Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey

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Two of my favorite things are comics and hockey, and this book combines both! I cannot think of many books that do both, save for Robert Ullman's Old-Timey Hockey Tales mini-comics, which are great by the way. Check, Please! began as a webcomic, and the first two of the four seasons are collected here. The premise is that we are following the life of Eric "Bitty" Bittle, an incoming freshman to the fictional Samwell University that is located in the real-life state of Massachusetts and plays in the real-life ECAC conference. Bitty is a former figure skater turned hockey player who comes from Georgia, loves to bake and vlogs about his life. He is also gay, and wonders when and how he should come out to his teammates. Over the course of the book, he shares about his struggles to adapt to college life, his quirky teammates, his culinary creations, and his adapting to the rules and rigors of college hockey.

For instance, dealing with contact is new to Bitty...

Over the two seasons in this book, we get glimpses into Bitty's freshman and sophomore years. He transitions from being a newbie to moving into the team house. There is some light hazing, intense feedback from the team captain, heavy partying, and typical college shenanigans. A slight spoiler: It is refreshing to see a bunch of macho athletes appreciate Bitty's baking and sexual orientation with not just tolerance but acceptance and joy. This book is fun to read for its sports intrigue, personal drama, charm, clever banter, and humor. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book that runs to Eric's junior and senior years.

Check, Please! was created by Ngozi Ukazu. She began making webcomics but has transitioned into making graphic novels, including Bunt!, which is about a college baseball player, Barda, which is a YA graphic novel from DC Comics featuring Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters, and the forthcoming Flip. Ukazu speaks more about Check, Please! in this interview.

This series has won a Reuben Award, a Harvey Award, and an Ignatz Award, and it's been very well reviewed. The starred entry from Kirkus Reviews concluded, "A fun and deeply satisfying read for teens." Thoroughly Modern Reviewer called it " a well-written, immensely enjoyable rom-com," and added that "it’s also a delightful exploration of male friendship, a really funny coming of age story, and an exciting look into the softer side of hockey culture." Nick Goodsell summed up, "It’s funny, its heartfelt, its deep, and it’s another great coming of age story for anyone to enjoy!"

Check, Please! Book 1 was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. This book features profanity and some adult situations, so it is recommended for readers mature enough to handle those things, probably more mature teens.

Crowded, Volume 1

Crowd-sourcing is ubiquitous nowadays, but "10 minutes" in the future it will be even more pervasive. Crowded depicts this world in satirical, troubling, and exciting (because it's not happening to me) fashion. The narrative here follows Charlie Ellison, a gig-worker who wakes up one day to find that she is the target of a $1 million Reapr campaign. Reapr is an app where a person can legally order an assassination that has to happen within 30 days. For some reason, which she may or not be aware of, Charlie finds herself being attacked by all of the would-be assassins who come out of the woodwork to bump her off and cash in. 

Luckily for Charlie, there is also Dfend, an app for bodyguards. She is not super solvent, so she hires the lowest rated bodyguard, Vita. He is grouchy but surprisingly effective. He might actually be able to keep her safe for the 30-day term of the Reapr contract, but Charlie is kind of a wildcard who wants to make her own rules and complicates both their lives. The plot here is excellent, as the clash of personalities makes for great drama in and of itself, but there are also so many different plot twists that come from unshared secrets, wily would-be assassins, and disasters that make this book a real page-turner. The artwork equals the plotting, and it melds realism with a exaggerated, cartoonish style that conveys the action and emotion well. It also captures the flavor of a near-future world in a vibrant way. I loved this book, and it's a great hook for the rest of the series.

Crowded was written by Christopher Sebela and drawn by Ro Stein and Ted Brandt. Sebela has been nominated for four Eisner Awards, and Stein and Brandt have drawn a variety of comics for both DC and Marvel. All three creators speak about their work on Crowded in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Nicole Drum called it "the comic book equivalent of a viral video," adding, "It sucks you in and leaves you wondering what’s next all the while asking what that says about us." Brandon Lawrence described it, "Well written, well drawn, sets up a world, sates your appetite for action, and leaves you wanting more." You can read more reviews of the series at Comic Book Roundup.

Crowded was published by Image Comics. They have more info about this book and the next volumes in the series here. You can read the first issue, which is the first chapter of this trade paperback, here. This book features violence and profanity, so it is recommended for readers mature enough to handle them.

The Toxic Avenger

When I was growing up, there was a theater right next door to my dad's pizzeria, and I saw many a movie there. One of my formative experiences was watching the original Toxic Avenger movie, which warped my prepubescent brain with all its gore, violence, and "special effects." It led me to other films from Troma, and probably deranged me (in what I feel are mostly positive ways). I was not as big a fan of the 1990s cartoon revival of the franchise, though I was glad for the popularity and profits for the upstart parent company. A re-imagined version of the monster hero starring Peter Dinklage will debut in theaters this year, but before it arrived there was this five-issue comic book series collected here. 

