Category Archives: Book Reviews

WINK Review: Remembered for a While

When English singer/songwriter/musician Nick Drake tragically died in 1974 (ironically from an overdose of anti-depressant medication), he was not tremendously well-known. But in death, his hauntingly beautiful compositions have transformed him into a highly influential musical figure who’s inspired generations of musical artists. In Remembered for a While, his sister, Gabrielle Drake (perhaps best knownContinue reading “WINK Review: Remembered for a While”

WINK Review: The Think The Book

WINK is a site that’s dedicated to the unique and glorious qualities of the print book. Similarly, The Thing The Book celebrates all aspects of this amazing medium that revolutionized the world. Created by John Herschend and Will Rogan, the Bay Area artists behind one of my favorite subscription-based art projects, The Thing Quarterly, TheContinue reading “WINK Review: The Think The Book”

WINK Review: Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia

We all know the multimedia artistic brilliance of pioneering New Wave band Devo. And many of us know that Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh is an artist who works in other media. But even other moderately devoted fans such as myself may be surprised to realize just how multiple Mothersbaugh’s artistic talents are, how persistent, orContinue reading “WINK Review: Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia”

WINK Review: Beyond The Dark Veil

My most recent WINK review, of a book of Victorian post-mortem photography is now live. Beyond the Dark Veil is a handsome new volume from Washington state’s Thanatos Archive, published by Last Gasp (perfect casting there!), exploring this fascinating, now seemingly macabre death practice. This is a gorgeously-produced hardbound volume with an embossed, gold-foiled blackContinue reading “WINK Review: Beyond The Dark Veil”

WINK Review: The Wrenchies

It’s hard to describe The Wrenchies. It’s a gorgeously drawn and colored 304-page graphic novel that takes place in several time periods (including a post-apocalyptic, post-adult future). The Wrenchies is a comic book within the comic book, about a group of young crusaders out to save the world. And there are the future Wrenchies andContinue reading “WINK Review: The Wrenchies”

WINK Review: What It Is

My latest WINK review is for Lynda Barry’s bizarre and wonderful writing workshop in a dream-like book, What It Is. This densely collaged book is utterly uncategorizable – so many modes of expression are at work here: a textbook/workbook on inspiring creative writing and cultivating creativity of all kinds, a comic-memoir of Barry’s personal strugglesContinue reading “WINK Review: What It Is”

WINK Review: Beautiful Darkness

My review this week was for the lovely and intense “anti-fairly tale, Beautiful Darkness, by French comics writer Fabien Vehlmann and the husband and wife artist team Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset (known together as Kerascoët): Beautiful Darkness begins at a lovely tea party with a Princess-like Aurora entertaining her would-be paramour, the dashing, princelyContinue reading “WINK Review: Beautiful Darkness”

WINK Review: Bomb Run

My latest review is for a lovely collection of 1950s-era war comics by Mad magazine’s Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Will Elder: Originally appearing in Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat in the early 50s, the comics in this collection were rather radical for their time. Even though they were war stories, created to appeal toContinue reading “WINK Review: Bomb Run”

WINK Review: The Sacrificial Universe

For this week’s WINK review, I take a trip into David Chaim Smith’s The Sacrificial Universe: The Sacrificial Universe contains 45 stunning drawings of mesmerizing complexity and strangeness. Most of them are full-size, with a number as dramatic fold-out diptychs, triptychs, and even a quadriptych. The production is high-quality, art-book level. The text in SacrificialContinue reading “WINK Review: The Sacrificial Universe”