I just discovered the Black Archive series of books about Doctor Who. There’s one per story (for the ones they’ve covered so far), ranging across the entire gamut of Doctors, with a new one coming every month. Unlike many books on that topic, these works don’t talk as much about who made the episode, instead analyzing the content of the story, the themes and associations. Based on the one I read — the one by Ian Millsted about Black Orchid, […]

In another time, Tokyo: Day by Day would be an amazing guidebook to use to prepare for a visit to one of the world’s most vibrant, exciting cities. These days, it’s more of a wish book and a reminder of what it was like to be able to travel. Either way, the book promises “356 Things to See and Do!”, and it provides. Each day is a page that highlights a restaurant, a unique store, a museum (for snowglobes! or […]

I was reminded how much I enjoyed Frank Viva’s work during a recent re-read of A Trip to the Bottom of the World With Mouse, so I thought I’d check out some of his other picture books. I should have done that earlier, since Young Charlotte, Filmmaker was perfect for me. Produced by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, it’s the story of a young woman who adores black and white and makes her own movies. Sometimes she’s […]

The latest Pop Classics storybook from Quirk Books is my favorite. Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS is, as with the others, illustrated by Kim Smith, who has a gorgeous, approachable, colorful style. The other credit is “based on the series by Chris Chibnall”, which means it’s the thirteenth Doctor, with a likeness to Jodie Whittaker. I’ve previously covered The Karate Kid and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and this follows the same pattern: The movie books retell the story, but the […]