Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:
• Review: "Since… humor has emerged as such a tremendous, even defining part of Sala's appeal, I must confess that on a first reading, I was a little put-off to find it reduced to such a dim flicker. But on a second reading, with the understanding that he was exploring grimmer and more downbeat territory, other strengths grew more apparent — dreadful scenes of apocalypse, vistas of desolation, one truly appalling horror flashback set-piece, violence that feels more brutal than delirious, and tension between characters rooted more in how they treat each other than in their comical quirks. …[O]ne of the great pleasures of reading a Sala comic for me is to let him lead me down the uniquely crooked lanes of his imagination. So buy The Hidden, and enjoy the journey. Highly recommended!" – Curt Purcell, The Groovy Age of Horror
• Review (Video): At Comics-and-More Patrick Markfort of Articulate Nerd joins Dave Ferraro for an in-depth two-part discussion of Shimura Takako's Wandering Son Vol. 1
• Plug: "For the last six years, Mome has kind of been to comics what CMJ used to be for music: Open it up, and readers were bound to discover something new and enticing. Sadly, the comics quarterly ends its run this month with Vol. 22, a massive, all-star issue featuring Pop Candy faves like Dash Shaw, Lilli Carre, Anders Nilsen, Paul Hornschemeier, Gabrielle Bell, Jim Rugg and Zak Sally. Even if you're new to the mag, this would be the one issue to purchase." – Whitney Matheson, USA Today Pop Candy
• Profile: The Sydney Morning Herald's Megan Johnston talks to Jim Woodring in anticipation of his appearance at the city's GRAPHIC Festival this weekend: "One thing Woodring does fear, however, is that people will find him 'disappointingly normal' compared with his work. 'All I can say is they should be grateful that they’re seeing me when I’m being that way,' he says."