From the Reading Desk
I made a goal this year to actually read all the comics I’ve bought but never read. And to not buy any new graphic novels. The goal was even more specific: read a book, screenplay, or graphic novel a week.
And as of earlier this month I had only read ONE.
So this month, every time I wanted to reach for my phone to check social media, the news, or messages, I reached for a comic instead.
Here's what I read:
TMNT books I, II, and III.
This is where it all started. These collect the first 10ish issues of the Turtles. I hadn't read this since I was a teenager and it was amazing to be reminded of how much these books have influenced me. It also rekindled a love for the Turtles that has been somewhat dormant, though never extinguished.
I was also reminded of how fun these books are, and the secret sauce of making good comics which I will get into another day.
Get copies here: LINK
RADIO SPACEMAN: MISSION TO NUMA 4 #1
Mike Mignola writing a story about a space skull character??? SIGN ME UP! Drawings by Greg Hinkle are so much better than they needed to be to pull this off. Can't wait for issue 2.
Get your copy at your local comic shop.
THE WITCH OF WICKERSON by Derek Laufman
I highlighted Derek back in November and talked about the kickstarter for this project and how cool I thought it was to do a smaller "graphic novellas" instead of these epic 200+ page stories. This approach directly inspired doing a shorter story for Red Shift Renegades.
Well, I finally got my copy of The Witch of Wickerson and it is just plain delightful. REally impressed with the whole thing. Laufman is a real pro.
Get your copy here: LINK
I actually got this book on audible and listened to it while inking Red Shift Renegades. If you've seen the Social Dilemma on Netflix this book covers a lot of the same ground.
What was interesting to me was reading the author's experience of doing a three month detox from the internet by going to a secluded seaport village with out anything but some books, a laptop (with internet disabled) to write with, and a dumb phone for emergencies.
The author sets up the problem, shares loads of reports and data to back it up, then offers some solutions to fix it. Pretty well done, even though I don't entirely agree with some of his conclusions.
Get it here: LINK
Honestly, if you feel like you've got an attention problem due to your phone or internet you're better off reading this book: LINK
-Jake