Author: Eileen Gonzalez

Brave the Wild World of Comics

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 15, 2024

Sponsored by

How are we feeling about this Tuesday, nerd friends? Wishing it would magically become Friday already? Confident in our ability to get through everything that needs getting through? Hopefully, the comics featured here will give you the boost you need to make it over hump day and all the way to the weekend!

Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.

Bookish Goods

A comic book stand shaped like Thor's hammer. On the hammer head, Thor's name appears in yellow letters.

Magnetic Thor Mjolnir Comic Book Stand by StandItUp

Use this cool stand to show off your worthiest comics! $45

New Releases

Tales of the Titans by Various Creators

The Titans (teen and otherwise) work great as a team, but seeing them go on solo adventures is an exciting way to dig deeper into who they are as people and as heroes. This collection spotlights many of your favorite Titans team members to show off who they are and what they’re made of!

Three Exorcism Siblings Volume One by Shinta Harekawa

Mamoru’s fate is already sealed: he will spend his life fighting horrific monsters, and then he will die in the line of duty. But there’s one thing he can still control, and that is his younger brothers’ destinies. Mamoru is determined that they will not have to endure what he does. How long can he keep that promise?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: the wilderness! There are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors — or not — as you can see from these comics!

Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin

A group of Indigenous teens settles around a campfire to tell scary stories based on Cree legends. While they themselves never travel far from home, the characters in their stories often find themselves in the middle of nowhere, alone with the demons — both supernatural and human — that stalk them.

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Vera is starting to think she doesn’t fit in anywhere. At school, the other girls think her Russian traditions are weird, and at Russian summer camp, Vera isn’t “Russian” enough. She resorts to bribery and even bullying to try to make the other kids like her before finally realizing that she can find friends and happiness by just being herself.

Don’t get lost on your way to Thursday — just plow straight on through the next couple of days, and you’ll be getting more comic book recs from the Stack before you know it!

~Eileen

The Stack

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 10, 2024

Sponsored by

The weather is getting warmer where I am, and this week, so are the comics I’m recommending! But first…

Bookish Goods

Soot Sprite Embroidered Sweatshirt by DannyBoyStudioUSA

Can’t get much warmer and fuzzier than a Ghibli film (Grave of the Fireflies excepted), and that goes double when their characters appear on a comfy sweatshirt. Pick from multiple colors and sizes! $48

New Releases

Crazy Like a Fox by Christi Furnas

Schizophrenia is little understood and much maligned by the general public. In this touching pseudo-memoir, Furnas uses humor and cute cartoon animals to tackle that difficult subject. The story follows the struggles of Fox Foxerson, who doesn’t quite fit into the rhythms of a normal life — and doesn’t really want to, either.

Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2 by Haruki Murakami and PMGL, Adapted by Jean-Cristophe Deveney

If you enjoyed Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1 (or are a fan of Murakami’s generally), you’re bound to appreciate these new adaptations. Featuring three classic tales from the revered writer, this collection is a riveting new way to experience and appreciate Murakami’s work.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: cozy fantasy! If you need a comforting, low-stakes break from the modern world, these books are perfect for you.

cover image of The Sprite and the Gardener by Iii Abrego & Joe Whitt

The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt

When humans started to grow plants on their own, sprites — those magical creatures who were once the architects behind every garden — were pushed to the margins. Then a curious sprite named Wisteria decides to dig up the past, unaware of the trouble she might cause in doing so.

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

Upset by the thought of becoming as miserably busy as the adults in her life, Lora befriends a young ghost, Alexa, in the hopes that she, too, can remain the carefree child she always has been. But time doesn’t stop for anyone, and sooner or later, Lora will have to decide how — not if — she wants to grow up.

Until next week, nerd friends, may you stay young at heart and continue finding joy in all of the comics you read!

~Eileen

The Stack

Three’s Company to These Comics

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 8, 2024

Sponsored by

Friendly reminder for my fellow comics lovers that the Rigsby WI Backerkit is available now. If you can, please consider supporting this wonderful comic about teenagers navigating the early 2000s!

