What do cowboys look like? Can nonbinary people survive on their own in the woods? How are gender roles assigned? These are some of the questions that popped into my…
There are two predominant explanations of what a metanarrative is, when one engages in literary criticism. One refers to the idea of experimentation, where an author wilfully chooses to break…
What It Is is one of those books that either grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go, or seeps slowly into your consciousness and shifts how you look…
The artist FLuX describes his work as ‘Trompe Nouveau’, a style and technique that combines hyper-realistic oil painting with the ornamentation of Art Nouveau. It makes for a mildly disconcerting…
There are certain ideas and images that come to mind unbidden whenever the words ‘Harlem Renaissance’ appear. A lot of this has to do with how the 1920s and 1930s…
Around 1188, Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi wrote a poem in Arabic, based on seventh-century poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his lover Layla bint Mahdi, which grew to become one of…
There’s an interesting comment in illustrator Daniel Innes’ biographical note on the back cover of Denison Avenue: ‘Watching the neighbourhood change over the years has ended his love affair with…
It has been four years since Dominican-born artist Freddy Carrasco took home the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Collection, as well as the Doug Wright Award for Best Small- or Micro-press…
Does a graphic adaptation of a literary classic deserve to exist? It’s the kind of question that lovers of music tend to obsess over whenever a remixed version of an…
Around 70 pages and a little over 300 words: it’s amazing what these seemingly limiting numbers can yield in the hands of artists with a clear vision. The Mysteries has…
In 2021, the English translation of French illustrator Mirion Malle’s This is How I Disappear taught us to question how we look at sexual assault and its devastating impact. It…
One of the things that teachers of young people believe in most is the importance of speaking to them at their level. This doesn’t mean talking down to them, nor…
“I look at the body as a place that is traversed and shaped by affects.” German writer and artist Nino Bulling said that to journalist Lars von Törne in Der…
In 2006, American cartoonist Kevin Huizenga’s Curses was included on Time Magazine’s list of the Top Ten comics of the year. He was 29 at the time and, although he…
It’s always interesting to look at recurring tropes in literature, and this is particularly enjoyable when it comes to fairy tales because of how they reflect the commonality of our…
There are two immediate advantages offered by NBM whenever it issues a new graphic biography of an iconic musician. For those familiar with the subject in question, these comics are…
New stories about Aya, Bintou, Adjoua, and their families: if that’s not a great start to a new year, what is? Any happiness associated with this news will be undeniably…
There’s a lot to unpack in Julie Delporte’s new book Portrait of a Body, not only because her brutal honesty may compel readers to address some thorny issues, but because…
“My Brain Broke, and Out Came Donuts” – Neill Cameron Looks Back on ‘Mega Robo Bros’ and Forward with ‘Donut Squad’, the Latest Smash Hit Strip from the Pages of ‘The Phoenix’November 4, 2025
“The Biggest Challenge for Me Was Having to Think More Like a Director” – Michael Schwartz on Writing for Comics for the First Time and His Supernatural Ghost Story ‘Armored’October 31, 2025
“It’s a Fantasy Adventure about Growing Up” – Joe Latham Talks ‘Haru’, the Self-Publishing Journey, and Using Colour as a Narrative ToolOctober 30, 2025
“I Cannot Wait to Really Dig into the Nuts and Bolts of Literary Adaptation” – Kristen Haas Curtis on Bringing Chaucer to Comics and on Moderating the Thought Bubble Literary Adaptation PanelOctober 29, 2025
“Themes Around Human Connection and Loneliness Are a Constant Throughline in All of My Works” – Rein Lee on Exploring Identity and Queerness in Comics, and Finding Your Way in the Small Press CommunityOctober 28, 2025
