New review today for (deep breath) How to Learn to Code in Ten Easy Steps While Planning a Trip to Paris and Influencing People by Alexandra Gallant-Lee.
Gallant-Lee, Alexandra – How to Learn to Code in Ten Easy Steps While Planning a Trip to Paris and Influencing People
November 10, 2026
How to Learn to Code in Ten Easy Steps While Planning a Trip to Paris and Influencing People
Did I buy this comic purely based on the title? I mean, that and the fact that I knew that Alexandra was at SPX, keeping with the theme of my recent fundraiser. Did I also regret it after having to type that title three times already? Honestly, only a little bit, because this comic was a blast and I worry that people might skip it because of that title. Don’t! If you need more convincing, perhaps in the form of a review of some kind, are you ever in luck! This starts off with a simple premise: young Alexandra is in school and just starting a computer class, hoping to use it to learn to code. The teacher, sadly, is one of Those Teachers. You know the ones, not the ones that inspire kids but instead tell them what they think their limitations are. In this case, unbelievably, this teacher and his mustache (I feel like this detail is important) literally tells her “coding isn’t really something for girls to do anyway.” This might have broken the spirits of some kids, and probably did before Alexandra, but all it did was give her a fierce resolve to prove him wrong. She had a chance to do this early, as he instituted a contest to see who could type the fastest each week, and her previous experience working in a video store for her parents had left her with a 120 WPM score. So she won every week and used the gift cards to buy books on how to code, and all the while her teacher got more and more suspicious of her winning, to the extent that even the other students were standing up for her. Finally the conditions for the final exam were announced, which involved using what they had learned in class up until that point to plan a 10 day trip using any program. This was basically designed to for Alexandra to show off what she had learned all by herself, and the rest of the comic goes through how she learned it, how she completed the assignment, the redundancies she built in to prove her teacher wrong when he inevitably accused her of cheating, and his reaction to the finished product. It’s an immensely satisfying comic, as it’s always fun to see bullies get what’s coming to them. Check it out, this is bound to bring back some memories of your own personal worst teacher from back in the day. $10
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 11/9/26
November 9, 2026Well, so much for keeping any kind of a schedule here during that chaotic election season. Long time readers are probably used to that by now, but for the rest of you the plan is to go old school this week: one review for each weekday. Will I make it? I mean, probably? Let’s find out together! New review today for House Haunting by Kelly Phillips.
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Posted by Kevin
Phillips, Kelly – House Haunting
November 9, 2026
To put it mildly, I’m a skeptic on the idea of a haunted house. I’ll put out the standard disclaimer that there’s a lot that science has yet to discover, maybe certain locations have more currently unexplained energy or noises, but overall I think it’s silly, which has been borne out by all of the various “haunted” shows on tv and streaming being endless nonsense. But hey, enough about me! I’m also capable of enjoying a good story about an event featuring one of these houses, the people who do believe in them, or even the people who don’t believe in them but have their opinions shifted by a visit to a certain house. This is the story of Kelly and her husband deciding to buy a house and having a terrible time of it, as seems to often be the case while trying to buy a house. They finally find something that seems perfect, set up a viewing of the house, and are instantly creeped out by it. The interior was oddly constructed and the house seemed to be precariously placed on the edge of a cliff. Not too bad so far, but they finally made it to the piano room, which Kelly almost started playing before being warned off by her husband and the realtor, mostly because of the imposing painting behind the piano. There was a brief attempt to check out the cellar with no lights (before Kelly wisely noped out of there; I may be a skeptic of this stuff, but nobody should go into a strange dark cellar alone), before they finally decide that the house isn’t for them. As they leave the house, nobody is able to lock the door from the outside. Many attempts are made, all tricks are attempted, but nothing is working. So Kelly gets the idea to try and lock the door from the inside, just to prove that nothing was physically wrong with the lock. And that’s where I’ll leave you, because I may have already said too much about the story. It’s a tense and creepy tale, and it keeps you guessing on which paths it’s going to take, which is all you can ask for out of a story like this. If even a skeptic like me can enjoy this, anybody who’s more invested in hauntings will love it. $7
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/22/26
October 22, 2026New review today for Stay by Jesse Rimler, another from the pile I got (mostly) from the recent fundraiser.
