Recommended Reading - Arp Comics

IMPROVe: How I Discovered IMPROV and Conquered Social Anxiety

With my late diagnosis of ADHD, a lot of things in the past make MUCH more sense. And one thing that really jumps out for me is my love of improv (more on the improv comedy side of things, but improv is a solid catch-all). Let’s rewind back to 2015: I decide to go to the Tampa Bay Comic Convention. It would be my 3rd con, and just the second since I was 16. I get a 3 day pass and I’m poring over all the panels((TBCC has an AMAZING selection of panels; they make GalaxyCon look like nothing more … Continue reading

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good

This is a first for my recommended reading: a book that has more space taken up by words than art. But this one is worth it, because The overall conceit of the book is great: Odin has banished Loki to life as a child on earth. If he can show ‘moral improvement’ in one month he’ll be allowed to return to Asgard; if he fails, he spends eternity in a stinky chamber with a snake dripping venom onto him (<— yay for a mythological reference). Joining him on earth as his ‘human’ family are Thor as his blond, better looking, … Continue reading

Girl on Film

I love graphic memoirs, that peak into someone’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions. But it’s not often that a memoir hits as hard as Girl on Film hit me. Naturally, this is personal – there’s a lot in her book that I relate to, some stuff I’m envious as hell of, and some knowledge that is both inspiring and comforting with regards to my own graphic memoir. I heard the siren call of art when I was a kid. I always enjoyed drawing and the second profession I wanted to pursue was writer. (The first profession I wanted to pursue was … Continue reading

The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand

I loved The Hardy Boys when I was a kid. I liked Nancy Drew too but being raised to think that boys & girls were different blah blah, I went for the Hardy Boys. (Note: I was also the only boy in grammar school who LOVED Little House on the Prairie – the books and the show. I still have a crush on Melissa Gilbert 😍…) I had some 30 books of the Hardy Boys, both the traditional blue hardbacks as well as these 1980s softcovers with a decidedly 1980s design, as shown to the right. (My mom convinced me … Continue reading

Odessa

Jonathan Hill’s Odessa is a special book. I don’t recall where I got the recommendation, but I wish I did because I want to thank whoever suggested it to me. The story is about 3 siblings who decide to search for their missing mother, set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia: Eight years ago an earthquake—the Big One—hit along the Cascadia fault line, toppling cities and changing landscapes all up and down the west coast of the United States. Life as we know it changed forever. But for Vietnamese-American Virginia Crane, life changed shortly after the earthquake, when her mother left and … Continue reading

Flamer

Flamer by Mike Curato is a fantastic story of a boy coming to terms with his sexuality as a Boy Scout back when society wasn’t as understanding or aware as it is now. It’s written honestly, with humor and compassion. I hope it’s widely read and helps people – teens especially – who are struggling with their own feelings and understanding themselves. I KNOW I’M NOT GAY. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both. I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe. … Continue reading

Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian

Reading Lightfall seemed fated for me. First someone in my critique group mentioned it. Then the next day, it comes across my feed on Twitter. Sometimes you just have to go with whatever the universe wants. In this case, the universe wanted me to read and enjoy Tim Probert’s Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian. Deep in the heart of the planet Irpa stands the Salty Pig’s House of Tonics & Tinctures, home of the wise Pig Wizard and his adopted granddaughter, Bea. As keepers of the Endless Flame, they live a quiet and peaceful life, crafting medicines and potions … Continue reading

Black Metal

I have found my second-favorite comic after Scott Pilgrim: Black Metal, by Rick Spears and Chuck BB. It fulfills everything I want in a comic – a unique & fantastical story, excellent art, craft that takes advantage of the medium, and a sense of humor that just jibes with me. And it even has a nod to Scott Pilgrim in it. Black Metal is why comics exist. Not superheroes or other fare designed for mass consumption. Unique, creator-driven stories are where it’s at – and it’s what comics excels in. Twin brothers, Shawn and Sam, aren’t typical kids – their … Continue reading

Snapdragon

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh is a deftly-written, well crafted comic that is a must-read for young adults and fans of magical realism. I found it through a colleague who was gushing about Leyh’s use of word balloons and I ended up geeking out about them too, along with the panelling and pacing. Snap’s town had a witch. At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocs-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online—after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too. … Continue reading

New Kid

Have you read New Kid? If not, you really have to ask yourself why because it’s a must read. There’s a damn good reason why it’s the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. It’s good – really, really good. Seventh-grader Jordan Banks reveals his apprehensions attending a NY private school as one of the few students of diversity. It sounds like such a simple premise but like life, there’s so much beneath the surface. Nobody’s life is as simple as it appears, and many people are unaware of how differently … Continue reading