Tag: Joshua Barkman

WWW Wednesday – July 16, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Yikes, I’m only just realizing how I missed two whole weeks of these. Two weeks ago I just hadn’t felt I had enough to write about, and last week I was vacationing at a cottage. At any rate, there have been a lot of changes in that time. First and foremost, I’ve been reading Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson, the third novel in the Trickster trilogy. Though I liked the previous book well, I am especially enjoying this one. Trickster Drift slowed things down a bit as Jared struggled with settling into a new place with unfamiliar family and his commitment to sobriety, so there was a subtle atmosphere of suspense, which erupted at the conclusion of that book. This book has continued the trajectory, and I’m really enjoying the domino effect as the fallout continues. I’m only about 120 pages in, which isn’t nothing, but I should be further along since it’s been a couple weeks, I’m just not very good at reading on vacation.

Recently Finished

Likely about three weeks ago now, I finished reading Curses by George Wylesol, a book collecting various surreal comic book works by the author from over the years. Many of them didn’t have much of a narrative to speak of and were very abstract, so my mileage varied a little. The final story involving ghostly possession, prophecy, and the end of the world in a deeply strange town was a lot of fun, though, and I really appreciate this author’s unique visual style that is really unlike anything else I see in comics right now, so I can’t help but be fond of this. I do want to track down another of his books that seems more singularly focused though, as I think I’ll like that more.

This week I read through Ew, It’s Beautiful, the new False Knees comic collection by Joshua Barkman. It’s not really a narrative thing, so I don’t have much to say except I was delighted as usual by the strips, both old and new, and continue to love the art, which is beautifully realistic but somehow just as evocative as a cartoon.

Reading Next

I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to read next. This month’s theme at a monthly book mixer I go to is pirates, so I was thinking of reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, but with the pace I’ve been going at this week I’m not sure I can actually get to it in time, as I don’t want to shelve Return of the Trickster to do it. We’ll see where things take me.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – June 25, 2025

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www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Once again, I am between books. Work has been whooping my butt a bit this week so far too.

Recently Finished

Over the past week, finishing on Sunday, I read through all of The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman, a graphic novel I honestly should’ve read years ago, as it feels like one of the biggest pieces of required reading in the medium. The book details the author’s father’s experiences in Poland leading up to and during World War II and his persecution at the hands of the Nazis. The people are all drawn as anthropomorphic animals (Jewish people are mice, Germans are cats, Polish people are pigs, etc.) in a style reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, but in its abstraction of this heavy subject it manages to be both haunting and full of raw humanity, depicting the horrors of the Holocaust in a way impossible to ignore yet not so grisly as to be an unpalatable reading experience. The frame narrative, depicting Art’s conversations with his father about his experiences during the war, wonderfully complimented the core story as well, making the book not just about history but the rippling effects upon those who endure it.

Reading Next

I have a few things lined up that I want to read through soon. First is Curses by George Wylesol, a book I request for the library back in February that finally arrived recently. Though I still have a bit of time on my loan, somebody else has already reserved it after me, so I want to make sure I read it promptly. I also want to start reading Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson soon too, but I think I’ll make sure I’m done with Curses first. Lastly, I just got a copy of Ew, It’s Beautiful by Joshua Barkman, the latest collection of False Knees comics, and I’d really like to give it a read-through in the near future as well, especially as I expect it won’t take me very long.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – April 16, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m still making my way through The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett, and I’m really surprised at how slow progress has been, what with how heavy it is on illustrations. It almost feels like a hybrid between a graphic novel and a novel, though it obviously leans much more toward the latter. I have had a bit less reading time this past week or so, however, as I haven’t even had a chance to read more of it since Friday. This is considered a Rincewind novel, but it really feels more like an ensemble. I really enjoyed a recent scene where he talks with Corporal Carrot, as I don’t believe they’ve ever crossed paths before; the main characters typically keep to their one sub-series rather than getting involved in the same ordeals. Their interaction was especially funny because it’s essentially a meeting of opposites, one being the ultimate pessimist and the other a determined optimist.

Recently Finished

Yesterday, I read through Life After Life by Joshua Barkman, the artist behind the False Knees web comics. This is the latest book collecting his “Kneesvember” comics, where he draws and posts a portion of the comic every day throughout the month of November. It’s a straightforward little tale about three chickadees in Montreal after humanity has died out for unknown reasons, embarking on a quest to find peanuts, a food they were only ever given by humans. It was a delightful little odyssey full of humour, peril, and heart. I have a particular affection for it because at the conservation area where I go for a weekly walk, I often hand-feed the chickadees, which are the very same species as the ones depicted here, I believe. Rest assured, when I feed them peanuts again I will be thinking of Pips, Fuzzie, and Patches.

