Check Please!: Year Three Graphic Novel Review

Check Please!: Year Three

Erica gives this comic five starsCheck Please!: Year Three by Ngozi Ukazu
Rating: 5/5 stars

This volume was the best yet, and I gave it five stars because, finally, all the feelings happened on-page. As much as I love Check Please!, too much of the story’s emotions in previous volumes took place off-page. With Jack and Bitty now officially dating and in a long-distance relationship, their feelings are upped by a lot.

Much of queer life is defining your own story. For Jack and Bitty, they are establishing their relationship for themselves and how to navigate the world with their families and teams and with Jack being an NHL rookie. Yes, there’s a lot of coming out, but how the story’s framed, this isn’t a coming out volume, but mired in the reality that as a queer person, you are always coming out. Continue reading “Check Please!: Year Three Graphic Novel Review”

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love Graphic Novel Review

Since this review was posted, Hope Nicholson was outed as an abuser. As comic books are a collective effort, this review will remain live, but I cannot in good faith recommend purchasing this book or other works by this person.

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsGothic Tales of Haunted Love edited by Hope Nicholson and S.M. Beiko, prose and art by Jacque Nodell, Janet Hetherington, Ronn Sutton, Becka Kinzie, Zakk Saam, Colleen Coover, Nika, Femi Sobowale, Caroline Dougherty, Hope Nicholson, Scott Chantler, Hien Pham, David A. Robertson, Scott B. Henderson, Cherelle Higgins, Rina Rozsas, Sarah Winifred Searle, H. Pueyo, Dante L., S.M. Beiko, Maia Kobabe, Chris Stone, Dani Bee, Megan Kearney, Derek Spencer, Amber Noelle, Allison Paige, Barbara Guttman, Svetla Nikolova, LAB, Cecil Castellucci, Willow Dawson, Becka Kinzie, Katie West, Ray Fawkes, Sanho Kim, Kitty Curran, and Larissa Zageris

Both Nicholson and Beiko did a fantastic job of curating this anthology with the theme around Gothic Romances. I greatly appreciated the opening sentiments and historical look at this genre of comic books by Nodell. Of course, this genre would’ve been squashed by the comic book code of authority and fell “out of fashion” when mainstream comics moved almost exclusively to superhero stories, instead of the many genres they used to cover.

All of the stories featured inside were entertaining, and I was extra pleased to find that all of them — no matter how short or long — were a complete story. Too often in comic book anthologies, you get the sense that the creators wanted something longer, but couldn’t get the space.

I appreciated that this anthology featured several queer stories, stories beyond just romantic love, stories featuring people of color, and stories set outside of America. It showed how flexible this genre is — and how it’s not just white ladies running from sexy ghosts. Continue reading “Gothic Tales of Haunted Love Graphic Novel Review”

Finding Home Vol 2: The Healer Graphic Novel Review

Finding Home Vol 2: The Healer

Erica gives this comic five starsFinding Home Vol 2: The Healer by Hari Conner

Please more of this book. I cannot wait for the third volume. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves slow-burn romances, internal character work, nature, and/or fantasy.

Conner’s writing matches their artwork in tone and in feeling. So much feeling. So much softness and so much nature. Even when a powerful elder attacks Janek, the elder has their own horror beauty. I’d love to see Conner on a monster book. Continue reading “Finding Home Vol 2: The Healer Graphic Novel Review”

Faith Says You Vol 1: It’s Dark Outside Graphic Novel Review

Faith Says You Vol 1: It's Dark Outside

Erica gives this comic two starsFaith Says You Vol 1: It’s Dark Outside by Kate Brown

I backed this book on Kickstarter, and the second volume is launching in a couple weeks, which prompted me to grab Faith Says You off my unread shelf. Meh — was, unfortunately, my primary reaction. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t give me a glimmer of why I should continue with the series.

The story centers on Joanna, and it’s set in the mid-90s in a British seaside town. Joanna seems to be right out of high school and works as a maid at a hotel. Continue reading “Faith Says You Vol 1: It’s Dark Outside Graphic Novel Review”

Forward Graphic Novel Review

Forward by Lisa Maas

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsForward by Lisa Maas

Reading Maas’ book about middle age Canadian lesbians finding their romantic lives again and figuring out what the second half of their life may look like felt refreshing. I’m 35, which is entering the age of ignored women in our media, and I’m grateful for authors like Maas, building worlds for queer women like me.

