Tag Archives: graphic novel

CLOUD TOWN, a Ripping Good Graphic Novel!

Daniel McCloskey, the creator of the new graphic novel Cloud Town, is my son. That’s my full disclosure. So, take what I say with a grain of salt. Daniel is a genius. I write kid’s books for TOON Books, so some might assume Daniel learned to make graphic novels from me. Not so. I taughtContinue reading “CLOUD TOWN, a Ripping Good Graphic Novel!”

Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley

I met Jonathan Case and his daughter Dorothy in Artists’ Alley at the American Library Association Annual Conference, Wash D.C. The conference was back in-person. Masks and vaccinations were required, so it it was a different Artists’ Alley. Odd, but felt safe and far better than a virtual conference. Artists can apply for a free Artist’s AlleyContinue reading “Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley”

AMAZONA

 AMAZONA- a graphic novel, by Canizales Review by Kevin McCloskey 1/23/22 Translation to English by Sofía Huitrón MartínezU.S edition, Graphic Universe, Lerner, pub date: April, 2022 The graphic novel Amazona, like Disney’s animated musical Encanto, takes place in Colombia. Two stories of refugee families forced off their land by violence could not be more different.Continue reading “AMAZONA”

John Steven Gurney at Work

“Is it true you have illustrated 100 books?” “150!,” replied John Steven Gurney. He quickly explained these were series chapter books which entailed a color cover and a handful of interior black and white illustrations. Even so, that’s a lot of books! The A to Z Mysteries, Bailey School Kids, and The Calendar Mysteries seriesContinue reading “John Steven Gurney at Work”

Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.

Nathan Hale is a fitting name for a graphic novelist specializing in historical biographies. I ran into him at the American Library Association convention in San Francisco. I asked if he was named for the hero of the American Revolution. He wrote One Dead Spy, about that hero. “No, I am named for my grandfather,”Continue reading “Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.”

PYONGYANG on my mind.

I’ve been to Seoul and Pusan in South Korea, but everything I know about Pyongyang I learned from a comic book. Guy Delisle drew a marvelous book, Pyongyang, a graphic memoir of working there in 2001. Few Americans ever visit Pyongyang. Delisle is Canadian from Quebec, He was hired by a French studio to directContinue reading “PYONGYANG on my mind.”

Citizen 13660: It happened in the U.S.A

  I picked up a sad old book for 50¢ at the Kutztown Library sale. The cover reminded me of Jean Charlot’s art. The pages were yellowed, torn in places, many illustrations were defaced with crude blue pencil marks. Even in this sorry state I found the book quite moving. Citizen 13660 is a graphicContinue reading “Citizen 13660: It happened in the U.S.A”

Andre the Giant is BIG!

  I was reading multiple great books: a novel set in Mexico; a literary biography; a history of the U.S invasion of Iraq. Then I opened a padded envelope to find a review copy of Box Brown’s Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. Those other books got thrown out of the ring. Looking at theContinue reading “Andre the Giant is BIG!”

The Man from The Thought Cloud Factory

We are all different, but Theo Ellsworth is more different. I met the artist at Pittsburgh’s Toonseum where his enchanting one-man show hangs through April 30. He calls his studio The Thought Cloud Factory. He came to Pittsburgh from his home in Montana to participate in PIX, the Pittsburgh indy press expo. Big Sky countryContinue reading “The Man from The Thought Cloud Factory”