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Posted by Kevin
Rimler, Jesse – Stay
October 22, 2026
I’m not going to lie, this being Jesse’s first graphic novel is blowing my mind a little. From what I can see he’s published one comic, maybe done some other short pieces and then this. In case the suspense is killing you, what I mean by that is that this is one hell of a debut comic. There’s even a positive blurb from Chester Brown on the back cover, and that’s a real rarity these days. The story is told simply, with subtle bits here and there to get the reader caught up, but the gist of it is that Wanda (our main character) has been having a rough go of it for years, suffering from clear problems with alcohol, and after her mother’s death the rest of her family kind of wrote her off. She’s clearly been failing them for years, but she’s the last resort to watch Frida (her sister’s dog) while the family goes out of town on a trip. This is both offered to Wanda reluctantly and is clearly a test, as she’s basically being asked to keep a dog alive and not burn the house down. Things go OK at first, although Wanda is flooded with memories (her sister is living in her mother’s old house), before Wanda decides to play Frida’s favorite game: fetch, but with a rock instead of a tennis ball or a stick. If you’re currently thinking of one obvious way that this game could go very wrong very quickly, I regret to inform you that you figured it out. A quick trip to the vet’s office shows that no permanent damage was done to the dog, but from here on Wanda can “hear” what Frida is saying… and it’s never anything particularly positive about Wanda. Things get worse, as Wanda almost loses Frida while taking her for a walk, and then Wanda decides to do what she does best: make a run for it. The dog has plenty to say about that, and I don’t want to tell you the whole story, but it pulls no punches and offers no easy answers or paths to redemption. This is one of those comics that will stick with you, and since the year is barreling to a close (he says hopefully), “best of” lists are on my mind. Don’t be surprised to see this name pop up on some of the indie lists, possibly even some of the bigger ones. Dog lovers check it out, family fuck-ups check it out, people who love a haunting tale that’s told well, also check it out. $12.95
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/20/26
October 20, 2026New review for Die Horny by Rebecca Mock, as I once again bank a couple of reviews before my real life terrible work week begins. And hey, if you’re curious about how elections are going in Champaign County Illinois, I’d google a few news stories. To put it mildly, it’s a stressful time!
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Mock, Rebecca – Die Horny
October 20, 2026
Boy is this ever going to be a tough one to explain for people with no frame of reference. Have you ever watched anime, or the live action stuff like Power Rangers? If so, have you ever noticed that some of the ladies in some of those shows were basically a dominatrix but somehow still on a kid’s show? Rebecca refers to this genre as “pervy anime,” and I can’t think of a better way to describe it. If you’re completely lost right now, this isn’t going to be one of those cases where I say that you’ll probably enjoy it anyway. Rebecca has done other books, maybe try one of those, but you’ll be completely lost here. For the creeps and/or just the people familiar with the creep aesthetic in anime, read on! This one starts off after the villains have won, and the General depicted on the cover and her pet/husband/toy are heading out on their honeymoon. They run across a human who’s escaped, but he’s wracked with guilt because he’s convinced a friend to infiltrate the bad guys, and now he needs help rescuing her. Those two have no interest in helping, but they do bring him back to the rest of the captured humans, where a different bad guy has been hoarding crystals and is now stronger than the General. He takes the pet/husband for himself, since that guy seemingly just wants to be abused, and locks up the General. From there I’d get into spoilers in a hurry, but we see the different factions in this prison camp, learn if the pet/toy actually believes in anything but pain, and watch the General learn what it’s like to be briefly helpless. It’s clearly a love letter to the anime of Rebecca’s childhood (that’s not me guessing, she spells it out in an afterward), and in this context it’s a fun and, yes, pervy story. And let’s be honest, that title is magnificent. If you can get into the spirit of it this one is a lot of fun, so give it a shot if you can instantly recognize some of these tropes from your childhood. $16
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/16/26
October 16, 2026New review today for Double Take by Kat Foyle. Next week, if I can get the free time, I’ll start to get into some of the graphic novels that I got from my fundraiser. Teaser!
