About GOB

Why 3 Stars?

Good Ok Bad features reviews of comics, graphic novels, manga, et cetera using a rare and auspicious three-star rating system. Point systems are notoriously fiddly, so here it's been pared down to three simple possibilities:

3 Stars = Good
2 Stars = Ok
1 Star = Bad

There are no half-stars or zero-star ratings. Basically, if I thought it was good, it gets three stars. If it gets just two, then it may be that I like the work but found a number of things about it that were less than stellar. Or it may just be that I'm not so much the target audience for a particular book—tastes being what they are and all. A one-star book is basically anything that I wish I hadn't read OR a book that really doesn't live up to its potential (or at least the potential that I had in mind for it).

I am Seth T. Hahne and these thoughts about some of the books I read.

Wait. Who?

I'm Seth T. Hahne. There's no reason, really, that you should know my name. I'm not famous or important (and least not important in any way other than the same way you or your neighbor are important). Mainly I just enjoy helping other people find the books that are right for them.

If you want to know how my taste in comics runs, check out my Top 500 list (up to date as of, I dunno, 2018?). As far as word books go? Some favourites include:

Roberto Bolaño—Savage Detectives
Haruki Murakami—Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Kazuo Ishiguro—Never Let Me Go
Raymond Chandler—The Long Goodbye
Herman Melville—Moby-Dick
Umberto Eco—Foucault's Pendulum
Carlos Ruiz Zafón—Shadow of the Wind
J.D. Salinger—Franny and Zooey
Sandra Cisneros—The House On Mango Street
Paul Beatty—The Sellout
Mark Haber—Saint Sebastian's Abyss
Tove Jansson—The Summer Book
Cormac McCarthy—Blood Meridian
Yoko Ogawa—The Memory Police
Tove Jansson—The Summer Book
Ruth Ozeki—Tale For The Time Being

What else is there to me? I ride a Vespa as my primary means of transportation. After I lost my job of 19 years in 2018 (due to comcs, actually!), I became a stay-at-home dad and freelance illustrator, which has given me the opportunity to connect with my younger children in a bone deep way that I didn't get to with my older children. (My relationship with all my kids is great, but there's some special there with the ones I spent every hour of the day with.)

My dad was a hippie, surfer, and a professional ceramicist (a.k.a. a hairy potter) for years (and after 23 years of living in Romania, he's back in California and back in the art game). My brother and I grew up on the beach in an artists' community in California. I prefer playing sports to spectating (though because of debilitating physical handicaps, I can no longer play either). I like John Coltrane, Colin Meloy, Battles, and Cream. My wife teaches Latin and Literature, and I know only a smattering of Spanish from when I worked in restaurants. The only thing I learned from three years of French is how to say: Mademoiselle, may I go to the restroom, please? I'm as little impressed by this as you are.

I was one of the first videobloggers on the internet. I felt like I was part of something special, sitting at the forefront of something that could really take off. I was even featured in the Guardian as being someone to watch. Then YouTube launched and nobody cared about videoblogging anymore. *sigh* Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.

You're Also an Artist, Right?

I am. I've been freelancing illustration for more than a decade now. Magazine illustrations, boardgames, children's books, custom commissions, etc. But some of my favorite work has been in the indie comic scene. As of right now in 2024, I've made I think something like 16 comics. Here's some you can read for free:

Golden Rules (2014)
Nostalgia (2017)
Ghost Towns (2018)
A Short Hike (2023)

Check 'em out, you might think they're the stuff.

Note to Interested Publishers/Creators

I've stopped actively accepting review copies. Just glancing at my review output over the last good while (8 full reviews since 2016!) should give you an idea why. I honestly just don't have time to devote to the site anymore. I'm too busy making my own comics, watching my kids, and then working nights and weekends. I would love for Good Ok Bad to flourish like it did in, say 2012, but that's just not happening unless something big shifts in my life.

I do try to put in some effort for my big annual list, so if you really want me to see your book, you can send DM me on socials and maybe I'll talk about it on the list.

Good Ok Bad features reviews of comics, graphic novels, manga, et cetera using a rare and auspicious three-star rating system. Point systems are notoriously fiddly, so here it's been pared down to three simple possibilities: