Advocate by Eddie Ahn comics review

Advocate. Eddie Ahn. Ten Speed Graphic. 2024. 208pp. $24.99

Eddie Ahn learned early on that the only way to really make a difference demands hard work and dedication fueled by passion. You see that zeal on every page of his debut graphic memoir. Taken as a whole, the book runs at a steady clip which evokes the life of a bright and sensitive young man determined to help his family and community. What’s remarkable is that Eddie Ahn managed to put in the time and energy to become both a successful environmental lawyer in San Francisco and a brilliant cartoonist. This is the story of the titular advocate and storyteller.

With great humor and insight, Ahn seamlessly takes the reader along for a ride that covers his journey of self-discovery. Comics, especially nonfiction comics, tends to be a balancing act of editing and boiling down to the prime facts while not losing any of the flavor. So, you have here a wonderful back and forth narrative wave dipping down to a granular level then back up to a big picture view and so on. Ahn is not afraid to shift the timeline as needed and do some nonlinear fancy footwork. There’s one segment where the story is comparing events a decade apart: a medical trauma that Ahn experienced in 2008 compared to a medical trauma experience by his mother in 2017 and it works beautifully. A lot of this story deals with family and how one person’s journey is influenced by decisions made going back generations. In that sense, seeing one’s destiny as the culmination of countless decisions, illuminates Ahn’s circuitous path that led him to his relatively unlikely but quite successful career in fighting for environmental social justice.

Coming from a mixed race background as I do, my father Anglo and my mother Mexican, I can certainly relate to Ahn’s point of view as he sees life through the prism of a Korean American. That strangers-in-a-strange-land saga, that is the legacy of the immigrant experience, is evoked so well by Ahn as he shares his parents’ vision, ambition and struggles, always striving for and measuring success. When have you reached your goal? Once you have achieved the American dream of buying a house? Once you have amassed enough wealth that you can easily purchase a new luxury car as a thank you gift to your parents? Ahn dissects all these efforts, misgivings, and calculations along that ladder climb to success. This book, both inspiring and highly entertaining, is his final report card to his beloved parents. Advocate is not what I expected at first. It’s a refreshing and riveting read, just the sort of unexpected read that will make you want to make your own difference in the world.

Advocate is available as of April 16, 2024, published by Ten Speed Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

2120 by George Wylesol comics review

2120. George Wylesol. Avery Hill. 2022. 500pp. $25

A meandering story is often an asset in the world of comics. Sometimes, it’s the whole point, especially if your story is also a game. Think of the Choose Your Own Adventure series and then times that by a hundred and gear it up to a relatively older demographic. This book sets you upon a journey, having you choose your own narrative by leap frogging your way through the book’s infinite number of alternate paths. It’s a book that will entertain any age but there is a fine dollop of droll sophistication given the premise is a middle-aged tech guy who finds himself trapped in a building with no clear way out.

Trina Robbins, A Remembrance

THE SILVER METAL LOVER by Trina Robbins (Wimmen’s Comix)

Trina Robbins (1938-2024) was a firebrand. Trina Robbins will be fondly remembered as the raucous female alternative voice to the acknowledged underground superstar cartoonists of the 1960s (think R. Crumb), a group that just happened to be predominantly male. There doesn’t appear to be any documented proof that the ’60s comix scene was somehow formed by some conspiracy to create a “no girls allowed” cabal. That said, it was a “man’s world” back then and that attitude and power structure did manage to permeate, ya dig? So, it made perfect sense for Robbins to launch into her own female-focused Wimmen’s Comix comic book series, which became a lightning rod in the culture wars. The men got to create experimental comics. And so did the women.

Ed Piskor, A Rememberance

A love of Hip Hop expressed in Piskor’s beloved comics medium.

I recognized many years back, from it being serialized on Boing Boing, that Hip Hop Family Tree was something very significant. And, the more I loosely followed Ed Piskor’s career, I recognized the deep dive passion he had for certain subjects, most importantly, classic comic book figures. In time, Piskor would team up with Marvel Comics, along with Jim Rugg and Tom Scioli, to each create their own takes on Marvel legends with the Grand Design series. Piskor did his take on X-Men; Rugg did his take on The Hulk; Scioli did his take on The Fantastic Four. Quite honestly, the whole Grand Design series came out during one of my draw downs on superheros. It’s only now, in retrospect, that I can turn to these titles with the best sense of appreciation. And so that brings me back to Hip Hop Family Tree. At a time when the comics community is in tumult over the death of Ed Piskor, it’s with a heavy heart that a reader can go back and experience what is, undoubtedly, Piskor’s highest achievement.