Bookish Goods

A round, four-legged side table. The top is covered with overlapping pages from old comics

Superhero Comics Side Table by ComicsRepurposed

This table will fill that empty spot in your room and is fully customizable: select your favorite character and off you go! $160

New Releases

Club Microbe by Elise Gravel

Insofar as we think about microbes, germs, and bacteria, it’s usually in a negative light. But that’s not really fair, given all the unique, interesting, and, yes, even wonderful things that microbes can do! This comic is an accessible introduction to the wacky world of microscopic organisms.

Blood City Rollers by V. P. Anderson and Tatiana Hill

As an aspiring Olympic figure skater, Mina is used to living or dying (metaphorically speaking) by the strength of her own talent. But when she is forced to join a vampire roller derby team, she has to learn how to function as a team player, and fast, or else the entire group will go down — and stay down!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: polyamory! While there is nothing inherently “adult” about a story featuring polyamorous relationships, these particular comics are definitely for the more mature crowd.

Open Earth by Sarah Mirk, Eva Cabrera, and Claudia Aguirre

Rigo’s parents grew up on Earth, where relationships were supposed to unfold in a certain way. But Rigo and her friends and lovers, as lifelong residents of a space station that humans fled to after the apocalypse, must decide for themselves how they want to navigate this strange new world.

We Started a Threesome!! Volume One by Katsu Aki

Lia and her two amazing husbands, Emito and Suisei, are determined to make their unconventional relationship work. They’ve learned to give and take when it comes to sex, housework, and careers. But now they face a change in their happy arrangement: Emito the househusband wants a job! How will the loving threesome handle this?

That’s it for me, at least for now. May those springtime allergies be gentle on you!

~Eileen

The Stack

When the Moon Looks All Flat and Is Cloaked in a Bat…

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 3, 2024

Sponsored by

…that’s a comic! (With apologies to Dean Martin. And anyone who likes that song, I guess.) If you plan on watching the eclipse this Monday, here are some safety tips. In the meantime, we’ve got some great comics for you to moon over today, so let’s start scrolling.

Bookish Goods

A sampling of black-and-white patterns based on superhero comics. The themes include onomatopoeias, comic panels, and lines of excitement

Comic Pop Art Background Wallpaper by OZXComics

Download these patterns and use them just about any way you want! $2

New Releases

Japan’s Longest Day by Kazutoshi Hando, Adapted by Yukinobu Hoshino

Here in America, we don’t often get to hear the story of Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II from a Japanese perspective. This intense manga takes you “behind the scenes” as political and military factions battle for Japan’s fate — and as the emperor makes a historic and life-saving decision.

Bad Dream by Nicole Maines and Rye Hickman

Calling all fans of The CW’s Supergirl! Maines, who played the show’s (and TV’s) first trans superhero, Dreamer, now delves deep into her character’s backstory. When Nia suddenly gains the powers that were meant for her sister, she has some difficult decisions to make: should she be honest about what happened, or hide her new abilities?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: the moon! A lunar eclipse is coming to large swaths of the U.S. next week, so let’s celebrate with a couple of graphic novels about those funky satellites that make our solar system possible.

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

Artie always thought the weirdest thing about her family was that she knew so little about her father. Then she found out her protective mother transforms into a werewolf by the light of the full moon! As Artie gains a crash course in her family history (and nurses a crush on her bestie, Maya), she will have to navigate both the benefits and the dangers of being a werewolf.

Grace Needs Space! by Benjamin A. Wilgus and Rii Abrego

Grace has two moms: the “boring” one, a planet-bound engineer, and the “fun” one, who works on a space station. Needless to say, Grace can’t wait to spend a month with the fun parent…who turns out to be too busy for fun. So what does Grace do? Go to the moon — by herself! Nothing can go wrong with that plan!

In closing, I would like to draw your attention to a Backerkit project debuting on Monday: Rigsby WI, a webcomic that will now find new life as a physical graphic novel! It’s a heartfelt, down-to-earth story about the good, the bad, and the ugly of high school life in the early 2000s. I enjoyed it so much that I shot through the whole thing in a day, so if you can make a pledge, I encourage you to do it!

