Cat Burglar Black
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K was raised in orphanage where she was trained as a pickpocket and thief. Now she’s the most recent student at an exclusive all-girls school, Bellsong Academy. The school is so exclusive, in fact, there’s only three other students.

As it turns out, K’s been recruited by the stern Mrs. Turtledove for her special skills. What follows in Richard Sala‘s Cat Burglar Black (First Second, 2009) is a tale of secrets and late-night heists as K tries to outsmart the creepy Obtainers.

It’s a lot of fun, in a slightly cruel way, evoking the aesthetics of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams. Sala crafts a world that’s a little creepy but also playful with his exaggerated, loose lines and mood-setting colors. He also leaves the more frightening elements of the story off the page, suggesting the ultimate fates of characters rather than showing them outright, keeping the book light despite the subject matter.

K is a great heroine — she’s intelligent and resourceful. From her bright white hair to her mysterious past, she’s intriguing from the beginning and fabulous to follow as she dodges booby traps and scales fences. I love that we come in the middle of her story — Cat Burglar Black seems just like one small part of her life. While I don’t know if Sala will continue her adventures, I’d love to see more of her time in the orphanage and I’m curious about what kind of adult she’ll turn into.

But if we get no more stories about K, this one will be plenty. And I at least know I have more works by Richard Sala to explore.

Now, yeah, this kind of thing is made for me, more or less. I love women — especially younger ones — making comics. Even with the stories that weren’t quite for me, I find it hard to criticize anything here.

So, really, I’m not going to.

Certainly, I liked some things better than others — Gill Hatcher’s “Jesty Pesty” comics, about an awkward teenage girl, were funny and all too easy to relate to. Heather Middleton’s beautifully drawn “Decision, Or How to Make Mooli Paratha” gets to the heart of generational conflict quietly and simply.

But even the younger members of the collective show an impressive command of the comics form. While Jessica Hatcher’s comics about Twilight obsession aren’t really for me, they still exhibit a smart understanding of layout and storytelling.

Along with other contributors Emma McLuckie, Iona Mowat and Katie Pope, Team Girl Comic Vol. 1 makes me excited for volume 2.

Read more about Team Girl Comic and find out how to order (it’s currently available at various locations in the UK).

PDF review copy provided by Gill Hatcher.

Night Owls
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At this point, you’ve undoubtedly read that Zuda has effectively shut down and is being folded into DC’s Digital Comics initiative. For whatever flaws it had in terms of the competition model and the interface, Zuda was a pretty cool thing and I liked that DC was open about what it meant if when you got a contract (you could read the contract online). I’m sad to see it go.

Night Owls Vol. 1 collects the Zuda comic by twins Peter and Bobby Timony. Set in the Roaring ’20s, it follows a supernatural detective agency consisting of Professor Ernest Baxter, flapper Mindy Markus and gargoyle Roscoe. They encounter (and often battle) vampires, rampaging monsters, mummies and their arch nemesis Mr. You. It’s both sweet and silly and told in the breathless tones of an old radio serial.

The Timony Twins have a kitchen-sink approach to this comic — there’s everything from romance to horror (Mr. You steals people’s faces — although Bobby Timony draws this in the least disgusting manner possible, overall) to high fantasy to science and slapstick humor as well as gangsters (it is set in the 1920s, after all). Part of what makes this comic so charming is how constantly surprising it is — there’s such a sense of playfulness and willingness to try anything.

Bobby Timony’s art has a classic comic feel — square-jawed men and beautiful women — while still feeling modern. The sepia tone colors also add to the retro feel.

Our core group of characters are fun to follow. Ernest is smart but slightly socially inept and while Mindy is capable and confident, she’s sometimes a little quick to throw a punch. Roscoe is mostly the wisecracking sidekick but provides perfectly placed humor. Peter Timony handles everything with a light touch, despite jealous lovers or mortal dangers that everyone tends to encounter on a regular basis.

