New review today for Santos Sisters #8 by Greg and Fake Petre, and hey, the collection of the first five issues is available from Fantagraphics now if you want to get caught up.
Petre, Greg & Fake – Santos Sisters #8
March 25, 2025
Look at that cover! Sorry, “don’t judge a book by” and all that, but come on, that’s a thing of beauty. I also couldn’t help but notice that this is their first (I think) time also offering a variant cover, so that’s an option if you think this one is too “busy”. As for the comic itself, if you thought that them getting a book published by Fantagraphics meant that they were going to coast a bit, you were completely wrong. That book came out in March 2025 (very recently, unless you’re reading this in the future), and they’ve already put out three issues after that collection. Is it odd that they’ve also stopped putting their names on the comics? Am I using outdated information when I’m including “Petre”? Eh, who cares when there’s a comic to talk about! Things start off with a story involving Todd joining a militia, kind of, which also has the introduction of a few new characters that probably won’t be back. But who knows! There’s always room for big burly dudes that make Dirk look tiny. It also has the return of 8-Ball and her obsession with Todd, and would you believe that she didn’t even make the cover? Anyway, it’s a solid addition to their ongoing story, which could still go in any number of directions. Next up is the conclusion of the three part story “What Time Is It?”, as we meet some new characters and finally learn what happens to that mysterious briefcase. Sort of. Then there’s a pile of ads, where once again I kinda want to throw all of them a few bucks to dig into the current state of small press comics, then I forget all about it until the next issue. Don’t be like me! I was also a bit surprised to see that Dave Sim is offering a download of the entirety of Cerebus for $99, which is a ridiculously cheap deal for 6000 pages of comic, but I’m getting distracted again. Note: never diagnosed with ADHD, but my reviews would probably make a compelling case for it. Finally there’s a story involving the sisters and their tia and tio (aunt and uncle, for anybody who’s taken zero Spanish classes in their lives) and the problem of an infestation of ludes ruining the lives of several people in their retirement community. A fairly straightforward tale compared to the others in this issue, but there’s still some great stuff in it. Greg and Fake are also going on a l’il tour of California comic shops, if you’re reading when I’m writing it, so maybe check out their website for details if you’re in the area? Overall they’re still getting better and better. And they started off strong, so just imagine the level they’re working at now! $5
Leave a Comment » | 
Reviews | Tagged: Greg and Fake Petre, Santos Sisters | 
Permalink
Posted by Kevin
“Update” for 3/23/25
March 23, 2025I had a couple of things to announce and no good place to put them, so how about right here and now? I’ve been doing reviews on this here website for almost 24 years now, and in that time I’ve reviewed a whole lot of autobiographical comics that people may have concerns with later in life, for whatever reason. None of my business why, really! I mention this because I just took down a couple of reviews at the request of an artist, so I wanted to make it clear to everybody: if you’d like me to remove one or more of your reviews, just ask me! I’m always happy to do it. Sure, I like to think of this as a big historical archive, but let’s be honest here. This is a website. If society goes away, nobody is going to find a copy of this in the ruins. In other news, if you’re reading this at some point in the next several hours, a big Fantagraphics sale snuck up on me, the one they do where they give you a $50 gift card for every $50 you spend. So it’s basically a half off sale, with the only difference being that the “half off” comes later. With the books they’ve already put out this year, and the books yet to come, this should not be missed. OK, reviews coming later this week, bye!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/19/25
March 19, 2025New review today for When to Pick a Pomegranate by Yasmeen Abedifard, and I think I’ve finally typed “pomegranate” enough times now where the spelling makes sense. Huzzah for personal growth!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Abedifard, Yasmeen – When to Pick a Pomegranate
March 19, 2025
