Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
As always, I had a fabulous time at the 2017 Small Press Expo (SPX) in Bethesda, Maryland. It’s my favorite show of the year for the diversity of content and the chance to visit with friends old and new. This year, I even got to be part of two episodes of Heidi MacDonald’s hotel room podcast, along with Brigid Alverson and Deb Aoki (in part one). (Yes, all four of us were in one room. It was fun!) And SPX […]
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The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, was the first release from the DC Minx graphic novel line aimed at young women. That line lasted less than two years, although Janes, the story of girls engaging in guerrilla art, did get a sequel, Janes in Love. Now, Publishers Weekly reports that “both stories will be bound with an all-new third story into one volume” from Little, Brown to come out in fall 2019.
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In Arrow: The Complete Fifth Season, as we pick up from last year, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is mayor. Black Canary (Katie Cassidy) and Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) are both dead, and Oliver has no problem, it seems, continuing to kill people. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), who’s walked away from their relationship, is still monitoring his superhero actives as Arrow. (And she has a code name, Overwatch.) She encourages him to form a new team of vigilantes with Wild Dog […]
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I’ve been thinking lately about the concept of “clean” media. As I understand it, it’s shorthand for work with “acceptable” levels (i.e., not much) sex, violence (although in America, this is less of a worry), and bad language. I’ve already hit on one problem with this concept: who defines what’s acceptable? But let’s proceed by assuming that we can generally agree on what makes something “family friendly”. (Although that’s obviously not true. Whether or not, for example, a sympathetic or […]
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In the current Previews catalog is a listing for the Marvel Mangaverse Complete Collection, a 400-page $34.99 paperback that reprints comics originally published from 2000-2002. Here’s the solicit: East meets West as your favorite heroes are reimagined in hyper-kinetic style! It’s a new dawn as the Marvel Universe emerges like never before. Brace yourself for a kaiju-esque Hulk and a mecha-style Iron Man! Plus: Versions of the Avengers, Spider-Man, Punisher, Ghost Rider, the X-Men, and more unlike anything you’ve ever […]
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Wizard World has had an uneven year. Although they announced a few months ago that they were adding new shows for later this year, those plans have changed. The announced Wizard World Comic Con shows in Biloxi, Mississippi; Montgomery, Alabama; Peoria, Illinois; Springfield, Missouri; and Winston-Salem, NC will be delayed a year, with new target dates in fall 2018. That leaves only the following still coming in 2017: * October 27-29, Oklahoma City * November 17-19, Austin, Texas If you’re […]
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The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs may be the scariest thing I read as a kid. First published in 1973, it’s the story of Lewis Barnevelt, an orphan sent to live with his uncle in a creepy old house. Lewis hears ticking in the house’s walls and eventually discovers that his uncle practices magic. The hidden clock was created to destroy the world, which Lewis and his uncle and their neighbor Florence (also a witch) […]
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While finally trying to organize the review stacks, I realized that I have an extra copy of After Hours, the quietly atmospheric yuri manga about young women djs. So I’m giving it away! To enter to win this contest, leave a comment below telling me your favorite manga starring a young woman. A winner will be picked randomly from all entries on Friday, September 29. U.S. addresses only, please. Winners will be emailed to confirm address. If email is not […]
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