This week's tasty jubilee of Online Commentaries and Diversions:
Review: Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn
"This excellent, retro space opera reads like a funny, alternative Infinity Gauntlet meets Guardians of the Galaxy – but way cooler than both." – Benn Ray, Largehearted Boy
"The story — involving a winged genius dog, a pig monster, a sultry space warrior in leather lingerie, a mad scientist, a quest for a dozen mystic rocks and the cyber-future of sex dolls — is dumb, convoluted and perfect! " – Jake Austen, Chicago Tribune
Interview: How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis
"I tried to lump stories together that felt thematically similar to me — it starts with stories about people searching for utopia, then searching for love, then searching for their best self — wanting to be strong, or to be good…And the last couple stories are about how hard it is to be fully alive – the pain of it, and the bravery of it." – Tim O'Shea, Robot 6
Review: The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez
"This book represents Jamie's [sic] best work, and is one of the best comics I've ever read…if "The Love Bunglers" is the end, then it is a satisfying conclusion to the Maggie and Hopey stories." – Colleen Frakes, Los Angeles Review of Books
Review: Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor
"A superhero-riffing, world-building, toe-tapping, beat-hitting story of a whole lot of people, some brilliant, some lucky, some crazy, and some all of the above. And if you like hip-hop, and nice things, go buy the cased edition because there’s a special secret ‘zine in it about Rob Liefeld and Easy E that is just super fabulous." – Alex de Campi, 12th Dimension
"Even if you are not a fan of Hip Hop or Rap per se, one cannot deny its pervasive influence on the world at large. If nothing else, this first volume covering the years 1975 through 1981, demonstrates the nonstop merging of style and culture that is part and particle of the American experience." – Gregg Reese, Our Weekly
Review: Ralph Azham Vol. 1: Why Would You Lie to Someone You Love? by Lewis Trondheim
"It's just so fucking funny and sad at the same time; Trondheim nails the measurements of humour, pathos, drama – all of it, perfectly here." – Zainab Akhtar, Comics & Cola
- Commentary: Paprika Southern features Dame Darcy in an article on her life and work, including her upcoming series, Meat Cake Presents The Voyage of Temptress.
- Commentary: Over a the SDCC blog, Toucan, Maggie Thompson discusses the history and evolution of books about comic books, with particular emphasis on EC Comics and the historians who've worked to document these artists' lives and work.
- Commentary: Amongst discussions of consent and policy changes at San Diego Comic-Con, Publishers Weekly discusses the past year at Fantagraphics with associate publisher Eric Reynolds.