In Odd We Trust

I haven’t read Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas series of novels, but In Odd We Trust, an original graphic novel prequel co-written and illustrated by Queenie Chan (The Dreaming), makes me interested in seeing more. The young man strangely named Odd Thomas is a genius pancake maker who can also talk to ghosts. (Think a male Ghost Whisperer, only the ghosts he sees don’t speak.) He lives in a small California town, almost a character in itself, where he’s accepted as […]

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Why I Hate Saturn

Why I Hate Saturn is only the second graphic novel by Kyle Baker (Nat Turner, The Bakers: Babies And Kittens), but it’s one of his best. The unusual format — illustrations in black, white, and a light sepia tone, with dialogue or narration underneath the panels — suits the conversational-driven story. Anne is a jaded alcoholic urbanite, full of wisecracks about everything and everyone around her. She hates the beautiful people because she’s not one of them, the kind of […]

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Kay Francis: Tonight on TCM

The Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month this month is Kay Francis. During the first half of the 30s, she was the biggest female star in Hollywood. Her melodramatic films were guaranteed successes. Yet today, she’s forgotten. Speculation has it that that’s because of the number of bad films on her resume. It seems that, at the peak of her career, her contract had her making more than the studio heads, so in an attempt to get her to […]

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With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child

Most people, when they think of manga, think of fantasy adventures starring teenagers. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child is perhaps the most different kind of story possible… which makes it even more powerful. It focuses on the struggles faced by a mother with a special child. As indicated by its subtitle, With the Light is a well-researched portrayal of the challenges faced by a family when their baby boy is determined to be autistic. First, there’s the problem […]

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The Spirit Archives Volume 14

Will Eisner is one of the acknowledged geniuses of the comics field. While he didn’t actually invent the graphic novel (with 1978’s A Contract With God), he did make numerous strides in fighting for acceptance of the medium as an artform. One of his advances was his Sunday Spirit sections, seven-page stories included in weekly newspaper supplements. The Spirit Archives collect these tales in handsomely re-colored hardcovers. With 24 volumes out so far, giving them a try can be intimidating. […]

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NY Times on Marvel and DC: Anime Series, Watchmen Movie

If you wanted to get more detail on the kurfluffle between Warner Bros. and Fox over who really has rights to make the Watchmen movie, read this NY Times article on how “turnaround” works and why Fox wants to prevent release of the film. Meanwhile, in Marvel news, four anime series featuring new versions of their characters are scheduled for 2010 in Japan. They’re aiming for “reimagining the back stories and redesigning the look of Marvel’s stable of characters to […]

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Nana Volume 9

It’s been too long since I’ve checked in with this terrific series by Ai Yazawa. I last talked about volume 8 at the beginning of the summer, and there’s been four more installments since then. I think I hesitate because it’s such a powerful, involving ride. It’s not forgettable entertainment to pick up on a whim; it deserves time and attention. This chapter, in particular, is huge — over 280 pages in the book, 50 of which are a bonus […]

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Doctor Who: Black Orchid

I can’t believe that my very favorite of the original Doctor Who series is now available on DVD. And because of the length, it’s the cheapest Doctor Who DVD out there, which is a lovely plus. I think I like Black Orchid so much because it reminds me of the Agatha Christie mysteries I read so many of when I was younger. There’s a 1920s house party, and a fancy dress ball (where the Doctor, then Peter Davison, is given […]

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