In 1972, Terry Eisele’s parents divorced. While that is tragic in itself, it was a benefit to readers as, without it, we would never have got this heartwarming book. The book reads like a thank you letter to his grandmother, Mary Newman, and is a nostalgic look at the weekends that Terry spent at her house.
Continue reading “The Big Red Machine, Grandma, and Me”The Secret to Superhuman Strength
Alison’s Bechdel’s new graphic novel is billed as a book about exercise, but reaches far beyond that theme into the deep question of why we bother to exercise at all.
Continue reading “The Secret to Superhuman Strength”The Comic Book Story of Basketball
Sports and comics have not always gone hand in hand. They seemingly sit at different lunch tables, one celebrating the victories of the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the other laments the death of Wolverine. This book unabashedly declares its love of both subjects.
Continue reading “The Comic Book Story of Basketball”Top Five with Jenny Robb
What are your top 5 comics EVER?
Jenny Robb is a curator, archivist, librarian, historian, and fan of cartoons and comics. She is honored to serve as Head Curator of The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of comics and cartoon art materials.
Continue reading “Top Five with Jenny Robb”Comic Store Profile: Flying Monkey Comics
Flying Monkey Comics and Games stocks a wide selection of collectible comics, a great variety of the coolest tabletop games, as well as fun to play current and retro video games! For owner Stefan Bridges, his hobby has become a passion.
Continue reading “Comic Store Profile: Flying Monkey Comics”The Many Births of the World’s Most Famous Reporter
The Origins of Hergé and Tintin
The platforms on Gore du Nord train station were overcrowded by hundreds of eager faces, all excitedly awaiting the return of a reporter from the “land of the Soviets.” The reporter was a young boy with a cheerful sounding name composed of just two simple syllables, Tintin. His exploits had been appearing in the weekly comic newspaper supplement, Le Petit Vingtième, for a little over a year. As a way to rally readers, the editorial staff dreamed up the welcome home event for their daring fictional foreign correspondent. They hired 15 year old Boy Scout Lucien Pepermans to play the comic strip character. Tintin arrived home in Brussels on May 8, 1930. Nothing could have prepared the young boy for the crowd that awaited him.
Continue reading “The Many Births of the World’s Most Famous Reporter”10 Questions with M.S. Harkness
M.S. Harkness is a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a relative newcomer to Columbus, moving here in 2020. She is best known for her black and white autobiographical comics, such as self-published Dope Dealer and Rotten, as well as her first graphic novel Tinderella, originally published by Kilgore Books in 2018 and recently reissued by Uncivilized Books. Sometimes humorous, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes heart-wrenching, Harkness’s comics offer a fearless look into the world of online dating, sex work, selling drugs, and physical fitness. Her second memoir, Desperate Pleasures, (also published by Uncivilized Books), depicts her search for fulfillment and forces her to deal with her own past trauma. Her forthcoming book, Time Under Tension, is due out from Fantagraphic Books in 2023. Besides her comic work, Harkness also works as a personal trainer. Columbus welcomes this fresh voice in the cartooning world.
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