Tag Archives: carol lay

Thanksgiving Gives Us an Off-the-Rails Family Celebration for the Ages

Posted on by
Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving—a day when American families come together, until the strain inevitably tears them apart. But for one family, the cruel and deadly secret of the Turkeyneck Killer binds them together in the saddest, most shameful way possible. If you think your turkey day is bad, Thanksgiving gives readers one for the ages.

Written by Mark Russell, Thanksgiving is a celebration of the yearly tradition. Celebration might be stretching it. Thanksgiving is a skewering… no, roasting…, no, the turducken of Thanksgiving stories with a family get-together that spirals in to complete insanity.

It’s rather difficult to really nail down the insanity that is Russell’s story without spoiling it but it involves a completely detached grandfather, a racist grandmother, a single mother, her daughter, her son who’s a stalker, and her gameshow host brother. There’s also that serial killer too. It’s a story that when it gets rolling, it picks up speed smashing all expectations like a plate of sides dropped to the floor. To say it’s entertaining is an understatement. It’s laugh out loud funny. It’s the exact sort of over-the-top storytelling that Mark Russell is known for but add in a health dose of satire to boot.

Mauricet‘s art is solid. There’s something to the style that really nails down the insanity of it all. Rob Steen‘s lettering, mixed with the art, delivers a slight calm to it all but that just makes each reveal all the more hilarious. The storytelling, the art, and the lettering, combine for an almost dry delivery that just enhances the comedy. Mauricet does a fantastic job of delivering the reactions by characters, for some, the shock of it all, and others a calm cool and collected brushing off.

As it’s an AHOY Comics release, there’s extras including some recipes for the holiday, as well as a story from Carol Lay. It’s always a nice icing on the cake with it, more entertainment that just adds to the overall reading experience.

Thanksgiving is the type of one-shot you’ll want to get and then read again and again. It’s so crazy and so crazy good, a treat to get you into the holiday mood.

Story: Mark Russell, Carol Lay Art: Mauricet, Carol Lay Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.4 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

AHOY Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Thanksgiving delivers a holiday treat

Posted on by

Thanksgiving—a day when American families come together, until the strain inevitably tears them apart. But for one family, the cruel and deadly secret of the Turkeyneck Killer binds them together in the saddest, most shameful way possible. If you think your turkey day is bad, Thanksgiving gives readers one for the ages.

Story: Mark Russell, Carol Lay
Art: Mauricet, Carol Lay
Letterer: Rob Steen

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Thanksgiving Gives Us an Off-the-Rails Family Celebration for the Ages

Posted on by
Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving—a day when American families come together, until the strain inevitably tears them apart. But for one family, the cruel and deadly secret of the Turkeyneck Killer binds them together in the saddest, most shameful way possible. If you think your turkey day is bad, Thanksgiving gives readers one for the ages.

Written by Mark Russell, Thanksgiving is a celebration of the yearly tradition. Celebration might be stretching it. Thanksgiving is a skewering… no, roasting…, no, the turducken of Thanksgiving stories with a family get-together that spirals in to complete insanity.

It’s rather difficult to really nail down the insanity that is Russell’s story without spoiling it but it involves a completely detached grandfather, a racist grandmother, a single mother, her daughter, her son who’s a stalker, and her gameshow host brother. There’s also that serial killer too. It’s a story that when it gets rolling, it picks up speed smashing all expectations like a plate of sides dropped to the floor. To say it’s entertaining is an understatement. It’s laugh out loud funny. It’s the exact sort of over-the-top storytelling that Mark Russell is known for but add in a health dose of satire to boot.

Mauricet‘s art is solid. There’s something to the style that really nails down the insanity of it all. Rob Steen‘s lettering, mixed with the art, delivers a slight calm to it all but that just makes each reveal all the more hilarious. The storytelling, the art, and the lettering, combine for an almost dry delivery that just enhances the comedy. Mauricet does a fantastic job of delivering the reactions by characters, for some, the shock of it all, and others a calm cool and collected brushing off.

As it’s an AHOY Comics release, there’s extras including some recipes for the holiday, as well as a story from Carol Lay. It’s always a nice icing on the cake with it, more entertainment that just adds to the overall reading experience.

Thanksgiving is the type of one-shot you’ll want to get and then read again and again. It’s so crazy and so crazy good, a treat to get you into the holiday mood.

