The Nightly News, by Jonathan Hickman
Freshly re-released in handsome hardcover, Hickman’s profound and scathing condemnation of the corporate media machine will likely remain relevant for as long as the news is still fit to print, air, or post. Revolving around a mysterious entity known as “the Voice,” the Nightly News follows a group of zealots bent on assassinating as many reporters as they can in an attempt to force the remaining journalists to “stick to the facts.” Not only is the story a thriller as worthy as any page-turner, but the art is a masterclass to the defeat of simile. Hickman melds graphic design, photo-realism, collage, info-graphics, and dialogue into something simply extraordinary; this level of interpretation is rarely seen in the comics world, and for that reason alone this book is worth picking up. If you like suspense, conspiracy, and mind-blowing visuals, this may be for you!
Pogo, Through the Wild Blue Wonder, by Walt Kelly, ed. Carolyn Kelly & Kim Thompson
This daily comic strip, which ran from 1948 to 1973 and beloved by countless fans, has finally received the “complete” archive treatment. Walt Kelly’s Pogo was a strip that began humbly, couched primarily in the slapstick humor of Pogo Possum and friends as they adventured through Okefenokee Swamp. Over time, Pogo began to evolve into something much more, combining a sophisticated wit with social and political satire, allegory, literary whimsy, and a pro-environment message. For over three decades, Kelly’s menagerie seemed lost in the history of the funny pages – until now. This is the first of a planned 12 volume set, collecting the strip in it’s entirety, with full-color Sunday strips painstakingly restored.
