Shane White’s Things Undone has an excellent review to its credit in the influential Booklist:
“This indie graphic novel has high appeal, especially for Rick’s peers. His gradual zombification is slyly funny without becoming grotesque.”
Booklist

And SF Site has put Geary’s latest Famous Players in its top ten list. The paperback of this is just out!

“Riveting. The emotions that drive this graphic novel make it a genuine page-turner with a satisfying conclusion. With admiration for Kleid’s riveting story and Cinquegrani’s deft realization of the characters and locations with which he has brought that story to life, The Big Kahn earns the full five out of five Tonys. It’s a masterpiece.”

Comic Mix on Rall’s Year of Loving Dangerously:

“Much of the strength in this remarkable account comes from Pablo G Callejo’s artwork. The Spanish artist keenly captures the look and feel of New York City during the go-go Reagan years. His people are wonderfully varied and his attention to detail is excellent, from clothing to color. His artwork is ideally suited for this cautionary tale and made reading it a lot easier.
This is an important work in that it lays bare a man’s life and shows how easily things can go awry and why society needs safety nets.”

Susan Boslough of Playbackstl, provides an interesting insight on Rick Geary’s Famous Players:

“Geary provides a nice overview of the case as well as sketching in some background about early Hollywood, and he has the dramatist’s instinct for maintaining the reader’s interest by carefully timing the release of crucial information.
Each chapter of Famous Players is introduced by a “Stars of the Photoplay” image of a famous actor of the day, one of which has a notable connection with Taylor. Gloria Swanson’s greatest creation, Norma Desmond, was named after William Desmond Taylor and Mabel Normand. The name was aptly chosen, as Desmond’s fictional life in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard encompasses the glory days of the silents while coming to a conclusion even more lurid than anything in either Taylor’s or Normand’s careers.”

And by the way, Famous Players just shipped its paperback edition at $9.95, in time for Xmas!

Seattle’s The Stranger on Vatican Hustle by Greg Houston:

“What’s the art look like? It’s kind of Ralph Steadman-y. Nice and messy and whorl-y. I like it a lot.
Do you recommend it? Yes. Blaxploitation parodies are definitely played out, but Houston has an alternative enough edge to his work that this book is visually and structurally interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing more work by him.”

They also reviewed Things Undone by Shane White and while they liked the art, thought it came up short, alas.

School Library Journal pipes in on Geary‘s latest entry to his increasingly popular Treasury of Murder:

“Geary shows how the real people living the Hollywood dream might not have always been what they wanted others to believe. Clothing, hairstyles, and architecture give readers a “you are there” sense, as does the action, which is seen by a somewhat distant observer. An excellent way to introduce teens to the establishment of pop-culture iconography.”

And Comic Book Resources’ Robot 6 has an interview of him about this as well as his recent bio of Trotsky.

The main attraction: Royo’s best-selling Malefic collection (50,000 sold) back in a revised, augmented beautiful clothbound edition:

MALEFIC
LUIS ROYO
One of the best-selling collections of fantasy art by Royo is back in print sprinkled with all-new work. Royo scintillates again in a handsome library-worthy edition.
81/2 x 101/2, 96pp., full color jacketed hardcover: $32.99
ISBN 978-1-56163-572-6; see more by Royo

A new Naomi Nowak graphic novel:

GRAYLIGHT
Naomi NOWAK
A promise made decades ago could suddenly be fulfilled, endangering the life of a girl, trying her friendships and confusing her suitors. A semi-conscious love triangle ensues in twilit northern forests. Obsession, overprotection and the hunger for everything to be in it’s right place – rules of the game, set to a backdrop of arctic summer.
5 x 71/2, 144pp., full color trade pb.: $12.95
ISBN 978-1-56163-567-2; see previews
Here’s what the press had to say of her previous two books, Unholy Kinship and House of Clay:
“Gorgeously rendered. The surreal art is lovely.” -The Onion
“For anyone reminiscing about Neil Gaiman’s sense of fantasy or looking for someone with a little “what if…” this is a comic book artist worth watching for.” -Feminist Review
“Nowak is clearly a talent who will bear watching. She creates several interesting characters, knows how to establish a strong premise, and she’s not afraid to follow a number of intersecting story lines. Most importantly, she is completely fearless about describing her character’s difficult emotional states.”
-Publishers Weekly
“Nowak blends linework and color to establish significant emotional moods, and her often fragmented pages support her story of broken relationships and dissolving mental states. At its end, this is a frightening tale of losing touch with reality, well illustrated by a promising talent. “ -Comicsworthreading.com