Story: Mark Russell, Carol Lay Art: Mauricet, Carol Lay Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.4 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

AHOY Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Archaic #1 is a bumpy start to a series with potential

Posted on by
Archaic #1

Meet Tess Halliday, a broke single mom desperate to protect her kids from vicious criminals trying to collect on her ex-husband’s debts. Following a mysterious message, Tess flees to the mysterious island of Demonde—a place of demons, legendary creatures, and a family secret that just might cost Tess her life. Archaic #1 is a bit of a rough start to a series but shows off potential of where it might go.

Written by Melissa F. Olson, Archaic #1 is an interesting series. Tess is a woman down on her luck whose ex-husband has bolted and left her with the kids, including a step-son. There’s people out to collect on his debts and not even Tess knows where he is. Olson paints Tess as down on her luck and her desperation comes through. It’s small details though that are overall odd choices and distractions from what otherwise would be a smoother story.

There’s comments about Tess “used to be” the Governor’s wife. It’s clunky writing as that would indicate her ex-husband is still the Governor (assuming of the state) and suddenly he’s missing later? Then there’s a thing with Tess’ name which catches others by surprise and another person falling off a boat that too just weirdly happens. It’s small choices like these that add up for a bump first issue.

The art by Sally Catirino adds to it as it’s the art that depicts the person falling off the boat and it’s not clear as to what’s happening. I had to go back and re-read the page to catch that detail and there’s other moments like a fight in an alley where things just kind of happen and never really explained. The end of the issue is a perfect example of odd choices. There’s a reveal that should hit better and be clear it’s the end of this issue but instead it’s relegated to a small panel diminished the surprise and prepping the reader for a page that doesn’t exist. Catirino is joined by Gab Contreras on color and Rob Steen on lettering.

As this is an Ahoy comic, there’s two prose extras, each with some nice art. The first is written by Chris Sumberg with art by Ameilee Sullivan and second is by Kirk Vanderbeek with art by Carol Lay. Both are pretty entertaining and these extras feel like a bonus addition to the main comic.

Archaic #1 isn’t a bad start, but it overall feels a little rough. There’s small changes that’d make the comic a far better debut. A nip here and a tuck here and it’d make a world of difference. Still, there’s some magical potential by the end, so this is one to keep an eye on and see where it goes.

Story: Melissa F. Olson, Chris Sumberg, Kirk Vanderbeek Art: Sally Catirino, Ameilee Sullivan, Carol Lay
Color: Gab Contreras Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Ahoy Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Small Press Expo 2024 Announces the first round of Special Guests

Posted on by

Small Press Expo has announced the first Special Guests for SPX 2024. The show takes place on Saturday September 14 and Sunday September 15 with programming and workshops about the amazing world of independent comics and an exhibitor floor with over 500 creators.

Additional Special Guests will be announced over the next few weeks.

Tillie Walden

Tillie Walden will be signing copies of Clementine Book 1 and Book 2, as well as Junior High, a graphic novel made in collaboration with Tegan and Sara Quin. Also at the show there will be copies of her sketchbook compilation and never-before-seen zines! Her other work will be available as well, including her earliest work with Avery Hill Publishing. She will be giving the SPX Lecture at the Library of Congress at Noon, September 13.

Carol Lay

We are so honored to have Carol Lay as a Special Guest at SPX! She’s been creating art for decades and has an incredible body of work. Her new book, My Time Machine from Fantagraphics, is serious and funny, a sly cautionary political satire, and a rollicking time travel story full of puzzling paradoxes, edge-of-your-seat suspense, breezy badinage, and a deeply felt wonder at the universe.

Peter Kuper

Peter Kuper is a multi-award-winning cartoonist and illustrator who is frequently featured in The New Yorker, The Nation, and Mad. In 1979 he co-founded the political comix magazine World War 3 Illustrated, and has produced over two dozen books during his career. Peter has lectured and exhibited his work extensively throughout the world and teaches Harvard University’s first class dedicated to graphic novels. Among other awards, in 2016 his graphic novel Ruins won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album. He is currently working on a graphic novel on the history of insects and the people who study them. He will be signing copies of the paperback edition of Ruins published by SelfMadeHero

Dash Shaw

In his latest offering, Dash Shaw wrestles with the murky indeterminacy of life. Blurry, from the New York Review of Books, asks that readers sit in—try to enjoy, even—that place of doubt and indecision, where the future is uncertain, identity is unsettled, and chance encounters intrude. Sometimes making a choice is so damn hard. And who knows what will be the consequences of one’s action? In Blurry, Shaw creates a cast of characters who tell their stories of those pivotal moments of decision and what came after.

