Shelfbound

Smitty and Dixon are self-avowed lifelong fans of comics (y’know, in case you’re joining us for the first time). But they wonder how people are introduced to comics, and on occasion will be bringing you Habit Forming, a column that looks at a comic and asks: “What if this was somebody’s first?” Today, it’s Grant [...]

Ghost World Written and Illustrated by Daniel Clowes Kill Your Boyfriend Written by Grant Morrison Illustrated by Philip Bond and D’Israeli Remember what it was like to be young?  To feel both smarter than and more insignificant than the entire world at the same time?  You knew exactly what the score was but you kept [...]

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Written & Illustrated by Alison Bechdel “He really was there all those years, a flesh-and-blood presence steaming off the wallpaper, digging up the dogwoods, polishing the finials … smelling of sawdust and sweat and designer cologne. But I ached as if he were already gone.” Fun Home is a difficult [...]

The Furies Written by Mike Carey Illustrated by John Bolton Before you crack open The Furies I am legally obligated to ask  if you have read The Sandman series.  You haven’t?  <Sigh.> Okay, I can wait.  Go read them.  Yeah, all ten of them.  Ahem.  Yes.  Ten.  Oh no, I’ll be here.  I’ve nothing better [...]

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Birthday of the Infanta Written by Oscar Wilde Adapted for Comics & Illustrated by P. Craig Russell The story is simple.  Oscar Wilde wrote several fairy tales and P. Craig Russell adapted many of them to comics form in his exacting, precise style. The story is simple.  The Infanta, [...]

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days Written by Brian K. Vaughan Illustrated by Tony Harris & Tom Feister The high concept is something at which Brian K. Vaughan, currently slumming it as a writer and producer for Lost, excels.  Whether it’s the literal last man on Earth premise of Y the Last Man or the [...]

Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile Written by Bill Willingham Illustrated by Lan Medina & Steve Leialoha Once upon a time the wolf who huffed, puffed, and blew down houses became a Marlowe-esque detective with a bad smoking habit. Once upon a time Snow White divorced Prince Charming and became a bitter deputy mayor. Once [...]

Smitty and Dixon (Smixon?) are self-avowed lifelong fans of comics (y’know, in case you’re joining us for the first time). But they wonder how people are introduced to comics, and on occasion will be bringing you Habit Forming, a column that looks at a comic and asks: “What if this was somebody’s first?” Today, it’s [...]

Exit Wounds Written & illustrated by Rutu Modan “Do you think that every time we meet a person we should treat it like it was the last time we ever were going to see them?” I guess this book won an Eisner Award. Now that that’s out of the way, can we talk for a [...]

Elektra: Assassin Written by Frank Miller Illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz Let’s see if I can ballpark this one– Kill Bill + Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas + The Manchurian Candidate = Elektra: Assassin.  Alternately– revelatory + schizophrenic + dense = Elektra: Assassin.  Or perhaps simply– Frank Miller + Bill Sienkiewicz + Epic Comics = [...]