Reading Next

I was considering buying this book, but as it turns out, Uncanny: The Origins of Fear by Junji Ito was available at the library, so I decided to just borrow it instead. Unlike typical Ito books, this is autobiographical, which is why it captured my interest better than yet more collections of his work, which I’ve been bit burnt out on for a while now. All the same, I’m looking forward to gaining more insight into his creative process and influences. I’ve still got a reservation on A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers coming in soon too, which I will start after I finish The Last Hero.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – May 22, 2024

RyanLeave a comment
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

RoadsidePicnicThough I’m not nearly as far along as I feel I should be, I’ve gotten a little over a quarter of the way into Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. I could have talked about this book a little last week, but I didn’t feel that I’d gotten far enough into it to give many impressions. So far, I’m enjoying it pretty well; it’s making for easier reading compared to my last book, which is weird considering this is a Russian science fiction book and not an English children’s book, and it also has a different feel in terms of style that I attribute to it being a translated text. In contrast to a lot of other science fiction, I like how much this one feels like humanity is groping blindly at trying to understand advanced alien artifacts; even the institute that the protagonist works at is largely at a loss. Typically, the trope is that uncovering alien tech jumps us forward, so it’s refreshing to see humanity more humbled by it.

Recently Finished

WovenSince my last post I read Woven by Joshua Barkman, his latest self-published book collecting the comics he released online every day in November of 2023. I actually read this one before the 15th, but I was a little busy and decided to put off talking about it until I could write a more substantial post. Technically, this is my second time reading this story, but it was nice to go through it in one sitting collected together like this. Though these books have consistently told stories about wildlife in a fairly realistic art style, I really appreciate how Barkman has adopted different visual styles with each project; the muted blue and the red contrast really well with each other. It’s also a nice little story about creativity and struggling with discouragement and embracing your passion.

Reading Next

I’m not really sure what I’m going to start next, even as far as comics go, though I’m always giving myself grief about that. I did, however, finally finish my review of Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh, which I finished reading all the way back in March. I don’t know what’s wrong with me that it took me so long, but I’m glad it’s finally done. Other than that, I just want to focus on what I’m reading right now so that I don’t end up taking too long again.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – June 28, 2023

RyanLeave a comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Jurassic ParkI’m still chipping away at Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, but I’m thinking I will likely have it done by next week’s post. The raptors are now running amok around the park, quickly making themselves the most horrifying natural force on the island. I did find it a little funny though how the electric fences were off for hours, which the characters didn’t realize, and that is how the raptors got out, but nobody noticed that either nor did we hear of any attacks until after they finally did learn of this oversight. I’m probably just nit-picking, but it felt a little too coincidental all the same. The bigger tyrannosaur spent a great deal of time menacing Grant and the kids too, which I enjoyed as a possible nod to the creature potentially having a more focused intelligence.

Recently Finished

SporesAs I suggested I might, I failed to get myself to read The Yellow Wallpaper since last week. However, I did finally make myself read my physical copy of Spores by Joshua Barkman, which I went through in a sitting last night. It’s such a nice little story about creatures gaining a fleeting yet deeper understanding and appreciation for each other, and the art is just gorgeous. It coincidentally hits close to home for me too, as the wildlife depicted is reflective of what I often encounter on my weekly hikes, especially the black-capped chickadees, which I have become especially fond of. I’ve heard this book has been nominated for an Eisner award too; I hope it wins.

Reading Next

I don’t quite have any concrete plans for what I want to read next, but I ought to make up my mind soon if I really am finishing Jurassic Park within the next week.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – April 19, 2023

RyanLeave a comment
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

American PsychoProgress with American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis continues to be slow but steady; the story has reached a specific murder victim that I distinctly recall seeing clips of from the film, so I believe this one will have consequences for Patrick finally. I’m most curious about it because his motivations seem to be different than his typical victims, but they have been elusive to me. Perhaps I missed something, but I’m hoping it’s just something that gets revealed more later on. My feelings are becoming quite pointedly mixed while reading this. There’s no denying Ellis’s skill as an author, and I don’t hate reading it necessarily, but I feel like this book is really hard to recommend, and sometimes I feel like I’m tolerating it more than anything else. I suppose my interest was always more academic anyway, but I do wish there was something that I could say I actually love about this book.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

SporesThis week I received a copy of a self-published book by Joshua Barkman, a web comic artist I follow, called Spores, so there’s a good chance I’ll be reading that soon. I’ve read it before, as these were published first on Instagram last October, but I enjoyed the little story so much at the time that I’m happy to read it again as a book. I’m still feeling pretty committed to rereading Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton next, though I’ve still got a lot of American Psycho ahead of me. I’m quite ready to move on from it though, so I should perhaps refocus my efforts.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – March 2, 2022

Ryan3 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Unfortunately, I somehow completely neglected to read any of The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett this past week. Better luck next this coming week, hopefully.

Milk and HoneyI did however start reading Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, which is a collection of poetry. I’d never read any of their work before, but I’m trying to get myself to read more poetry on occasion and something about this book caught my eye. The results from reading Hope is the Thing with Feathers were pretty bad, as I wound up taking half a year to read the whole thing, blitzing through more than half of it at the end of December, but I think that had more to do with my ability to appreciate Emily Dickinson’s writing. When reading hers, I would often read without retaining meaning, though this varied from poem to poem. Kaur’s poems being modern and written in free verse are allowing me to appreciate this book a lot more.