One thing that became clear to me while setting this page up? I have no idea how to spell “pomegranate.” And I’m usually decent with spelling! But that looks weird no matter how I type it. Not relevant, you say? OK, sure, but… yeah, moving on. This is a collection of short pieces by Yasmeen, and as sometimes happens with the best of these collections, the stories are distinctive but they also join together into a more coherent whole. On the surface this is the story of a woman and a pomegranate (nope, still looks wrong) who are tied together no matter what either of them might wish. But all kinds of themes are explored in this story, as sometimes the woman (Guli) is put on a pedestal, which is profoundly unwelcome, and sometimes the fruit (Anar; enough with the constant spelling test) is just trying not to be eaten. Things start off with the two of them coming to awareness, just starting to get a handle on what’s happening to them and then being unceremoniously dumped into the world by a higher power. Does Anar exist just to be eaten? As the higher power says, “no time for questions,” so they’re both forced into the world. Stories deal with their being trapped on an unending wheel of life, death and rebirth, Guli trying to “help” Anar into personal growth, Anar going through the act of being consumed, self-doubt and their mutual ruin, and finally a summary of what they’ve learned through the higher power. Is there a lot more than that going on beneath the surface? Reader, you’d better believe it, and I’m sure the fancier reviewing sites can walk you through all that step by step. Me, I’d prefer that you discover all that for yourselves and not wait to be told what it all means. Or I’m a lazy reviewer. Pick your preference, I’m not the boss of you. This is one of those books where your brain is going to be going back over bits of it for days; it was in my “read but maybe not review” pile before I realized that I couldn’t get it out of my head. Check it out, says I. $15
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: When to Pick a Pomegranate, Yasmeen Abedifard | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/17/25
March 17, 2025New review today for The Big Red Machine, Grandma, and Me by Terry Eisele and Brian Canini. It’s one of the books that Brian sent me ages ago and I’ve been meaning to get to for just as long. Does this mean that I’m getting closer to reviewing all of the books that he’s sent me? Ha ha no. But I’m trying!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Eisele, Terry & Canini, Brian – The Big Red Machine, Grandma, and Me
March 17, 2025
The Big Red Machine, Grandma, and Me
If you’re also indifferent at best to sports these days and were scared off by that title, don’t fret! It’s not a particularly sporty comic. If you’re unaware that “the big red machine” even referred to sports, let alone which one, then feel free to ignore me. This is the story of Terry’s younger years, and if you’ve been around this website for any length of time you’ve seen Terry’s work (With Only Five Plums and Far tune being his two series, both of which I’ve raved about, to give you some clue on how this review is likely to go). This one starts off with Terry as a young boy of 6 in Columbus and his parents getting divorced. After his dad moved too far away to visit Terry starting spending a lot more time with his grandma, and we go back a bit to learn about her history and how she was forced to be a single mother after World War II. No, the father didn’t die, they just didn’t seem to be a particularly good fit. This all led to Terry having a unique upbringing, as he was exposed to shows and culture at a young age that he wouldn’t otherwise have seen. This also led to comics, and we probably wouldn’t be reading this review if it wasn’t for that exposure. I appreciated his two pages of images from shows that he watched as a kid; he was nice enough to reveal what they were at the end, but it gave the reader time to guess for themselves. I’m thinking that if you’re not of a certain age they’ll be impossible to guess, but who knows what’s survived and is currently popular with the kids. The end of the book deals with what’s become a recurring theme around here lately, the unreliability of memory, as Terry tries to piece together with his mother what were actual memories and what just couldn’t have happened. And yes, sports fans, the Reds teams from the 70’s were mentioned. It was a nice peek into the history of Columbus and a thoughtful story about his past and formative years. Brian also did an excellent job of illustrating, as always. Maybe those two facts together mean that you should give this one a shot? $5
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Brian Canini, Terry Eisele, The Big Red Machine Grandma and Me | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/13/25
March 13, 2025New review today for Fascination by Fran Lopez. And just putting this on the radar for everybody, as I’ve forgotten more than a few times in recent years: SPACE in Columbus is going to be the last weekend in April. It’s always a solid comics show, so take the weekend and visit it, why don’t you?