(The Night Owls is still being moved over from Zuda so it’s not currently online. But I think it’s a good opportunity to buy it in book form. But then, I’m one of those people who prefers reading things in print, anyway.)

After the ACT-I-VATE panel at Politics & Prose, I exchanged a few e-mails with Jim Dougan and he was nice enough to send me both Crazy Papers and No Formula: Stories from The Chemistry Set, Vol. 1. But then there was job transitions and moving and just general life-related insanity and while every now and then I’d think “Yeah, I really need to write about those comics” something would get in the way and I wouldn’t.

So many apologies to Jim Dougan for the delay.

I find Dougan’s work to be interesting because he’s someone doing indie comics that is just a word guy — he writes and edits but doesn’t draw. There are many people who just write in mainstream comics, but it’s fairly rare in small press stuff. Being much more a word person myself (no, you don’t want to see my drawings), I love that someone like Dougan has found a way to make comics.

Onto the actual reviews!

Crazy Papers Buy at Amazon.com

Crazy Papers — art by Danielle Corsetto
I’m pretty sure I’ve had a night like this. Minus the ending up in jail part, though. Fortunately.

Melanie works in the admissions office of Georgetown University, and her life is turned upside down for a weekend when her friend Amanda comes from L.A. for a visit. There’s a man who’s too good to be true, clueless gangsters/waiters, bar fights, and a mysterious briefcase. It’s a funny, breezy story that does have a core message of breaking the personal boundaries you’ve set for yourself. Yes, Amanda causes all kinds of havoc for Melanie, but in the end, Melanie ends up better for it.

Dougan lives here in D.C. so I enjoy his in-jokes — the bar The First Edition standing in for The Front Page in Dupont, a comment about someone living in Petworth — but I think this story would be fun to just about anyone. I do love that Dougan always treats the D.C. area as a place where people actually live and that not all of us here are connected to politics. This is something we don’t get quite enough of.

You know Corsetto’s work from her webcomic Girls with Slingshots and her playful, animated style is a perfect match for this story. She makes this whole thing too much fun.

No, this comic isn’t going to change your life, but it’s all too easy to relate to and incredibly entertaining.

No Formula: Stories from the Chemistry Set, Vol. 1 Buy at Amazon.com

No Formula: Stories From the Chemistry Set, Vol. 1

The webcomics collective known as The Chemistry Set is apparently defunct now, but after reading this anthology, I think that’s really a shame. In all honesty, this is one of the more interesting comic anthologies I’ve read.

Is everything here great? No. Certainly, it’s a pretty dark collection of stories (whether it was intentional or not, all the stories involve death in one way or another) but after reading countless thinly-veiled autobiographical stories, it’s pretty refreshing to see people doing something very different. To imply some stereotypes, these are more inspired by The Sandman than say, Jeffrey Brown. And sure, that’s probably a matter of personal preference and personal taste, but I obviously like the former more than the latter.

I think the standout for me where “Red” written by Elizabeth Genco with art by Kevin Colden. It was a story that started out in one place and completely turned in the most awesome way. The use of color was also perfect.

I also loved “Come the Dawn” by Dougan and artist Hyeondo Park (and yes, you know the pair from ACT-I-VATE’s “Sam and Lilah”). It’s maybe a bit more lush than Dougan and Park’s work with “Sam and Lilah” but it’s well-suited to both of them.

There are still a few copies of this book out there (especially if you believe Amazon) and I think it’s worth seeking out. It’s an anthology worth having and has pointed me to some creators I’m going to seek more work from.

So yes, I was much delayed with these reviews, but better late than never, right? And I do want to thank Dougan for sending me these. He’s someone you should be paying attention to.

Phonogram: Rue Britannia
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I once wrote a break-up letter to Belle and Sebastian after one day realizing we’d drifted apart. It was full of “It’s not you, it’s me” and “I’ll always value the time we shared” and even reassurance that while I had been hanging out with this other band a lot, we were just friends.