Zack Quaintance’s Death of Comics Bookcase Kickstarter

A page from Death of Comics Bookcase.

Comics Bookcase was a blog, in a similar spirit to Comics Grinder, and then it left the scene. But now it’s back, at least, in the form of a comic book. I find it very inspiring and leads me to think that perhaps Comics Grinder needs its own comic book. Ah, but there is! More on that later. What’s important now is what Zack Quaintance is up to with his 48-page Death of Comics Bookcase comic book. It’s impressive. I can’t wait to check it out. But, first, we all can support the Kickstarter campaign, thru May 1st, and secure that this project becomes a reality. There’s a significant amount of overlap between what Zack does and what I do that I can’t help but sincerely wish Death of Comics Bookcase great success. For more details, an excerpt from the press release follows:

Urban Nerd Con in Atlanta, April 26-28, 2024

The Urban Nerd Con is something new and exciting for pop culture fans, with a focus on diversity. If you are in the Atlanta area later this month, check out this event: April 26-28 at the Courtland Grand Hotel, located at 165 Courtland St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303. More details and press release follows:

POWER KNIGHTS: BLADES OF LIBERTY #1 comics review

POWER KNIGHTS: BLADES OF LIBERTY #1. KID Comics. 2022. (Writer/Creator) Keithan Jones, (W) Noble Ward (Color) Salif Thompson. 28pp. $8 USD (Includes 11×17 Poster).

Imagine a precocious 10-year-old who pulls a Jack Kirby move and creates his own world of superheroes. And then life happens, time passes, and that kid is now an adult who has held onto that dream. That’s what this comic book is all about. In fact, Keithan Jones decided to carve out a little space for himself in the comics world and launch KID Comics, a place for comics packed with youthful energy and harkening back to the golden age spirit of comics meant for kids to enjoy.

CRASHDOWN (#1-2) comics review

Otherworldly indeed!

CRASHDOWN. Massive. 2024. (W) Tom Garcia, Ryan Sargeant (A/CA) Ben Templesmith. $3.99 USD.

This comic book owes much to the great Ben Templesmith, the series artist and cover artist, known for his work with IDW, Image, Oni Press, Dark Horse, and, well, I could go on: Star Wars, Doctor Who, GI Joe, Army of Darkness, Silent Hill, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and much more (30 Days of Night!), so I’ve made my point. Then you add the writing from a couple of comic book experts, Tom Garcia and Ryan Sargeant, the hosts of the Comic Tom 101 YouTube Channel (over 12 million views) and, having checked out their show from time to time, that got my curiosity. The promotional material promises an apocalyptic tale with a healthy dose of Lovecraft and the right touches of Lost and Alien. I’m going all in here with a look at the first couple of issues to a mini-series that only goes up to four issues.

Leela Corman: On Comics and VICTORY PARADE

Leela Corman is a painter, comics maker, and educator. She teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Sequential Artist Workshop. She is the creator of numerous works of autobiographical and fictional comics, including Victory Parade (Schocken-Pantheon, 2024), You Are Not A Guest (Fieldmouse Press, 2023), Unterzakhn (Schocken-Pantheon, 2012) and We All Wish For Deadly Force (Retrofit/Big Planet, 2016).

It is a distinct honor to get to chat with Leela Corman. I admire her work and respect her uncompromising vision. If you want to focus on one contemporary artist-cartoonist, then Leela Corman is a primary choice. Keep in mind that this is the category of comics that concerns itself with creating works of art, serious works within the comics medium.

The Werewolf at Dusk by David Small book review

The Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories. David Small. Liveright. New York. 2024. 175pp. $25

One great way to approach David Small’s delightful new “graphic novel” is as a collection of bedtime fairy tales for discerning adults. And, no, I am not inferring that this is a book to keep away from the youngest readers. There is nothing explicit to be found here. What I mean is that this is a delicious book for world-weary folks who want to be entranced by a dance made up of words and pictures. There’s nothing pretentious to be found here either. Just a very smart, whimsical foray, beginning with the titular tale involving a werewolf who has somehow outlived its purpose, just too long in the tooth.