Posted March 26, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Carmilla: The First Vampire
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Horror Pages: 109
Rating: 
Synopsis: Before Dracula, before Nosferatu, there was…CARMILLA.
Inspired by the gothic novel that started the vampire genre and layered with dark Chinese folklore, this queer, feminist murder mystery graphic novel is a tale of identity, obsession and fateful family secrets.
At the height of the Lunar New Year in 1990s New York City, an idealistic social worker turns detective when she discovers young, homeless LGBTQ+ women are being murdered and no one, especially the police, seems to care.
A series of clues points her to Carmilla’s, a mysterious nightclub in the heart of her neighborhood, Chinatown. There she falls for the next likely target, landing her at the center of a real-life horror story—and face-to-face with illusions about herself, her life, and her hidden past.
The first volume of Amy Chu and Soo Lee’s Carmilla: The First Vampire is an interesting attempt to mingle a retelling (or rather, continuation of) Carmilla with Chinese folklore and the idea of hunting dangerous creatures, which… it’s hard to say how well that works, because the main character (Athena) doesn’t know about and has been protected from it.
It all feels a bit rushed, to be honest; Athena taking in Violet feels apt enough, but her breakup with her partner Morgan feels completely skipped over, along with her grandfather’s revelations, and even the deaths of certain characters. It focuses mostly on Violet and Athena, and the obsession Athena develops with Violet, which… didn’t quite manage to evoke the weird longing/repulsion that’s such a feature of the original Carmilla.
Given it’s a first volume, there’s probably more to see, and this is mostly setup — though that feels weird, given the title and the fact that Carmilla is apparently vanquished in this book already? In any case, I’m not super inspired to read more.
The art was okay, not my favourite style, but some fun character designs.
Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)
Tags: Amy Chu, book reviews, books, graphic novels, horror, SF/F, Soo Lee
Posted March 17, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
DPS Only!
Genres: Graphic Novels Pages: 426
Rating: 
Synopsis: Vicky Tan is a meek school girl with social anxiety who always introduces herself as an attachment to her confident, genius brother, Virgil, who has made a name for himself as one of the most popular competitors and streamers for the world famous "Xenith Orion" game.
Despite having aspirations of her own to compete and stream, Vic fears that she will open herself to the hate, doubt, harassment significant women gamers receive every day. She instead opts to stay in the background, acting as her brother’s assistant and manager. However, when opportunity arises in the form of a local competition, Vicky knows she can't stay away. Donning a disguise, she enters the esports scene under the moniker, "Aegis."
I grabbed DPS Only! on Comics Plus when I realised that it was written/drawn by Velinxi (Xiao Tong Kong), the artist who illustrated the English-language version of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System. No surprises then that I liked the art and character designs a lot. The colours were great, too.
The story’s a bit of a coming-of-age thing, essentially: Vicky’s brother Virgil is a pro-gamer, competing in esports leagues, and he’s used the money to formally adopt her and get her away from their parents. She loves him, but he’s overprotective and sometimes infantalising, and he doesn’t really seem to see her. He has no idea, for instance, that she plays too…
It’s inevitable that the story ends with the two of them going toe-to-toe, but it takes a while to get there, exploring Vicky’s growing confidence, her growing interest in revealing herself after an initial reluctance to compete. I enjoyed that her team includes an older guy — games can bring such different age groups together, and some very disparate people, and I love how supportive Eric is with his slightly different perspective.
There was an obvious ending to this story, and I’m glad it didn’t fully go there, on reflection. Vicky’s still got a long way to go. But she’s on her way, and now Virgil has her back, properly. It’s lovely.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, graphic novels, Velinxi
Posted March 2, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Iyanu: Child of Wonder
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels Pages: 120
Series: Iyanu: Child of Wonder #1 Rating: Synopsis: Iyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people.
It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an age of wonders, as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink of destruction! The Corrupt--cursed wildlife and strange, divine beasts--are determined to destroy humanity, unless Iyanu can stop them.
