★★★★★

Ginseng Roots is a remarkable blend of personal memoir and deeply researched reportage, offering both an intimate portrait of Craig Thompson’s upbringing and a rich exploration of the cultural, historical, and economic significance of ginseng. It balances emotional resonance with an almost journalistic depth of information, creating a work that is as enlightening as it is personal. In many ways, this feels like Thompson’s most accomplished and mature project to date—an evolution of his storytelling that demonstrates both artistic and intellectual growth.

★★★☆☆

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird broadened the reach of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise by licensing the characters to Archie Comics. This collaboration produced a more family-friendly, PG-rated interpretation of a property that had originally emerged from the grittier, near R-rated tone of the 1980s black-and-white independent comics boom. Rather than mirroring the darker, more satirical edge of the original series, the Archie comics closely aligned with the animated television show that premiered around the same time. The result was a lighthearted and energetic take on the Turtles, featuring self-contained, episodic adventures filled with humor, eccentric villains, and playful action. While lacking the thematic depth and subversive qualities of the source material, this iteration offered a fun, accessible entry point for younger readers and helped solidify the Turtles’ place in mainstream pop culture.

Embarrassing or unwinding?

Even if it isn’t the most “constructive” or “serious” form of reading I could engage with at the end of the day, it brings me genuine joy.

Searching for more of Vivienne Medrano’s content post-binging Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, I discovered Medrano’s unfinished webcomic Zoo Phobia. Reading what exists of the series reminded me of something fundamental yet often overlooked: the profound influence of classic cartoons on the language of comics.

In an age when comics history is still being rediscovered, Winner’s name deserves to be spoken alongside the greats of his time.

★★★★☆

This is the kind of book which is a lot of fun from the whimsical fantasy setting, the wonderful color work reminiscent of classic Disney movies, to the fully realized romantic elements of the story.