Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 23 | Comics (begins)

Not everyone likes comics, but I do. I’m surprised it took me so long to really start reading them and to give in and start collecting them. I guess the delay is because I wrongly assumed that comics are mostly about superheroes, which I’m not interested in reading about.

I didn’t start reading and collecting comics until about 2015, when a comic book store opened close to my job at the time. I went there and got some recommendations and enjoyed all the ones I tried — Rat Queens, Saga, Wicked + Divine, etc. I was hooked after that and kept on purchasing comics, although I don’t read them as often as I would like (so many of those listed below are unread).

With comics, it’s not just the story that has to appeal to me. The art is a major part of it too. I’m notorious for cover buys for my books. If a book has a nice cover, it’s highly likely that I’ll get it. It’s even more so for comics. If it has great illustrations on the cover, I’ll pick it up. I’ll then do a quick flip through and it I LOVE the illustrations I see, I’ll buy it and probably not even read up on what it’s about before doing so. If I don’t like them, then I’ll read the synopsis before buying and look up reviews and do all that jazz. So yeah, stunning illustrations and use of color are catnip for me.

Well then, we’re on the second bookcase still:

And we’re nearing the top because now we’re on the first row of the comics shelf, which is the fifth shelf from the bottom or the first one from the top. Let’s check it out:

Here, we have some more of my Funko Pops. On top of the mangas are Lying Cat from Saga and Baby Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Below them are Batman from Superman: Red Son, which is one of my favorite comics (I don’t own a copy yet), and Klaus from the Umbrella Academy TV show.

SITTING ON TOP

Sobek by James Stokoe (illus.) ★★★☆☆

I recently read this, so a review is coming soon. It’s a short fantasy comic about the Egyptian crocodile god, Sobek. Some villagers call on him to help them get rid of some followers of Set who are vandalizing Sobek’s temple. There isn’t much to the story, but it has some funny moments. My favorite thing about it, though, is the illustrations. They are so beautiful and so detailed.

Critical Role Vox Machina: Origins Vol. 1 by Matthew Colville & Matthew Mercer, illus. by Olivia Samson

Copperhead, Vol. 2 by Jay Faerber, illus. by Scott Godlewski

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STACKED: LEFT TO RIGHT

Oddly Normal, bk. 1 by Otis Frampton ★★☆☆☆ ½

A middle grade fantasy comic book about a girl named Oddly who’s half-witch, has green hair, and doesn’t fit in at school. She makes her parents disappear on her birthday and has to travel to a land called Fignation to figure out what exactly happened. Unfortunately, the story and illustrations didn’t work for me on the second read through, but it will surely work for those of the age group it’s geared toward. I think I’ll unhaul it and give it to a kid who’ll like it.

After that are a couple single-issue comics I got for free that I was holding on to until I read them and buy the full volume. But… I’m gonna unhaul them. I won’t include them in my stats at the end because I didn’t even list them in my collection. They were just there.

Elves, Vol. 1 by Jean-Luc Istin, illus. by Kyko Duarte, transl. by Christina Cox-De Ravel ★★☆☆☆ ½

A high fantasy comic book that’s translated from French. This volume contains two stories about two different types of elves, the Blue Elves, who live near water, and the Sylvan Elves, who live deep in the forest. I wasn’t feeling the stories much when I read them, but I liked the art. I’m still curious about the second volume, so I might get it.

Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, illus. by Gris Grimly

Cuttings by Ananth Panagariya, illus. by Yuko Ota

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Infinite Spiral, Vol. 1: Another World by Kristy Cunningham ★★★☆☆

A fantasy comic about a girl who’s transported to another world where magic is outlawed and those who have it are killed. This was one of the first comics I read when I began collecting them. I liked the story, thought the art was okay, and was glad to learn that it’s a webcomic. I hope the creator of it continues with it.

Princeless — Raven: the Pirate Princess, Vol. 1: Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew by Jeremy Whitley, illus. by Rosy Higgins & Ted Brandt

Princeless — Raven: the Pirate Princess, Vol. 2: Free Women by Jeremy Whitley, illus. by Rosy Higgins & Ted Brandt

Princeless — Raven: the Pirate Princess, Vol. 3: Two Boys, Five Girls and Three Love Stories by Jeremy Whitley, illus. by Rosy Higgins, Ted Brandt, Sorah Suhng, & Nicki Andrews

Suicide Forest by Dave Baker, illus. by Nicole Goux

Lady Mechanika, Vol. 1: The Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse by Joe Benitez (illus.) ★★★☆☆

A steampunk comic set in late 1800s England about a half-human, half-mechanical woman seeking answers about her past. I wasn’t much interested in the story when I read it (probably wasn’t in the mood for it), but I loved the steampunk-inspired illustrations and how detailed they are. I loved the costuming too.

Lady Mechanika, Vol. 2: The Tablet of Destinies by M.M. Chen, illus. by Joe Benitez & Martin Montiel

Lady Killer, Vol. 1 by Joëlle Jones (illus.) & Jamie S Rich ★★★☆☆

A mystery/thriller comic set in the 1950s about a housewife who freelances as an assassin. I liked the story but wasn’t fully feeling it because I read it very quickly, but I do like the art. It’s not the style I usually love, but I like the bright colors and how the protagonist is drawn.