I really liked the colours in volume one of Roye Okupe’s Iyanu: Child of Wonder, and I like the character designs too, but something about the art doesn’t work for me — kind of an uncanny valley sort of thing, I think? There are some pages where it really threw me somehow.
The story itself is fairly familiar/unsurprising, with a chosen one and an in-group protecting themselves by high walls, oppression, etc. What I got fascinated by was the backstory, partly based on Yoruba customs, which is given in snippets between the chapters and then discussed in quite a bit of detail at the end of the book. It’s an interesting set-up.
I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. It’s probably for a younger audience, mostly; I can imagine an eleven year old eating it up and loving Iyanu.
Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, Godwin Akpan, graphic novels, Roye Okupe, SF/F
Posted February 19, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Quince
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels Pages: 164
Rating: 
Synopsis: Lupe is just your average, insecure, well-meaning, occasionally cranky teenage girl whose life is completely turned upside down when she discovers she has superpowers at her quinceañera. Her quince powers only last as long as she’s fifteen, so over the course of this rollercoaster year, we follow the adventures of Lupe as she figures out what it really means to be a hero.
Quince is a fun project which I read in the English translation. Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner and Emma Steinkellner worked together, bringing it out in 15 issues, one issue at a time, on the 15th of each month… Lupe is celebrating her quinceañera when she gets superheroes, and her abuela is there to guide her, recognising her powers as being given to her because she’s going to need them for some reason.
It doesn’t dig an enormous amount into the whys and hows, but I thought the idea of a temporary superhero — with powers only for the year she’s aged 15 — was kinda neat. We don’t hear a whole lot about what her abuela did with her own powers, but the bond between the two of them drives the story… and drives Lupe to fight crime.
I’d say I wasn’t 100% happy with the fact that the story never explains how she gets the powers, why they only last a year, why a teenage girl is the most appropriate, why her abuela is so certain there’s a purpose behind it, but I mostly kinda rolled with it. I found the ending a bit trite, and the lead-in to the social responsibility, volunteering, etc, kinda… cringe? It’d have felt more natural if there was some kind of explanation, like Lupe’s quince powers are intended to instill that in her.
I wasn’t an enormous fan of the art at first, but it really grew on me, and I love Lupe’s character design. She’s a Mexican plus-size superhero with super teenage expressions, ahaha, and the art and colours ended up feeling perfect for it.
Overall, I feel like it’s probably better for younger readers, and I’m hardly the target audience, but I had fun. It was a random pick from Comics Plus to fill a bingo card I was using to prompt me to explore the Comics Plus collection (this prompt being “superheroes, but not published by Marvel or DC”), and I’m glad I gave it a shot.
Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, Emma Steinkellner, graphic novels, Kit Steinkellner, Sebastian Kadlecik, SF/F
Posted February 18, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Bipolar Bear and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Health Insurance: A Fable for Grown-Ups
Genres: Graphic Novels Pages: 200
Rating: Synopsis: Theodore is a bear with wild mood swings. When he is up, he carves epic poetry into tree trunks. When he is down, he paints sad faces on rocks and turtle shells. In search of prescription medications that will bring stability to his life, Theodore finds a job with health insurance benefits. He gets the meds, but when he can't pay the psychiatrist's bill, he becomes lost in the Labyrinth of Health Insurance Claims.
This witty and colorful tale follows the comical exploits of Theodore, a lovable and relatable bear, as he copes with bipolar disorder, navigates the inequities of capitalist society, founds a commune, and becomes an activist, all the while accompanied by a memorable cast of characters--fat-cat insurance CEOs, a wrongfully convicted snake, raccoons with tommy guns, and an unemployed old dog who cannot learn new tricks.
Entertaining, whimsical, and bitingly satirical, Bipolar Bear is a fable for grownups that manages the delicate balance of addressing society's ills while simultaneously presenting a hopeful vision for the world.