~Eileen

The Stack

It’s International Children’s Book Day!

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 1, 2024

Sponsored by

A lot of people still think that all comics are for kids. This is clearly untrue, but there are plenty of graphic novels out there designed with a younger audience in mind. Today, all of the featured comics are kid-friendly — though, of course, adults can enjoy them too!

Bookish Goods

A black backpack with a pink front that contains repeating images of a little Black girl in a superhero costume standing among various onomatopoeias

Black Girl Superhero Backpack by RedStoneCreativeShop

Ensure your kid has a heroic day at school with this backpack! Comes in three different sizes. $35+

New Releases

Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

Kathy is half American, half Thai — and thoroughly confused. She spends most of the year in Thailand, but she longs for the summers her family spends in rural Maine. Feeling out of place in both countries, can Kathy find out where she really belongs by the time summer ends?

I Survived the Battle of D-Day 1944 cover

I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis and Brian Churilla, Adapted by Georgia Ball

Part of the “I Survived” series of historical graphic novel adaptations, this installment follows a young French boy, Paul, who feels helpless as World War II drags on. A chance encounter with an American soldier gives him the opportunity he has been waiting for to help defeat the Nazis and bring peace back to his village.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: children’s comics! Here are a couple more great titles to share with the little ones.

August Moon by Diana Thung

As soon as Fiona moves to the town of Calico, she starts making magical discoveries. For example, she meets the supernatural creatures — and the mysterious boy who travels with them — who spread light over the town at night. She also learns that Calico is in danger and that she has to help save it!

Monster Bar Mitzvah by Josh Anderson and Dustin Evans

A bar mitzvah is a major rite of passage for Jewish boys. Eli knows this and wants to make his brother’s big day special…and then the monster under his bed shows up to make a mess of everything. Now it’s up to Eli to save his brother’s bar mitzvah before he gets into monster-sized trouble!

Whether you are a child or a child at heart, comics are a wonderful source of entertainment and life lessons. Don’t stop reading, nerd friends!

~Eileen

The Stack

These Comics Are a Knockout

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date March 27, 2024

Sponsored by

Congrats on almost making it through another week, nerd friends! I know that weekday stress can make you want to beat something up, so I’ve got some Riot Rec suggestions that will hopefully provide a little catharsis.

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Bookish Goods

A square coaster featuring one and a half comic book panels of Superman brooding in space

Comic Book Coaster Set by TheWoodenPug

What a fun way to keep your tables stain-free! How noble of our heroes to protect your furniture. $25

New Releases

Grace Rosa Volume One by Himuro

Grace Rosa owes everything to her adoptive father. Not only did he take her in, he also trained her to be the best assassin in the business — and now he is missing. Fortunately for Grace Rosa, and unfortunately for the people who took her father, she has all of the training and tools she needs to find him and exact vengeance!

Evil Eyes Sea by Özge Samanci

Ece and Meltem are university students in Turkey in the mid-1990s, a time of looming (and frightening) political upheaval. They go in search of sunken treasure in hopes of solving their financial problems, but instead, they find themselves entangled in a dangerous web of everything going wrong with their country.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: boxing! Get into the ring — or at least into your favorite chair — with these sweet comics about the sweet science.

Last on His Feet by Adrian Matejka and Youssef Daoudi

The year is 1910, and Jack Johnson, a boxer famous for both his race and his extravagant lifestyle, is about to defeat Jim Jeffries, a beloved white boxer, in the ring. This fight, considered among the most important in boxing history, is the subject of this graphic novel, illustrated in black, white, and, of course, red.

Creed by LaToya Morgan, Jai Jamison, and Wilton Santos

Amara Creed has a lot to live up to. Her father and grandfather were legendary boxers. Now it’s her turn to step up and make her mark, but how can she do that when she so easily outmatches everyone in the ring? Amara’s solution is to enter the world of underground boxing — a world she might not be as prepared for as she thinks she is.

Now get out there and punch Thursday in the face!

~Eileen

The Stack

How About Some Horror Comics?

