September Staff Picks!

Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni (they/them)

Andy and Scout are best buds, roommates, and gay disasters. Along with their friends and plenty of beer, they’re just trying to make it through their 20s, survive late capitalism, and navigate the dating world. Tough and loving Andy is a genderqueer trans individual, who dates like there’s no tomorrow, while Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker, is still languishing over her ex-girlfriend…from like two years ago.

These comics are so great, from the outfits (like a “yes today satan” shirt I need) to the all too real languishing over queer dating life. These comics are funny and raw, showing the chaos, discomfort, and love of everyday life. I really enjoy how Bongiovanni paces their comics, mixing wit with incredibly real characters. I feel like I know or have met all of these people. This is one of my new favorite comics; I’m excited to check out some of their other work!

Comet & Star by Juck Lee

What a stunning book! As someone who works at a bookstore that specializes in comics and graphic novels, it’s always wonderful to read picture books that are so visuals-centric. What I mean by that is, this book puts its images first, adding text only when and where necessary. The pictures speak volumes.

A particular example of this is early on, when we are shown an image of a story book, and on a page are three panels of Star watching as Comet passes by. You can see the way Star waves excitedly, then deflates as Comet continues on. No explanation necessary! And when Star is lonely, our colors are muted and gray. When Star realizes Comet wants to be friends, we’re presented with bright, colorful images!

This picture book is deeply emotional and sweet, only made sweeter by the lush, color pencil artwork. I had a blast reading it.

Stages of Rot by Linnea Sterte

Stages of Rot is the story of a Whale Fall, but instead of the whale falling down into the deep sea, it is falling from the sky onto an arid land. The decomposition of the whale and subsequent rebirth of the surrounding ecosystem unfurls over millennia. Over several vignettes–each with its own specific color palette– humans, flora and fauna struggle and live and die. If you like breathtaking visuals that aren’t “pretty,” science fiction that doesn’t explain itself, and something different than other comics you’ve been snacking on, READ ON! It was also an Eisner nominee for “Best Graphic Album,” if you’re into that kind of thing.

In some ways Stages of Rot feels like watching a documentary. Sterte renders the biology and ecosystem of the creatures with incredible specificity. For example, the story starts with a close up on a red blood cell and then zooms out from there. (High School biology for the win!) There are also panels showing a fish decomposing. Somehow these visuals are gorgeous, which is where this book stops feeling like a documentary.

Also unlike a documentary, the story is largely silent. The text is spare and poetic, which creates space–both visually on the page and in the mind. This spaciousness leaves room for interpretation and mystery. So much so that I re-read the book immediately after finishing it. I was rewarded for looking again and more closely.  

I also want to shout out the publisher of Stages of Rot, Peow. They are back to distributing very cool indie comics. A Frog in the Fall, Linnea Sterte’s subsequent book, is one of my favorites, and you should read it too. Thanks to Jonathan Marshall Smith for lending it to me while Peow was taking a break from distribution. If you read Stages of Rot, tell me your thoughts! I am curious how other people interpret the vignettes. I also think someone with a deeper understanding of science than I would be able to enrich my understanding of the text.

Kit Anderson will guide you on a journey of different stories of magic, mystery, memory, and everyday wonders. His storytelling, art style, and ability to depict real life occurrences in a magical way make this one of my favorite graphic novels! Throughout the novel, there are a few common themes and stories. There is a magical gnome man who travels along with you as you read. Many townspeople speculate whether he’s magical or a hoax, but that’s up to you to decide! The other consistent theme is meditative, guided  breathing. Not only is this a great tool for storytelling, but it can remind you to slow down, be mindful, and breathe!My favorite short story in this novel is Weeds, a story about terminal illness told through the metaphor of flowers. Kit Anderson depicts the scary reality of terminal illness in such a  beautiful and understandable way.

If you are interested in liminal spaces, fantasy, and short stories, you will fall in love with Safer Places! 

Rogue & Gambit: Power Play by Stephanie Phillips and Carlos Gomez

What do you get when you mix five feet something of southern sass and theoretically limitless power with a scruffy Cajun bad-boy that can blow you up faster than you can say ‘bust’? Rogue & Gambit! This book is an amazing, entertaining self contained story about everyone’s favorite mutant couple! The story follows husband and wife carrying out the desires of Destiny, who swears that to save mutantkind’s future, they have to kidnap Manifold, another superhero. This book is extra entertaining, because it feels like just peering into their marital dispute and seeing the realistic, nitty gritty of their romance and chemistry; and watching their love for one another triumph over it all. The comedy is amazing, the characterization is great, the artwork is phenomenal, and it felt like a nostalgic dip into some of my favorite characters ever. This one is an easy-to-pick-up must read for xmen fans, and anyone who liked Channing Tatum’s cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine.