Hippo Ocracy, written by Chris Kostecka, artwork by The Yuan Brothers

Comic: Hippo Ocracy
Release date:  2018
Writer: Chris Kostecka
Artists: John Yuan (pencils/inks), Matt Yuan (colors)
Publisher: Bad Aura
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis:  Khipo leads the hippo kingdom with his energetic blonde hair, political savvy, and lackadaisical demeanor. Along with his rhino wife Ronda and their half-breed, pacifier sucking son Rhipo they rule with total devotion from their subjects. Watch the insanity within his kingdom unfold as elephant royalty visits, and enemies from the past threaten to destabilize everything. All along the way, you will be introduced to fantastic over the top characters and subplots. Will the hippo's triumph over their enemies. 

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The Eternal Smile - Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim

Comic: The Eternal Smile - Three Stories
Release date: May 2009
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Derek Kirk Kim
Publisher: First Second (:01)
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed. 
The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.
The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him.  

The Deal

After having bought 'Missouri Boy' by the same publisher (and really liking it) I didn't think too hard about it when I saw this graphic novel in the sales section of a book store in England (for the life of me I can't remember what store it came from). I've never read the well known story of 'American Born Chinese' by Gene Luen Yang and 'Same Difference' by Derek Kirk Kim but I've read great reviews about those two stories. It felt like I was buying a book with a dream-team partnership. 

The Feel

I can almost copy and paste this section from my earlier review of Missouri Boy, also a 'First Second' graphic novel. I've since seen a couple more and it seems all their books are designed to the same specifications and probably printed by the same Chinese printer. 
Both the front and back cover have an inside flap and are made of thick sturdy paper that will keep your book in perfect condition. Unfortunately in my copy the glued part of the the front and back cover part has come loose from the interior pages. The perfect binding is still holding all the pages together but I have to wonder how long that will last if I keep reading the stories. But perhaps that's why it was in the sales section of the store? The interior pages are made up of full color printed bleached matte paper. The pages in my copy were cut perfectly straight and kept together with perfect binding. The front and back cover have been UV-spot coated on top of the typography and most of the artwork.

The Stories and the Look

Three stories with three completely different but very impressive drawing styles. The three stories are about the reality we live in and the reality we perceive. They're all stories with a twist, I won't delve into the details too deep so I'll give it away.

Duncan's Kingdom
The princess wants her favorite knight to kill the Frog King who killed her father. Will he succeed and what else will he find?
A story of reality and the power of a guilty conscience. The story follows through quickly. I thought it was nice but did see the twist coming so wasn't surprised at the ending. Did find that everything was explained at the end and it all fitted properly in the story. The people and their surroundings were realistically drawn. If you put the first and the last picture of this story next to each other you can fill in the story in between in many different ways. If I was a teacher I'd give these two pages to students and ask them to make the story in between. To me it felt like a classic reality story that felt re-hashed. I found nothing new or surprising in the story as it was told. I did however really like the artwork. It fitted the story, colors were dark and gloomy where they were supposed to be and happy and colorful where it fitted. Well done Derek Kirk Kim.

Gran'pa Greenbax and The Eternal Smile
I loved the artwork from the first page, like it came straight from a 60's comic. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Story wise it started out good and I was wondering what would happen, but the middle just got a bit crazy for me and I started to wonder where it was going. The ending came as a surprise but did make me think of The Truman Show a bit too much. 

Urgent Request
Janet meets an on-line Nigerian prince who promises to send her money if she'll let him use her bank account. I think we've all heard stories of what happens next.
The artwork is so completely different from the other two stories it looks like it's made by a different artist. The art is soft and has no hard edges. I like the changes between the colors of her real life and the fantasy she's living. I like how all the text and text balloons are outside the panels so they don't interfere with the artwork. The story was set up very nicely. I really felt for Janet at her office and felt for her as she sent out the first e-mail to her new Nigerian friend. I know these things happen with people who fall for these kinds of things hook, line and sinker. I thought it ended in the middle of the story, there could be so much more than this. I guess that's the only disappointment I have with this story. The art is beautiful, the story is nice and sometimes a bit crazy. 