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date March 25, 2024

Sponsored by

Okay, so it’s a little too warm to be hiding under the covers, but that chill up your spine is sure to be welcome as the weather gears up for another season of warmth and sunshine!

Bookish Goods

A bracelet made of black and white beads with two spiral charms

Uzumaki Junji Ito Inspired Bracelet by PrettyPossumTreasure

This lovely accessory evokes the unnerving imagery and black-and-white art that make Ito’s work so memorable. $12

New Releases

Next Stop by Debbie Fong

After her brother’s death and her family’s move to a new town, Pia is really struggling. She puts all of her hopes on a road trip that ends at a special lake that supposedly has mystic powers. Maybe the lake can solve Pia’s problems…or maybe the trip itself, and the friend she travels with, hold the true answers.

The Curie Society: Eris Eternal by Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni, Anne Toole, and Sonia Liao

Picking up where The Curie Society left off, Eris Eternal follows a group of young female science geeks as they travel to France to find out who has poisoned a brilliant scientist. Can they stop the culprit and make science more accessible for everyone?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: horror! Why wait for October when you can read these terrifying comics right now?

Specs by David M. Booher and Chris Shehan

This one is for all the kids who ever read a comic and were tempted by the ads for ridiculous, cheap gimmicks. When bullied loners Ted and Kenny find a pair of x-ray specs that contain real magic, they are, of course, excited — and quickly tempted to use their newfound power in all the wrong ways.

Two Graves Volume One by Genevieve Valentine, Annie Wu, and Ming Doyle

Death is supposed to escort souls from the land of the living to the realm of the dead. And yet, when it comes to Emilia’s soul, he can’t seem to let her go. And so the two embark on a treacherous road trip that will have momentous consequences for everyone involved.

A white Havanese looks into the camera, her front paws balanced on the frame of an unmade bed

Look, here is my dog Poppy to protect you from all the scary horror comics! Assuming she doesn’t run to hide behind my legs instead…

~Eileen

The Stack

Breaking Up is Hard to Read About

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date March 20, 2024

Sponsored by

Well, it’s about time Thursday got here — I’ve been waiting all week! Here is all you need to know about the world of comics as we head into the weekend.

Bookish Goods

An image of two iPads. One shows an image of the cover to My Manga Journal, featuring a cartoon girl lying back exhausted with a remote control beside her. The other shows an image of the manga library, complete with cover images, tabs, and star ratings.

Digital Manga Reading Journal by BetysDigitalWorld

Do you read too many manga to keep track of? Understandable! Download this digital library to mark when you read each book and what you thought of it. $5

New Releases

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando and Katia Vecchio

In school, Joshua learned about a sunken treasure off the Florida Keys. Now it’s summer vacation, and he is determined to find that treasure! Dragging a couple of friends along, Joshua follows a series of clues that may lead him to more than just a long-lost Spanish galleon…

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. Vol 1 cover

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. Volume One by Sekka Iwata and Yu Aoki

Like so many young people, Kana is struggling to find a job despite her impeccable résumé. Having a monster disrupt a job interview is just the icing on the cake — or maybe it represents a new opportunity? The anime version of Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. is scheduled to debut later this year, so start reading now!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: breaking up! If you date, odds are you have either been through a break-up or will go through one at some point. Here are a couple of comics that might help.

Static: Up All Night by Lamar Giles and Paris Alleyne

Virgil Hawkins, AKA Static, is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, but Daisy couldn’t handle dating a superhero and ended the relationship. Now, Virgil’s friends are doing what they can to distract and comfort him, but only Virgil can make the grown-up decision to move on with his life.

Hidden Heartbreak by Emma Lee

Relationships are filled with ups and downs. Lee’s ill-fated romance started well enough, only to descend into profound unhappiness. In this comic, she chronicles both the high and low points of her relationship — points that might seem familiar to you, too.

All right, folks, that does it for another Thursday edition of the Stack. Both it and the last week of March will be here very soon!

