Author Jeremy Dauber performs his exhaustive history of comics in America with skill and levity. Dauber speaks in a conversational tone, his love for the medium obvious. The audiobook would be easier to follow with pauses between chapters, but that's a minor criticism. The work is replete with less-than-glamorous stories of the industry, which listeners will find fascinating. Contemporary comics fans may find the first two hours a bit slow, as they focus on comics drawn during the American Civil War. The pace picks up with the 1920s and 1930s and the introduction of familiar characters such as Popeye, Superman, Batman, and Captain America. Dauber takes note of the underground comics of the 1970s and the later independent comics movement, which is still with us.
Pub Date: March 1, 2022
Duration: 17 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Opening with the film-like sounds of a gathering storm at sea and a group of captive African women staging a desperate battle for their freedom, this combined memoir/audio play/graphic novel bursts with energy, inspiration, and little-known historical facts throughout. Based on Rebecca Hall’s pioneering research into women-led slave revolts, the story becomes personal when Hall, portrayed with verve by DeWanda Wise, insists that slavery should be taught as an integral part of American history. Subsequently, she is dismissed from teaching at prestigious law schools and universities until, finally, a high school class, played by the spirited ensemble cast, insists that the truth about Black women, unsung and unnamed, must come out. History should always sound this alive.
Pub Date: June 17, 2022
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781039402393
Publisher: Podium Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
If Lawson can do it, perhaps that means her listeners can, too.
With good-humored narration, Lawson reminds listeners that sometimes, even when everything feels like it's falling apart, the best thing you can do for yourself is bedazzle the deer head you've been storing in your garage. With contagious conviviality, Lawson provides this solution—alongside other, perhaps more relatable, ones—to help her audience break their cycles of depression, anxiety, and/or endless scrolling. Lawson's laughter bubbles out as she speaks. Her fear is made palpable with every. Emphasized. Word. Her cheery voice quavers with a lifetime of self-imposed nervousness. Yet she narrates (and writes) on. Lawson uses open-hearted honesty to work toward the best version of herself.
If Lawson can do it, perhaps that means her listeners can, too.Pub Date: March 31, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 18 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281992
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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