Carter, Ruby – I, Candy

June 22, 2026

Website

I, Candy

I hate to do this, but the link in the title goes to a free online version of this comic, purely because I couldn’t find a place online to buy a physical copy of it (and the link will be changed once I do). So if you follow that link, please send her $8 so neither one of us has to feel guilty about it. This is Ruby’s latest, and it’s completely different in tone from the other two comics of hers that I’ve read so far. What’s that you say, that that’s the mark of a great artist? You’ll get no argument from me. This is an almost (but not completely) silent comic, and it’s all about the moment that a stripper finally snaps. It’s also tricky as hell to get a sample image out of, since there are a few double page spreads and it’s such a complete story as is that pulling an image from it might not tell you much about it. Things start off normally, with our stripper in a seedy room with countless anonymous eyes on her. It doesn’t seem to be any one thing that causes her to snap, but snap she does, gradually and then all at once. I’m also only noticing now that the eyes that are constantly in the background are very much telling their own story, and that you should keep an eye (ugh) on them if you’re wondering about the reactions of the faceless crowd as things progress. It’s a spectacularly unnerving story, and any long term reader knows that that’s about the highest recommendation I can give for a comic. $8 (if you can find it; Chicago people, check the shops!)


Carter, Ruby – Bogue #5

September 29, 2025

Website

Bogue #5

So last year at Cartoon Crossroads I got Ruby’s graphic novel “bird comic.” (that’s how it’s always listed), but I got it from her publisher, not her directly. So this year I got an issue of Bogue, but didn’t make any connections to the previously mentioned graphic novel, since I didn’t get it from her. Which is a shame, because I loved that book, and would have happily made a fool of myself gushing about it to her in person. Oh well, I’ll have to find some other way to embarrass myself, I reckon. But hey, what’s the deal with Bogue? Well, she had several issues of this series available, and I got this one more or less at random. Which actually turned out to be fine; it’s not the usual case at all where I’m lost by jumping into the middle of a story. Each issue is basically a fashion show for various types of bugs, sprinkled with some funny bits and (in this issue at least) a sneaky but warranted bit of social commentary. I’m about as far away as possible from being any kind of a fashion expert, but this is adorable and some of these bugs would absolutely benefit from some cute outfits. The hats alone on that first page were a perfect look for those bugs. There doesn’t seem to be a simple way to actually buy these comics at her website, but if you send her an email I’ll bet the two of you can figure it out. For fashion lovers this is mandatory, for the rest of you, be honest: you’ve always been curious about bugs wearing clothes, right? This is a safe space, you can admit it. Well, here’s your chance! $5 (if I’m remembering correctly)


Carter, Ruby – bird comic.

October 23, 2024

Website

bird comic.

Would I usually use punctuation and no caps in the title for a comic I’d reviewed? Probably not, but that’s how Ruby consistently has it listed, and respect the artist, I always say! This is a collection of strips, maybe from previous comics (but I’m not seeing any evidence of that on her website) about various large and small crises, feelings of hopelessness and wondering if you even exist. Would you believe that it’s also sometimes funny? Because it is. Also personally, as a guy who just moved back to a town I lived in 20 years ago, the sampled comic hit me right between the eyes. Wisdom of the move is still uncertain, but that specific old feeling doesn’t seem to exist here anymore. But enough about me, this is meant to be about a comic. I’m stalling because this is one of those where I shouldn’t say everything about it, or even most things, because those things are always and forever best discovered by the reader. But this is the path I’ve chosen, so I’m stuck with it. If I’ve already intrigued you, stop here and just check it out. It’s delightful. Strips in here deal with aimless walks, regretting those drugs you took hours ago when people were still around, holding onto a good feeling, missing smoking, trying to and not to smoke weed, losing yourself in a crowded city landscape, successfully achieving brain freeze, zoning out to a good show only to eventually have it end, and rejecting the phone for a different screen. Please know that that sentence was typed with a cat’s head trying to bonk my hand off of the keyboard, and that I stopped typing several times for pets. I’m not a monster, after all. If you’ve had any existential questions in your life, give this one a shot. If you haven’t, you need to read more, and you should also give this a shot. $10