Two guides are hired to lead a hunting party. Black and white artwork marries a short narrative of some privileged yet unfortunate souls, with a surprising supernatural twist at the end that stayed in my brain years later. The first version of this supernatural western comic, titled simply Darlin’, was created by Olivia Stephens back…
TIFF 2023 REVIEW: Pain Hustlers Tells An Important Story, Badly
Based on real events, Pain Hustlers follows the story of Liza Drake (Emily Blunt), who starts working with big pharma and revels in her success before things start falling apart.
REVIEW: VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
When I was younger, one of my favourite movies was Practical Magic, starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. I loved the magic, the comedy, the sense of female camaraderie. Reading VenCo, the latest from best-selling author Cherie Dimaline, had all of the same vibes I used to enjoy from that movie. But instead of sisters,…
TIFF 2023 REVIEW: Division of Labour in a Marriage is Murder in Anatomy of a Fall
A writer is accused of murdering her husband when his body is found under suspicious circumstances. The trial that unfolds will reveal the messiness of this family. But are they really so much more unusual than any other family?
REVIEW: Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #2
Having established Kamala Khan’s new normal in the previous issue, Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #2 promises a deep dive into dreams.
REVIEW: Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer #1 Has Bite, But Not Enough Bark
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer #1 has fun writing, but the art trips it up.
REVIEW: Spider-Man Annual #1 Smells like a Hit
Spider-Man Annual #1is a great package of humor and action, one that will hook readers on this sprawling, multi-issue “Contest of Chaos” event.
Archie Comics Pubwatch: September 2023
Welcome to the Archie Comics Pubwatch for the month of September! I’m Lisa, reporting from a corner booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and here’s this month’s news! In September’s Pubwatch there’s a new Sabrina holiday issue ahead, some exclusive covers, and more!
REVIEW: Childhood Agency and Literary Freedom Break Free in Occulted
I am always checking for new graphic novels from Iron Circus Comics, one of my favorite publishers in the game who consistently bring strange and amazing comics and more. This recent release offers an eyebrow raising yet intriguing premise: it is a graphic memoir of cult survivor Amy Rose’s childhood in the late 90’s. Occulted…
TIFF 2023 Review: The Movie Emperor Hilariously Satirizes the Film Industry and Class Divisions
In The Movie Emperor, a superstar Hong Kong actor decides to experience real life in preparation for a new role. But can he rise above the pressures of the film business and a general apathy towards poverty-stricken people?
VIZ Pubwatch: September 2023
In much of the world, it’s time to go back to school, but the manga publishing machine churns ever onward, never stopping, never slowing down. This month we’re taking a look at the second volume of Until I Love Myself, another shoujo romance, and a Dracula reimagining in which Mina Harker is a champion wrestler!…
TIFF 2023 REVIEW: American Fiction Hilariously Challenges the Commodification of Identity
A down-on-his-luck writer decides to create the most cliché novel possible about the Black experience in the US in American Fiction. But his experiment to indict the literary industry may have ensnared him in a trap instead.