Comics Worth Reading is the longest-running independent review site online that covers all genres of comic books, including graphic novels, indy, alternative, manga, superheroes, and mainstream. We aim to inform the reader looking for honest opinions on good reads and update daily.

Johanna Draper Carlson

I’ve been reviewing comics for twenty years and running Comics Worth Reading since 1999. I also have a Master of Arts degree in Popular Culture, focusing on online fandom and the portrayal of hackers in popular culture. My credits include:

• Graphic Novel and Manga Reviewer, Publishers Weekly, 2003 – present
• Comic Book Columnist, Hogan’s Alley, 2008 – 2010
• Columnist, “Graphic Novels Worth Owning”, Comics Unlimited, 2003 – 2009
• Co-host, Manga Out Loud podcast
• Judge, Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics, 2007-2008
• Judge, Glyph Comics Awards, 2007, honoring the best in black comic books and creators
• Contributor, The Savage Critics, 2007-2008
• Contributing Writer, PiQ Magazine, 2008
• Contributor, The Comics Journal #269
• Submissions Editor, Saucy Goose Press, Smut Peddler, 2003-2005, 2011-2012
• Contributing Editor, Comicology, 2000-2001
• Online Editor/Webmaster, DC Comics, 1996-1997
• Contributor, The Guide to United States Popular Culture

Please email me with comments or questions. Read this link for information on submitting review copies.

KC Carlson

KC and Johanna

KC Carlson has been working in comics since 1972, where, as a teenager, he stripped the covers off unsold comics to return to the publishers for a local magazine distributor. Since then, he has worked for DC Comics (as editor on The Legion of Super-Heroes, Zero Hour, and Superman), the mail-order subscription service Westfield Company, Capital City Distribution, and several retail comic shops, continuing to destroy comics at every step. He also once worked as a “pooper-scooper” for a dog show. (Guess which one paid better?)

KC also writes for the Westfield Comics site. Links to his writing can be found in the KC category (feed) at this site.

KC and Johanna have been married since 1999. They met at a comic book convention and share a love of the Legion and the Monkees, among many other things.

Ed Sizemore

Ed says, “I started reading comics in my early youth. My only claim to fame as a writer is having four letters printed in the fan mail column of Arion, Lord of Atlantis. I quit reading comics when I joined the Navy after high school and didn’t rediscover them until about ten years ago. At the same time, I was beginning to explore a then-little-known art form called anime. A couple of years later, I read my first manga. Currently, I read mostly manga but make an exception for people like Steve Ditko, Mike Mignola, Ted Naifeh, and Josh Howard. My favorite manga artists are Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Phoenix, Black Jack), Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku), and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina, Negima). I’m also very interested in academic writings about anime and manga.”

Ed wrote for Manga Worth Reading from 2007-2011. View all of Ed’s contributions to this site. He occasionally writes about other subjects at his blog and podcasts regularly at Manga Out Loud.

Rob Vollmar

Rob contributed manga reviews from March 2007 – May 2008.

Rob is a writer of and about comics and manga from Norman, Oklahoma. Rob writes commentary and reviews for magazines like The Comics Journal and World Literature Today as well as having authored manga columns such as “The Occidental Tourist” (Ninth Art) and “International Geographic” (Comic Book Galaxy). His favorite contemporary manga-ka include Moyoco Anno, Naoki Urasawa, and Matsuri Akino but if anyone ever drew more fabulously than Kyoko Ariyoshi, he hasn’t seen it yet.

Rob created and wrote The Castaways and Bluesman, as well as the webcomic Inanna’s Tears. He manages a direct market comics shop (Atomik Pop! Norman branch). For more information on his tastes, view his recommendations of seven classic manga.