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Lopez, Fran – Fascination
March 13, 2025
When I started reviewing Fran’s comics, should I have done that thing I sometimes do where I review several comics from the same artist in the same week? Looking back and seeing how all of these stories seem to tie back to each other in ways great and small, and seeing as how I’m not currently seeing all of the connections because of time spent between reviews, I’d say yes! Still, we’re dealing with the brain that I have and the decisions that I’ve made, not what I retroactively wish had happened, so you’re getting a review for this particular comic with a warning to the reader: if you buy a few of Fran’s comics, do yourself a favor and read them all at once, eh? Anyway, as that cover suggests, there are two stories in this one. First up is the story of a young woman who had a famous catch phrase in a commercial years ago and is getting recognized on the street for it. The only trouble is that she can’t exactly recall filming the commercial, and if it only aired for a week decades ago, why are so many people coming up to her and shouting her catchphrase at her now? Next up is a story called Waiting, in which a mother has a lot of spare time as her newborn sits in an incubator. She talks to the baby about how she came about, and it involves a discovery from space (that looks suspiciously like a satellite from this planet), how she met the baby’s father at an event celebrating the discovery of the space item (and how the rest of their society had more or less moved on by then), and what eventually ended up happening with the father. It’s another solid addition to the world of Fran’s comics, and if and when Fran puts out another comic, assuming it’s set in this same shared universe, I’m going to go back and put the pieces together to see exactly how it all fits together. $6
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Fascination, Fran Lopez | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/11/25
March 11, 2025New review today for Exits by Daryl Seitchik, also from the Spit and a Half store. Did you guess correctly and buy yourself a copy before the review?
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Seitchik, Daryl – Exits
March 11, 2025
Did I pick a wildly unrepresentative sample image this time around? Kind of! If you read the book you’ll see why I decided to go that route. If you haven’t read it and you’re only continuing to read the review until I explain it (weirdo), it’s because the quiet sense of barely existing was difficult to convey on one page, as there was a slow build throughout the book. Maybe I should get into the book, huh? Things start off with Claire working in a mirror store, miserable and sick of her boss. Her life isn’t great, to put it mildly, until one day she’s chased down the street by a literal man-baby who has some definite bad intentions. She ends up fading away while escaping, which lets her get the upper hand on the guy… but it also leaves her completely invisible to the outside world. Everybody has their “what would I do if I was invisible” fantasies, right? Well, Claire spends a lot of time doing exactly what she wants to do, with the overall problem being that this all ends up with her even more isolated and alone than before. She is found out by a dog and bitten eventually, which at least helps the reader keep better track of where she is on the page (after she bandages her hand). We also get flashbacks to some of the events that led her to this state, and she does eventually make an attempt to go back to at least parts of her previous life. But how much can she really do if nobody can see her? The overwhelming feeling I got from this comic was “melancholy,” but it was also riveting, and it was entirely too easy to see that Claire didn’t have a lot of great options and was overall maybe better off as invisible. Still, “riveting” should be your takeaway from this review, and I was happy to see that Daryl has plenty of other comics available, so they’ll instantly go on my personal “hey dummy, don’t forget to check on this artist” list so I can periodically check to see what else they’ve been up to. You can buy a copy through the link on the title, or if you hurry (as of 3/11/25) it’s on sale at John Porcellino’s Spit and a Half shop for half off. Whatta deal! $15 (or $7.50 if you hurry)
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Daryl Seitchik, Exits | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/7/25
March 7, 2025New review today for “A Monty” by Zak Sally. Even though this was Spit and a Half week here, I bought enough comics from John’s shop that I’ll probably have at least a couple more of them. Why don’t you buy a bunch of comics from his store and see if you can guess which I bought and will be reviewing soon? What fun!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Sally, Zak – A Monty
March 7, 2025
A Monty (link here to buy)
Is it really 13 years since I’ve reviewing one of Zak’s comics? That’s way too long. On his website he’s posted the whole thing for free (which I’ve linked here, along with a way to buy the physical copy, because it feels like one of those rare “drop what you’re doing and read this” comics), and before that he says that he’s been thinking about it for 15-20 years and that it’s not for the weak of heart. Accurate, but it’s also something that should be read far and wide. I thought it was going to be a comic about bullying from Zak’s childhood, and that’s technically accurate, but I was not expecting Zak to be one of the bullies. It’s a story about trying to fit in but also being content to stay away from the aggressors; Zak got tossed around a bit during their games but never seemed to be in serious physical danger. This is also a story of childhoods long ago, so for the younger readers when there were three channels and maybe that many radio stations, kids had to make up their own fun. This one is set in 1978, so well before, as Zak put it, we “cured boredom.” Anyway, Zak no longer had to worry about being picked on once Monty came onto the scene, as he was an older kid that rode a large tricycle, sang to himself as he rode and was most likely developmentally disabled. But that’s not the word people used in the 70’s, and in a really terrible history repeating itself way, not the word that the ruling party wants to use today. There’s nothing horrific, if you’re worried about this triggering anything from your own past, but Zak refuses to let himself off the hook for any of the taunting either, going as far to admit that people can convince themselves of just about anything in their own memory, especially when they were the one at fault. The end of the book, which is what elevated this from a very good to an excellent comic, deals with Zak growing up and discovering that the “adults in charge” were just nowhere to be found and that we’re all on our own. Terrifyingly timely, if you follow the news at all (or work for any part of the government and can’t help but follow current events because they involve your job/life). It’s a sobering, haunting read, and you should really either read it or buy it right now. Or both, if you can afford it. $8
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: A Monty, Zak Sally | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/5/25
March 5, 2025New review for the collected edition of Cankor by Matthew Allison. This has been out for a few years and it feels like I’m late to the party, but oh, what a party it is.
