A generous production for fans.
A profusely illustrated memoir that traces a cartoonist’s success in the comics industry.
Twenty-five years into his prolific career, Lemire (Minor Arcana, 2025, etc.) humbly reflects on his expansive bibliography and guides readers through his progression from producing his own self-published zines to inking production deals with Netflix. Each chapter primarily focuses on one book’s genesis and is packed with character studies, sketches, and archival photos. Lemire worked constantly, committed himself to his craft, and held on to stories and ideas for years before finding the bandwidth to develop them. Starting in the mid-’90s, he recounts self-publishing and distributing his own comics while living in Toronto. (His first zine, Ashtray #1, is reprinted in full in the book’s appendix.) He won a Xeric Grant in 2005 for his book Lost Dogs, which garnered the attention of small publishing houses. While working on his Essex County books in 2007-2008, DC Comics showed interest and opened a door that led to multiyear runs of mainstream comics like Trillium, Animal Man, and Sweet Tooth (now a Netflix series). After leaving DC for a disappointing stint at Marvel, Lemire now prioritizes his creator-owned serials. His memoir is written not as a comic but as a straightforward text, and frequent clichés suggest that, compared to the taut action of his comics, this format might require more words than Lemire is accustomed to working with. His early years were “a roller coaster of exciting things”; writing volume 2 of Essex County was “just…incredible.” While at DC, “learning how to write mainstream comics was only half the battle,” and a pitch meeting was “just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what stuck.” On his initial breakthrough with DC/Vertigo, he says, “Talk about being at the right place at the right time.” Despite some clunky prose, the book’s lavish trove of behind-the-scenes lore and Lemire’s unbridled energy are capable of inspiring budding cartoonists.
A generous production for fans.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781506744834
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dark Horse
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A cartoonist’s gentle and charming epistolary memoir.
A cartoonist uses fans’ questions to trace his personal history.
Tomine began self-publishing his work at the age of 16. Since then, he’s developed a devoted fandom that, he says, has stuck by him for almost three decades. Although cartooning is a solitary profession, Tomine says his relationship with his readers has helped him stave off the loneliness that is, so often, a hazard of the job. He writes, “It’s never felt that way. In fact, I often think of my career as a decades-long conversation between myself and an amorphous, mostly anonymous group of people who are for some reason drawn to my work.” In Q&A, Tomine continues this conversation by responding to some of the most common queries, which include how to correctly pronounce his name (which, it turns out, Tomine didn’t know until a trip to Japan), his favorite brands of art supplies, his ability to balance the inspirations and frustrations of parents, and his thoughts about adapting his comics into films. He also offers career advice, describing how he got his start at theNew Yorker, spelling out his opinions on self-publishing and marketing, and providing ideas for connecting with comic artists who could serve as role models or mentors. Although this memoir doesn’t necessarily contain a clear character arc, it does provide a fascinating insight into a beloved artist’s personal history. Tomine’s writing is compassionate, empathetic, and tongue-in-cheek, and his narratorial voice has the intimate, confessional frankness of a good friend. The book’s visuals—which include Tomine’s illustrations—are a welcome addition to the text.
A cartoonist’s gentle and charming epistolary memoir.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781770467309
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An impassioned message of rage and hope.
The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran.
In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: “to explain what’s going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible”; and “to remind Iranians that they are not alone.” Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the “resolute defiance” that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: “The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations” over Amini’s murder, “several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture.” Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls’ schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran’s determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani.
An impassioned message of rage and hope.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781644214053
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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