Illustrated by Kelsey Ramsay, colored by Ronda Pattison, lettered by Rus Wooton and Shawn Lee
Teenager Cheyenne and her mom Rebecca move to St. Augustine, Florida with a dream of fixing up an old diner and having it be the gem of the town. Little do they know the history of the diner, that a man was murdered there, and the town’s seething hatred for the building. Later, an investigative reporter named Jean McKnight comes to the town to cover the Founder’s Day celebration, a fluff piece to salvage her career after a terrible outing that tarnished her reputation. The three lives cross when they all find that there is much more to this town, including something supernatural that may trace its roots back to the landfall by Spanish explorers at the heart of the town’s celebration.
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Illustrated by Dan Panosian, lettered by Richard Starkings
Set in Wild West of Utah, Sheriff Azrael William Holt is a legendary figure thanks to exploits that have been popularized in Dime novels, but the fictionalized accounts and horror stories may be closer to reality than the public may believe. In his latest case, Holt is assigned to protect Dr. Ed, a geologist, as he investigates a collapsed copper mine outside the town of Canary. Holt and Dr. Ed get some assistance from Mabel, the town’s saloon maiden and daughter of Canary’s founder. The town and mine have had a string of supernatural occurrences surrounding it, and Dr. Ed theorizes it may have something to do with Canary's water.
In this autobiographical comic, Thorogood details her life as an illustrator going to comics conventions, trying to break into the industry, her attempts at romantic relationships, and her struggles with her depression. She goes far outside her comfort zone and decides to meet an online friend in person, which requires traveling from England to California. The two become romantic partners, but Zoe is very conflicted because the man is still infatuated with his previous partner, and he has children who don't accept her. During the months this comic takes place, the COVID pandemic begins, so isolation makes projects difficult and cancels some of Thorogood's planned appearances. She struggles with going to conventions and imposter syndrome, feeling like her illustrations are not worthy of the praise she receives from fans who visit her booth.
Illustrated by MyeongMi Kim
After working for Vice-Chairman Youngjun Lee for nine years, Secretary Kim has decided that it is finally time to focus on herself. She wants to find a nice, considerate man from an unknown family, have a few kids, and settle into a quiet life doing a menial job. But all of this completely baffles Youngjun who not only relies on her for every task in his life, but, as he has come to respect her as an equal, he can’t imagine Secretary Kim being satisfied with a boring, hum-drum existence. He sets out to figure out why she would really want to leave and what he could do to make her want to stay, even if that means marrying her himself.
In the near future, Tokyo is the end of the line on a bustling commercially viable railroad connecting Europe to all of Asia, which brings prosperity and crime to the bustling metropolis. Within this city are deadly and advanced robots, some of whom have taken to murdering humans. Origin, however, has taken his father and creator’s last words and made them a personal mantra: lead a good life. Origin has decided that he must hunt down his “siblings” and stop them from killing too many people. But while doing so, he must guard his own identity and not let his coworkers at the most advanced robotics company find out who he is.
In this collection of short stories, Takeda explores love and humanity in some non-traditional ways. In the first story, a young princess is captired and blindfolded and forced to sign treaties or make other deals that syphon away her power. the only person who shows her kindness during her captivity is a man with no pinky. During the three months of captivity, she can feel herself falling in love. In another story, a woman comes face to face with her stalker and has an honest conversation with him while they wait for the police. Another story with a historical setting focused on an emperor on his wedding night where he became entangled with an empress-assassin, and how they both found happiness in the end. In another story, explorers think they've found a "treasure" in the jungle, but it's a delicious new fruit instead of gold. But not understanding the native language costs them dearly. A short interlude piece spanning only a few pages focused on a vending machine and the apocalypse. In yet another story, a wife who is dying of cancer makes a difficult choice for her husband so that he might live on easier without her once she's gone.
Illustrated by Alexandre Tefenkgi, colored by Lee Loughridge
In a time after the apocalypse, Mezzy is part of the Wasteland Rangers, a group that is part boy-scouts, part doomsday-preppers. She, however, is determined to find her way to the fabled Oasis where everything will be plentiful. Along the way, she takes refuge from pursuing Rangers in a giant tower, where she meets Maceo. Maceo is an inventive young person with tons of television entertainment options, a tape recorder where he records messages to his quarantined (and dead) parents, and loads of vending machines full of candy and treats. He tries to entice Mezzy to stay, but she refuses. Instead, Maceo packs up a giant pile of his belongings, gives one last message to his parents, and follows Mezzy out into the Wasteland, despite her refusal to travel together. Over the next few weeks, Mezzy constantly saves Maceo from wasteland disasters and reluctantly teaches him how to survive, but Maceo shares his hoard of treasures and helps Mezzy understand what it means to live.
Reiji is trapped in his small town life. His brother is a shut-in who constantly berates their mother; his grandmother is suffering from dementia and is the main reason his mother is so tired; and his mom sets him up with a construction job for after high school, effectively killing any aspirations he had of leaving. One night, while out buying food, Reiji realizes that the shop clerk is actually Nagi Aoe, a famous idol singer from a band he enjoys escaping to. She asks him for a tour around town, which he gives her on the back of his bike. At one point, while stopped in a bridge overlooking the town's river, she asks Reiji if he’ll enter a suicide pact with her, similarly to the heroes in a tragic story based on the town. They wind up back at her house where she takes his virginity. Afterwards, Reiji can’t stop thinking about her, her wish to die, and whether he would be better off dead as well.
Vol 1: Kill Columbus, illustrated by Davide Gianfelice, colored by Joana LaFuente
In the year 2112, the Earth has been destroyed by wars, pollution, and more. Portions of the population have already taken to the skies in search of a new planet. But in the desert of Arizona, a group of Native Americans find a cave that sends them back in time. They hatch a plan to save the world and protect their ancestors, but it involves killing Christopher Columbus before he discovers America. The group chooses Tad, who is a linguist and could potentially pass as sailor, to jump back and try to find a way onto Columbus' ship, but this means leaving behind his family in the future and relying on his knowledge of history to help him navigate through the voyage of Columbus.
In this memoir manga, Pesayuma-san goes through their beginnings of being a manga artist, reflecting on their childhood, and grappling with their gender and sexuality. In their second job in the manga industry, Pesayuma was sexually assaulted and objectified by a male coworker, and the trauma from this incident left them emotionally scarred and vulnerable for seven years. After finding a new editor in a post Me-Too world, Pesayuma discovers that they could take legal action against their aggressor, but also that their story could be publishable. They reflect on some fundamental people from their childhood and moments that were formative in their life as they journey towards self-discovery.
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About MeI've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Search this siteRatings, Audience, and Subject Tags
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