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Colleen Cavanaugh’s home world is ruled by Derichets, a tyrannical alien race bent on exploiting the planet’s mineral resources. Most of her family died in the war, and she now lives alone in the city. Aside from her acquaintances at the factory where she toils for the Derichets, Colleen makes a single friend in Jann, a member of the violent group of rebels known as the Chromatti. One day Colleen receives shocking news: her niece Lucy is alive and in need of her help. Shattered Warrior is a gripping science fiction adventure with a sweeping romance at its heart.
SHATTERED WARRIOR is a solidly YA graphic novel, but with lots of violence and, in Matt's words "an attempted rape scene and a boob." So, trigger warning for sexual assault and violence. (The breast in question is visible after a very subtle and consensual interlude.) All this has led to my R-rating, but I think it's totally appropriate for teens.
On to an actual review! SHATTERED WARRIOR is a modern take on classic themes of invasion, colonization, rebellion, and hope. The book includes a diverse cast, a bisexual hero, and acknowledgment of the ways in which privilege impacts our relationships and our approach to the world. Contains people doing awful things for the greater good, a good guy/bad guy in the Derichet establishment, and a heroine terrified of loving anyone (because they all die).
I picked up the book at least 90% because I love Molly Ostertag's art, so you can be sure that I found the artwork compelling. Because of the dirty, war-torn state of the humans and their environs, entire pages are rendered in shades of brown and gray. It's lovely and evocative. In her first graphic novel, writer Sharon Shinn has taken a step back and allowed panels to speak for themselves, not inserting dialogue or exposition where the setting can tell the story. It's a partnership I'd like to see more of.
Speaking of wanting more... My biggest gripe with the book is that it's one 246-page volume. The story is one of an epic struggle, and (spoiler?) ends with the beginning of a new war. I don't often say this, but I wish this was a duology or a trilogy. There aren't gaping plot holes, but certain plot points feel rushed, as does some emotional development.
Should you read it? If you want sci-fi with romantic elements and some people making hard choices and holding onto their humanity... yep. If not, I guess don't read it. I'm not really a sci-fi fan and I really enjoyed the book, however.
If anyone from First Second reads this - I would like a sequel with Lucy's story, please.
Bold queer heroes seize the spotlight!
Join us on the adventures of young demon hunters, star-crossed Viking lovers, and cyberpunk street artists as we invite you into new worlds where brave heroes with diverse queer identities demonstrate the strength of their hearts and the power of their dreams!
Find your place alongside ace necromancers, glamorous jazz musicians, fey outsiders, friendly monsters, and a superhero still finding his way out of the phone booth.
Spotlighting the work of diverse voices, this collection includes Kieron Gillen(The Wicked + The Divine), Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy), Killian Ng (Legend of Korra: Turf Wars), and many others.
Our stories have heroes who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and asexual, from creators who share those identities.
Harriet Flores struggles with boredom and an unrequited crush while learning to manage her chronic illness through a long, hot, 1990s summer in Chicago. She uses her imagination to cope, which sometimes gets her into trouble, as she makes up fantastical fibs and wonders if there are ghosts upstairs. One neighbor, Pearl, encourages Harriet to read and write, leading Harriet to have a breakthrough and discover the power of storytelling.
Lady “Poppy” Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic, but becomes endangered when an assassin threatens her life in the new king’s reign. As Poppy and Cyrenic try to discover who wants her dead, they must navigate the dangerous waters of life at court, and of their growing feelings for one another. Writer Sarah Vaughn (ALEX + ADA, ETERNAL EMPIRE) and artist Leila del Duca (SHUTTER, AFAR) team up with editor / colorist Alissa Sallah and letterer Deron Bennett for this fantasy romance.
Review from Issue #1:
SLEEPLESS is a love story with a black princess (kind of) and her bodyguard who has sworn to not sleep (I think) in order to be her guard 24/7. It's written and illustrated by some really talented women. If you aren't sold yet, get thee to your local comic shop and flip through it.
The costuming looks renaissance-ish, with voluminous sleeves, high waistlines and billowing skirts and cloaks. The colors are rich and dark and it opens in a CRYPT. One of the first panels shows the two protagonists walking down a dark hallway full of bones, lit by a torch held aloft by the disembodied forearm bones of... someone.
