NOW #2: The New Comics Anthology by Eric Reynolds


NOW #2: The New Comics Anthology
Title : NOW #2: The New Comics Anthology
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1683960769
ISBN-10 : 9781683960768
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 128
Publication : First published January 2, 2018

The second issue of Now (see page 2 for the first issue) showcases a cover by digital artist Robert Beatty, as well as over 100 pages of all new short fiction by a host of established and upcoming talent, including: Canadian artist and musician Nick Thorburn (of the bands Unicorns and Islands); Spanish cartoonist Roberta Scomparsa, making her English language debut; Crickets cartoonist Sammy Harkham; Dutch cartoonist Tobias Schalken; Los Angeles graphic novelist Graham Chaffee (Good Dog, To Have and To Hold); plus several other surprises to be announced. Now is not just a collection of new comics, it’s a showcase of the diversity of talent in today’s golden age of cartooning.

NOW #2: The New Comics Anthology Reviews

  • Derek Royal

    I appreciated the stories in the last half more than I did those in the first half. However, I need to go back and reread to get a more complete sense of this collection. This one didn’t resonate with me in ways that the first volume did...but again, another reading may have me feeling differently.

  • Tom

    A second strong collection of new comics from Fantagraphics--a welcome replacement for Mome.

  • Jason

    Even when I don't get what's going on, the artwork is still interesting and there's so much variety. Really enjoying this series so far. This was even a little better than the first.

  • Eric

    This was ok, but too many directionless or anticlimactic stories mish-mashing half baked ideas. A fair amount of predictability in substance as well. I've noticed that the current generation of cartoonists doesn't seem to recognize the value of wit as much, which can compensate for a lot when a cartoonist is weak in other areas. It seems the goal in this particular issue is to be different, but not necessarily good.

  • Jordan

    A bit boring, unfortunately. Dash Shaw, James Turek and the single page from Sammy Harkham were the highlights. The rest wasn't bad but it really wasn't compelling. Cliche psychedelia, boring historical pieces, etc.

  • Karl

    This is somewhat of a Version 2.0 of Fantagraphics critically acclaimed anthology series MOME. Similar idea of showcasing mostly unknown artists in an inexpensive collection. And like MOME, I loved the majority of the contributions with only a couple of clunkers.

    The highlights for me were Susan Jonaitis and Graham Chaffee’s incredible “Sharpshooter”. Ariel Lopez V’s “A Perfect Triangle” and Anuj Stestha’s “National Bird”.

    Well established artists Sammy Harkham, Joseph Remnant, and Dash Shaw make appearances here. The strongest of the three was Remnant’s “Photo Case”. In my opinion, this story was a marked improvement in storytelling over his recently released Cartoon Clouds (Fantagraphics) book. Of note, the Remnant piece was also the strongest artwork in this volume.

    Having read NOW #1 I can confidently say that this series is on a strong path to establishing itself as a comparable anthology series to Kramer’s Ergot or The Best American Comics series.

  • Jude

    I enjoyed this graphic novel. It was a little odd and I didn't really understand some of the stories. That was compensated by the art however, the feeling of intrigue that loomed over me as I went through the pages.

  • Comics Alternative


    http://comicsalternative.com/episode-...

  • Molly

    Fantagraphics has a real knack for identifying great talent.

  • Grg

    No masterpieces like in the first issue, but still a very strong collection of short comics.

  • Harris

    I discuss Fantagraphics' Now: New Comics anthology series in this entry of
    Harris' Tome Corner.

  • tinaathena

    Not my fave of these but best cover so far