ICYMI -- Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 10/18/15 to 10/24/15

Debuting a new column here on YCE, inspired by Tom Spurgeon's Random Comics News Story Round-Up over on The Comics Reporter. I just wanted a venue to highlight some great comics criticism being published, as well as other random things that have caught my eye over the past week.

COMICS CRITICISM

* If you haven't had a chance to read Keith Silva's review of Katie Skelly's MY PRETTY VAMPIRE over on Loser City, correct that error right now. This is comics criticism at its finest.

* The New York Times Sunday Book Review put up something called THE COMICS ARTIST CHALLENGE in which a number of cartoonists try to answer the question: "Can the power of graphic storytelling be communicated in one comic panel?" 

* ALWAYS THE SIDE CHARACTER NEVER THE MAIN: INVADER ZIM'S GAZ by Ray Sonne over on Women Write About Comics

* INFLATABLE DOLLS by Kim O'Connor. Women, or the lack thereof, in Adrian Tomine's KILLING AND DYING

* Colin Smith continues his SUPERHERO 101 series. This time looking at The Authority and The Ultimates. Even though I'm no fan of superhero comics, I love reading Smith's erudite enthusiasm.

Fantastic set of interviews with Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba about comics, DAYTRIPPER, and their new book TWO BROTHERS 

OTHER STUFF

* HABIT 2 is available for pre-order from Oily Comics. 52 pages of madness from Josh Simmons and collaborators!

* TWO FLASHES: A COMPARISON AND THE TIME IN BETWEEN by T.E. Cowell -- a couple of flash fiction pieces about those pivotal junctions in life.

* FOUR WAYS SANDERS IS A BETTER CANDIDATE THAN CLINTON by the poet Okla Elliott -- when poets start covering politics, you know shit is real.

* VOTE GOAT.

* RJ Casey writes about the artist MISAKI KAWAI.

* Gustave Dore's illustrations for Dante's INFERNO.