It's spooky as all heck, but the two soon ascend to a coronation, where Poppy has to present a gift to the man replacing her late father, the former king. We quickly learn that all is not well, both because of her obvious apprehension about the coronation and because of looks and whispers as she approaches the throne. Her father's wife (not her mum) offers to take her away where she will be safe, but she says she needs to stay for her mother's return. Lastly? She's nearly assassinated.
And then it ends.
It's a hell of an issue and left me with so many questions. Who is trying to kill her and why? What's the history with her guard? Where is her mother and what is she doing there? In short - what is going on?! I can't wait to see what's next.
Small Favors, the critically-acclaimed girly porno comic by Eisner award-winning cartoonist Colleen Coover, is back in print in a deluxe hardcover edition! Join Annie and her tiny taskmaster Nibbil in fun, erotic adventures sure to make you blush. This omnibus edition includes volumes one and two of Small Favors, the never-before-collected color special, behind-the-scenes materials, and a brand-new introduction.
SMALL FAVORS appears on almost every list I've seen of sex-positive comics. It was just re-released by Oni Press/Limerence as a deluxe hardcover edition, so I read this book "for research." Before I go any further, you should know that this is essentially a really cute porn comic with a romantic subplot. If that sounds like your cup of comic tea, you'll probably love it.
The Art:
As Kelly Sue DeConnick says in the foreward, SMALL FAVORS is unapologetically cute. The protagonist, Annie, is assigned a guardian (who is sort of her conscience?) to keep her from masturbating. The guardian, Nibbil, is maybe 6 inches tall but eventually learns to scale herself up to human-size. With the exception of the bonus color comic at the end of this book, the pages are drawn in black and white, with limited shading. It's surprising at times how cute the art is in contrast to how dirty the characters are being. It can be a little jarring, but eventually you just roll with it.
The Story:
The book is a couple hundred pages, but the plot could be summed up in about 20. Annie and Nibbil fall in love, they make friends, those friends fall in love... It's the plot equivalent of chocolate cake. It's sweet and satisfying, but you'll wonder how you ate the entire piece in one sitting.
ADULTS ONLY
2012 Edition: Smut Peddler started back in 2003 as a series of dirty little minicomics featuring some of the coolest folks in indie comics. Now, it's back as a full-sized anthology, featuring 24 different stories of love, sex, and a little bit of angst by a huge array of talented creators.
This book offers something for everyone, showcasing a whole rainbow of relationships, sexualities, and genders, plus the occasional robot, satyr, shapeshifter, or major religious figure.
2014 Edition: Smut Peddler, the big, dirty book that rocked the world in 2012, is back with more and better than ever! The 2014 edition of this award-winning ladycentric porn anthology features a dream team of artists and writers, an all-star cast of creators premiering the finest filth you’re gonna find.
This isn't a porn or erotica review site, but these comics are SO GOOD I had to include them. Iron Circus says they're "by women, for everyone" and I agree. They feature a full array of relationships, bodies, situations, and art styles. Consent is present and enthusiastic. Much (not necessarily all) of the sex occurs inside a trusting relationship, with the romance that you'd expect. There are stories about couples who've been together for years, and couples who are just meeting. As with any anthology, you'll find some more to your liking than others, but these books are massive, so you're sure to find just what you want.
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
If you'd like to buy a copy of this book, please consider buying directly from Iron Circus (only place outside of Kickstarter to get the digital version) or using one of these affiliate links to support the site: Amazon ◊ Bookshop ◊ Barnes & Noble
It only gets better with age! The latest in the Smut Peddler series of high-end erotic anthologies, Silver shines the spotlight on grande dames and silver foxes. Whether you’re drawn to graying hair or eyes that sparkle with wisdom, this collection of spicy sci-fi, fiery fairy tales, and all manner of down-to-earth fantasies is exclusively for those with a taste for experienced hands.
Buy it at your local bookshop!
In 2010, Lucy and her long-term boyfriend John broke up. Three long, lonely years later, John returned to New York, walked into Lucy's apartment, and proposed. This is not that story. It is the story of what came after: The Wedding.
DIY maven Lucy Knisley was fascinated by American wedding culture . . . but also sort of horrified by it. So she set out to plan and execute the adorable DIY wedding to end all adorable DIY weddings. And she succeeded. This graphic novel, Something New--clocking in at almost 300 pages of humor, despair, and eternal love--is the story of how Lucy built a barn, invented a whole new kind of photo booth, and managed to turn an outdoor wedding on a rainy day into a joyous (though muddy) triumph.
