Cindersong is the tale of a misanthropic healer and her mild-mannered dragon as they search for her girlfriend's murderers. Unfortunately, her quest for bloody vengeance is frustrated by a series of increasingly cordial and well-meaning companions who insist on helping one another, learning new things, and exploring their feelings. Their travels take them through a wild and unexplored world- making friends, dodging foes, and skirting a deadly war.
Cindersong will contain mild language, mild romance, LGBTQ themes, lush food drawings, and genre-typical violence. It is not recommended for readers who are emotionally unprepared for any of those things.
Oisin, a shy young druid, lives in a ferocious world of sacred sexuality and erotic elder gods. When he falls for Byron, a simple wolf who only mates for life, their love threatens the plans of those who desire a forbidden power. Do the star-crossed lovers stand a chance when lascivious Druid masters and savage elder gods threaten their fragile new relationship?
FEARFUL HUNTER is a fascinating mix of druid lore, punk/youth culture, and werewolves. The plot is summarized elsewhere, so I won't go into it too much. I will say that the author's intro definitely informed my reading of the story, giving it an allegorical bent that I might have missed otherwise.
If you read reviews of the store elsewhere, you'll probably see that it contains a lot of sex and nudity. The druids walk around naked most of the time, with the exception of any time they go into "town." They commune with their "allies," or nature spirits, through sex. The central couple, a young druid and werewolf, also have rather a lot of sex. If I interpret it correctly, they're young men in their first relationship. The sex doesn't seem out of place, is what I'm saying.
As for the art, Macy's pages with abstract or magical imagery are far more evocative than those in between. The art isn't in a style I usually seek out, so my appreciation of the book is much more skewed toward the plot.
Overall, I'm glad I read it. I probably won't be re-reading FEARFUL HUNTER, but if you've ever wanted to know if a druid will choose love with a werewolf over fulfilling his initiation rites... give it a try.
This story is mature - mostly for language and some sexual themes.
BOOK ONE: Make It Rain
“Alex Sleeper thought that when he went to a concert for Fallen Empire, a smallish emo band, that he was just going to keep his friend company. He didn’t realize he’d wake up the next day having been marked as an Aztec rain god’s next sacrifice. The deity has an unexpected change of heart and seeks to keep Alex safe, while Alex develops confusing feelings of his own for the immortal. With any luck, and lots of devotion from the god himself, Alex may survive the next few days.”
Gabe and Booker are just two normal college guys, sharing an apartment and failing spectacularly at love. But one day, a talking golf ball named Hal lands in their lives and offers them magical powers...and despite it being a terrible idea, Gabe signs up immediately! Now he must don the admittedly flattering dress of a Magical and fight for love and justice, while Booker, blinded by the sparkles, wants nothing to do with any of this. For fans of Cute High Earth Defense Club Love and Magical Girls-Slash-Dudes, this snarky comedy by Eurika Yusin Gho (eyugho) will blow a little magic up your skirt. Please note: Magical How? is recommended for readers aged 16+ due to crude language and adult topics.
It is 17th century France, the age of discovery and scientific revolution. Sulvain, a mysterious traveler, is absorbed in the Parisian academic scene. Through his friendship with the renowned Christiaan Huygens, Sulvain has the chance to study the latest discoveries of the distant cosmos. Deep in the library of Academy of Sciences, however, our traveler will meet Huygen's apprentice--Raziol Quamar--who will truly spark new lights in Sulvain's universe. But as the two grow closer, trouble brews in the city.
NOVAE is a beautiful comic. As of this writing, KaiJu has released two full chapters/issues and is part-way through a third. I would have kept reading this all day had I not run out of content. It's that kind of lovely.
I have a limited knowledge (and interest, tbh) in astronomy, but the building relationship between Sulvain and Raziol has got me hooked. Sulvain is mute, leaving the two to supplement their written conversation with a lot of facial expressions and touch. Long glances, subtle blushes, awkward excuses... it all rings true.
The story so far is centered around Raziol's study of Saturn's rings, a presentation, and a stargazing interlude. With humor, mystery, and a hint of something magical, this story will draw readers in and keep them there.
ADULTS ONLY My Monster Boyfriend brings three new elements to the Smut Peddler series: full color, longer stories, and a focus on not-exactly-human men! We're offering ten tales of fantastic fornication, written and illustrated by some of the most talented women in comics.
Hold on. It's about to get weird.
http://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/rewind-smut-peddler-presents-my-monster-boyfriend
Love in Panels is two blogs, each with their own searchable database. One blog covers comics with queer and romantic elements, the other is dedicated to romance novels. We post news, reviews, and lots of other fun stuff!