Bianca Stone’s Poetry Comics from the Book of Hours is a striking hybrid between traditional comics and lyrical verse. Included are fifteen works, many of which have previously appeared online in journals but are now stunningly printed on glossy paper. This collection is a must-have for Stone fans. At times grotesque and surreal, the work is nevertheless tender and expresses great emotional intelligence.

It’s hard to imagine the images without the words, or the poetry without the art, as each lends to and tampers the other. “Waltzing with You”, a love poem, is translated by Stone’s harsh lines from a vulnerable free-verse poem:

I WANT TO OPEN
THE MOUTH GOD GAVE YOU,
                                                      BEAUTIFUL MUTANT.

CAN YOU
SEE ME IN
THE DUSK,
ASKING NOTHING
OF IT?

I FEEL SENTIMENTAL

I FEEL LIKE CAPTAIN JANEWAY
WATCHING A
PLANET
IMPLODE

WHEN YOU SIT DOWN
AT YOUR DESK
PLAYING YOUR LIVE-FEED
VIDEO GAME

YOU’RE REALLY
DOING A WALTZ.

AND ME, AT MY DESK,

I FOLLOW YOUR LEAD
AND SMOKE A CIGARETTE
                                                      OVER YOUR SHOULDER…

into a dreamy and earthy atmosphere with a distinctly feminist quality:

Read the full review here.