CLASSIC COMIC OF THE WEEK: Blacksad - Somewhere Within The Shadows

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By d. emerson eddy — Funny animal books don't necessarily have the same market penetration in North America as they do elsewhere, especially across Europe. It's not to say that they don't exist, we've got wonderful works like Maus, The Autumnlands, Grandville, Mouse Guard, and the big juggernauts like Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes, but it's usually only the latter that seems to have prominence here. Works that are primarily aimed at children. Across European comics, you're as likely to see talking animals in any genre, from adventure through to crime noir. Of the latter, one of the most successful in any language is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido's Blacksad.

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A Look at Bitter Root, the New Eisner-Winning BEST CONTINUING SERIES

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By Ariel Baska — The Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series this past weekend at SDCC was given to a series that is endlessly rich in storytelling, and imbued with the power of history and allusion - Bitter Root. Make no mistake. It is one hell of an action-packed story that draws you into the fray from the word go, and flies from frame to frame, almost popping off of the page with Sanford Greene’s animated style. At the same time, the series is very intentional about interweaving into a monstrous mythology with a monstrous history only now emerging in the consciousness of the zeitgeist. The weave is so fine that to pick apart the layers entirely would be folly, but to understand the texture of the thing, I feel I have to point out a few.

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HELLBLAZER - ALL HIS ENGINES takes readers to hell and back

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By Taylor Pechter — ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ … is a phrase that encapsulates the character of John Constantine, also known as DC Comics Hellblazer. Constantine is mysterious and cunning, but also his full oh heart. Many, including his friends, call him a bastard and their accusations are not be invalid. However, he’s not always awful.

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Grand Abyss Hotel - 'Neoliberalism has become a state religion'

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Toren Chenault — I had a hard time figuring out how to write this piece. I knew I wanted to, because there’s just so much going on right now. Typing it right now, I can’t fully capture it with just my words. I hope you’re all staying safe, and if you’ve been impacted by the pandemic, my heart goes out to you. It’s hard to capture situations like this with words and art. It’s a special talent when artists can fully capture the state of things, of the world. And I think comics often do it well, and in the most creative ways. Sometimes words or pictures can scare us, make us feel uncertain, more so than we already are. But it feels good knowing we aren’t alone in our anxiety, anger, and concerns about life.

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