Christi Furnas

Christi Furnas’ graphic novel Crazy Like a Fox from Street Noise Books tells an autobiographically-inspired story about leaving home, figuring out life, being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and navigating the mental health system. Publishers Weekly says, “Furnas skewers the mental healthcare system in her sharp-edged graphic novel debut. . . . This surreal work reflects the disorientation of mental breakdown.”

About the book, Christi says, “I want Crazy Like a Fox to lift some of the fear and stigma around talking about psychotic illness, and offer hope. I’m happy and thriving.”

Christi will be talking about her graphic novel and mental health, and signing books at the show.

George Wylesol

George Wylesol is the author of the graphic novels 2120 and Curses, debuting at SPX from Avery Hill. He will be at SPX to talk about horror and the internet age, as well as signing books. His brightly-colored, experimental work ranges from short stories to choose-your-own-adventure style narratives that emphasize the weirdness of the world around us all and the prevalence of computers in our society today.

“His cartooning is economical, effective in a lunging sort of way. . . . the sensory experience of looking overpowers most everything else. His cartooning is economical, effective in a lunging sort of way,” says The Comics Journal about Curses.

Preview: Project Cryptid #10

Posted on by

Project Cryptid #10

(W) Carol Lay, Atagun Ilhan
(A) Carol Lay, Atagun Ilhan
Cover: Carol Lay, Atagun Ilhan
June 26, 2024
$3.99

More wild, mythical creatures in unlikely places! Writer/artist Carol Lay takes us on an adventure in Nantucket, where a young girl befriends a sea serpent. Atagun Ilhan brings us back to Mongolia in 600 B.C., where an ancient family feud threatens a downfall.

Project Cryptid #10

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2 delivers laughs and scares like the cartoons

Posted on by

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2 Deadtime Stories for Boos & Ghouls delivers laughs and scares just like the cartoons

The second of three volumes collecting the complete Simpsons Treehouse of Horror comics by creator Matt Groening-packaged in a deluxe, die-cut slipcase that glows in the dark

Collected for the first time in a deluxe hardcover slipcase with an all-new die-cut cover.

Story: Kyle Baker, James W. Bates, Ian Boothby, Max Davison, Chuck Dixon, Gerry Duggan, Glenn Fabry, Pia Guerra, John Kerschnbaum, Peter Kuper, Carol Lay, Ted May, Jesse Leon McCann, Gary Spencer Millidge, Terry Moore, Steve Niles, Troy Nixey, Brian Posehn, Dean Rankine, James Robinson, Scott Shaw!, Gene Simmons, Will Sweeney, Matthew Thurber, Jim Valentino, Jon Vermilyea, Len Wein, Shannon Wheeler, Jane Wiedlin, Jim Woodring, Chris Yambar, Neil Alsip, Tony Di Gerolamo

Art: Max Badger, Kyle Baker, Hilary Barta, Dan Brereton, John Delaney, Glenn Fabry, Pia Guerra, Sammy Harkham, Tom Hodges, Kevin Huizenga, John Kerschbaum, Peter Kruper, Carol Lay, James Lloyd, Nina Matsumoto, Gary Specer Millidge, Terry Moore, Bill Morrison, Troy Nixey, Phil Ortiz, Dean Rankine, Tone Rodriguez, Scott Shaw!, Will Sweeney, Jim Valentino, Jon Vermilyea, Jim Woodring, John Adams, Norm Auble, Bryan Francis, Christianna Lang, Abel Lacamana, William Mahoney, Istvan Majoros, Scott McRae, Kevin M. Newman, Joey Nilges, Robert Oliver, Ryan Rivette, Aaron Rozenfeld, Horacio Sandoval, Alberto Santiago

Layouts: Chris Roman

Ink: Terry Austin, Tim Bavington, Tom Hodges, Phyllis Novin, Andrew Pepoy, Mike Rote

Color: Nathan Hamill, Nathan Kane, Joey Mason, Ted May, Rick Reese, Robert Stanley, Dave Stewart, Christopher Ungar, Art Villanueva

Letterer: Karen Bates, Gary Spencer Millidge, Mike Sakamoto, Christopher Ungar

Editor: Sammy Harkham, Nathan Kane, Bill Morrison

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

Abrams Comicarts provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2 delivers laughs and scares like the cartoons

Posted on by

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2 Deadtime Stories for Boos & Ghouls delivers laughs and scares just like the cartoons

The second of three volumes collecting the complete Simpsons Treehouse of Horror comics by creator Matt Groening-packaged in a deluxe, die-cut slipcase that glows in the dark

Collected for the first time in a deluxe hardcover slipcase with an all-new die-cut cover.

