Jerusalem: Chronicles From the Holy City

May 12, 2013 Johanna DC / Vertigo, Drawn & Quarterly One comment

The Jewish Experience in Graphic Novels: How to Understand Israel, Jerusalem, Letting It Go, The Property

I found these four graphic novels about Jerusalem, Israel, and Jews struggling with their heritage particularly timely reading these past couple of months, particularly as we (as privileged Americans) were shocked and challenged by an explosive attack. It was eye-opening to think about living in a country where such a thing was a lot more possible. I enjoy learning from comics that convey alternative experiences, especially those that are so different from what I already know. How to Understand Israel […]

You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack cover

May 8, 2013 Johanna Drawn & Quarterly 5 comments

You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack: Comics by Tom Gauld

Reading the entire volume of You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack at one sitting is like ingesting a mind-altering substance. It contains such a coherent and yet completely strange worldview that it will reset your perceptions. Tom Gauld‘s cartoons, one per page, cover history, literature, and technology, in the same way Kate Beaton’s do. The best way to recommend this volume is to simply send you to read his cartoons. If you see one that tickles you, you’ll likely […]

May 5, 2013 Johanna DCU Original Animation One comment

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Due July 30

The next original DC animated movie will be Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, released on July 30 and now available for order. It’s based on the story in which the Flash wakes up in an alternate universe without his powers. Here’s the description: When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere […]

May 5, 2013 Johanna DCU Original Animation One comment

Superman: Unbound

If, like Greg Rucka, you’re concerned about a Superman who’s not suitable for kids, you’ll want to stay away from this new original animated movie. Superman: Unbound is only an hour fifteen minutes, but within the first eight, it’s well lived up to its PG-13 rating (for “sequences of violence and action, and a rude gesture“). They get right to it in the credits, as Brainiac has his eyeball ripped out on camera by a robotic tentacle. As the film […]

Captain America's shield made by Man at Arms

May 5, 2013 Johanna Art One comment

Man at Arms Recreates Movie Weapons

If you’re interested in how comic book and other fantasy creations might work in the real world, you’ll want to try the YouTube series Man at Arms, in which blacksmith Tony Swatton, who’s experienced in making weapons for movies, tries recreating all kinds of famous weapons, from Batman’s batarangs (from sharpened steel) to He-Man’s sword and even Oddjob’s hat! The latest episode features Captain America’s shield (done in layers, not paint), as shown here: There’s a lot of “I’m doing […]

May 5, 2013 Johanna Other Leave a comment

What Should a Reviewer Do If She Doesn’t Like the Book?

I’ve struggled for a while with the question of whether it’s better, if I’m given a comic to review that I don’t care for, to write a negative review or simply not cover the work. I invariably guess wrong. If I err on the side of “if you can’t say anything nice…”, then the artist tells me he would have rather had the links, even if I didn’t like it. If I write a negative review, then the publisher wants […]

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