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Allison, Matthew – Cankor
March 5, 2025Website
Cankor! A creation like this has never been before, and most likely never will be again, unless Matthew has more like this in his system. It’s a singular vision, that’s for sure, even if the influences are clear (and clearly called out) by the artist at times. I read this a few days ago and have been puzzling over how to summarize this book ever since. I’ve failed! There’s just no way. First off, this is a collection of four comics (or at least four parts), covering a decade of Cankor. There’s no introduction, no afterward, no clue what you’re getting outside of what’s in the comic itself. The very first page might give you the idea that you’re about to read a superhero comic, sort of, although you can instantly tell that it’ll be different from that predictable norm. It’s titled “Van Halen Versus The Clash” (for seemingly no reason), and has a Cankor with a cape and one without a cape talking about the futility of trying to go back and change the past. Then the one with the cape forcibly transforms the other one, which is the one we follow for the rest of the book. Sometimes. Unless he’s killed by another Cankor. Ugh, this really isn’t conveying how transfixed I was by this whole book. There are fights, but no real beefs that seem to be driving them, or at least not consistent ones. There’s disfigurement and mauling, but none that seem to stick, and even when they do there’s always another Cankor around the corner. Why are they fighting? Who’s winning? And now we’re taking a break to see the artist explain that he has no excuse for not starting to make comics until he was almost in his 40’s. Or the brief scene at a convention, or the nicely done King Cat parody, or sweet Jesus the body horror. So much body horror. And the language! This man seemingly puts poetry into the rage and mayhem, but also in the quiet moments; this was absolutely a book where I’d have preferred to put up about 40 sample images. It feels like a book where you could open it up anywhere and read a few pages, then go somewhere else and repeat the process, until you’ve read the whole book. Would it be a greater or lesser experience? Or just different? Look, I hadn’t heard of this book at all, and at $35 (although it’s on sale for $30 as of this writing), it was my riskiest pick from the latest haul from Spit and a Half. It’s also one of the best things I’ve read this year, even if my words are a poor vehicle to convey why exactly that’s the case. Cankor! $35
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Cankor, Matthew Allison | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/3/25
March 3, 2025So I do this thing after every tax return where I spend a chunk of change at one of the small press comics distros, and this year is no exception. This week I’m reviewing comics from Spit and a Half, John Porcellino’s long time distro operation/website. Why don’t you do the same thing and buy a bunch of comics from the man if you can afford it? Times are tough out there. New review today for Senior Time by Kelly Froh!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Froh, Kelly – Senior Time
March 3, 2025
I’ve been thinking I should do this for years, and maybe it’ll actually happen some day: I really need to set up some kind of reminder system to check in on the artists I like every year or so. Sometimes I remember naturally! Sometimes I stumble across a comic while buying other comics to remind me. And this one is from 2016! Anyway, this is my usual long-winded way of saying that I’ve always enjoyed Kelly’s comics and this one is no exception. It’s a mini comic with a lot going on, as Kelly starts off by saying that she’s a failure in many ways because she’s been laid off from several jobs. Which is a horrible way to determine whether or not you’re a loser (probably the happiest years of my life were when I was working different temp jobs until I got sick of them, quitting, then just living my life until I had to do it all again), but it sets the tone for a switch in Kelly’s life. She set up her own small business where she’d spend time with senior citizens, helping them with various tasks and just being around for them. She also spent lots and lots of hours setting up art shows, so that’s two things that are significantly more worthwhile in the big picture than various office jobs. Leaving out the whole “needing to pay the bills” aspect, which is always hanging over all of our heads, but it seems like she’s making it work. There are also a lot of short anecdotes and conversations, with an ending that made me feel actual emotions, so kudos to Kelly/shame on her for such a thing. It’s a hell of a comic, and here’s hoping that I actually remember to go back and buy some of her newer comics when I get my next paycheck. $6
