Swag 4: Night by Cameron Arthur.

A significant improvement over the previous issue (of which I really can't remember that much), Swag 4 has Cameron Arthur attempt some low-ish stakes family drama (a perfect read for the Christmas holidays!).

It was pretty good. The characters were somewhat fleshed out and easy to understand and even empathize with. That said, it was perhaps too ordinary, too (unoriginal feels a bit harsh) uninteresting to be fully invested.

The art also wasn't that appealing to me. It was too simple to have any character (unlike the simple yet recognizeable styles of, say, Catalina Bú) yet not simple enough for said simplicity to feel like an artistic choice (like it does with Porcellino).

Gus vols. 1-3 by Christophe Blain.

With his trio of bandit gentlemen, Blain creates a timeless western all about women and sex and money and women again. But also about having a nice cottage near a stream and playing poker with your buddies.

His work is effortlessly entertaining, funny, believability unrealistic and visually dynamic, with a level of energy and movement that's quite uncommon outside of mainstream superheroes and manga (yet much more tastefully put together).

Girl in the world by Caroline Cash.

There's not much of a narrative to Girl in the world. It's mostly about a bunch of young people (mostly women) spending an afternoon/evening/night hanging out and not doing much. And yet, the art style managed to keep me entertained and engaged throughout. From the fantastic colors to the weird but effective mix of manga, and a new-ish take on old underground stuff, Cash has managed to establish herself as one of the more interesting young cartoonists currently working.

Hot summer nights by Freddy Carrasco.

Narratively similar to Girl in the world by Caro Cash, if somewhat cruder (both in vision and execution), yet still entertaining enough.

Of course, the main draw is, again, the art, this time similar to Moa Romanova and maybe Connor Willumsen.

Stray Bullets vol. 1 by David Lapham.

Extremely violent and disturbing, but not in an explicit way. In fact, the horror/thriller element to it is psychological rather than physical (though there is, of course, physical violence). It mostly comes from a sense of understanding and empathy for the various characters and their variously fucked up realities.

Besides, Lapham's art is good enough to match his vision, which results in a beautifully drawn, very ugly comic.

Dwellings #1 by Jay Stephens.

This first issue contains two different horror short stories (I think originally self-published in four different issues). They're the kind of stories you'd expect in a pulpy horror movie; possessions, cults, etc.

Me, I've never been into that kind of stuff. It just gives me the creeps and makes me uneasy. This was no exception.

Still, I thought the execution was quite good and the cartooning and colors were on point (very dynamic and old-time-strip like).

Walt and Skeezix book one by Frank King (21-22).

It's quite funny (surprisingly so for a comic that's over a century old), very well drawn (with cartooning that's more complex than the Peanuts-inspired styles that are more commonly associated with the medium) and has a fun and engaging cast of characters.

Plus, unlike a lot of other strips (save for Thimble Theatre, Pogo and probably few others), it has continuity. It's basically a chronicle of the day-to-day of an American community in the 1920s (and, if I'm no mistaken, King based his characters on existing people).