No, I didn’t send it to the band. I’m not that insane. I mostly just wrote it for my own amusement and the amusement of a few of my friends. I’m just sharing this story because I need you to know why going into Phonogram: Rue Britannia (Image Comics), I was already going to love it. If you know anything about me, you know I’m going to be pretty pre-disposed toward a comic where music is magic, where the music genre you love is literally your god.

No, seriously. I can’t really judge this comic in any proper way. Of course Kieron Gillen‘s writing is top-notch — witty, sly and fast-paced — as is Jamie McKelvie‘s art, which is crisp and emotional.

Is the music that main character David Kohl loves the music I love? Not exactly, although there’s some crossover. But I relate to his journey and his desire to not let go of the music that means something to him. We all have our first band, our first album, after all, even if want to forget about it. And I mean, you must have had that magical moment at a concert where the rest of the audience just dropped away and it was just you and the band — the music was there for just you. If you haven’t, you’re probably not the sort who thinks writing a letter directed at a band breaking up with them is something perfectly reasonable. And you probably won’t quite get Phonogram.

I know the relationships I have with the bands and musicians I love is real. It’s real for me. And that’s why I loved Phonogram. Like nothing else I’ve read, it’s the closest to capturing what that feels like.

And not my favorite Belle & Sebastian song (that would be “Seeing Other People”) but close enough:

(Yes, I’m going to read Phonogram: The Singles Club, but I need to stop being broke first before I can buy it. That may take a while.)

Temperance
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This is why I read comics.

I think all of us get to a point sometimes with comics where it’s not so much that we’re tired of them but we know what to expect. Things fall into obvious categories or genres. Styles of art, even with they’re distinctive, all begin to resemble each other. And even when these comics are good — or even great — they’re rarely surprising.

Cathy Malkasian‘s Temperance (Fantagraphics, 2010) is just that. It’s not a perfect book, but it’s different and thoughtful. And most of all, surprising.

A mostly allegorical meditation on the allure of conflict and the power of empathy, Temperance follows Pa, the embodiment of war; his deformed daughter, Minerva; her amnesiac husband, Lester; and Lester’s wooden leg, who Minerva crafts into a doll she names Temperance. Minerva rules over the fortress of Blessedbowl and continues to propagate the myths of the righteousness of Pa and the heroics of Lester. Temperance, who remembers being a tree, escapes and meets up with Pa as the society inside Blessedbowl falls apart.

The plot — while still fairly linear — is obviously secondary the ideas that Malkasian is trying to communicate. Pa can be seen as “evil” — and he’s certainly bad — but he’s as damaged as anyone else. Minerva just wants control, but also to keep the love of her husband and to get the respect of Pa, who obviously loved other “daughter” Peggy more. Temperance sees them all for who they are, and the end is nothing short of transcendent.

Malkasain mostly works as an animation director, including on various Nickelodeon projects as well as the Curious George animated series. While Temperance is far from being for children, her animation background shows through in her the designs of her characters, with their exaggerated, distinctive bodies and facial features. Her shaded, pen-and-ink drawings have a fluidity and beauty that gives Temperance a quietness that belies the sometimes horrific subject matter.

Malkasian has crafted a deep world with a fully-realized society. It never feels like it’s just a backdrop, and the glimpses we have of life inside Blessedbowl are fascinating. She did more than she needed to in creating interior and exterior lives for everyone here with sparsely furnished rooms and towering outside walls.

The message here isn’t the most original and the book does have somewhat of a tendency to ramble in trying to make its points, but there’s such hope and lightness of spirit here that these are tiny complaints. This is an amazing example of what comics can be.

[Review copy provided by publisher.]

Benny and Penny in
The Toy Breaker

I love Toon Books and I would love to see them on every child’s shelf. It delights me that they’re getting plenty of honors reserved for children’s books because they absolutely deserve it. So you can probably tell in what direction these reviews are going to go in.

Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker
This is the third in Geoffrey Hayes’ stories about two mice siblings — Benny and Penny. Brother Benny is a little older than sister Penny, but the two (for the most part) get along. This has them trying to hide their toys from their cousin Bo, the “toy breaker” in the title.

Bo means well, but he’s a kid who hasn’t quite grown into himself yet and so he’s more destructive than he means to be. Benny and Penny are a little mean to him, excluding him from their games since they’re fearful he’s going to ruin their toys. By the end, though, the siblings understand how harsh they’ve been to Bo and they all find a way to play together happily.

It’s a sweet story told in language kids can relate to. I think we all knew a kid who tended to break things accidentally (Hayes himself mentions a neighbor, Skippy, in the back, who did that very thing) but Hayes pushes for understanding rather than exclusion. His art remains forever adorable — the little animals that populate this book are cute without being cloying. His art reminds me of classic comic strips and the retro feel of the book is appealingly innocent. The seeming simplicity of this book belies a great message for kids without ever being preachy.

Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework Buy at Amazon.com

Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework
The first Zig and Wikki book, on the other hand, is a little bit different for Toon Books. Written by Nadja Spiegelman with art by Trade Loeffler, it follows two aliens named Zig and Wikki as they try to find a creature on earth to complete Zig’s homework. In the process, they learn about diets and eating habits of various creatures as well as the food chain. Readers learn about each as facts appear on Wikki’s screen.

As far as a beginning science book goes, it’s a lot of fun and I can imagine the content appealing to boys quite a bit. Zig and Wikki are odd-looking (Zig has one eye and tentacles for arms and Wikki is basically a monitor) and the animals they encounter — flies, frogs and more — are of the “gross” kind. Loeffler’s art is cartoony and playful, but it’s almost too cute in some cases — his adorable raccoon trying to eat an adorable frog is a bit jarring, even though that’s reality (luckily, the frog escapes). Spiegelman incorporates the “educational” parts into the story easily and I think even I managed to learn something. I hope we get to see more of these two aliens and their adventures in the future.

Toon Books’ offerings continue to be strong and they’ve already created an incredibly impressive catalog. Buy these for the children in your life. Or yourself. I am obviously far out of the target age range, but I love them.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

The Dreamer

High school senior Bea is beautiful, talented and rich. A theater lover, she’s a shoe-in to play Juliet this year and she’s finally caught the eye of hunky football star Ben. Everything seems to be going well for her.

But she’s having these dreams where she’s in 1776, in the thick of the Revolutionary War.

Lora Innes‘ The Dreamer: The Consequence of Nathan Hale (IDW, 2009) introduces us to Bea, her friends and her story. In her waking life, she’s far from being a poor little rich girl or anything as cliche as that — rather, she’s playful and popular, teasing her friends and tormenting her cousin. In her dream life, she becomes taken with the heroic Alan Warren.

Innes’ art is gorgeous. Her teenagers are drawn to look like teenagers and her faces are bright and beautiful. She’s as capable of creating action-packed battle scenes as she is drawing more intimate, quite moments between two of the characters. Innes also seems to have a lot of shoujo manga’s appreciation for clothes (look — it’s a comic about teenage girls. There are going to be — and should be — many different outfits here).

But as much as I love the art, it would just be eye candy without the story. Bea is likable and accessible. She has a little bit of a fantasy life (since most of us aren’t rich and beautiful) but she’s also capable and can think on her feet. While she makes a few asides while in the 18th century, she adapts quickly to the rules of that time period while still remaining strong. Innes has obviously done her research and the scenes in the past feel as authentic as the modern-day ones

You can read the whole thing online (the book collects issues 1-6; Innes’ site also has 7-9 with more coming) but I love having the collection. I’m completely dazzled by the comic and I can’t believe I haven’t read it before.

And I think you should stop what you’re doing and go read it right now.