The Conclusion

I feel conflicted about this graphic novel. It contains three stories and all of them have their good points but as a whole it's not quite where it could be. I liked 'Urgent Request' the most although I think there could be so much more to the story. It feels unfinished somehow. The three artistic styles drawn by Derek Kirk Kim are amazingly beautiful and very different from each other. 

How to get a copy

I found my copy on sale and got it for 4,99 GBP. I Googled the title and found it on a couple of websites, the cheapest was on Amazon USA. It was no longer available from 'First Second' publishers so your best bet might be to get it from a second hand store. 

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O Human Star: Volume One by Blue Delliquanti

Comic: O Human Star: Volume One
Release date: April 2015
Writer and Artist: Blue Delliquanti
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Alastair Sterling was the inventor who sparked the robot revolution. And because of his sudden death, he didn't see any of it.
That is, until he wakes up 16 years later in a robot body that matches his old one exactly. Until he steps outside and finds a world utterly unlike the one he left behind - a world where robots live alongside their human neighbors and coexist in their cities. A world he helped create. 
Now Al must track down his old partner Brendan to find out who is responsible for Al's unexpected resurrection, but their reunion raises even more questions. Like who the robot living with Brendan is. And why she looks like Al. And how much of the past should stay in the past...

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Unit 44, Part 2 of 4 by Wes Locher and Eduardo Jiménez

Comic: Unit 44, Part 2 of 4
Release date: 22 April 2015
Writer: Wes Locher
Artist: Eduardo Jiménez
Publisher: Alterna
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Agents Gibson and Hatch catch up with Chester and Ike, the men who purchased the contents of unit 44, but the items have disappeared once again. Just what was inside the locker and why is Senior Agent Ballard so desperate to get it back? In the midst of the chaos a new threat reveals itself.

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Unit 44, Part 1 of 4 by Wes Locher and Eduardo Jiménez

Comic: Unit 44, Part 1 of 4
Release date: 25 March 2015
Writer: Wes Locher
Artist: Eduardo Jiménez
Publisher: Alterna
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Inept Area 51 employees forget to pay the rent on the facility's off-site storage unit, leaving the secret contents to be sold to a pair of backwoods rednecks at public auction.

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Legend of the Mantamaji: Book Three by Eric Dean Seaton and Brandon Palas

Graphic novel: Legend of the Mantamaji: Book Three
Release date: Febuary 2015
Writer: Eric Dean Seaton
Artist: Brandon Palas
Publisher: And... Action Entertainment
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Beaten, betrayed, and left for dead, Elijah Alexander, the last Mantamaji, knows the end of the world is at hand Soon Sirach will carry out his plan to open the Gates of Time and after Earth's history to suit his purposes. How can Elijah stop Sirach, when he's already failed before? To succeed, he will have to put aside vengeance, ignore his pain, and listen to a wisdom he's forgotten. But he, and the world, are running out of time. 

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Legend of the Mantamaji: Book Two by Eric Dean Seaton and Brandon Palas

Graphic novel: Legend of the Mantamaji: Book Two
Release date: December 2014
Writer: Eric Dean Seaton
Artist: Brandon Palas
Publisher: And... Action Entertainment
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: In a single week, Elijah Alexander has gone from being a famous and successful ADA in New York, to a hunted, haunted renegade on a mission of vengeance. Because Elijah is the last of a race of ancient warriors called the Mantamaji who once fought the world's greatest evils. And now the only one with the power to get it done-- because it takes a warrior to kill a mystical being. Or four of them.

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Legend of the Mantamaji: Book One by Eric Dean Seaton and Brandon Palas

Graphic novel: Legend of the Mantamaji: Book One
Release date: October 2014
Writer: Eric Dean Seaton
Artist: Brandon Palas
Publisher: And... Action Entertainment
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Elijah Alexander, New York's hottest, cockiest, and most media-hungry Assistant District Attorney, is about to learn something shocking: he is not even human. He's the last of the Mantamaji, a long-lost race of warriors who once protected humanity when the world was young. Now another Mantamaji--the worst of all their kind--has reawakened to visit doom on all of humanity. Can Elijah accept his past, reject his present life, and learn about his talents, in time to defeat the villain who killed all the other Mantamaji before him. 

