Comic books are just fantastic, and we here at ComicsAlliance really believe that. While the name "ComicsAlliance" might have stopped making sense as a phrase and just become the name of the website around six or seven years ago now, it's something we strive for in how we cover and represent the comics and communities we feature. Comics bring us together, and things that bring us together should be celebrated. With that in mind, we asked our staff why they love comics, and while it's a broad question, there's something in each answer worth thinking about.

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Originally released in 2015, Pierrick Colinet and Elsa Charretier's The Infinite Loop is one of those amazing stories that uses a wild sci-fi premise to cut straight to the humanity of its characters. It centers on Teddy, a time traveler responsible for erasing anomalies that result form other time travelers meddling with history, and she's very good at her job. When she discovers a "human-shaped anomaly" in the form of a beautiful woman, though, she begins to question whether a timestream without a person she's falling in love with is one that's worth saving.

Now, after its original time-bending climax, the story is returning in The Infinite Loop Vol. 2: Nothing But The Truth, with artist Daniele DiNicuolo joining Charretier and Colinet to tell the next chapter of Teddy and Ano's story. To find out more, we spoke with them about the changing political landscape of the past two years and the difficulties of thinking of stories as, well, infinite loops.

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Queer representation in comics has been making small but appreciable advances in recent years, but there are some queer identities that comics and all media seem to struggle to get to grips with. Asexuals --- people who do not experience sexual attraction --- and aromantics --- people who do not experience romantic attraction --- are still incredibly rarely represented in fiction, with Archie Comics' Jughead one of the few notable examples.

ComicsAlliance spoke to four comics fans and creators who are asexual, aromantic, or on the asexual spectrum, to get their thoughts on representation in comics, Jughead, Riverdale, and the best comics out there for young ace/aro readers.

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After a couple of years as the undisputed champion of ‘character most bafflingly lacking their own comic’, Ms America Chavez finally has a solo title. With the second issue about to land, it’s a good time to look at one of the very best things about the character: her costume design.

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This week, Veronica throws a party, Alice Cooper throws a righteous fit, and a couple of guys throw punches at Moose. Poor Moose. Guy just wanted to lift some rocks. "The Outsiders" was written by Julia Cohen and directed by David Katzenberg.

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"Above the Law" examines what family means to each and every one of its primary players so deftly, it's hard not to be in awe of what Telltale's writers have accomplished.

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There are few cartoonists more admired than Jeff Smith. Inspired himself by the serialized newspaper strips he read as a child, Smith went on to create a string of acclaimed, inspirational comics works that have not only proved evergreen in terms of story, but have brought in generation after generation of new excited cartoonists to make their own comics.

Five Stars spoke to Smith about his career in comics through five milestone works, tracing a career through self-publishing, work-for-hire, and webcomics, and exploring the inspirations that inform his work.

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Obviously Jack Kirby is the greatest comic book artist of all time, but most will agree he's also one of the medium's greatest writers. He wrote the way he drew: Big and loud and primal, but with a surprising amount of intricacy and nuance waiting to be discovered amid the crackling explosions. We've put together a list of the ten essential stories that you should read if you want to get more familiar with the King.

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Marjane Satrapi’s incredible work Persepolis focuses on the experiences of a young Marji and her family growing up during the Iranian Revolution. The Revolution caused many changes to the relatively peaceful Iran of Marji’s youth, including gender segregation, the abolition of secular education, and the strict enforcement of sharia law.

In Persepolis, Marji becomes increasingly rebellious, wearing denim jackets emblazoned with “punk rock,” and going to the black market to buy illegal copies of popular music. It became illegal for women to dance in public, or for men and women to dance together; listening to Western popular music and getting her dance on was a way for Marji to rebel.

We’ve put together a mixtape of musicians and songs mentioned in Persepolis to inspire you to celebrate life and rebel a little yourself.

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When preparing for the first day of school, having the correct supplies is essential. Are your pencils of the number two variety? Do you have a glue stick that dries clear? Are your supplies sentient and hell-bent on world domination? That last question should've been answered with a "no," unbeknownst to Albert, Earth's first exchange student from space.

ComicsAlliance sat down with Albert the Alien creators Trevor Mueller and Gabo to discuss their Harvey Award-nominated webcomic, alienation as an alien, and Saturday morning cartoons.

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