Previous SFF Author: Suzanne Collins
Life Drawing by Jaime Hernandez
“I guess that’s what spending summer with a crazy aunt is like,” Tonta reports after hanging out with Maggie, the long-time star of Jaime Hernandez’s Love and Rockets which has now been running for over forty years. And while Maggie, and Hopey, too, appear in Life Drawing, the focus is on this newer character in the series — Tonta. Tonta is a wonderful character who seems to be the center of attention of a dynamic cast of characters,
March 29th, 2025. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sound of Magic: Annarasumanara by Ha Il-Kwon
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Victoria Cheng:
Victoria Cheng is a second-year student at Oxford College and is considering majoring in Biology.
March 15th, 2025. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Amazing Adventures (Marvel Super Stories Book #2)
Last November, Abrams Fanfare published their second volume of middle-grade comics stories, based on some slightly less-exposed Marvel heroes. Some, like Spider Man, are immediately recognizable, and some have had their own series recently and we know them from that. Each story is no longer than six pages, and various award-winning comic book artists and writers were invited to the anthology. The result, Amazing Adventures (Marvel Super Stories Book #2), is a pleasant sampler, and maybe an introduction to some new and interesting cape-and-mask heroes.
March 13th, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Children, Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today,
February 15th, 2025. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Tegan and Sara: Junior High by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin (writers) and Tillie Walden (artist)
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column.
January 25th, 2025. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Mandy Sun:
Mandy Sun is a second-year student at Oxford College and is majoring in Computer Science.
December 28th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Sunburn by Andi Watson (story) and Simon Gane (art)
Sunburn by Andi Watson and Simon Gane is a beautiful graphic novel that tells the coming-age-story of a girl named Rachel Collingwood, who is invited to Greece by acquaintances of the family. The story is unexpected, and the visuals are stunning.
The graphic novel starts off quietly in England as Rachel, complaining about her soggy toast, has breakfast with her family. Their meal is interrupted by a call from Dianne, wife of Peter Warner,
December 7th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger (writer), Sara Kipin (artist), Jeremy Lawson (colorist), and Steve Wands (letterer)
Keplinger’s Poison Ivy: Thorns is a wonderful young adult graphic novel from DC illustrated in a unique style by Sara Kipin. The graphic novel is divided into four sections: Toxic, Roots, Bloom, and Ivy. It takes a look at Poison Ivy when she was Pamela Isley, a struggling high school student, and it gives her a different origin story than some of the usual ones that are presented in other DC storylines,
November 9th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | Comics, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo (words), Juan Cavia (art and color), Sandro Pacucci (color), and Gabriela Soares (lettering/translation)
Ballad for Sophie is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. Upon a first read, I immediately decided to add it to the syllabus in my college English class, and I look forward to teaching it next semester. The art by Juan Cavia is brilliant, and the colors by Pacucci are striking. And Filipe Melo writes a story that is incredibly hard to put down and that is quite tender.
October 12th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
THE ASGARDIANS 1: Thor by George O’Connor
So I’ve lost track of how many of George O’Connor’s graphic novel retelling of myths I’ve reviewed, from his original series OLYMPIANS to the first book of his current ASGARDIANS series, Odin. He’s back with book two, everyone’s favorite Norse god — Thor, and all I can say is what I’ve been saying since the beginning: the story is great, the artwork is great, they’re not just for kids,
October 10th, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Children, Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Previous SFF Author: Suzanne Collins
Looking forward to reading the review.
Always my pleasure, Marion! I'm almost finished with Book #3 now, and hope to be reporting on it very shortly....
After reading your review, I'm quite sure I never read this one, or Book Three for that matter. I loved…
What a fantastic review! I loved how you highlighted the blend of action and character development in "Foundryside." The intricate…
On her blog, "Aunt Beast" says she is in the early stages of working on another Tinfoil Dossier novella, so…