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Posted by Kevin
Foyle, Kat – Double Take
October 16, 2026
One of my most “middle-aged man yells at clouds” opinions (not old man, I still have a few years left for that one) is that online influencers can do their thing, but I have no interest in learning about them, hearing about them or knowing that they exist. Since I stay off of social media, and since I have no problem at all not knowing who “famous” people are, this is easier than you might think. So, since this comic is about Sara trying to work up the nerve to talk to a YouTube influencer that she sees at the grocery store, a lot of it is pretty much guaranteed to fly right by me. But wait, there was a hook for me after all! So things start off with Sara and her friend looking in through a window at this “famous” guy. There’s some doubt about whether it’s the real guy, since he had a doppelganger on his show before, but that fake guy had a shaved head, while the one in the store had hair. So he had to be real! But then they run into twins in the store, who point out that the doppelganger grew out his hair too, so they both look identical now. Sara is paralyzed by indecision at this point, but her friend makes the choice for her, calling out to this guy. He comes over, obviously used to this kind of reaction, and reveals himself to be a bit of creep. But there’s still the lingering doubt as to whether or not it was the real guy, and that conversation (and a fun one with an angry lady in the parking lot) are what make up the rest of the comic. It’s an interesting thought experiment, and it’s clear from Kat’s website that she has all kinds of comics out that are likely to be much more my type of thing, so I guess it’s up to you on this one? If you have a YouTube influencer in your life that would paralyze you in a similar fashion to possibly meet in person, this comic is made for you. If you’re like me, there’s still some thought-provoking ideas about doubles, possible identity theft, and the dangers of ever meeting your heroes. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/14/26
October 14, 2026New review today for The Most High Girl in the World by Emily Zullo, as this is the week that I finally get to dig into the “comics from publishers who were at SPX this year, if not necessarily artists who were there” piles.
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Posted by Kevin
Zullo, Emiy – The Most High Girl in the World
October 14, 2026
The Most High Girl in the World
A comic like this could have gone wrong in so many different ways. By that title alone, an artist could come in lazy, make a bunch of smoky whorls, throw in some generic stoner dialogue and call it a day. But no, Emily had to go and make art with this one. The nerve! If you have no experience smoking pot, you’re probably going to get a bit less out of this, but for anybody who’s smoked and/or tried to buy pot, oh the memories this is going to trigger. Things start off with Emily in the back of a car while her two male friends (possibly brothers? I don’t think it’s ever spelled out) go off to meet their uncle to buy weed. They tell Emily to stay in the car, and of course they’re in the sketchiest part of town imaginable. They take their time with it, giving her plenty of chances to freak out and wonder if she’s about to be murdered, before they finally come back with the goods. They go out to the woods, Emily rips the most gigantic bong hit possible, and from there on out it’s exactly what the title advertises. But… more. The silences, getting lost in looking at what’s around her, the internal dialogue that gets forced into external dialogue, staring at her hands and being fascinated in the odd gestures she’s making, etc. Those several pages are a vibe, and they capture the real mood perfectly. The group eventually makes their way back to a house, where their mother (?) announces that she’s going out, and she puts Emily in charge “because she’s a girl.” Do the boys listen? Does Emily want to be in charge? Does she even want to be there at all by this point? Read it and find out! There’s a lot more atmosphere than I was expecting, and I mean that in the best possible way. Give it a chance, why don’t you? $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/12/26
October 12, 2026New review today for Teen Art Adventures: 90’s Edition by Ellen Lindner! And if you’re thinking “oh, at least he gets the holiday off to review comics,” nope. I’m working today, this is just past me banking some reviews during my free time on the weekend. Those weekends could also stop being free at any time, so I’m doing what I can now. Another peek behind the curtain, once again based on no questions!
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Posted by Kevin
Lindner, Ellen – Teen Art Adventures: 90’s Edition
October 12, 2026
Teen Art Adventures: 90’s Edition
My first thought after reading this one? I’d be fascinated to see what art students today thought of the journey depicted in here. Are modern art classes still stuck critiquing safely dead artists, or do they take risks by talking about current popular artists? Anyway, random thoughts aside, this is a fascinating story of an artist more or less making their own way after being dissatisfied with what they’ve been taught. Young Ellen, stuck working a dead end job most of the week, lands a dream internship with a female-run music PR firm one night a week. Which may not sound like much, but it got her into New York City, and at the time admission to MOMA on Friday nights were a “pay what you can” kind of deal, so she spent a lot of time studying the modern greats. Which led her to become even more disillusioned with art school, but she did end up interviewing one of her modern heroes, which (it’s probably fair to say; I don’t know her whole teenage life’s journey) changed her life for the better. You can read for yourself what else happened to her, but there are some solid lessons in here for any young art students who aren’t content with just who they’re learning about in class. $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/7/26
October 7, 2026New review today for 7 or 8 by Lara Antal! I’m going to try to get at least one more review up this week, but these 12ish hour days are not making it easy.
