Toon’s Fall 2012 Releases for Kids: Maya Makes a Mess, More Benny and Penny, A Trip to the Bottom of the World With Mouse

This season, Toon Books has released three outstanding titles for young readers. I’ve previously covered their spring releases, as well as The Shark King, which came out earlier this year. Maya Makes a Mess by Rutu Modan (Exit Wounds) A wonderful premise is gorgeously illustrated. Maya is a very sloppy eater. After her Dad says, “You need manners. What if you were eating dinner with the Queen?”, Maya is invited to a royal dinner party (via private plane, which apparently […]

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Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes, and Scams

Darryl Cunningham previously wrote Psychiatric Tales, stories of his time working with mental patients. Now, he turns his graphic journalism to bigger topics with Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes, and Scams. As in his previous book, the chapters take distinct points of view. These are essays, meant to convince, not just reporting. Topics covered include current hot buttons — climate change, evolution, denial of the facts discovered by the scientific method — as well as older areas of debate, including chiropractic, […]

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Dirt Candy: A Cookbook

I hadn’t previously heard of Amanda Cohen, owner and chef behind the Dirt Candy vegetable restaurant in New York City, but that’s not surprising, since I’m primarily a carnivore. However, I was familiar with the outstanding work of artist Ryan Dunlavey, most recently on the impressive Comic Book History of Comics. He’s a wizard with the presentation of non-fiction material in comic format. Given how a cookbook is a natural for visual presentation — showing techniques, for example, or what […]

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (Blu-ray Review)

We’re introduced to bad-ass old Bruce Wayne as he’s driving a formula 1 racer down the city streets of Gotham. I was reminded of Paul Newman, the gorgeous silver fox actor famous for also racing cars, but I’m not sure any younger watchers will get the reference. However, since the race is referred to as the “Newman Elimination”, perhaps I’m not the only one. That led to me wondering who the intended audience was for this original animated movie. Those […]

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The Drops of God: New World

After launching strongly, The Drops of God series appears to be faltering. The previous book released was Volume 4, taking us through the discovery of the second “apostle” of twelve amazing wines. The Drops of God: New World jumps ahead to where the two oenophiles are seeking the seventh bottle, because that quest takes them to the wines of the New World, the Americas and Australia. Reportedly, if this volume doesn’t do well, we won’t see any more in English, […]

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

The latest original DC animated movie is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, out yesterday. No review for you this time — due to my move and the resulting confusion over address changes, I didn’t get a copy — but here are some images. I figure we all know the story already, right, since it’s based on the industry changing Frank Miller graphic novel. (Which once upon a time was a business-changing miniseries that first carried the Prestige Format, […]

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Avengers Book Hedgehogs

While I’m preparing a review of The Avengers on Blu-ray, I thought I’d share these adorable book hedgehogs dressed up like the team! They’re by Robin Brenner and courtesy of the Public Library of Brookline, Massachusetts. They’re made from books that are going to fall apart and would otherwise be discarded, and the accessories are colored duct tape. You can see a lot more of them at the link above. (Impressive shield and bow!) Here’s how to make a basic […]

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Marvel’s The Avengers on Blu-ray

We had a couple of friends over for an Avengers DVD preview party, with pizza and the movie we already knew we’d enjoy. That’s the best way to watch this film, I think — with fellow fans. I saw it in the theatre the same way, and the shared reactions make it all the more fun. (This was also the first blockbuster I watched on my new 55″ TV, and boy, that was fun, too.) Plus, given that it’s a […]

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