ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 4/29/19 to 5/3/19

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

* Andy Oliver on MEMOIRS OF A BOOK THIEF (SelfMadeHero) written by A. Tota, illustrated by P. Van Hove, and translated by E. Gauvin, "a delightfully dark account of a man who buys into his own invented legend."

* John Seven also reviews MEMOIRS OF A BOOK THIEF, writing "And so we, as a society, have all become that crowd of Paris existentialists, fascinated by the forbidden and embracing it as a way of making ourselves seem interesting and different. But in doing this, we’re vulnerable to our own book thieves that hover around us waiting to fulfill the destiny of a parasitic relationship that we don’t even realize exists."

* Kevin Bramer does a quick write-up of Rob Jackson's MERCHANTS, "a thoroughly entertaining read with a few sections where I laughed out loud, which is always a welcome surprise."

* Ryan Carey reviews Max Clotfelter's THE ELEMENTS OF ROUGH VOLUME TWO, writing "Somehow, some way, through it all, Clotfelter seems accepting of “his people,” while not letting them off the hook for the voluntary part they play in their own degradation. It’s a tough balancing act. I’m not even sure how he pulls it off. But he does — and nobody else can, or would even be advised to try.

* Jenny Robins on LULU THE SENSATIONAL ... AND THE FAMILY SECRET by Helen Blejerman, writing "There’s a lot going on in a very spare frame basically, one of those deceptively simple books, but not over-laboured. Deserving of a second or third reading."

WHATNOT

* Alex Dueben interviews DARRYL AYO about his work and process.

* Sloane Leong talks to GLYNNIS FAWKES "about her new projects, process, and her residency experience."

* Nancy Powell interviews MICHAEL DEFORGE "about the absurdity of cults in his newest graphic novel, LEAVING RICHARD'S VALLEY."

* Leela Corman has a new comic up on The Believer called VICTORY GARDEN.

* Anna MoriartyLev has a new comic on Spiralbound called ROSE.

* Irene Velentzas writes this interesting piece over at TCJ called THE ART OF JUXTAPOSITION: BOTTICELLI AND KARL STEVENS.