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Posted by Kevin
Antal, Lara – 7 or 8
October 7, 2026
Everybody has their horror stories for job interviews (I recently had one that consisted of exactly four, seemingly unconnected or unrelated to the job questions, that had me feeling like I’d gotten a pop quiz for a class I never took), but this story from Lara is up there. She went in for an interview for a desk job that she had no real interest in getting outside of the potential financial security, and things started off awkwardly enough with a bird trapped and flapping around the office. Then, well, the sample image below happened, which is when the interview really took a turn for the worse. This seems like a case where the hiring office would suggest just trying this again on a different day, but they plowed through anyway and things went poorly. Some discussion was had with her partner about the wisdom of even trying to get a job when her art was (barely) getting her by, and eventually their roommate came home with an even more horrible tale to put things in perspective. She also gets into whether or not it’s ever a good sign for a bird to die in front of you, and in the back of the comic she explains the meaning of the title. No, I’m not going to tell you either of those things, that’s a reward you get for reading the comic. Which you should do! $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 10/5/26
October 5, 2026This time of year (meaning a month before an election) is a notoriously terrible time for me to try to sneak in reviews, which is especially annoying this time around because I have so many comics to review! Anyway, I’m banking a couple of these suckers before I have to go in to work for a bit (on a Sunday!), so new review today for Big Punk by Janelle Hessig/Janelle Blarg.
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Posted by Kevin
Hessig, Janelle – Big Punk
October 5, 2026
Note: Janelle also goes by Janelle Blarg, but based on some internet wandering she seems to use both names? That was for the one person out there who thought “hey, I wonder if they’re the same person.” They are! Anyway, this is a fairly simple tale that’s told really well. Our nameless hero starts the comic off by being completely sick of the big city she’s living in, annoyed at how much it’s changed for the worse. So she decides to pack it up and live in the woods. It’s fine for awhile, but boredom and horniness eventually set in, and she’s too far out of civilization to use the dating apps. Then one night a mysterious stranger visits her in the night, and it’s pretty much impossible to keep going with the description without giving away the punchline. Let’s just say that her paramour wouldn’t be welcomed in polite society, and neither would their eventual offspring. Past that there’s some sweet domestic bliss, some yokels at the local market, and some concern on whether those two things would ever collide. Maybe there are more issues of this coming, which is a big reason why I’m being cagey here, but either way this is a sweet little “fuck this modern world” story that ends up working out for the best. Being full color and a measly $5 is also a solid reason to recommend this, so check it out why don’t you? $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 9/28/26
September 28, 2026New review today for On Fire by Marnie Galloway! In case you were wondering, my order from Radiator comics arrived first, followed today by the Fieldmouse Press order. Both arrived within a week, so if you’re needing quality comics in a hurry, you can’t go wrong with either of them.
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Posted by Kevin
Galloway, Marnie – On Fire
September 28, 2026
One of the many questions I have for parents (since I never had kids) is how they handle all of the school shootings, no matter where they happen, and just go on with their days afterwards. The urge to lock your kids in the house forever must be overwhelming, but this comic depicts how Marnie handles it: with a quiet, seething rage at the situation. Which is fair! This starts off with Marnie, after yet another school shooting, walking her kids to school. She’s trying to pretend like everything is normal, wondering if other parents who seem normal are also pretending or are somehow sincere in casually going about their daily lives. While Marnie is trying to maintain her equilibrium life goes on, as her kids play with the chickens and her four year old daughter takes a big interest in the life of Joan of Arc. The security of the chickens is also a big concern, because even through they’re in an enclosure, many other animals could still find a way in and wipe them out overnight. It’s an interesting dichotomy of normal life moving right along no matter what else is happening in the outside world, as even what could have been a final peaceful moment in the comic is interrupted by a possible future danger. Can a comic be grim and lighthearted at the same time? This one manages somehow, and it’s well worth checking out. $8
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Posted by Kevin