RaveLibrary JournalBackderf (Trashed) here relies on meticulous research to re-create the horrific National Guard occupation of the Kent State University campus in May 1970 ... An incendiary corrective to the myths and misconceptions surrounding these events and a memorial to the lives lost or forever altered that should be required reading for all Americans.
François Vigneault
PositiveLibrary JournalVigneault’s decision to establish his cast and world at a slow burn over the first few chapters pays dividends in the high-stakes second half of this thoughtful and unabashedly political sf thriller.
Paco Roca
RaveLibrary JournalRoca moves back and forth in time, from one chapter to the next, juxtaposing the origins of the cartoonists’ rebellion against its sad end, successfully deepening the tragedy, especially as a character who appears absolutely despicable at first is revealed to be deeply sympathetic by the final scene ... While structurally challenging, Roca’s massively appealing illustration and masterly sense of narrative make this true story exceptionally compelling.
Adrian Tomine
RaveLibrary Journal... funny, bracingly self-deprecating ... From a less skilled creator, the litany of awkward encounters might have become repetitive; instead, Tomine’s mortifying misadventures become funnier and more emotionally resonant in the latter part of this memoir, as professional success and a growing family find the anger and anxiety that ruled the author’s early years transform into an insightful and profound vulnerability ... A hilarious, frequently cringe-inducing masterpiece from a fearless artist at the height of his powers.
Joe Sacco
PositiveLibrary JournalIn this exhaustive study of the Dene Nation’s history and current way of life, Sacco...asks, \'Why do the indigenous people of the Northwest Territories seem adrift, unmoored from the culture that once anchored them?\' A partial answer is provided via firsthand accounts of the Canadian government’s deeply shameful attempt to assimilate Dene children by forcing them to attend schools where they experienced emotional and physical abuse, and the legacy of abuse and addiction attributed to this experience. Sacco also explores the ramifications of oil, gas, and diamond mining in the area, which some Dene embrace as an economic opportunity, and others find exploitative and ecologically disastrous...acco’s reporting, accompanied by impressively drawn black-and-white illustrations, is occasionally overwhelmingly detailed, but with good reason: this is a vitally important story about an underrepresented people.
Gina Siciliano
PositiveLibrary JournalSiciliano ...presents a passionate portrait of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi...in this painstakingly researched new biography ... Siciliano’s exquisite craftsmanship is clear on every page of this occasionally dense but consistently engrossing volume, which portrays the artist’s plight with affection and urgency, convincingly arguing that Gentileschi’s accomplishments are deserved of recognition given her male counterparts.
Lucas Harari
PositiveLibrary JournalHarari creates a growing sense of dread as Pierre encounters inexplicable phenomena, townsfolk who know more than they’re willing to share, and a French writer determined to stop him from delving further into the mysteries by any means necessary ... Harari’s adept skills as a storyteller are elevated even further by his talents as a designer with a strong sense of color, as pleasantly round, cartoonish characters wander angular planes and inhabit a world filled with warm, glowing red rooms and grainy, foreboding purple skies.
Connor Willumsen
MixedLibrary JournalWillumsen is an expert draftsman and designer, presenting pages that swirl with action and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny dialog as scenes segue into one another with an often dreamlike quality ... Willumsen pokes fun at the vapidity of celebrity culture and seems interested in satirizing a particularly American sense of entitlement, but ultimately he obscures whatever point he has in mind in favor of remaining willfully, and fascinatingly, perplexing.
Ebony Flowers
PositiveLibrary Journal... carefully crafted and deeply felt ... Flowers employs a dazzling array of illustration and storytelling techniques across the eight stories here, which all somehow revolve around black women’s hair but manage to encompass an enormous range of experiences—coming of age, coping with grief, classism, family drama, friendship, dealing with stereotypes and racism at home and abroad—with heart, humor, and an unflinching determination to deliver truth free from sentimentality ... Readers are sure to find these stories moving and illuminating, and may be shocked to discover, given the talent on display, that this is Flower’s first book.