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Chimichanga by Eric Powell, Part 2 of 3

Comic: Chimichanga, Part 2 of 3
Release date: may 2010
Writer and artist: Eric Powell
Cover: full-color
Interior: black/gray on white paper
Synopsis: This is about a little bearded girl and her escapades with a slightly less than extraordinary traveling circus.

The Deal

After finding the first issue by accident I put the other two issues on my wish list. Low and behold on one of the next Boekenfestijn (Bookfestival, a wholesale bookseller in the Netherlands and Belgium that rents big venues by the weekend to sell millions of books and boxes filled with comics at highly discounted prices). They pop up now and again in my neck of the woods and I have no choice but to go. I found this second issue on one of my consecutive visits and was very elated. 

The Feel

Most likely printed by the same printer because it has exactly the same specifications as the first issue. The cover has full-color artwork printed on shiny stock paper. The interior pages are bleached white, they have the feel of thick newspaper stock and it brings out Powells grey/black artwork perfectly. I can't find any printing mistakes, every page is straight and cut to perfection with two saddle stitches holding all the pages together.

The Story

An evil corporation needs the little bearded girl for her chin whiskers which hold a special medicine that can make them a lot of money. From there things go very bad for the little bearded girl and Chimichanga. Once again it ends in a cliffhanger. I love the panel with all the acts in the circus and what they do in it. It's not a laugh out loud comic, it's just a very refined and nice story about a girl and her 'beast'. Children will most likely find this second part the most exiting one because a lot of things happen and really none of them are good. The cliffhanger is also a good one. You can almost hear the voice straight out of the old Batman tv-series go: "Will she survive?", "Will little bearded girl and Chimichanga ever be together again?" etc... 

The Look

The emphasis of the artwork is definitely on the characters. The backgrounds are often vague or not there at all, except when it serves the story, then suddenly you get to see in full glory what Powell can do with his pencils. I like his style. He shows what's important and leaves out what's not. Keeping the focus on what the artist wants you to see and what's important for the story line, where many artists get lost in the details.  

The Conclusion

Again I can continue on from the comments I left for the first issue. It's a lovely all-age story with brilliant and beautifully drawn characters, wonderful artwork by Eric Powell. I've since looked up Powell and found that he's worked on some other of the comic books that are among of my favorites. Maybe that's why I immediately put the comic in my cart in the first place.  

How to get a copy

You can get the three single black/grey issues that make up the full story or you can get the full-color 104-page hardcover produced by Dark Horse Comics. I think it all comes down to your personal taste. The single issue series was made in 2009 and the full-color series in 2011 so your best bet would be your local comics store if it has back issues or a website like Ebay or Amazon. You can find more art from Eric Powells website. 

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The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel 2013 Anthology

Comic: The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel 
Release date: 2013
Writer: several
Artist: several
Cover: Full-color
Interior: Some black/white stories but mostly full-color
Synopsis: Anthology, with black/white and full-color stories with a time travel theme.

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Chimichanga by Eric Powell, Part 1 of 3

Comic: Chimichanga, Part 1
Release date: december 2009
Writer and artist: Eric Powell
Cover: full-color
Interior: black/white
Synopsis: This is about a little bearded girl and her escapades with a slightly less than extraordinary traveling circus.

The Deal

Every couple of weeks there's a 'Boekenfestijn' (Bookfestival) somewhere in the Netherlands or Belgium. They have rows and rows of comic storage boxes filled with (usually) bagged comics which they sell for 0,99 euro a piece. So you can imagine me and my friends are all over those boxes. On one of my visits I found Chimichanga and the cover grabbed my attention immediately. I flipped trough the inside and though I usually go for full-color I couldn't take my eyes of the artwork. A no brainer for the 0,99 euro.

The Feel

The cover has full-color artwork printed on shiny stock paper. The interior pages are bleached, they have the feel of thick newspaper stock and that brings out Powells grey/black artwork perfectly. I can't find any printing mistakes, every page has been  printed straight and cut to perfection with two evenly placed saddle stitches holding all the pages together.

