship is dependent on her … Continue reading Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna →
