Introduced in 1963, the Doom Patrol was well ahead of its time in mixing mystery and strangeness with superheroes. It's available in other formats, but we like Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani's work in 5 hardback Archive editions. theslingsandarrows.com/the-doom-pat...

X-Men crossovers can be intimidating for the uninitiated, but reading Messiah Complex again after all these years reveals energy and inspiration with previous continuity well explained. theslingsandarrows.com/x-men-milest...

Want to know how #georgelucas brought #starwars to cinema? Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche provide the highs and the lows in Lucas Wars, out this week from @01firstsecond.bsky.social new 23rd Street imprint. theslingsandarrows.com/lucas-wars/

We like the new Second Contact, but the real Lower Decks gem is Warp Your Own Way, a devious puzzle book from @ryannorth.ca and @chrisfenoglio.bsky.social "the gold standard of game and puzzle graphic novels". @idwpublishing.com 2/2 theslingsandarrows.com/star-trek-lo...

If you like the #startreklowerdecks TV show you can't go wring with the graphic novels by @ryannorth.ca. Second Contact is out this week with @jlawrenceart.bsky.social & Derek Charm on art. @idwpublishing.com 1/2 theslingsandarrows.com/star-trek-lo...

No Refuge is Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs' great sequel to No Country, continuing the story of people in the UK forced to flee a civil war. "the three main characters are eminently credible and the suspense is maintained throughout." @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/no-refuge/

Mathematical genius Jack Beans was once a mob accountant. Now he needs to take action. A Calculated Man is unpredictable and funny mayhem from @paultobin.bsky.social and Alberto Alburquerque. theslingsandarrows.com/a-calculated...

Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips + Criminal: The Knives = 5 stars. Out this week from @imagecomics.com Plus we review Cruel Summer as well. @seanphillips.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/criminal-the...

@comicstitan.bsky.social have reissued the emotional horror of Breathtaker by @markwheatley.bsky.social & Marc Hempel in a deluxe edition with 50 pages of new material. "A suspenseful story with sci-fi and horror elements that goes in an unexpected direction". theslingsandarrows.com/breathtaker/

We loved the first volume of Chang Sheng's SF/superhero mash-up Yan, and Vol. 2 builds on that promise. Out this week from @comicstitan.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/yan-vol-2/

InvestiGATORS is always hilarious treat for kids, and adults will have plenty of laughs too. For Case Files @johngreenart.bsky.social is joined by Steve Behling and @chrisfenoglio.bsky.social and you can help solve 6 mysteries. @01firstsecond.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/investigator...

We love the quirky Miss Cat mysteries from Jean-Luc Fromental and Joëlle Jolivet and The Mystery of the Melting Snow continues a good run. "sly sense of humour and creativity delights in every respect". @thamesandhudson.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/miss-cat-the...

Out this week - This Slavery by @rickardsisters.com. It adapts a 1924 novel by social pioneer Ethel Carnie Holdsworth supplying "emotionally strong personalities, well defined surroundings and a real sense of purpose". @selfmadehero.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/this-slavery/

We really like The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley a YA GN by @melissamarrwriting.bsky.social and Jenn St-Onge. "an exhilarating ride exploring love, friendship and putting things right". @princessjem4.bsky.social @dccomics2023.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/the-strange-...

#kalevala inspired #Tolkein to write #LordoftheRings, so why don't more people know it? Start with Sami Makkonen's graphic novel of this Finnish classic from #ABLAZEpublishing theslingsandarrows.com/kalevala-the...

It came out in 2022 but we'd highly recommend The Secret Land by Christofer Emgård and Tomás Aira mixing WWII thrills with romance and horror. "extremely well crafted and ticks every box". @darkhorse.com theslingsandarrows.com/the-secret-l...

Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting has become a classic young adult novel, and K. Woodman-Maynard's beautiful adaptation brings a worthwhile story to a new generation. @fsgbooks.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/tuck-everlas...

Is @mikemignola.bsky.social a storyteller more than a wonderful illustrator? Bowling For Corpses asks that question and it's great. @darkhorse.com theslingsandarrows.com/bowling-with...

Of the 5 Spider-Man graphic novels reviewed today we rate Breakout by @tonybedard.bsky.social and Manuel Garcia the best. theslingsandarrows.com/spider-man-b...

Cassie's rather swamped by her large family, but believes she's going to win the postal sweepstakes. It's a joyful exhortation to children to be themselves from @shannonhale.bsky.social and Marcela Cespedes. theslingsandarrows.com/dream-on/

In the late 1920s Milt Gross and Cliff Sterrett were newspaper strip giants. Now they're only known to enthusiasts. That's plain wrong. Explore the wonder. theslingsandarrows.com/gross-exagge... theslingsandarrows.com/polly-her-pa...

Mike Schwartz collaborated with his children on Water Racers, and the result is a sparkling all-ages adventure. "Original, resolutely good-natured and with widespread appeal". theslingsandarrows.com/water-racers/

We love every volume of Bandette by @paultobin.bsky.social and @colleencoover.bsky.social, so are delighted by The Wedding of B.D. Belgique. Zut Alors! and Sacre Bleu! It's wonderful. @darkhorse.com theslingsandarrows.com/bandette-vol...

The long awaited conclusion to Shiro Kuroi's masterful Leviathan is published in English this week by Kana, the @abramscomicarts.bsky.social manga imprint. Kuroi surprises again, the art is stunning, and the finale lives up to the previous volumes. theslingsandarrows.com/leviathan-3/

Dead Romans is historical adventure, romance and warfare, and we really like it. Thanks @fredkennedy.bsky.social and Nick Marinkovich. theslingsandarrows.com/dead-romans/

Out this week Rat Pack: Convict Commandos. The collection heads straight for the best stuff from Alan Hebden and Eric Bradbury. "packed with action, there’s no formula, and everything rattles along at velocity". @2000ad.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/rat-pack-con...

Today we take a look at Geoff Johns' range of titles, mostly drawn so nicely by Bryan Hitch. We like the controlled sentimentality of Junkyard Joe best. theslingsandarrows.com/junkyard-joe/

We consider Ascender "massively attractive and addictive fantasy", and love all four volumes reviewed today. @jefflemire171.bsky.social and Dustin Nguyen create a world of wonder and terror. theslingsandarrows.com/ascender-vol...

We like Tripping Over You, a light-hearted queer romance set in the final year of school, and already a successful web comic. "funny, heartwarming and character driven", in fact. @01firstsecond.bsky.social @akasuzana.bsky.social @scuftdustbug.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/tripping-ove...

Ionheart is a great first graphic novel. Lukas Kummer begins a fantasy that becomes a complex meditation on what life is and what it’s worth, yet it’s also an extremely creative extrapolation of science-fiction possibilities. @topshelfcomix.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/ionheart/

Drome by @jesselonergan.bsky.social is a meditation on a course humanity might have taken had the gods interfered. Intelligent, amazing art and raising questions, but always also always entertaining. From @01firstsecond.bsky.social new 23rd Street imprint. theslingsandarrows.com/drome/

@thepurpah.bsky.social takes Suitor Armor down a darker path with Vol. 3 out this week, but it's a risk that pays off. "Intrigue, surprise and a constant underlying sense of danger and tension make for the best volume to date". theslingsandarrows.com/suitor-armor...

In Somali and the Forest Spirit Yako Gureishi defies the expectations of manga by providing a largely gentle story of exploration and wonder, beautifully drawn. We like all 3 volumes. @comicstitan.bsky.social @titanmangahq.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/somali-and-t...

Carol Lay warns about the dangers of the present by looking at the future in My Time Machine. "thoughtful and informative" in hoping to persuade people to consider the effects of climate change. @fantagraphics.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/my-time-mach...

You may not have seen In. by New Yorker cartoonist Will McPhail. Take a look. It's a charming look at someone navigating modern life handicapped by being all broadcast with no reception. theslingsandarrows.com/in/

Today we look at all five volumes of Chip Zdarsky's Batman run. We like them. Start with Failsafe. theslingsandarrows.com/batman-fails...

Yukiko Seikei adapts Makoto Shinkai's early heartbreaker 5 Centimeters Per Second beautifully, and includes scenes seemingly cut from the film. theslingsandarrows.com/5-centimeter...

A grandfather finds himself in the world he's been creating in stories each night for his grandchildren. M.D. Ventura and M. Ferraris, deliver charm, joy and adventure in The Land of Unfinished Dreams. @topshelfcomix.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/the-land-of-...

In Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals we're introduced to a young frog revelling in exploration of the unknown world around them. @paigewalshe.bsky.social supplies a world young readers will surely delight in also exploring. @flyingeyebooks.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/froggy-a-pon...

We're revelling in the release of a new Star Cat collection from James Turner and Yasmin Sheikh. Unicorns in Space is delightfully silly and laugh out loud funny. @patchworkofregrets.bsky.social @nerderella.bsky.social @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/star-cat-uni...

Brian K. Vaughan's run on Ultimate X-Men? We'd pick Hard Lessons as the peak. Art from Steve Dillon, Stuart Immonen and Tom Raney. theslingsandarrows.com/ultimate-x-m...

Elizabeth A. Trembley's Look Again deals with trauma, memory suppression and coming to terms with a life disrupted by a shocking incident. "A first rate extrapolation of complex feelings, of what we bury and why". @streetnoisebooks.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/look-again/

On Tyranny is Nora Krug's adaptation of history professor @timothysnyder.bsky.social thoughts on society and how to take lessons from history. Published in 2021, it's ever more relevant. 20 chapters supply warning signs and advice.

Over the next three weeks The Slings and Arrows Graphic Novel Guide won't be updating as regularly. Don't worry, though, there are still 15,000 - that's 15,000 - graphic novel reviews already live. We'll be back to our regular schedule in mid-August.

Want a crime thriller with a horrific twist? Simon Lewis and Chris Geary have produced two, connected. Paramedic Ruth Saran's husband was murdered, and now she discovers the killer. It's tense, and eventually grim. theslingsandarrows.com/flesh-and-bl... theslingsandarrows.com/skin-and-bone/

We really like the work of @kellythompson.bsky.social and review the first three volumes of her Birds of Prey series today. theslingsandarrows.com/birds-of-pre...

We're astounded by the conceptual density of Finder by @carlaspeedmcneil.bsky.social and the best way to experience this thoughtful SF is as four volumes combined in The Finder Library. @darkhorse.com theslingsandarrows.com/the-finder-l...

Bethanie Murguia's Wagnificent: A New Dog in the Den is out this week. It's a second primer explaining dog behaviour to young readers wrapped up in an entertaining story. " Cheery, informative and delightfully drawn". @01firstsecond.bsky.social @aquapup.com theslingsandarrows.com/wagnificent-...

The Great Gatsby vs Godzilla? That's what Tom Scioli provides in Godzilla's Monterpiece Theatre. "It’s a joy, an absolute joy". @idwpublishing.com theslingsandarrows.com/godzillas-mo...

Does a French take on superheroes in 1939 sound interesting? If so we'd recommend the three volumes of The Chimera Brigade from writers Fabrice Colin and Serge Lehmann, drawn by Gess. @comicstitan.bsky.social theslingsandarrows.com/the-chimera-...