Bipolar Bear and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Health Insurance is an awesome concept, and it’s worth paying attention to the subtitle too (“A Fable for Grownups”), because it very much is a fable, and aimed at adults (definitely not kids). Kathleen Founds is writing with experience, very clearly, addressing some of the experiences of bipolar disorder, but also of navigating an insurance-based health system (and how bipolar disorder can add its own pitfalls to that).
Obviously it does feel very, very American; some of these problems don’t apply here in the UK, though (as I understand it from my mother, who is a psychiatrist) the problem of e.g. someone deciding they feel well and going off their medication (which is, of course, the reason they felt well) certainly does cause problems here too.
It felt maybe a little long for me, because I could see where it was going; being a fable, it could probably have simplified even more and made its point very well. Still, it’s a fun idea, and I suspect for some it would also be a way of seeing that they’re not alone.
Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, graphic novels, Kathleen Founds
Posted February 4, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Love Everlasting
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Horror Pages: 136
Series: Love Everlasting #3 Rating: Synopsis: The next epic chapter of the acclaimed Eisner, Harvey, and Ringo nominated series!
Love Everlasting goes West, exploring the tropes and thrills of Old West Romance as everything shifts perspective and we discover the Cowboy's secret origin. Following the Cowboy as he follows Joan, we learn how Joan was first trapped in these stories...and how she might finally escape! The answers to the questions you've been asking are here in an addictive page-turner that will make you laugh and cry at the story of Joan and her Cowboy.
Collects issues #11-15.
I really really love the art in Tom King et al’s Love Everlasting — I’m glad it’s been consistent, it’s a style I’ve enjoyed. Buuuut the story is getting really frustrating: whenever you think you’re getting somewhere, Joan gets reset and goes through another love story.
I get that the repetition is part of the point, and it’s probably a lot of fun coming up with the multiple love stories in different styles (and the funny titles), but we really really have to start getting somewhere for real.
I’d read a volume four, but it’ll need to feel like a step forward for actually understanding why this is happening.
Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, Clayton Cowles, comics, Elsa Charretier, graphic novels, horror, Matt Hollingsworth, SF/F, Tom King
Posted December 15, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Glass Town
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels Pages: 224
Rating: Synopsis: Glass Town is an original graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg that encompasses the eccentric childhoods of the four Bront. children--Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The story begins in 1825, with the deaths of Maria and Elizabeth, the eldest siblings. It is in response to this loss that the four remaining Bront. children set pen to paper and created the fictional world that became known as Glass Town. This world and its cast of characters would come to be the Bront s' escape from the realities of their lives. Within Glass Town the siblings experienced love, friendship, war, triumph, and heartbreak. Through a combination of quotes from the stories originally penned by the Bront s, biographical information about them, and Greenberg's vivid comic book illustrations, readers will find themselves enraptured by this fascinating imaginary world.
I’m not a huge fan of Isabel Greenberg’s art, maybe because I’m not a very visual person and thus I sometimes found it hard to parse when it got extra scribbly, and to identify characters, etc. I don’t love the lettering, either. It’s fun to play in the world of the BrontĂ«s and their juvenilia, but it kinda wore out its welcome for me, I guess?
In the end, it didn’t really feel like it told a full, satisfying story about either Charlotte BrontĂ«Â or Glasstown etc. In part that’s because life is like that, and the BrontĂ«s caught a pretty rough deal, but… I didn’t really feel the transition from fantasy to reality was a great climax, and I’d almost have been more interested to see Charlotte vanish into her fantasy world and find a better ending.
I will say that though I don’t like the art style, it is very expressive and captures body language and expressions really well at times.
Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)
Tags: book reviews, books, graphic novels, Isabel Greenberg, SF/F
Posted November 17, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Deep Dark
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels Pages: 470
Rating: Synopsis: Everyone has secrets. Mags's has teeth.
Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there's her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out -- like it did once before.
So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won't get attached, of course. She's always been strong enough to survive without anyone's help.
But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight, and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.