Recently Finished

Hop!Over the weekend I read through Hop! by Joshua Barkman, an independently published little graphic novel by the artist behind the False Knees web comics. It’s not very long and I’d read it all previously when the pages were first posted as part of Inktober in 2021, but I loved going through it again all put together like this. It’s essentially a story about two crows taking a walk through the streets of Montreal, and it’s full of fun little gags, misadventures, and an effective amount of heart. I really love this artist’s work because the illustrations beautifully render the wildlife they depict, making them a pleasure to look at, but they’re also really funny and evocative despite the art style not being more abstract.

Reading Next

I’m still planning to read A Black and Endless Sky by Matthew Lyons next, but it’s still looking a ways off before I start it. I really need to get in gear with what I’m currently reading. My next graphic novel is still up in the air, as I may not start a new one in the coming week to focus more on The Last Continent.

WWW Wednesday – November 13, 2019

Ryan2 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Dreams of Terror and DeathI’m still in the thick of Dreams of Terror and Death by H. P. Lovecraft, though I got over a significant hump the other day. After a long series of really short stories I got to “The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath,” which as far as I’m aware is one of the better known stories in the Dream Cycle. It’s a strange, often fantastical odyssey that main character Randolph Carter takes through the dream lands of earth, with many callbacks to previous stories. I enjoyed it, but it was also quite an undertaking. This is weird to remark for a story under 100 pages, but it does drag a smidge. The ideas are really good, but I’ve heard many authors say that he’s not the best of storytellers and even though I’ve read some of his stuff before without much issue, I’m really feeling it in this book. It also had no section or chapter breaks, which is a pet peeve of mine, though I’ll not fault him for my idiosyncrasies.

Recently Finished

False KneesOver the weekend I read through False Knees: An Illustrated Guide to Animal Behavior by Joshua Barkman. There’s always a small part of me that questions buying a collection like this, since many of the strips I’ve read as web comics before getting them collected in a book. I mostly bought it to support an artist I really enjoy, but I sincerely enjoyed actually reading through this book too. I love how realistic his art style is, especially in how he also manages to evoke human emotions so strongly with these animals. It’s got me looking at another collection of web comics I bought more for support that I really ought to just sit down and read through as well.

Reading Next

StardustIt’s really getting to that point in the year where I realize I’m probably only going to finish a few more books before the new year, and I’ve got more books left on my scrappy to-read list than I think I can finish. I still intend to read Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, but I want to plan a little past that too. Looking my list over, I’m realizing a lot of the books are newer to my collection, while a few I should have gotten to years ago. With that in mind, a near-future read ought to be Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I’ve had that book for many years, and it’s the last of my Gaiman backlog.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – November 6, 2019

Ryan14 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Dreams of Terror and DeathI’m making my way through Dreams of Terror and Death by H. P. Lovecraft now, the last holdout of my Halloween reads. I barely started it before the holiday, but I’m committed enough to read through it nonetheless. I’m enjoying the stories well enough so far, though his writing style occasionally requires me to re-read a passage to make sure I understood what I read. He’s heavy on description, yet vague on the details, if that makes sense. The last story I finished was “The Nameless City” and while I got fairly swept away by the concept, I’m not really sure how it ended. Apparently, I’m not the only one either, as searching online has revealed other people unsure as well, who have an array of interpretations. Oh, Lovecraft.

Recently Finished

Little HeavenOver the weekend I finally finished Little Heaven by Nick Cutter, which I really enjoyed. It’s honestly a fantastic horror novel, I only wish I hadn’t been so slow getting through it. I won’t belabor the point anymore, but I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately. I should have a review up soon, at any rate. What helped cinch my esteem for the book was the way it ended. I enjoyed the way the story developed, but was wary of where everything was headed; the influence behind the nightmarish creatures, misery, and madness. Ancient, unknowable evil is well-tread ground in horror, after all (see above), so I was worried at how that would end up playing out. Simply put, I loved it. Not wholly original, but well executed all the same.

Immortal Hulk Hulk in HellI also read volumes two and three of The Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing et al. These books are a wonderfully thoughtful exploration of the Hulk as a character, thanks especially to the persona the Hulk inhabits in this story. The history of Banner/Hulk’s mental state is long and complicated, and despite the uncanny intelligence of the Hulk in this book it is surprisingly faithful to this history. I also really enjoy just how subtle this series has managed to be about the cosmic horror elements at play. So many cosmic forces are given a face and identity in superhero comics in a way that brings them down to Earth—even the diabolical ones—yet the presence in this series has been surprisingly obscure, despite the characters finding themselves face-to-face with it.

Reading Next

False KneesI’ve discussed my Star Wars related reading plans for the near future already, but as a nice light read to shine onto the dreary Lovecraft I’ll be absorbing for the next little bit I’ve decided to start reading my copy of False Knees: An Illustrated Guide to Animal Behavior by Joshua Barkman. I’ve followed the online comic strips for a while now and when I heard he had a book coming out I jumped on a pre-order. I picked it up in mid-October and it’s high time I read through it as a nice little detour.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.