No Girls Allowed

No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure (2008, Kids Can Press) is a collection of stories of women from history who impersonated men for whatever reason. It’s created by two women — writer Susan Hughes and illustrator Willow Dawson and aimed at intermediate readers.

Given all of the above, aren’t you as baffled as I am that I have not picked this up before?

I love the diversity of the stories here — Hatshepsut and Mu Lan were already familiar to me, but I loved Alfhild, a Viking princess who became a pirate. Even more fun was James Berry, a woman whose real name isn’t known (she could be one of two people) who originally dressed as a man to become a doctor in the early 19th century and then stuck with her male identity for the rest of her life.

The thread that runs through all of these stories is that these women felt limited in their roles as women — they couldn’t rule or fight for their country, they couldn’t travel freely. Further complicating some of their stories was the matter of race or religion — Esther Brandeau at some points tells people she’s Catholic, although she’s Jewish. Ellen Craft impersonates a white man so she and her husband can escape slavery. While it’s disappointing that these women didn’t have the freedom they desired, it’s fun seeing how they gamed the system.

Hughes’ writing is fast-paced and informative. She gives depth to history while still sharing the facts of these women’s lives. She never bogs down the stories and provides entertaining biographical sketches of each of these women. I definitely felt like I learned something and I’m pleased by the “Further Reading” page in the back because I’d definitely like to know more.

Dawson’s art is stylized and quirky and communicates these stories well. She makes good use of contrast and negative space and the thick black outlines give her characters each a distinctive look. While it’s aimed at younger readers, the art has a surprising sophistication and maturity. It’s definitely not a book that talks down to kids, either through the art or writing. It looks very cool.

Seek this one out. Buy it for your local library. Buy it for your niece or daughter. It’s a delightful testament to what comics can do, and is a pretty fun call-to-action of what women can become when they put their minds to it.

Foiled

Teenage Aliera can take on any of her fencing opponents without fear, but when it comes to life, she has a little bit more trouble. After her mom buys her a practice foil with a strange gem glued to it and she catches the eye of the cute new boy, Avery, her world gets much more interesting.

Written by the legendary Jane Yolen with art by Mike Cavallaro and published by First Second — would you really expect Foiled to be anything other than amazing? I am very biased toward girls-with-swords stories, but I haven’t loved a graphic novel this much in a long time.

Aliera is likable and very real. Her narration has a quiet strength, even through her self-doubt and confusion. Yolen’s subtle details — Aliera listens to Ani DiFranco and Loreena McKennitt and plays role-playing games with her cousin — presents a portrait of a smart girl who is just on the cusp of coming into herself. Her interactions with Avery have the right balance of awkwardness on both sides. She’s a smart girl who is maybe a little too self-aware for her own good. Aliera is one of those rare teenage girl characters that is incredibly genuine and is like someone we all knew (or possibly were).

Cavallaro’s art gives these characters strong personalities. Emotions are conveyed through simple lines and wide, open eyes reveal the characters’ wonder. His teenagers look like teenagers with small bodies and soft faces (I also like how pretty girl Sally is only a little prettier than Aliera herself, but it’s all a manner of degrees when you’re a teenager, and Aliera can’t see herself as others do). He shows the action of the fencing scenes with animated, sweeping movements. I can’t imagine this story being drawn by anyone else — he’s such a perfect complement to Yolen that I think it wouldn’t have been as good in someone else’s hands.

And because this is Yolen, elements of fantasy do come into it, perhaps unexpectedly for some, but both creators handle it delightfully. Most of the book is colored with washes of gray until Aliera’s fencing mask reveals another reality to her (in Grand Central Station, no less) where bright primary colors begin to fill the pages. Even when you know it’s coming (as I did), it’s still a powerful, transformative moment. It’s a good example of the awesome things comics can do.

I know that there’s going to be another (eventually) but for now, I’m just going to be content to read this repeatedly.