I found Lee Knox Ostertag’s The Deep Dark a little predictable in a way — almost familiar, really made me wonder if I’d maybe read it before? But I don’t think so. Anyway, I wouldn’t say that finding it predictable was a bad thing, to be clear: it was more about the connection between Nessa and Mags for me, the path they took to the ending, than about being stunningly original.
It’s about self-blame and acceptance, even when it’s really, really hard. Yeah, it’s obvious as a metaphor when you get there, but that doesn’t make it any less of an important story. And the relationship between Nessa and Mags is in part about learning you don’t just have to go it on your own, and again, about finding self-worth… all of these are stories worth telling, especially with a trans girl and a butch girl as the protagonists.
I always really like Ostertag’s art, and I liked this too — character design, expressions, etc.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, graphic novels, Lee Knox Ostertag, SF/F
Posted October 23, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Fence: Redemption
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Romance Pages: 112
Series: Fence #6 Rating: Synopsis: A mysterious new fencer arrives at Halverton in the newest chapter of the GLAAD Media Award-nominated sports comic, perfect for fans of Heartstopper.
THE COMPETITION HAS BEEN RESET… EN GARDE!
Return to the thrilling world of high-stakes, competitive fencing, with a brand new story featuring the beloved cast of characters from the original hit series. Are Seiji and Jesse really through? The rumors around Halverton, the prestigious fencing training camp, have spread like wildfire, but it’s not long before a mystery fencer arrives–one who may finally pose a threat to the #1 spot. Will Seiji’s unquenchable quest for rivalry take Nicholas’ place? Where will his loyalty lie? And, when Seiji gets an up close and personal look into Nicholas’ past and determination against adversity while preparing for the difficult road ahead and the State Championships, he’ll have to confront a tempting thought… are they on… a date? New York Times and USA Today best-selling author C. S. Pacat (Dark Rise, Nightwing) and acclaimed cartoonist Johanna the Mad (Wynd) continue their winning streak with this on-point entry in the GLAAD Media Award-nominated series! Collects Fence: Redemption #1-4.
The sixth volume of C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad’s Fence is a self-contained arc in which they visit another fencing school to practice intensively, and several people have dates (but Aiden doesn’t). There’s a lot of great stuff, like Bobby and Dante (though Dante’s absent for most of the book), Harvard learning to assert himself a bit more, and Seiji and Nicholas getting closer.
It does however emphasise that Nicholas has got this good at fencing in little over three months, which… I take back what I said about the fact that he doesn’t magically improve overnight. This is nuts. Fencing isn’t heritable.
Anyway, it’s a cute volume, and I would really like a lot more of it, please and thank you.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, C.S. Pacat, comics, graphic novels, Joanna LaFuente, Johanna the Mad, romance
Posted October 6, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Fence: Rise
Genres: Graphic Novels Pages: 110
Series: Fence #5 Rating: Synopsis: En Garde! Excitement is in the air as Nicholas and his friends celebrate their prestigious invitation to the Halverton Training Camp. But they soon find themselves pushed to their limits as they come face-to-face with the best teams in the country. Will a new addition to the opposing team help Nicholas awaken the fighting spirit he needs to prevail? And what will it mean for his friendship with Seiji?
So much to love about the fifth volume of C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad’s Fence! Bobby is adorable, and I love that he gets to be the team manager, and I especially love the relationship between him and Dante. The fact that Dante would clearly get into anything Bobby wants to do is just… gaah, so cute.
Nicholas and Seiji’s relationship continues to develop, as well, and I like that though Nicholas has some flashes of brilliance and speed, the story never pretends he’s going to easily skill-up to beat Seiji. He has a long way to go, for all his enthusiasm and bluster, and we see that repeatedly, even where it might be tempting to give him a quick glow-up to match Seiji.
I do also enjoy Harvard and Aiden’s closeness; please just date, you idiots.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
Tags: book reviews, books, C.S. Pacat, comics, graphic novels, Jim Campbell, Joanna LaFuente, Johanna the Mad
