ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 5/20/19 to 5/24/19

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

COMICS CRITICISM

* Sarah Boslaugh reviews GUANTANAMO KID: THE TRUE STORY OF MOHAMMED EL-GHARANI written by Jérôme Tubiana and illustrated by Alexandre France, "a powerful book that brings attention to the humanity of people who are accused as terrorists and relays the importance of what happens to such people in these times."

* Kevin Bramer on DRAWN TO BERLIN by Ali Fitzgerald calling it "harrowing stuff, hopeful at times but also clearly aware of the systemic problems that seem to be stopping any sort of actual solution."

* Two reviews over at the Pipedream Comics site of note (the authors of which I cannot find), more so for the books, rather than the pieces themselves. The first is BASQUIAT by Julian Moloj and the second is IN WAVES by AJ Dungo.

* John Seven does a much better job reviewing IN WAVES by AJ Dungo, writing "Dungo is able to provide a mechanism for translating the pain he’s expressing into perspective that can help his readers, and that’s a remarkable and gracious achievement for someone’s first graphic novel."

* Robin Enrico reviews RED ULTRAMARINE by Manuele Fior writing "While the themes Fior is engaging with have been explored countless times before, it is his strong expressive cartooning and his daring use of color that make his interpretation of the material he is drawing from stand out."

* Melissa Brinks on WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CASTLE by Emily Carroll which "feels like slipping into a rich velvet robe only to find that its red color is from centuries of bloodstains."

* Kim Jooha continues her Visual Pleasures column on TCJ. This time, she has a column called A DIALECTIC APPROACH TO COMICS FORM.

WHATNOT

* Ryan Carey interviews TANA OSHIMA about "her life, her work, her influences, and her aims"

* Sloane Leong interviews PAM-PAM LIU "about her experience being a cartoonist in Taiwan, her autobio comics, and getting too close to the truth."

* Samantha Puc has a really interesting piece up on The MNT titled EXPLORING HYPER-VIGILANCE IN "MOONSTRUCK"

* Zoe D. Smith writes this great piece for WWAC titled 4 COLORISM, OR, THE ASHINESS OF IT ALL.

* There's not a lot of time left to pledge to the 2dCloud KICKSTARTER.

* Melanie Gillman has been posting her CARTOONIST'S DIARY this week.