I found these relatively recent announcements enlightening in their contrast, although I know why the differences exist: Comics are still considered the domain of young males, while cartoons have the potential for greater outreach (and are likely of more interest to Marvel’s corporate parent Disney). Plus, Marvel has probably noticed the success of DC’s Super Hero Girls franchise in sales and impact. So, first, the new Avengers team was trickled out over a few days at the end of last […]

Kelly Thompson is one of my favorite comic book writers these days. I’ve enjoyed her Mega Princess, Hawkeye, A-Force, and especially Jem and the Holograms. Now her new project has been announced, and it sounds terrific! Thompson will be writing Nancy Drew for Dynamite Entertainment, to be illustrated by Jenn St-Onge, who also drew The Misfits miniseries written by Thompson. The series will launch in June and be available to pre-order in comic shops next month. Update: The order codes […]

While searching for something else in my jewelry box, I stumbled across this lovely item I thought people might want to know about. In 1999, DC Direct (which used to do a lot more than action figures and statues) released a sterling silver Wonder Woman ring, as shown here. It sold for $79.95 US ($139.95 Canadian) and was available in at least whole sizes 6-13. They also made rings for Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern (duh) that I know of, […]

I really liked Banana Sunday, the story of a girl taking three apes to school. Written by Paul Tobin (under the psuedonym, for some reason, of Root Nibot) and drawn by Colleen Coover, it was first published in 2006 from Oni Press. It was cute and funny and, as you’d expect from Coover, very well cartooned. The monkeys were adorable! Now Oni has announced that Banana Sunday will be returning in color this coming October. It’ll be under Tobin’s name, […]

I am not familiar with the art of Mollie Rose, but I will definitely be paying attention in future after reading her short comic “Weeds”. It’s on Tumblr in two parts: part one and part two. I loved the art, I loved that I had no idea where it was going, I loved that it was about gardening, but most, I loved that it showed how life can go differently than expected but it can still turn out well, particularly […]

There’s another comic book superhero getting a lot of press, with the Black Panther movie coming out later this month, so here’s a visual history of his costumes, both comic and movie versions. As you might expect from someone running around in what’s basically a black bodysuit — and let’s not pretend the reasons for covering up his face are completely “unknown” — the differences are in the details. I’ve previously posted other such infographics; the most recent was Catwoman’s […]

I enjoyed reading Jed McGowan’s comic “Uninhabitable”. I wasn’t previously familiar with his work, although I see that he has released a graphic novel, Lone Pine, with AdHouse Books. But how can you pass up a gorgeously illustrated free read? The content of “Uninhabitable” made me think about control, and how much we think we can change about our world, and having to accept that some things may not go as intended but life goes on. That’s a good message […]

Ben Passmore‘s Ignatz Award-winning comic Your Black Friend (described as “a letter from your black friend to you about race, racism, friendship and alienation”) has now been animated, with narration by Passmore. It’s only three minutes, but it’s a powerful three minutes, so give it a watch. Animation was done by Krystal Downs and Alex Krokus of Doggo Studios, who did a great job capturing the look and feel of the comic. Publisher Silver Sprocket will be releasing a hardcover […]