ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 5/1/17 to 5/7/17

Highlighting some great small press comics criticism being published, as well as other random things that have caught my eye over the past week.

COMICS CRITICISM

* Leon K reviews Jake Terrell's EXTENDED PLAY, "a collection of comics that read like a dream state transmission of ideas and memories about youth, love, friendship, and change."

* Hillary Chute on Guy Delisle's new book, HOSTAGE, which "beautifully demonstrates the aptitude of comics for representing time and subjective experience."

* Annie Mok has a short review of GARBAGE NIGHT by Jen Lee, where "bright colors and bouncy drawings carry this story of friendship, trust, and fear."

* Rob Clough on Nathan Jurevicius' BIRTHMARK who's "aesthetic is powerful and unapologetic in the way it portrays the grotesque quality of its characters and backgrounds." 

* Rob Clough also reviews on of my favorite books, Simon Moreton's PLANS WE MADE.

*Jenny Robins reviews Cathy Malkasian's EARTHA, and says it contains "soft, swooping vistas seen from a variety of perspectives and frames as rich as the diverse and eccentric cast of characters, and epitomizing the message of the small and local and true being truly the biggest things."

* John Seven also reviews EARTHA, and calls it "a metaphor for the 21st Century experience of taking in information, a situation that has the amount of data going on burdening the passages of anything on its way out, at least in theory." 

* Jon Hogan on Emily Ferris' MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS, "a rich tapestry full of hairpin turns in style and content that would allow the narrative to continue indefinitely." 

* Alex Hoffman reviews ANGEL OF A ROPE by Adam Buttrick, a "work that defies easy explanation, one of its many intriguing features."

* Zainab Akhtar lists some UPCOMING BOOKS OF INTEREST to pique your interest (and if Zainab thinks they are interesting, you can trust that they are).

* Meg Lemke introduces us to Julia Alekseyeva's SOVIET DAUGHTER.

* Alex Mansfield on GHOSTS, ETC. by George Wylesol.

* Oliver Sava reviews KAIJUMAX: SEASON TWO from Zander Cannon.

* Sam Ombiri shares his thoughts on Sammy Harkham's CRICKETS #6.

WHATNOT

* Robin McConnell interviews THI BUI about her debut memoir, The Best We Can Do, about her parent's immigration from Vietnam.

* Hillary Brown interviews GUY DELISLE about Hostage.

* Zack Soto and Mike Dawson talk to JULIA WERTZ about her new book, moving across the country, and all sorts of other things. 

* YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU.

* Bryony Stone presents TONY MCGEE ON SHOOTING DAVID BOWIE. 

* Chase Magnett's beautiful and heartfelt LEADING QUESTIONS: AFTER YOU SAY "I DO".

* Not Small Press, but worth a read: Lindsay Smith's THE CAPTAIN AMERICA WE NEED.

* And, while we are on that topic, Nick Hanover writes WHY MARVEL'S SECRET EMPIRE MESSAGING MATTERS MORE THAN HOW THE STORY ENDS.