This version of the Toxic Avenger operates independently of any of the movies, and new readers really do not need to know anything about them. Here, Tromaville, NJ is beset by a huge environmental disaster, and aliens and/or a shady corporation may or not be involved (I'm not going to spoil it). The entire area is quarantined, and a good number of the populace are exposed to something that radically transforms them into monstrous beings. Furthermore, there is a huge amount of misinformation coming from the government over both traditional and social media that obscures what is really happening. 

As you can see from this excerpt, this book follows the exploits of Melvin, once a scrawny weakling but now a strapping, grotesque hulk. Over the course of the narrative, he has to deal with physical battles from his former bullies who are also now monstrous, as well as the ethical dilemma of possibly becoming the public face of the huge cover-up fabricated to lie to the public about what happened in Tromaville. Among all of this action, horror, and intrigue, there is also a good dose of ridicule aimed at public and business institutions as well as some good old fashioned physical humor. I found this book highly entertaining, and luckily for those reading this trade paperback, they don't have to wait a month to see what happens in each subsequent chapter.

This book is the product of writer Matt Bors and artists Fred Harper and Lee Loughridge. Bors is a long time political cartoonist who also founded and edited The Nib. He has won multiple Eisner Awards and also writes the Justice Warriors series. Harper has a huge list of past clients, both comics and corporate. Loughridge is one of the most in-demand colorists in contemporary comic books. You can read more about these Toxic Avenger comics in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Steven W. Alloway called it " weird, funny, sarcastic, satirical, sometimes violent, often gross, extremely campy, but ultimately good-hearted." Chris Coplan, who is a long-time Toxie fan like me, wrote that it "isn’t just a damn good comic, but it very much exceeds my kooky, totally awkward expectations."

The Toxic Avenger was published by Ahoy Comics, and they provide more information about it here. This book features body horror, gore, violence, and profanity, so I suggest it for readers mature enough to deal with those things.

And for those are enjoy this book, good news: there is more on the way.

Boys Weekend

The best kinds of satire usually skirt the lines between funny and horrible, and Boys Weekend certainly falls into this category. It's about Sammie, a newly out trans person who has been asked by her old friend Adam to be his "best man." 

As you might glean from this excerpt, Adam does not know about this change. Moreover, he certainly does not know how to deal with Sammie's new reality, nor do the even more clueless members of his groom's party. Still, all of them embark on a weekend trip to El Campo, an island resort where you can get away with way more than you can in Las Vegas, especially in the even more libertarian near-future when this book is set. For instance, they have an attraction where you can clone yourself and then go all "Most Dangerous Game," hunt it down and kill it.

Complicating matters even further from the incredibly cringe-worthy bachelor party is the rash of bloody murders happening in El Campo, and everything devolves into a disastrous survival situation more reminiscent of a horror movie than a weekend getaway. What makes this book work is that the horror stakes are real, the humor is sharp and topical, and the contemporary concerns about gender politics and discrimination are prominent. Boys Weekend is brutal, biting, and hilarious, a satiric parable for our times.

Mattie Lubchansky is a self-called "Award-Winning Transsexual Comics Idiot." She has a long history with making funny, political comics, from being an editor of the Eisner Award winning website The Nib to creating scores of comics for that venue to her own graphic novels, such as The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook. She speaks about her work on Boys Weekend in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been mainly positive. Michael Kurt wrote, "It’s funny, deeply insightful, and even more wild than you’d expect for a story about a hedonistic future-tech-Vegas." Sylvie Rosokoff opined, "Lubchansky’s razor-sharp satire, eerie sci-fi sensibility, and distinctive illustration style make Boys Weekend the perfect mix of darkness and light." Kirkus Reviews found it a bit clunky in parts and summed up, "An uneven but undeniably original adventure."

Boys Weekend was published by Pantheon Graphic Library, and they offer a preview and more here. Because of adult humor and gore, I recommend this book for more mature readers.

Button Pusher

Button Pusher is a phenomenal graphic novel that manages to explore issues of ADHD in multiple ways, all the time still telling an emotionally engaging narrative. It is fictional though memoir-based, and the main character is Tyler, a young boy who is experiencing difficulties in school and gets diagnosed with ADHD. 

Uh, oh.

The reader gets a lot from his point of view about how he experiences the world and also how he does and does not fit in. What is more, we also learn a lot about his father and his own experiences with "hyperactivity" (what it was called in his day), and there is a bunch about how heredity affects things as well as how much this condition affects other family members as well.