~Eileen

The Stack

Plant Yourself Right There and Get Reading

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date March 18, 2024

Sponsored by

Well, nerd friends, you survived the winter and made it to spring! (At least, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere.) Got any plans yet? Maybe you’ve got a big spring break holiday bash coming up, or maybe you just want to scroll down and find some new comics to read during the warm days ahead. Either way, totally fair!

Bookish Goods

A black t-shirt with a white printed image of two cardboard boxes, one labeled "comics," stacked on top of each other. Below the image, white text reads "I have issues."

I Have Issues T-Shirt by IceCreamTees

Tell the world about your issues with this punny T-shirt! Comes in multiple sizes and over a dozen colors. (Basic black-and-white works for me, though!) $22+

New Releases

Yakuza Lover Volume Twelve by Nozomi Mino

In this series finale, the love affair between Yuri, a college student, and Oya, a yakuza boss, faces one last hurdle: Oya’s mother, who insists that her son marry someone more suited to his station. Can love truly conquer all for this mismatched pair, or is it impossible for them to carve out a place for themselves?

Replay: Memoir of an Uprooted Family by Jordan Mechner

Mechner, a video game designer in a crumbling marriage, considers moving to another country. Nearly 80 years before, his father fled the Nazis as a child. And 24 years before that, Mechner’s grandfather joined the army and fought in World War I. Each generation, forced to move for different reasons, is bound by the universal desire for a better life.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: plants! Much like WALL-E, these comics are obsessed with plants.

LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford with James Devlin

Future’s life was already changing — she is expecting a child — when she makes yet another monumental decision: to smuggle an alien plant into the United States. As she and the plant, named Letme Live, fight for a better world for all, they will have to learn to trust each other with their deepest secrets.

Taproot by Keezy Young

Hamal’s garden is a place of solace for both him and Blue, a lonely ghost. Their romance is a high point of Blue’s afterlife, but he can never forget that he is still dead…or that Hamal’s ability to talk to ghosts might come at a price too high for Blue to accept. Will Blue have to leave the garden and the man that he loves to save them both?

Let’s head into the rest of the week with a spring in our step!

~Eileen

The Stack

See These Comics Live and in Person

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date March 13, 2024

Sponsored by

I love listening to music while I work, do you? But I can only concentrate if it’s instrumental music, like the Ghibli compilation I’m listening to right now. Lyrics distract me, and we wouldn’t want anything getting in the way of today’s newsletter, now would we?

Bookish Goods

An open pocketknife with a black handle featuring a red, Spider-Man-inspired spider dangling from a web

Personalized Spider-Man Pocket Knife by PersonalizedNYC

The coolest way to make like a Boy Scout and be prepared. Needless to say, keep this out of the hands of the littlest Spider-Man fans! $67

New Releases

Monster Crush by Erin Ellie Franey

It’s immediately clear to Ruby that Ella is not like other girls. In fact, she might not be entirely a girl — or even human — at all. That’s fine with Ruby, but there are others who want to hunt down Ella for nefarious purposes of their own. Can these two teens fight back and find out where they belong?

“Tengen” Hero Wars Volume One by Yasu Hiromoto and Kubaru Sakanoichi

When Oda and his sister get transported to another realm, they end up living many a history lover’s dream: watching the greatest warriors of all time fight to see who is the greatest of them all! Who wouldn’t want a front-row seat in a tournament like that?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: bands! Most people have probably dreamed of performing onstage at least once in their lives. Here are some characters who really went for it!

Bocchi the Rock! Volume One by Aki Hamazi

Hitori might be the most talented guitarist in her whole high school — but nobody knows it, because she practices in her closet and doesn’t like to talk to anybody! Will performing on stage give her the push she needs, or will it send her running back to her room for good?

A Gift for a Ghost by Borja Gonzalez

Teen friends Laura, Cristina, and Gloria want to start a punk band. There are just two problems. One, they have no talent whatsoever. Two, their attempts at musical stardom awaken something from the past and compel them to examine the life of an unconventional girl who tried to pursue her own dream over a century and a half ago.

As usual, I will be back on Tuesday. Until then, rock on, nerd friends!

~Eileen