Story: Kyle Baker, James W. Bates, Ian Boothby, Max Davison, Chuck Dixon, Gerry Duggan, Glenn Fabry, Pia Guerra, John Kerschnbaum, Peter Kuper, Carol Lay, Ted May, Jesse Leon McCann, Gary Spencer Millidge, Terry Moore, Steve Niles, Troy Nixey, Brian Posehn, Dean Rankine, James Robinson, Scott Shaw!, Gene Simmons, Will Sweeney, Matthew Thurber, Jim Valentino, Jon Vermilyea, Len Wein, Shannon Wheeler, Jane Wiedlin, Jim Woodring, Chris Yambar, Neil Alsip, Tony Di Gerolamo

Art: Max Badger, Kyle Baker, Hilary Barta, Dan Brereton, John Delaney, Glenn Fabry, Pia Guerra, Sammy Harkham, Tom Hodges, Kevin Huizenga, John Kerschbaum, Peter Kruper, Carol Lay, James Lloyd, Nina Matsumoto, Gary Specer Millidge, Terry Moore, Bill Morrison, Troy Nixey, Phil Ortiz, Dean Rankine, Tone Rodriguez, Scott Shaw!, Will Sweeney, Jim Valentino, Jon Vermilyea, Jim Woodring, John Adams, Norm Auble, Bryan Francis, Christianna Lang, Abel Lacamana, William Mahoney, Istvan Majoros, Scott McRae, Kevin M. Newman, Joey Nilges, Robert Oliver, Ryan Rivette, Aaron Rozenfeld, Horacio Sandoval, Alberto Santiago

Layouts: Chris Roman

Ink: Terry Austin, Tim Bavington, Tom Hodges, Phyllis Novin, Andrew Pepoy, Mike Rote

Color: Nathan Hamill, Nathan Kane, Joey Mason, Ted May, Rick Reese, Robert Stanley, Dave Stewart, Christopher Ungar, Art Villanueva

Letterer: Karen Bates, Gary Spencer Millidge, Mike Sakamoto, Christopher Ungar

Editor: Sammy Harkham, Nathan Kane, Bill Morrison

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

Abrams Comicarts provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

AHOY Comics celebrates 5 years with new series, specials, and Grant Morrison

Posted on by

In addition to top-quality story and art, AHOY Comics has become known for the short prose extras that run in the back of every title. Now, as part of the publisher’s gala fifth anniversary, a baker’s dozen of the comics industry’s finest prose writers have combined to craft an epic serial that will run through the AHOY line this fall. 

THE ALL-STAR ANNUALLY CONVENING COZY DETECTIVES CLUB in PARTIALLY NAKED CAME THE CORPSE!

…is a thirteen-part epic that kicks off with an extra-long first installment by the bestselling writer Grant Morrison, whose many award-winning comics works include JLA, New X-Men, and Green Lantern, and whose first novel Luda was published last year to great acclaim. The serial will debut in Project Cryptid #1, the first of AHOY’s new fall titles.

Over the following three months, Partially Naked Came the Corpse! will weave in and out of all AHOY’s regular titles, plus the fifth anniversary specials The Wrong Earth: We Can Be Heroes #1-2 and new title Deadweights #1. Finally, in late November, Partially Naked Came the Corpse! will conclude with a bang in the Captain Ginger: The Last Feeder #1, the first of another two-part anniversary series. 

Writers include recent award-winners Mark Russell and Alex Segura, Marvel writer Torunn Grønbekk, plus a murderer’s row of AHOY stars: Bryce Ingman, Carol Lay, Carrie Harris, Hanna Bahedry, Audrey Ryer, Kirk Vanderbeek, Lisa Jonte, Stuart Moore, and Kek-w. Illustrator Jon Proctor’s mind-blowing artwork will adorn each installment.

Project: Cryptid #1 which will be available in stores on September 6, 2022.

Preview: My Bad: Volume Two #3

Posted on by

My Bad: Volume Two #3

(W) Mark Russell, Bryce Ingman
(A) Peter Krause
Cover A: Peter Krause
Cover B: Carol Lay
January 25, 2023
$4.99

The superhero Steel Integrity—secretly the super-villain Emperor King—penetrates a high-security prison for costumed bad guys! Meanwhile, The Chandelier’s crusade to capture a pizza-delivering serial killer comes to a discouraging end! Put your trunks on over your tights, because you’re STILL not too late to get in on the ground floor of the Important New Superhero Universe!

My Bad: Volume Two #3
« Older Entries