Rayanne is successful in her career, but she hasn’t dated in years after the ending of a serious relationship. She knows she wants romance, but she also wants love. Rayanne is lonely. And she’s not just lonely in superficial ways, but the deep one of years of being on your own and wanting more. Continue reading “Forward Graphic Novel Review”

Check Please!: Year Two Graphic Novel Review

Check Please!: Year Two

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsCheck Please!: Year Two by Ngozi Ukazu

What? That ending just made me want to know more, or have more. I kind of wished that Ukazu would’ve included a true “photo” gallery of the images she put up on Bitty’s Twitter account.

Check Please! remains super charming. Bitty is always extremely likable, even if perhaps he spends a little too much time on the phone and social media-ing. (Though like all my life advice, I say this to myself.) I also put this down wanting the next volume now.

What kept me, however, with a four rating were some plot inconsistencies, and some scenes I think we should’ve seen, instead of heard about. Continue reading “Check Please!: Year Two Graphic Novel Review”

Finding Home Volume 1: The Traveller Graphic Novel Review

Finding Home Volume 1: The Traveller

Erica gives this comic five starsFinding Home Volume 1: The Traveller by Hari Conner

This is one of those books that I’m going to be a sucker for: a slow moving, character-driven queer romance. Yes, I’ll take that anticipating, longing, and need to connect. (Well, as long as Janek and Chepi hook up in the next volume; I’m not made of patience.)

Finding Home is both a metaphor — for Chepi — and literal — for Janek. Chepi is a dryad, who’s traveling through the world’s forests finding medicinal herbal magic, and JaneK is a human chef, who’s just trying to find his way back home.

In this magical world, there are humans and fae, and the fae are second-class citizens, and there’s mentions on an imperial empire that used to rule everything, but at least doesn’t rule everything anymore.

Most of the book focuses on the two characters, their immediate lives, and flashbacks of Chepi’s world before he met Janek. Continue reading “Finding Home Volume 1: The Traveller Graphic Novel Review”

Bae O’Wolf and the Mystery of the Collected Mysteries Vol 1 Graphic Novel Review

Bae O’Wolf and the Mystery of the Collected Mysteries Vol 1

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsBae O’Wolf and the Mystery of the Collected Mysteries Vol 1 by Catie Donnelly

This book is some silly satire. Bae O’Wolf comes out of the same tradition as Kate Beaton’s work: satirical, ridiculous, irreligious, and dead on smart. Oh, and they are both comic books.

Bae O’Wolf is a detective, who is always detectiving everything. Even things that are not mysteries. This is a short collection of some of them.

My favorite was the beach and the hunk mystery. Continue reading “Bae O’Wolf and the Mystery of the Collected Mysteries Vol 1 Graphic Novel Review”

The Witching Hour Comic Book Review

The Witching Hour

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsThe Witching Hour by Robin Hoelzemann
Rating: 4/5 stars

The oversized nature of this book makes me happy because Hoelzemann’s art is beautiful and her stories are fairy tales. Two friends, Gabriel and August, head back home through the forest, and encounter tests of character, specifically to avoid the fabled White Rider.

I don’t want to give too much away about this story. While August knows his way around a magical forest — my only complaint here is there’s not more of it. The story itself is rather short. Continue reading “The Witching Hour Comic Book Review”

Check Please!: Year One Graphic Novel Review

Check Please!: Year One

Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsCheck Please!: Year One by Ngozi Ukazu
Rating: 4/5 stars

Sweet Eric Bittle, or Bitty, heads to college to play hockey in the delightful Check Please! What I love about this book is that you can tell Bitty is a character who lives a lot in Ukazu’s head, and we get the privilege to see him grow. Ukazu writes about she never really intended to make this into a web comic, or a series. But Bitty resonates.

While yes, this is one of those college stories where they never seem to actually go to class, what matters in Bitty’s world is his vlog, hockey playing, hockey team, and baking. Bitty stress bakes. Bitty bakes to get people to like him. Bitty bakes because there’s a kitchen — even if its a gross kitchen he has to clean first in the hockey team house.

The smallness of Bitty’s world feels so right. Continue reading “Check Please!: Year One Graphic Novel Review”