Four graphic novels and two mysteries in May’s thoroughly enjoyable (for the most part) reading stack. Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters Vol. 3 by Chris Samnee, Laura Samnee, and Matt Wilson This concluding book in the series collects issues #9 through 12 published by Oni Press. Written and drawn by husband and wife team Chris... Continue Reading →
Seven books this month, not bad considering I spent a lot of time working on a presentation for WonderCon. Between holiday gifts, my UK trip last year, and just a bad case of “Oh, this book looks good!”, I am overwhelmed right now with stacks and stacks of books and books. But don’t worry, I’m... Continue Reading →
WHEW! February blew by with a series of storms and not as much reading as I'd like, but at least one of the book-books (as opposed to graphic novels I read) was a really dense 500-pager. Here's what I read in this stormy, wintery month ... Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz I watched the Masterpiece... Continue Reading →
Remember when 2023 sounded so far in the future we’d all be flying around in jetpacks and reading would be automatically inserted in your brain, no page-turning necessary? Well, here we are and I’m still buying books. I’ve upped my GoodReads Challenge to 75 books this year, after reading 76 in 2022 (with an original... Continue Reading →
The year ended with a big month of reading: NINE books, including a biography of Agatha Christie and a stack of graphic novels. I read more than 80 books in 2022 and I surpassed my GoodReads challenge by sixteen or so additional books, topping off at 76 from an additional goal of 60. (Some of... Continue Reading →
Kind of a mixed bag of books for November ... but I enjoyed all of them. August 1961 and June 1962 Marvel Omnibuses These Marvel Omnibus editions reprint the entirety of a month’s worth of Marvel Comics in the historic months of August 1961—when Fantastic Four #1 debuted—and June 1962—when Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first... Continue Reading →
A couple of massive books ate up most of my time in the first full month of fall, but everything I read in October was very enjoyable, even if one of them had a subject matter whom I detest. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton This massive autobiographical graphic novel reveals... Continue Reading →
Three years in the making! Once in a lifetime trip! All that hyperbole is true. And in the end (which should be about three posts from now, including this one), I had what may amount to the best—and longest—trip of my life. I began planning this trip pre-pandemic in early 2020. While I had been... Continue Reading →
A shortened reading month, as I took a long trip and left the iPad (and Kindle) at home, but I did buy a ton of books in the UK (okay … 15 or so, plus 8 vintage paperbacks in lovely Hay-on-Wye), so there's much more to come. The Church of Baseball by Ron Shelton If... Continue Reading →
A bit more reading this month, once again offset by a stack of graphic novels and comics-related books, but book-ended by a crime thriller by a new (to me) author and the yearly offering from a favorite writer. Missing, Presumed ... by Susie SteinerA vibrant, beautiful young woman from the British upper class goes missing... Continue Reading →
Just a few books this month as—even as “just” an attendee—Comic-Con took up an inordinate amount of my time and mental energy, along with reading a dense but fascinating history of underground comix. Appropriately enough for the month of Comic-Con, all my reading was comics-oriented. Dirty Pictures: How an Underground Network of Nerds, Feminists, Misfits,... Continue Reading →
You probably won’t find them on Amazon or in your local indie bookstore or comic book shop, but the entire Innocent Bystander oeuvre is still available … only from me! For complete information, just click on the BUY MY BOOKS! link in the menu on the black bar at the top of this page! There's... Continue Reading →
A short month this time, at least reading-wise … June flew by much quicker than I could imagine. Here’s what I read. The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History I will confess that I didn't read all of this fascinating history of the storied (pun definitely intended) New York Times Book... Continue Reading →
A bit of a short month, with a 30th anniversary salute to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, two new YA graphic novels, and a triple threat of nostalgic comics reading. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly This is the first of Michael Connelly’s books about LAPD detective Harry Bosch (actually, Connelly’s first novel ever), and 2022... Continue Reading →
I slowed down a little in April after a record-breaking (for me, at least) ten-book March … here’s what I read this month. Batman: The Long Halloween: The Sequel: Dark Victory Deluxe Edition by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale Despite the long title that borders on overkill (the series was originally called Dark Victory, and... Continue Reading →
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