Dealing with death is challenging.  Aside from the pain we internalize from losing someone we know or love, there are several other challenges that arise.  The constant asking of "are you ok?" Unsolicited thoughts or commentary of how to handle the pain.  Stories which come from folks with the best of intentions which may re-traumatize the person hurting the most. Finally, constant offers of help or assistance, which may be founded in the best of intentions, while others may have ulterior motives.

All of these and more are some of the challenges Myers faces in The Down River People.​

Myers has a strained relationship with his mother, because she left Myers and his father in the cold, with no reason or goodbye.  Yet, she shows up the day after the wake, with an offer to help run the bar...AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT HE HAS A HALF SISTER!

Myers eventually gives in to his mother's offer to help, and travels to meet her in her new home, a fishing retreat WHICH IS A FULL ON RELIGIOUS CULT! Everything from their first meeting at the retreat makes you hope that everything in Myers life is going to improve. But after a nice evening at the bar, Myers discovers that there may be more under the surface of what's happening at the church.....

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.  Normally, I can't read something that long in a single sitting.  However, the story and the art kept me leaning in and begging for more.  It also makes me want to buy the duo's previous work Long Walk to Valhalla. 

Witnessing how Myers handled everything going on around him, while still embracing the wisdom of his father was quite beautiful.  The way Fox illustrated some of the most intense moments of self discovery via the river was very powerful, and they are images which are burnt into my memory.  

The final item of note is how deeply personal this story was to Smith.  His one page letter at the conclusion of the story brought me to tears.  You can really feel how influential his father was on him, and made me aspire to have the same sort of impact on my children, my students, and the people around me.  

Also, I had no idea Adam is from KC, which fills me with hope that I can meet him when cons become a thing again, because when I pick my copy up, I'd love to get it signed!

This story will be easy to fall in love with, and I highly recommend picking it up at your LCS or ordering it, its a decision you won't regret!

I love discovering new titles from writers, artists, and/or publishers that are new-to-me.  It gives me the same joy I get finding a good deal in a bargain box, a rare variant cover, or a signed book by one of your favorites. When I saw the author offering to share their work on twitter, I jumped at the chance to dig into the world of....

I love books with young kick-ass female protagonists. With this, Broken Bear delivers in spades!

Broken Bear tells the story of Selm, a young girl who is Broken Bear's squire.  Broken Bear is a large man who is a fierce, fearless warrior with an immense amount of strength and the ability to take down any foe.  The book opens with the duo walking through a creepy swamp and they arrive at a witch's cabin.  Immediately it becomes clear the intent of the witch is to take Broken Bear down.  What I couldn't figure out is if Selm was possessed to kill Broken Bear to take his power, or if she did it of her own free will to cease being a squire and don the helm on her own.

As the rest of the story unfolds, Selm has to decide if she will be a fierce, ruthless warrior who will stand for good, or evil.  What will she do now that she is the new Broken Bear.

I thought this was a fantastic story.  You have a coming-of-age tale of a young warrior actively choosing her own path.  Second, you have a young woman going after an oppressive monarch (who is the human version of Jaba the Hutt, with odd man boobs) attempting to both free some of his subjects, while exploring freeing herself from the past constraints of what the Broken Bear helm signifies. Finally, I really feel the nature of how the lettering, and art help immerse you into the world.  You are seeing internal monologues, looking at how Selm physically measures up against her surroundings and just the creepy aura of the kingdom Selm visits.

The art, stylistically speaking is some of my favorite.

The art in the left page is Selm fighting the beast shortly after absorbing Broken Bear's power.  Again, looking at her strength grow that early in the book is great.  It is also a solid example of looking at how she is in proportion to her surrounding.  The art on the right page is the typical example of a faded watercolor styling you see throughout the book, and I find it quite enticing and it really works for a classic fantasy feel

If you like fantasy titles, you should add this to your wheelhouse!  It gives nods to some of your favorite fantasy tropes without solely living in them or they turn them on their head.  It is a good, quick read and just works on all levels! This title (as noted in the back flap material) is the debut graphic novel for White the author, the first published work for AHG the colorist, and the first fantasy work for Markiewicz the colorist. I can say that all three solidly show their chops in either the medium and/or the genre and I will be hunting for more from all three of them!

