Comics Alternative

On this week's regular episode, Andy and Derek discuss three new titles. They begin with Shoplifter (Pantheon), the first graphic novel from artist Michael Cho. Among the book's many strengths, the guys highlight Cho's art, the book's monochromatic palette, Cho's narrative pacing, and his characterization. Andy is especially struck by Cho's representation of the advertising world -- having once worked briefly in that field, he can empathize -- and Derek finds the book's greatest strength lying in its handing of social media and interpersonal communications. While there is a danger that the story may veer into the territory of cliched romanticization -- its protagonist, Corinna, wants to get away from it all to become a novelist -- Cho never ultimately takes that direction, making this an impressive debut. Next, the Two Guys look at another new book from Pantheon, Charles Burns's Sugar Skull. This is the third and final work in his recent trilogy, following X'ed Out (2010) and The Hive (2012). On top of Burns'