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Kelly Froh, Senior Time | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/24/25
February 24, 2025New review today for Infinite Wheatpaste Volume 1 by L. Pidge, and I think I may have botched my plan to only review non-American comic artists this month. L. is currently living in Colorado, but her use of “colour” (and her inclusion on a mostly UK publishing website) fooled me. Let’s just say that she moved to the States recently, yeah? It might even be true for all I know! Oh, and in general, it’s election time, and yes, even teeny tiny elections take a lot of put on, so this might be it for reviews for the month. We’ll see!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Pidge, L. – Infinite Wheatpaste Volume 1
February 24, 2025
Ugh, my apologies for the lousy scan of the sample image, I tried it a few times and it just couldn’t be made clear with my scanner. But if you’re looking for sample images, L.’s website is chock full of them, so maybe go there? This is a behemoth of a collection of the first nine issue of L.’s Wheatpaste comic (I’ve seen it as one word everywhere I’ve looked, so that’s what I’m sticking with), and it feels like the kind of thing that I should really sit with and contemplate for a few days, but guess what? There’s an election this week (as of February 2025, we still have those in America, although y’all should keep checking back about that), meaning I’m swamped at my job, meaning that I can either write this review now or in a week or so. So you’re getting my nonsense ramblings, fresh off of reading the book! In other words, if you’d prefer to back away slowly and check out L.’s website instead, I will hold no grudges. Like I said, this book covers her first nine issues, and judging from her website she’s up to #16 as of this writing, so another volume will most likely be coming along sooner or later. Which is good news, because I have many questions. This starts off with a page of the important characters and brief bios, which was helpful, but it didn’t take long before there were more important characters than there were bios. Each issue mostly followed either one main character or a series of characters (sometimes for one issue, sometimes for a few), and figuring out how all of these people tie together is still sometimes a bit of a mystery. In the first issue we get a sad and injured god taking a heroic and fatal stand, in the second and third issues we have Soe (who has a lot of trouble just keeping track of her own reality) trying to make a connection amidst all of her chaos, the fourth starts a storyline with Groob in space, and there’s no way I’m going to make any sense of this if I try describing it in a linear fashion like this. Look, the important thing to realize is that this is an alien, futuristic society, and damned near every page has something completely alien in the background that gets your attention. Not, “huh, that looks weird I guess” level of alien, more of a “I’m instantly curious about the entire backstory for that creature” level of alien. If you’ve read my reviews over the years at all you know that’s my preference; convince me that you’ve thoroughly thought through this alien world/future and you’re already 90% of the way to winning me over. There’s so much strange in here that I hardly know where to begin. Soe falling through the ice even though she knows it’s going to happen, Groob hooking up with that alien, the thin mints, the cloned clone and his son, poor doomed Jeff, the “cats” under the trailer, OT 15 and his simple desire to be able to smile; the more I think about this book, the more layered it becomes. She also includes a foreward, afterward and several knitting patterns, with fascinating information in each of them, and that comes from somebody who doesn’t knit. When I Googled L. I noticed her name pop up on the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus page, so here’s hoping that refers to current events and she’ll show up there this year. This book is a freaking journey, and I’d highly recommend that you all take it too. $20 (ish, don’t make me try to convert currency)
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Chase Hutchison, Infinite Wheatpaste, L. Pidge | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/12/25
February 12, 2025New review today for Outer Wilderness by Claire Scully, which only leaves one book left for me to review from my Avery Hill Publishing pile, but it’s a big one. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rob Jackson (from Monday’s review) is doing a sale of his comics on his website, which is only for people in the U.K., but if that’s you… what a deal!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
