9-7-25 — Christina Critiques (Graphic Novels and More)

And so I begin my second favorite month (first is next month where I review horror movies) GRAPHIC NOVELS! There will be so many different recommendations over all of September so clear a bit of room on that TBR for some illustrated goodness. And along the way, there will be little surprise reviews on some of the collections and novels I can’t wait to share with you!

Why am I still chit chatting? Let’s get into them!

EARLY REVIEW

SONGS OF ENOUGH: An Inferno All My Own

By: Maxwell I Gold

Release: 9/9/25

Page count: 103

KU: TBD Hoopla: TBD

Synopsis: Our narrator takes the reader on a journey from the formation of the starts to the end of time and back again.

First line: “Enough is enough, the song that played ceaselessly the music of spirit-bile again and over with deathful charm.”

Favorite lines: “When hallucinations no longer beguiled the weak minds of the flesh-things/ but were swallowed byte by byte/…”

“This city, built on the margins of my rattled brain,/ it’s foundations planted in scar-tissue,/…”

“Towers of my creation, worlds hewn from the stone of my throbbing imaginative viscera.”

Thoughts: Oh, Maxwell. You make this nerdy old lady’s heart sing. Somehow, your words cast a line when I’m struggling to understand the world around me - you are a poetic lifeguard. Want mythology? Gold’s got you. Relevant social commentary of our political system? Check. Imagery of some of the worst atrocities ever perpetrated? Indeed it’s in this collection. Nods to other poets and poems that came before? Sure enough. Absolutely beautifully and soul-crushing haunting.

Rating: 6/5

Other recommendations: OBLIVION

Pre-order it here: https://www.hippocampuspress.com/other-authors/poetry/songs-of-enough-by-maxwell-i.-gold

ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS #4

By: Deniz Camp

Release: 6/24/25

Page count: 32

KU: No     Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: Mike is realizing that “time flies” will mean more to him that most. What happens or more importantly, what would you miss if time refused to wait for you?

First line: “Time flies.”

Favorite line: “I guess time got away from me.”

Thoughts: This issue hit way too close to home for me. How quickly time can go and you forget to enjoy the moment. Then stress about missing them. It’s also a commentary on even as adults, we still don’t know what the hell we are doing. A definite must read as each issue in this series is a one shot or a stand alone. I can’t wait until the next issue.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other recommendations: Issue #1 & #3

Find it here: https://a.co/d/dCCoKKv

SLEEP - Issue #2

By: Zander Cannon

Release: 6/24/25

Page count: 32

KU: No      Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: Jonathan wakes up in a very delicate situation - next to a dead body. He doesn’t remember anything BUT! There isn’t any blood on him. What is going on?

First line: “What.”

Favorite line: “That’s one fucked-up guardian angel you got.”

Thoughts: Oh, now this is getting interesting. Cannon is starting to give us more little clues and adding in characters. Between Jonathan not remembering anything, someone spray painting his house, his best friend hanging out with his other best friend, oh, and the dead bodies piling up, I am rabid for the next issue. Such a fun and unreliable narrator so far.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other recommendations: Issue #1

Find it here: https://a.co/d/0aNqeZN

NEWS FROM THE FALLOUT - Issue #1

By: Chris Condon

Release: 6/24/25

Page count: 32

KU: No         Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: General McCoy has issued that an atomic bomb be dropped and a ragtag group of privates are the guinea pigs. But classic government shenanigans - there’s an oopsie.

First line: “General McCoy, sir?”

Favorite line: “You must’ve caught the bullshit bug from Private Fallows.”

Thoughts: I LOVE post-apocalyptic stories and military fuck ups. How can you not?! What surprised me was two fold - the slow pace of the first issue (which I feel is 100% intentional) and the gritty, almost difficult art style. I know those sound like negatives but I promise, they aren’t. The art work is reminiscent of the 3D pictures from the 90s, the more you look at it, the more you see the real image or meaning. Stellar start to this series.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: I will continue the series.

Find it here: https://a.co/d/8GrCLjd

THE COLOUR OF SPACE

By: Gou Tanabe

Release: 7/1/25

Page count: 175

KU: No       Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: When a meteorite lands in Ammi’s front yard, he thinks it’s great… until his crops begin to suffer and his house changes.

First line: “But even all of this was not so bad at the blasted heat.”

Favorite line: “Stay away from the light! It ain’t nothin’ of God’s world!”

Thoughts: Tanabe just keeps making me love his work more and more. There are some illustrations that caused me to grimace for a few panels. This manga pulls you in and creeps you out the whole time. Out of the three of his works I have read, this is the current favorite. Perfect from beginning to end.

Rating: 5/5

Find it here: https://a.co/d/64Hlhin