I also know that if you help Frankee out, and buy a copy, it will prove to publishers that there is enough interest to warrant publishing a second installment of Broken Bear....which I desperately need.

Reading this title (which is the author's first) makes me super excited for the delivery of 20 Fists 1-3 (the title which was successfully funded on Kickstarter)!

As Alder goes on a walkabout to clear his head and figure out his next move, he ends up in a field of violets. But as he walks through the field, he realizes something is odd, he can hear Iris' voice as he walks through the field. He discovers what appears to be Iris, but her eyes are glossed over in violet, and this spectre of a woman lets Alder knows if he gives the real Iris one of those flowers, she will reciprocate all of Alder's feelings for her. Alder has a choice to make.  Does he: ​

Come on, the book is called Violets...you know he gives her the damn flower!

The emotional roller coaster we experience are the highs and lows of the newfound reciprocated love but suddenly Alder acknowledges something is off which takes us through a fascinating discussion of the morals and ethics of love and togetherness.  The final half of the book really brings to the forefront a conversation long overdue about consent and the repercussions of forcing love to be reciprocated.

The art is quite good.  The ability of the creative team to catch Alder and Iris' true feelings for one another in the opening panels.  The embodiment of Alder's friend-zoning depression is reminiscent of myself at several times in my youth. The experience in the field of violets and the fake Iris is quite etherial. The moments of love and lust are as equally intense as the moments of discontent and rage. The work with the petals throughout some of the vertical spreads are creepily gorgeous.  The connection between script and art is seriously on point.

I'm going to put this in my solid pick-ups category.  This is a quick yet intriguing read and if you enter with an open mind, it really gets you to reflect on your beliefs and past actions, which is what any good relatable story should do. This is an indie title worth reading, and if you are worried about spending a bunch of money on a graphic novel you aren't familiar with...guess what!

Alright, I'm late to the game on the Source Point Press party. I know my guy Jason at Chops Comics really enjoyed Apocalypse Girl #1, which he reviewed on an episode of the Chops Comics Podcast. Also, my guys over at the Comic Burrito Show really enjoy the work of their fellow Michiganders.  When Source Point released a trove of their offerings on the now passed "freecomicbook.com" website, I knew, even if I hated all of their free offerings, I would definitely be making some purchases from them for 2 reasons: 1. They are sending money to your LCS during the COVID shutdown, and 2. If you are going to give me stuff for free, and you are a small-er publisher, I'm still going to buy stuff from you because of your kind gesture (its my midwestern nature to do so). I got a lot from them both in terms of free stuff, and my individual purchases.  Check out the full spread here:

I had no idea where to start, but I knew I wanted to pick up a trade of something or a graphic novel.  So in my random grabbings for my introduction to Source Point I started with:

Ive given my spiel on why I do/not like historically oriented work in the past, but I have to talk about the plague to my freshmen in their world history courses, so I was looking for inspiration for next year's lesson.  I got that and so much more from this title.  You are quickly introduced to Nils, a plague doktor who travels from village to village in order to treat folks ailed by the plague.  By treat, I mean blood lettings, or killing those on the verge of death anyway.

However, we discover that something odd is happening with this plague, and some of the victims appear to be possessed.  As Nils struggles with what to do, we learn that his mother was infected and turned by the plague...but it might not be that simple.  Was Nils' mother impregnated my some magical force of death?  Is Nils in an inner turmoil as to whether he takes his newfound family calling?  Does he best death and save humanity?  You should...