Mystery Girl, Vol. 1 by Paul Tobin, illus. by Alberto J. Alburquerque

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, illus. by Sami Kivelä

Moonshot, Vol. 1: The Indigenous Comics Collection by Hope Nicholson (ed.) ★★★☆☆

A collection of comics by and about indigenous people from across North America. As is typical with anthologies and other collections, some stories and illustrations appealed to me while others didn’t. The one that really stood out to me was the first one, “Vision Quest — Echo” by David Mack (illus.). It’s an excerpt from the Daredevil Vision Quest series and is partly told using Indian sign language.

Relay, Vol. 1: Reality Denied by Zac Thompson, illus. by Andy Clarke & Dalibor Talajic

I read a sample of this that I got on Free Comic Book Day in 2018 and liked it enough to buy the first volume. It’s a sci-fi comic. My thoughts on the sample I read are here.

Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison, illus. by Dave McKean

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb, illus. by Tim Sale

Watchmen by Alan Moore, illus. by Dave Gibbons

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STACKED: LEFT TO RIGHT

Run For It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for Their Freedom by Marcelo D’Salete (illus.), transl. by Andrea Rosenberg

March, bk. 1 by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin, illus. by Nate Powell

Worse Things Happen at Sea by Kellie Strom (illus.)

Haphaven by Norm Harper, illus. by Louie Joyce

Strong Female Protagonist, bk. 1 by Brennan Lee Mulligan, illus. by Molly Ostertag

Amulet, bk. 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (illus.) ★★★☆☆

A middle grade fantasy comic about a girl who learns about a different world that has magic and strange and interesting creatures. I like the story; it’s pretty interesting and I’m keeping up with the series, and I love the art. I really like how Kibuishi uses color in his illustrations. Side note >> the Harry Potter book covers that he illustrated are my favorite.

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill (illus.) ★★★★★

O’Neill’s Tea Dragon books are some of my favorites. They are middle grade fantasy graphic novels about people who raise tea dragons, which are small dragons that grow tea leaves from their horns. The story is cute and the illustrations are beautiful. I featured the first book, The Tea Dragon Society, on a different shelf because the book is large. In the photo of my bookshelf above is an ARC of The Tea Dragon Festival. I recently bought myself a copy.

Encyclopedia of Black Comics by Sheena C. Howard

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (illus.)

I guess this would be a biography. It’s about Spiegelman’s father, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. I read it years ago in high school and have always wanted a copy. However, I won’t count this as read since I didn’t read this copy.

Alone by Christopher Chabouté (illus.), transl. by Ivanka Hahnenberger

Park Bench by Christopher Chabouté (illus.), transl. by Ivanka Hahnenberger

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins (illus.) ★★★★★

Another favorite here. This is a fable about a man who lives on an island called Here, where everything and everyone is neat, orderly, and predictable. But one day his beard starts growing and won’t stop. It was a good read that touches on people’s fear of the unknown. It’s a bit funny at times and I liked the illustrations.

The Rime of the Modern Mariner by Nick Hayes (illus.) ★★★★★

This one is also a favorite. It’s an epic poem in the vein of Samuel Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Funny and beautifully illustrated, Hayes calls attention to pollution and plastic waste in oceans in his illustrated poem. I’d like to reread it.

Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers (illus.)

The Ghosts of Pineville, #1 by Sara L. Turner (illus.)

The Ghosts of Pineville, #2: Eye of the Death Mongrel by Sara L. Turner (illus.)

The Witching Hour, Pt. 1: A Ghost of Pineville Sidekick by Sara L. Turner (illus.)

The Witching Hour, Pt. 2: A Ghost of Pineville Sidekick by Sara L. Turner (illus.)

After You Are Gone: We Are Here Forever by Michelle Gish (illus.)

A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G. & J.R. Zuckerberg (illus.)

After that are two booklets showing samples of the creator’s work. I got them at Small Press Expo. If you want to see the covers and some of the illustrations in them,check out this haul post. The covers aren’t shown the gallery below.

You Heinous Beast, Vol. 1: Workplace Drawings by Andrew Cohen (illus.)

Ghosttown II: A Collection of Spooky Scenes by Sara L. Turner (illus.)

How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 2 by Kaziya (illus.), transl. by Angela Liu

How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 1 by Kaziya (illus.), transl. by Angela Liu ★★☆☆☆ ½

A fantasy manga set in a world where magic is disappearing as people rely more on science. The story is about a girl named Ziska who’s descended from mages and is currently an apprentice to a veterinarian. She wants to use her abilities to treat magical beasts. The story is okay, but it didn’t work for me. I LOVE the art, which is stunning.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 1 by One, illus. by Yusuke Murata, transl. by John Werry

Soul Eater, Vol. 1 by Atsushi Ohkubo (illus.), transl. by Amy Forsyth

God Is Disappointed In You by Mark Russell, illus. by Shannon Wheeler

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh (illus.)

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (illus.)

Saints by Gene Luen Yang (illus.)

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← Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 22 | YA (continues)

Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 24 | Comics (continues) →

SOME STATS

Total books in this row(s) = 53
How many I completed = 12
How many I will unhaul = 1

Total shelves so far = 11
Total books so far = 843
How many completed = 378
How many I will unhaul = 26

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