'90s period pieces, whether in comics or movies, are still fairly rare. Considering that my junior high, high school, and most of my college years were spent in that halcyon decade, I have an endless affinity for artwork that examines that era. So, when the fine folks at Fantagraphics gave me the opportunity to look at Briana Loewinsohn’s latest graphic novel before it hits the shelf at your LCS, I enthusiastically accepted.

The lovely folks at Fantagraphics were kind enough to send me an advance copy of Mathew Klickstein and Rick Geary’s new graphic novel, Daisy Goes to the Moon. I’d say the story itself could be described as an all-ages affair, although the premise has a certain arty intellectualism imbued in its aesthetic. Additionally, the intro and afterword feature some language that is likely to be beyond young readers, including an enthusiastic F-bomb dropped by Klickstein during a recounting of how the project came together.

I first came across comics self-published by Jay B. Kalagayan at a small con around the corner from my house a few years before the pandemic. A vet of the Cincinnati theater and comics scenes, he was branching out into the Columbus area and would soon make a splash by being named the executive director of our burgeoning comics festival, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus. Though he stepped down after the ’23 show, it was during that time that I got better acquainted with the relentless self-starter.