The events of the book run a gamut of emotions, from confusion to humor to concern to anger and beyond. Also, what makes this book so strong is its inclusion of several passages that share information about ADHD from clinical and practical viewpoints, sometimes almost as infographics. 

Button Pusher features a comprehensive and human look at this sort of neurodiversity. As a parent who is dealing with at least one children who is diagnosed with ADHD, I appreciated so much about this book. It taught me about what I can expect, what I should do to deal with frustration, and also how to manage all our lives in better ways. If I gave out stars to rate books, this one would get them all.

This book was created by Tyler Page. His prior comics work includes the graphic novels Raised on Ritalin, which is more autobiographical, The Chicagoland Detective Agency series, and the direct sequel to Button Pusher, Extra Large, which was published very recently.

This book won the 2023 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award, and all of the reviews I have read of it have been positive. Kirkus Reviews summed up, "An engaging memoir of one boy’s experience of growing up with ADHD with a risky message around medication cessation." Jason Kelley wrote, "This book will destigmatize and foster understanding for both those navigating life with ADHD and their families."

Button Pusher was published by First Second, and they provide a preview and more information here.

Odessa

I have read tons of dystopian future stories from the YA graphic novel market, and Odessa is one of the best ones, because it is well realized and complex. It begins when Ginny, the main character, gets a package for her 18th birthday. This package, it turns out, came from her mother Odessa, who has not been home in years and was presumed dead. This gift sets off an entire series of events that put Ginny on a quest across the environmental disaster the western United States has become to either find her mother or some sort of resolution to this situation. Along the way she runs into a good number of interesting folks (both friends and adversaries), including two stowaways that really up the stakes for her (and their) safety.

I am being vague because I do not want to spoil too much, but suffice it to say that I feel that the plot of this book is excellent, with lots of moments of suspense and cliffhangers (both emotional and physical), superb character designs, grand vistas of devastation, and palpable character moments. The way the book ends very much begs for a sequel, and I really hope we eventually get one.

One big reason why we have not gotten a sequel yet is that this book's creator, Jonathan Hill has been working on another graphic novel series, Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy and its soon-to-be-published sequel Lizard Boy 2: The Most Perfect Summer Ever. He speaks about his work on Odessa in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have sung its praises. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "a gritty, raw page-turner."  Sara Smith wrote, "There are parts of this story that are hauntingly beautiful." Becky Proie opined, "Odessa is a seemingly simple and effortless graphic novel that manages to take the well-used dystopian setting and somehow bring a welcoming feel to it that makes readers not want to put it down."

Odessa was published by Oni Press, and they offer more info about it here. 

The Comic Book History of Professional Wrestling

I was a huge wrestling fan when I was younger, in the heyday of "Rock 'n Wrestling" and the rise of the WWF (now WWE), and I was also intrigued by wrestling magazines that showed rankings for other wrestling promotions in other parts of the USA. The Comic Book History of Professional Wrestling helped me make sense of the convoluted history of "the one true sport" and learn about its origins as a sort of carnival attraction and its evolution into the media juggernaut it is today. Along the way, it touches on the unique history of wrestling and its provincial qualities and how they all eventually have been melded into a more national entity for the most part. What is more, this book does not just detail the US scene, but also elucidates about wrestling in Mexico, Japan, Europe, and Canada. 

The artwork is appropriately colorful and dynamic, taking its cues from cartoon superheroes, which I feel captures the bombast and energy of many wrestling personalities. There are a few times when specific images were repeated, which I found a bit distracting and "cookie cutter," but those instances were few. I felt that the art and story worked very well together so this book was incredibly entertaining and informative. Also, the book does not shy away from the more troubling aspects of wrestling, including steroid abuse, accidental deaths, murder/suicides, and the physical toll it takes on people's bodies and brains. I feel it would be great for a budding wrestling fan to learn the background of the profession as well as for non-fans that just want to know what all the hubbub is about.

The Comic Book History of Professional Wrestling was a collaboration between writer Aubrey Sitterson and artist Chris Moreno. Sitterson has written other comic book series, including No One Left to Fight and the upcoming Free Planet, and  Moreno has drawn comics for a variety of publishers. Both creators speak about their work in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been mainly positive, with some reservations. Kyle Cassello wrote that "the recapturing of history will have fans smiling." Ben Abelson summed up, "Overall, readers should find CBSPW a valuable addition to their libraries — a handy quick reference for major formative events and persistent themes in wrestling history that is both illuminating and enjoyable." Greg Hunter found some positive parts of the book but found problems in its overall execution and glossing over some of the more seedy aspects of the business and particular popular wrestlers, opining that "the result is neither a key account of wrestling nor a notable use of comics."

The Comic Book History of Professional Wrestling was published by Ten Speed Graphic, and there is a preview and more information about it here.