Mr. Vertigo

Fall Through
Nate Powell
Abrams ComicArts, 2024

Cartoonist Nate Powell’s 2008 graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won Ignatz and Eisner awards. More recently, he illustrated the March trilogy, an autobiographical series written by U.S. Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, which received the 2016 National Book Award, making Powell the first cartoonist to receive the award. This graphic novel about an underground punk band caught in the time loop of an eternally repeating tour is a very different subject–one which is personal for Powell, a rock musician in his younger days. The band Diamond Mine seemed to have emerged in 1979 as Arkansas’s first punk band. But the quartet is revealed to be interdimensional travelers from 1994, guided—mainly against their will—by vocalist Diana’s powerful spell embedded in their song “Fall Through.” The mechanics of it are frequently murky. But the narrative excels in depicting a struggling rock band’s life on the road and the powerful bonds forged in punk rock society. As a former rock musician, I strongly related to these story aspects. I wish the time-travel elements had been easier to follow (although that tends to be a problem anytime time travel is involved).

I Hate Fairyland Vol. 6: Last Gert Standing
Skottie Young, creator & writer; Brett Bean, artist; Jean-Francois Beaulieum, colorist
Image Comics, 2024

Gert is still stuck in Fairyland. New King Cloudeus is determined to finish what his sister Queen Cloudia never could: kick Gert out of Fairyland FOR GOOD! And the only way to do that is have every Gert who ever lived battle each other to the death. Gert has demonstrated an ability to kill everyone she meets, so the king is convinced that only other Gerts could kill her. Hence the time-travel smashup, which does lead to the titular Last Gert Standing. Of course things go wrong for her anyway, because this is still I Hate Fairyland. But she is reminded of her old companion Duncan Dragon. Who has changed during his stay in Fairyland, and is now in New Goth City, working for the witch Terribellla. Reconnecting with Duncan proves complicated, requiring Gert to travel to The Prison to convince Queen Cloudia to provide Duncan with the map and escape key that he should have received  when entering Fairyland. She agreed to do that, but in the end she pulled a switch. Plenty of twists for the next installment.