Joe Sacco published between a page and four pages at intervals from January to July 2024 on The Comics Journal website about his thoughts on the current Israel-Palestine conflict that kicked off on 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. The pages amount to roughly the length of a single issue comic which is published by Fantagraphics this week (or you can read the instalments for free on the TCJ website).
The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios is a collection of four stories by Yann Martel. I loved the title story, thought another one was ok, and the other two were quite weak.
Detective Ari Nassar is about to retire having successfully caught the same serial killer twice - hold the phone, the same serial killer’s struck again? Looks like retirement’s out of the question for old Ari as he sets out to capture the One Hand Killer for a third(!) time.
Veronika gets a desk job at a company that makes energy drinks or herbal supplements or… something. It’s a murky operation and what’s in their products is murkier still. With her new colleagues Persephone and Dave, they set off to find out the secrets of the company deep down in… The Well!
Batman and the blimmin monster men. If I’d known that’s what The Bat-Man: First Knight was, I never would’ve picked it up. Well, in for a penny, etc. so I pushed through once I realised what it was and, yup, this retelling is about as good as the others, ie. gahbage, see?
I’ve been a fan of Jason Aaron’s since the Vertigo days of The Other Side and Scalped, before he went to Marvel and did great work there for many years. His Punisher is as good as Garth Ennis’ - which is really saying something because Ennis’ Punisher is the definitive run on that character.
Ever wonder what if Batman were built like an anime tough guy with umbrellas for hands? And what if Alfred was The Punisher? No money, no gadgets, no Robin - no problem. It’s time to get alternative universe-y with Absolute Batman!
Autobots continue resurrecting each other slowly as they gather more Energon - but will the returning comrades forgive Optimus for something that happened way back whenever… In the wake of Starscream’s failure, Soundwave takes control of the Decepticons so they can… bring back their spaceship to steal all the fishies out of the ocean?!
Athena Liu is a literary superstar - her sort-of-friend June Hayward is not. But after a girls’ night out goes wrong and Athena lies dead, June decides to swipe Athena’s latest manuscript - and pass it off as her own! Suddenly June’s life is transformed as she gets to experience the accolades that Athena did. But will her secret be kept… and is Athena somehow still alive?
Cobra Commander gives weapons dealer Destro some Energon to make his Battle Android Troopers (BATs) work - who then immediately uses his new robot army to stage a coup of the nation of Darklonia! But rival gun runners want what Destro has and the metal-faced baldy has to fight for his right to party.
Alley is the latest Junji Ito horror manga collection to be reprinted (it first appeared in 2011) and it’s not up there with his best. Of the 10 stories here I only really liked 2, but luckily one of them was the longest story so it’s not as bad a read as it could’ve been.
A young Geoff Dyer became enamoured of DH Lawrence and decided that he would one day write a book about his literary hero. An older Geoff Dyer decided to realise that ambition - and then realised that that book was beyond his abilities! Out of Sheer Rage is the result of that realisation.
An antiquarian bookseller happens across an ancient scroll from the time of Jeebus that can’t be copied or photographed. And then three mysterious weirdos show up looking to acquire it - but what about the scroll makes it so valuable… and possibly dangerous?
SPOILERS
It’s the early ‘70s and Brian is a teenage artist/filmmaker whose latest film will include his crush, the red-headed Laurie, to be shot on their friend group’s hiking break in the mountains. Will he finally tell her how he feels - and how will she respond? Flying. Alien. Braaaaains. It’s Charles Burns’ latest comic!