My wife walked into the room, saw the cover and lovingly asked me "What in the actual fuck are you reading?"  I replied "Imagine if Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino teamed up to make Toy Story 5, and ensured it was a snuff film."  That is honestly what this feels like, and it is amazing for so many reasons.  I just finished volume 3 and I am still mindfucked by what happened. Imagine every toy you've ever owned and discarded (this was a real nostalgia trip for me) had a dark spot in their life, and turned to crime.  Each time I thought this could not get more absurd, it just kept pushing the boundaries of what was going on.  I have no idea what inspired SPP to give this series away for free on FCW, but I'm glad I snagged it.  It is an absolute trip in the best way possible.

I also like that this is a book with so many creators changing things up every 8 pages, the visual trip you take and the quick jarring change from style to style really adds to my enjoyment.  I loved this series, and I am still craving more.

Maybe as this sinks in, I'll add more context, but its bonkers in the best way possible!

This story is fantastic, with one exception.  I now can't get "The Kids Aren't Alright" by the Offspring. Take a group of four kids with messed up homes and broken childhoods for a variety of reasons, see how amazing their kinship is with each other, add more trauma and stir, and that's the story.

There are four principal characters: Ben who's mother died during childbirth and his father never recovered, Tank who has a life threatening heart condition and parents who are in extreme debt, Amanda who's mother is prepping for Y2K and James who is a foster child who is struggling to adapt to a sense of normalcy with his foster parents.

After throwing an awesome birthday party for Ben, they go for a walk around the lake and immediately get in a fight with the local drug dealer they all look down upon, another neighbor runs down to get them the hell off of his property, they all return home and by the next morning, Ben, the heart and soul of the group, ends up dead in the frozen lake.

What follows is not just a heart-wrenching exploration of all of the characters' we've met pasts.  But also the three remaining friends who are up for nearly anything to figure out who ended the life of their friend all-too-soon.

This is compelling, the art is fresh, and you'll ride an emotional roller coaster.  While everything I've read from SPP so far is great, this might be my favorite of the three so far!

This book, once I saw the description online, I knew I needed to have.  I talked a little bit on my inaugural youtube video about why this book has a personal connection to me.

The number of folks openly discussing fertility issues are on the rise, but it has not always been so.  Infertility is something that is deeply challenging and personal, especially if you are hardwired to have children.  Whenever you are dealing with these issues, it helps to have someone to talk to...but if discussions are mum or you should hide it because of shame, it only makes everything worse.

My wife and I tried for several years, with no success to have children naturally.  We were resolved to have a biological child, or adopt, but we were running into unknown barriers.  There were dozens of doctors appointments to determine if my wife had a blood issue, hormone issue, genetic issue etc. or if I was the source of our challenge.  Several years later, we discovered my wife had a genetic anomaly, and in order for us to have a child, we would have to undergo the laborious process of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

William Roy's In Vitro is a very personal account of a husband and wife's quest to have a child, and the hell of dealing with the question of "when are you two going to have kids."  It didn't stick with me at first as odd that this was a book written by a man (since the entire IVF process....shots, hormones, tests etc.) are all driven towards women (aside from the male donation into a cup).  However, it makes sense, when the book gets deeply personal for Roy as he discusses his fertility issues (an extremely low sperm count).

This book really felt like it captured large parts of my life in 2014-15 as we were going through the process for the first time.  All of the appointment, drugs, syringes, hormones etc. Everything had to be scheduled to the T, or the process could have been all for nothing. You start to see the stress impact him, until he discovers he has an ally he could turn to at work for the most important asset anyone in IVF needs, a friendly ear, and well-warranted advice.

This book is compelling, the imagery (of the pile of his family members and elders he has to unpack) is a clever way to explore the mental anguish and baggage those with fertility issues carry around.  But, it is humorous when it needs to be, heartbreaking when mis-steps happen, and the whole time you wonder if Roy and his wife successfully have biological children.  That, I won't spoil.

However, I would like to applaud William Roy for his book, because I believe it either gives validation to those going through IVF who need a relatable account, or if you know someone who is going through the process, it helps you see the world through their eyes (even if all IVF experiences are not created equal.....).  I think this should be something anyone reads, because it helps you see the world through the eyes of folks who aren't equipped with the emotional vocabulary to discuss their fertility issues, and this helps you be a good ally in a time of need!