Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
When I found out that “teen paranormal romance” is one of the hottest new book genres, I thought I should check out this graphic novel line trading on its popularity. (It didn’t hurt that writer Paul Storrie was an old friend.) I’m glad I did, because I got a fun monster love story, but one more creative and unusual in its content than I suspected. “My Boyfriend Is a Monster” is an umbrella title; each of the entries stands alone. […]
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Wow, lots to do to get ready for one of the most exciting conventions of the year. The Small Press Expo for 2011 is taking place next Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. (According to their reservation email, their restaurant and lounge will be closed for renovation, which should make socializing interesting.) In addition to preparing for the many exciting panels, of which I’m hosting one, I’ve also been making a substantial […]
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Review by KC Carlson Oh, dear. Where to start? Especially when this particular book (and the whole New 52) has become, for so many people, something bigger than comics itself. Even DC realizes that this… whatever it is (Initiative? Event? Reboot? Circus Freak Show?) has become so over-hyped that there was some effort recently trying to walk everything back a little. In the recent ICv2 interview, Dan DiDio actually admitted that they have no clue where they’ll be in six […]
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Commentary by KC Carlson All through our lives, we hear one particular metaphor over and over — You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Most of the time we hear it in relation to job hunting and interviews, but I think it’s a pretty good rule of thumb for practically anything. Especially the first issues of comic books. First Issues, Pilots, and Proposals There’s always been a special fascination with first issues in the world of […]
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There aren’t enough mysteries in comics — I’m talking about actual whodunnits, not violent crime sprees or suspense thrillers — so it was a pleasure to stumble across this small gem. “Murder at the Inn” is part two of two, revealing the killer of a traveling paper dealer knocked off at the end of #139, but it’s not essential to have read the previous issue to enjoy this one. You’re given the cast of characters at the beginning of this […]
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Branding four issues of the Veronica comic as a miniseries under a different name might seem like an odd thing to do, but it isn’t the first time Archie’s used an established title as a pilot springboard. Two years ago, Young Salem was tried out in the Sabrina comic. (Unfortunately, the title was cancelled just after that.) It’s a good way to force viewers to pay attention to your new character, since subscribers are automatically going to read the issues. […]
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Given recent topics of discussion, KC and I started talking over some of our “favorite” bad superhero stories when it comes to the treatment of female characters. These are the stories where, months or years later, you find yourself wondering “who thought THAT was a good idea?” or “did the writer just get dumped by his girlfriend?” This is just an approximate ranking, and I welcome discussion/debate in the comments. Especially if we’ve forgotten some real doozies. 12. The blase’ […]
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After some delay, the 1992 Captain America movie is now available as a made-on-demand DVD as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection. The only extra on the disc is the trailer. It’s under two minutes, and it’s remarkably dark, sometimes so much it’s hard to see what’s going on (a problem the film also demonstrated, at least in my setup). Still, nice to have as an extra, which tend to be rare on MOD projects. The movie is 97 […]
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