SOMETHING NEW, Lucy Knisley's autobiographical graphic novel about her wedding, hits that indefinable spot somewhere between memoir and how-to. If you've read RELISH or any of her travelogues, you'll know what to expect from this one: humor, lots of internal dialogue, and a level of detail that makes you feel like you just might be Lucy's friend.
The narrative brings us through the early stages of Lucy and her now-husband John's relationship, a winding journey that includes a three year (!) break and a lot of back and forth regarding career, children, and life goals. As a bisexual woman, Lucy has complicated feelings on the institution of marriage, and she doesn't shy away from talking about them. John has complicated feelings about having children, and Lucy doesn't shy away from talking about those either. It's an honest, considerate depiction of the types of conversations I had with my own husband before our marriage. (Of course, I'm viewing this all through the lens of a married bisexual white woman, so Lucy's story probably has a lot more resonance for me than it would for others.)
After the engagement, Lucy employs self-deprecating humor and pointed social commentary as she guides readers through the long and tedious process of planning "the event of a lifetime." An entire chapter is devoted to finding "the dress," an experience that is supposed to be fun, but usually causes undue amounts of stress.
Chapters on food, money, pre-wedding parties, and "emotional sickness," cover most of the wedding bases, though the book clearly can't be a "how-to" because every couple, every venue, every family is different. For example, Knisley married at her mother's rural home, but that's not an option or a preference for many couples.
The end result is a book that's part critique of the wedding industry and societal expectations, part tribute to the love and support she received throughout the process, and part funny retelling of all the things not to do.
From Vol. 1:
This first volume of the ongoing Spellbound series initiates us into Dufaux and Munuera’s Medieval-style fantasy land, a land brimming with witchcraft, demons, enchantments and foul-play. The whole of Middleland has been thrown into turmoil by the sudden and brutal murder of the king. The unfortunate victim’s dying wish was that his daughter, Blanche, should take the throne, rather than her weak-spirited brother. Thus Blanche finds herself catapulted into a position of power that she never expected, or even wished for. The grief-stricken young woman is forced to renounce her lover, and on top of that, the enemy’s army is assembled at the country’s border, poising to strike. Blanche looks like she’s off to a promising start as queen of the land, but unfortunately she’s no match for the various plots to topple her… at least, not yet…
This is a hard one to review, as I both loved and hated pieces of it. Each of the four volumes is 50-60 pages, combining for something close to graphic novel length. Each of the volumes is a distinct arc, but the overall story isn't complete until the last two pages of volume 4.
Here's the part I hated: there is no Happily Ever After. That's the covenant that the Romance genre has with its readers, and since it's been broken here, I have rated this as "romantic elements" and not "definitely a romance."
The first book opens with Blanche leaving her lover, Gaspard, because she has been called upon to serve her kingdom as the new queen. He takes it very poorly and visits an evil witch, Miranda, to put a curse on her.
Bad Things happen. Miranda is evil, after all. Blanche's brother is also evil, as is her mother. Everyone is evil, basically. Eventually, Blanche meets Maldoror, the prince of the World Below (hell) and he's very much a Lucifer archetype. He's blond and handsome and they fall in love. He helps her while everyone is scheming against her, she brings him back with a kiss from a magically-induced coma. Very standard fantasy/fairytale stuff. I'm going to try not to give spoilers here, but it's clear from about halfway in that Blanche is becoming everything she hates. She's becoming violent and untrusting and... kind of evil, herself. It could be argued that she's never actually a "good" character to begin with, but the reader does start out this journey giving her the benefit of the doubt.
In the first two volumes, I had serious issues with the portrayal of Blanche's scheming brother. He's a hunchback, and the story was falling into that ableist trap of making the disabled character evil... because he's disabled. The mother was similarly one-dimensional, as was the witch, Miranda. I was starting to feel like every "bad guy" in the book was going to be female or disabled. Not cool. Enter the advisors and "allies." We got a whole bunch of evil, white, able-bodied men. It became clear to me that maybe this was a story in which no one is actually good, which somehow bothered me less. Equal-opportunity evil, or somesuch thing.
In the end, I don't know if I can recommend this to romance readers or not. There are some stunningly romantic moments, a few interesting magical events, and many, many battles. As a French-to-English translation, some nuance may have been lost, but I think the art manages to convey the emotion and magic of the tale adequately. If you need an HEA, don't pick this up. If you want to see an anti-heroine killing lots of people and not ever being slut-shamed? This might be for you.