The Story

A little bearded girl from 'Wrinkles Traveling Circus' trades a couple of her chin whiskers for a shiny rock. And so she had a new friend. This first part of this three part series is very sweet. It's definitely an all-age comic. The little bearded girl will steal your heart the first time you stare down the pits of her endlessly black eyes. I also like evil witches that you can feel will fail (and will always fail, like Gargamel). 
The story builds straight from the first moment we meet our very charming little girl as she comes in contact with her new friend. It never feels too slow or rushed. This first part does end in a cliffhanger so you'll want to make sure you have the 2nd and even 3rd issue ready to continue reading. I don't think it's high literature, but I do think it's a very nice story and really for all-ages. I have an eight year old son and I'm always glad when I find a real all-age comic. The girl is cute, Chimichanga is a nice monster and the witch is a real witch, it all just sounds like a fairy tale. 

The Look

The cover depicts a beautiful subtle colored little bearded girl holding the pinkie finger of the Chimichanga. Often covers don't represent the artwork of the interior pages, but in this case it does exactly that. The artwork inside the comic is the same style as the cover, only in black/grey. I love being able to see every stroke made. Every panel has been well thought out and it looks great. The little bearded girl looks so sweet. I think it's great that Powell can draw a little girl that looks so lovely with a beard and deep black eyes. The 'monster' Chimichanga that looks like a googley-eyed troll creature is also different from any troll or monster type creature that I've ever seen and all the other figures from the circus have their own oddities. Artistically it's beautiful and I'm happy I found it among all the other comics in the boxes.  

The Conclusion

It's a lovely all-age story, no violence, brilliant characters, wonderful art. If you'd like me to say something bad about it then I can. It's in black/grey, I'd love to see it in full-color, but you can relax because in their unlimited wisdom 'Black Horse Comics' decided in 2011 to release this three part series as an HC of 104-pages and it's in full-color!

How to get a copy

Like I said, you can get the three single black/grey issues that make up the full story or you can get the full-color 104-page hardcover produced by Dark Horse Comics. I think it all comes down to your personal taste. The single issue series was made in 2009 and the full-color series in 2011 so your best bet would be your local comics store if it has back issues or a website like Ebay or Amazon. You can find more art from Eric Powells website. 

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The Red Ten by Tyler James and Cesar Feliciano

Name: The Red Ten, Volume 1
Release date: June 2014
Writer: Tyler James
Artist: Cesar Feliciano
Cover: full color
Interior: full color
Synopsis: When the world's greatest detective is violently murdered, her corporate-backed super team and former sidekick band together to bring her killer to justice. However, the mission goes terribly wrong, and before the night is out, each of the ten 'Heroes' will pay dearly for past transgressions.
The Red Ten is a superhero re-imagining of Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit 'And Then There Were None'. 
This volume collects issues number 0-5 out of 10.

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Space Babe 113 The Knights of Mars Episode Three: Sin by John Maybury

Comic: Space Babe 113 The Knights of Mars Episode Three: Sin
Release date: December 2014
Writer and artist: John Maybury 
Rating: 18+ (adult humor)
Cover: full-color 
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Space Babe 113 wants to have fun on Mars with Doctor Stones but first she must save everyone from the consequences of a lack of trigonometric understanding in the action packed finale of The Knights Of Mars.

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1X: Short Stories by Charles Butler

Comic: 1X
Release date: September 2014
Writer and artist: Charles Butler
Publisher: a Planet Z Production
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Four self-contained tales of the good, the strange and the mythical, collected in one genre-hopping comic book.

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Trollords, issue no.2 by Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke

Comic: Trollords, issue no.2
Release date: May 1986
Writer: Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke
Artist: Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke
Publisher: Tru Studios
Cover: full color
Interior: pen drawings (black on white paper)
Synopsis: When their cave home is destroyed by flood waters, the trolls find themselves literally facing death!
Rejecting the 'Final Option', the trolls return to earth and life. Resolved to find meaning in their renewed existence, our heroes get their chance when they save the lovely and disturbed Kelly Nugrowski.
Draw away from her shortly thereafter, they find that it's not so easy to escape death... and now they are...

The Deal

It's very rare that I find an English comic when I go to car boot sale in my native country but last Sunday I did. Lucky me! Now I've known the guy that I bought it off from when I still owned an on-line store, but he didn't recognize me. Not a problem, but I got his whole b*s routine about how this comic is worth quite the figure. If he'd recognized me from before he wouldn't have bothered. I bought the comic for € 1,50.