Finally, Rick Geary’s latest, “Famous Players”, will be available in paperback:

A Treasury of XXth Century Murder:
FAMOUS PLAYERS
The Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor
Rick GEARY
NOW IN PAPERBACK! It’s the early days of Hollywood, movies are just starting to come of their own and gain in popularity. New Stars are made. The movies are still silent but their stars certainly are not, in the scandal sheets. Amidst this new boiling cauldron, William Desmond Taylor, a successful director at the ‘upscale’ Famous Players Studio is found shot in his home.. Could it have been the star Mary Miles Minter or a former butler? But then, what about that strange past Taylor had? Another delectable mystery as only Geary can tell ‘em!
“A compelling tale full of jealousy, hatred, loyalty and a murderer who walked away from the crime.” -VOYA
“His quirky b&w ink drawings are full of expression, recalling the melodrama of silent films.” -Publishers Weekly
“Geary’s detailed pen-and-ink line provides a wonderful sense of nostalgia and time gone by.” -Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading
“He knows how to tell and show a tale that will captivate your interest. 5 out of 5 stars.” -Jazma Online
“Batting a thousand, so to speak, Geary gives us another ideal first look on a legendary homicide.” -Booklist
6×9, 80p., B&W, trade pb., $9.95,
ISBN 978-1-56163-559-7; see previews

Then, Eurotica will have (sorry can’t show the cover):

BARBARIAN CHICKS & DEMONS, Vol. 2
HARTMANN
More tales from the medieval ages starring women warriors way too hot for vigorous action, sword and sorcery awash with hot sex. Beautifully painted, from Spain and with a dash of humor.
81/2 x 11, 48pp., full color trade pb., $11.95, ISBN 978-156163-574-0
To see more go to Eurotica and then the Coming Up page.

“No one does murder like Rick Geary. He is one of the quiet treasures of comics, and Famous Players is another great book – a wry, thoughtful, meticulously researched investigation into an intriguing historical mystery, enlivened by his always perfectly-worded narration and his wonderfully evocative art.”

Of Famous Players by Geary:

“A compelling tale full of jealousy, hatred, loyalty and a murderer who walked away from the crime.”

of Why I Killed Peter:

“Thought-provoking, difficult to put down. It deals with a controversial subject in a unique and absorbing way. The artwork illustrates the tale beautifully, almost poetically.”

of Mijeong:

“The stories are unique and powerful on their own, but together they create a solid theme for the collection. Although this title is definitely for comic readers who enjoy more literary quality in their sequential artwork, it has a larger appeal than the typical literary graphic novel. High school teens and adults will find inspiration here.”

Booklist reviews our Bringing Up Father collection:

“One of the most popular and longest-running comic strips. Soon, McManus  would develop into one of the funnies’ leading stylists.”

And Publishers Weekly this week says of Geary’s new Famous Players:

“His quirky b&w ink drawings are full of expression, recalling the melodrama of silent films.”

“Another winning true-crime volume from Rick Geary.  No surprise there, as Geary’s made a long and successful career of this type of comics. 

In addition to presenting all the evidence in a clear and precise narrative, Geary’s art is perfectly suited to this type of factual accounting.  His representational pen-and-ink drawings couch the events in historically accurate and detailed drawings of the world and times of the murder. 

He’s a splendid visual storyteller, moving his “camera” around to capture aspects of a crime scene perfectly.  Hand-drawn diagrams enforce key points, such as the approach the murderer likely took to Taylor’s house or the angle of the bullet when it penetrated the victim’s coat and vest.”

See the complete review on Newsarama. See more information and previews.

On Geary’s latest Famous Players:

“Whodunit? As usual, that’s up to you. Geary never fails to impress and “Famous Players” is just another reason why.”

On our latest Manhwa ‘Mijeong’:

“Overall, I feel Byun is an extraordinary artistic talent, fairly bursting from his studio, whose skills in story construction and characterization are still catching up.”

Smith is syndicated in the Scripps-Howard paper chain.