Overall, THESE SAVAGE SHORES #5 follows through with the same slow-burn carried throughout the previous issues, with the right amount of reveals and a rewarding ending that sinks its teeth in. -Brittany Matter
Read MoreAron Nel Steinke’s “Mr. Wolf’s Class” books, of which “Lucky Stars” is the third volume, have been wholesomely winsome and charming. The latest installment in the series shows the care and growth the character and their relationships, which have blossomed since their first day of school (which is the subject of the first book). As ever, Mr. Wolf and his class of rambunctious (but sweet) fourth graders learn life lessons, develop deep friendships, and overcome the challenges of growing up.
Read MoreGryffen: Galaxy’s Most Wanted is weird. It’s intense. It will bring all kinds of emotions to the surface and it will make you crave more, because the world is so fully-realized and the characters are so compelling.
Read MoreAlex Alice’s. The French cartoonist behind Castle in the Stars, the graphic novel series at First Second that follows a collection of adventurers as they race to master a substance called aether and become the first to the Moon and beyond, is a unique talent. Few people would be able to deliver a story that could most easily be described as “what if Hayao Miyazaki and Jules Verne collaborated?” and live up to that kind of buildup. And yet, Alice does, and does so in brilliant fashion.
Read MoreMy one holdup when nominating Michel Fiffe for the Extra Eisner project is that the dude must have shelf-full of Eisner anyway, and he doesn’t really need another (even fictional) one. Imagine my surprise (shock! Terror!) when I discovered Fiffe’s shelves are quite safe from the threat of Eisner trophy damages: he was given the prize not once!
Read MoreTo those like me who are completely willing to blind-buy a comic based on its art style, a good cover art can be a dangerous thing. Cheesy name, mediocre plotline be damned, if the cover has that dreamy coloring and those pleasing lines that instantly scream serotonin boost, it’s getting bagged and boarded ASAP. One such artist that never fails to deliver on that front is Matteo Scalera.
Read MoreAll this to say: I wish Simon Spurrier had been nominated for an Eisner. Perhaps he will some day, but it’s painful to see a writer put out the best work of his career so far and receive no accolades for it. -Hussein Wasiti
Read MoreThe manga adaptation of Claudia Gray's novel, Yusaku Komiyama's Star Wars: Lost Stars, is a heart-wrenching romance set among the rise of the Empire and the Rebellion against it. The book explores how citizens of the galaxy could be seduced by the unity and opportunity offered by the authoritarianism of the Empire provides. Eventually, the true nature of the Empire can no longer be denied or overlooked and tough choices, obviously, must be made. The characters are fascinating and the story is layered and poignant, touching on classism, cultural prejudice, the effects of war, and more.
Read MoreI am the first to admit that I am something of a neophyte when it comes to manga. As a critic, I’ve tried to allow myself room to grow in that regard and I feel like I’ve done a decent job at this last year. I resolved myself to take in more of the “canon” of this massive medium, both in reading for work and for pleasure throughout this ongoing Year of Hell that we’ve all collectively experienced. And am I truly glad I did, because that allowed me to experience No Longer Human.
Read MoreIf you were following indie comics in 2019, especially the ones with a flavor of the weird in them, you probably read something colored by Brad Simpson. The standouts to me were Black Stars Above and Coffin Bound, two of last year’s finest examples of a very good year for weird horror.
Read MoreCastle Swimmer by Wendy Lian Martin is sure to take your breath away, and not just because it’s set in an underwater world: from the incredibly expressive characters to the incredible colors to the gorgeous seascape settings, this Webtoon series offers readers the opportunity to fully immerse themselves.
Read MoreWhile there are many good contenders in the Eisner's "Best Limited Series" category, it continues to concern me that the world at large is not as actively enamored with "Fearscape" as I am. In "Fearscape," the creative team of Ryan O'Sullivan, Andrea Mutti, Vladimir Popov, and Andworld Design deliver a tightly woven saga of the mythical realm of storytelling inspiration, and most importantly, the world's most captivating-yet-omg-he's-the-worst artist, Henry Henry, as narrator.
Read MoreAlright, so, you have a Best New Series category...and it didn’t include The Plot. For those who don’t know, The Plot is a horror comic put out by Vault Comics. It was the launch title for their Nightfall line, a line of comics purely for horror. It’s co-written by Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel, with art by Joshua Hixson, colors by Jordan Boyd, and letters by Jim Campbell. It was also one of the only comics I can remember that launched with universal praise...for every issue.
Read MoreIt takes a lot of skill to create something that feels both fresh and classic, and Olivia Jaimes’ Nancy does just that. This new Nancy may enjoy video games and have some friends who are not Sluggo, but she’s still Nancy. She’s still funny, she’s still self-absorbed, and she’s still, above all, wonderfully lazy.
Read More“Best U.S. Edition of International Material” is one of the technical awards categories. What it basically means is “this comic was published in a different language... but now there’s an English-language version we’ll recognise it for awards eligibility”. You know like how foreign-language films never won the big Oscars until recently, because they were shunted to one side and other categories they couldn’t escape? It’s a bit like that.
Read MoreAditya Bidikar has been doing terrific work for a good while now, lettering everything from Grant Morrison comics about Indian mythology to wonderfully idiosyncratic books like Grafity's Wall. But his work really seemed to have hit a fever pitch in 2019, as he was at an all-time high, performing better, and bigger, than I'd ever seen him.
Read MoreOmitting Ice Cream Man, the ongoing series by writer W. Maxwell Prince, artist Martin Morazzo and colorist Chris O’Halloran, is an amazing failure of vision. Is the book too weird? Too different? Too good? I’m not here to make excuses for the Eisner judges — only to question their judgment and exactly what the hell they think they’re doing.
Read MoreAnyone who knows baking knows that part of making a delicious, mature, yeasty loaf of bread is that once the dough has doubled in size, it needs to be knocked back before it can be shaped and baked. It’s a process called ‘proving’ the dough, and that’s where we meet Ari at the beginning of Bloom. He’s moody and angsty in a way that is generally formless and cannot be contained.
Read MoreAfter 36 years of Stan Sakai's rabbit ronin chopping it up with various bandits and honorless ne'er-do-wells, the series has constructed an intense fanbase, while new readers deprive themselves due to the ever-growing, intimidating back-catalog of stories. For the last 25 of those 36 years, Dark Horse Comics proudly displayed the title as one of their staples, occasionally shifting their marketing to encourage new eyes, but rarely achieving fresh celebration.
Read MoreOne of the bigger surprises for me this year, came in the category of Best Reality Based Work. I actually thought this was a strong category this year, filled with great books like Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, My Solo Exchange Diary, vol. 2 by Nagata Kabi, and They Called Us Enemy by George Takai and team. A notable absence, however, was the fantastic graphic novel, Twlight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television by Koren Shadmi.
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