The Feel

Everything about this comic screams mid 1980's printer. From the newsprint paper interior to the slightly heavier glossy coated full color cover. I love it, nothing but nostalgia here. 

The Story

It's a continuing story about the Trollords. Even though I don't have, and have never read, the first issue there's an explanation of the trolls first issue on the first page (see the synopsis at the top of this page) which really helps you to get into the story. Though I can only comment on this issue, I can see a really good story development here and I find myself looking out for more issues. There is mention of suicide in this issue, so I wouldn't give it to younger children even though they look like they might be for all ages, the story isn't. 
So much pulp was made in the 80's and 90's it's good to find a decent story, it even made me laugh on several pages.

The Look

The drawings were made with black pen and they've been finished to a high standard. The trolls anatomy seems correct and realistic. The layout of the panes on the pages, compliments the story line and is different on every page. 

The Conclusion

They're well drawn, have a plot and it keeps you on your toes and it's funny to read. What's not to like? If you don't mind going old-school then this is for you. Only problem is that one issue isn't going to get you very far in the story line. I'd suggest you try to get some more to really enjoy the Trollords.  

How to get a copy?

Well that might not be all that difficult. I found quite a few of them on eBay. You can get them anywhere from 1,00 GBP all the way to crazy. As far as I could find there are eighteen Trollords issues in existence, some were published by 'Tru Studios' and some by 'Apple Comics' both publishers started with issue #1 so take a close look before buying so you don't mix up your issues.  Even though the comics are from the 1980's the three Trollords are still alive and well and living on this facebookpage. There's even mention of digitizing the first eight issues. 

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Nothing is Forgotten by Ryan Andrews

Comic: Nothing is Forgotten, A Collection of Short Stories
Release date: 2nd edition, July 2014
Writer: Ryan Andrews
Artist: Ryan Andrews
Cover: black/white
Interior: black/white with red/pink highlights
Synopsis: Nothing is forgotten. A collection of short stories, gathers four tales by Ryan Andrews.

In these pages, an elderly woman becomes the proud new mother of a large seed. Three brothers, afraid of revenge-seeking zombie geese, take it upon themselves to properly bury a fallen flock. Peculiar creatures reside deep beneath the trees of an old forest. And a dark, mysterious tunnel beckons you in for a closer look. 

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Killjoy, issue no.1 by Robert Brown

Comic: Killjoy, issue number one
Release date: 2011
Writer: Robert Brown
Artist: Robert Brown
Cover: full color
Interior: black on white paper
Synopsis: Killjoy is a vehicle for my ongoing cartoon memoir project, Catch a Fairy, a gradual accumulation of stories and vignettes from my childhood.

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Owly: Volume Two, Just a Little Blue by Andy Runton

Comic: Owly: Volume Two, Just a little Blue
Release date: 2005 (original), I have the third reprint from 2009
Writer: Andy Runton
Artist: Andy Runton
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Cover: full color
Interior: black on white paper
Synopsis: Owly is a kind-hearted little owl who knows what it means to be human. 
The second graphic novel in the breakout, all-ages series follows Owly as he learns that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for things that are important, especially friendship.
Relying on a mixture of symbols and expressions, Andy Ruton's animated and heartwarming style makes Owly a perfect read for everyone.

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2 Tin Bean Cans F*#king by Johnny J. Segura 3rd

Comic: 2 Tin Bean Cans F*#king - Part 1: The Magical Fruit
Release date: 2014
Writer: J.K. and Johnny J. Segura 3rd
Artist/lettering: Johnny J. Segura 3rd
Cover: full color
Rating: 18+
Interior: grey scaled with colored highlights
Synopsis: A tale of genetically altered bean cans seeking revenge against their creator. A tale filled with suspense, violence and tin titties.

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The Rattler by Jason McNamara and Greg Hinkle

Comic: The Rattler
Release date: July 2014
Writer: Jason McNamara
Artist: Greg Hinkle
Cover: Greg Hinkle, two colors (black and red)
Interior: 96 pages, grey shading with red highlights
Synopsis: 10 years have passed since Stephen Thorn's fiancee vanished without a trace, and he has grown into a prominent, if bitter, victim's rights crusader. Despite the cold trail and lack of leads, he stubbornly refuses to give up the search. And then...

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