Manila’s street children, derisively called batang hamog or “children of the haze,” are an inescapable part of the city landscape. It is that same landscape that Ralston Jover takes a camera to in Hamog, a film that finds humanity in the hazy smoke and smog. Part of that clarity of Hamog comes from 16-year-old actress Therese “Teri” Malvar….
How to Go Steady: An Interview with Comics Historian Jacque Nodell
I stumbled across comics historian Jacque Nodell’s blog on romance comics, Sequential Crush, a few years back. I loved her historical analysis of the comics that provided insight into the period, but also showed a great love for the genre. Last March, I interviewed her about her work, then the following month, I had an…
10 Years of Sorcery 101: An interview with Kel McDonald
I ran across Sorcery 101 in its youth. I was reading it back in the aughts until the death of the ancient computer I was using took my bookmarks with it. When the assignment came up, I was pleased to have a chance to revisit a comic I had lost connection with. I believe in…
Animal Crossing Saved My Life
(Content Warning: Abuse, Rape, Physical Abuse, Attempted Murder) Animal Crossing saved my life. That’s not hyperbolic.
Shows We Love: Summer Rewind Roundtable: Quantico Season 1
Summer is a good time for going outside and enjoying all the outdoor activities the weather prevents you from enjoying in winter. It’s also, depending on where you live, a good time to stay inside and watch some TV, maybe catch up on a show you started but couldn’t stay current on, or even start…
Inspiring Women Comics Creators Working Today!
Ed. note: Until I run out of people to bug, WWAC will be running short pieces on some of the women working in comics now who are doing innovative or inspiring work. And not just women creators, but women working in comics retail, merchandising, marketing, editorial, journalism, and more. If you would like to contribute to…
Midnighter & Apollo Return October 5th in New Series
A few months ago, you may remember that we hosted Midnighter Week in celebration of the release of Midnighter vol. 1: Out. Fans were devastated to find out the same week that the much beloved series by Steve Orlando and ACO was canceled. Midnighter represented a more progressive horizon at DC Comics within its DCYou…
Community and Developmental Differences in Finding Dory
Full Disclosure: There was literally no way I would render a bad review of Finding Dory. Here is a picture of me about to lose control of myself at the Seattle Aquarium. If you are looking for an unbiased opinion about sea creatures or animated movies that depict them, you are in the wrong place….
Chillin’ In The Summer Heat with The Unexpected Everything
The Unexpected Everything Morgan Matson Simon & Schuster Canada May 2016 Disclaimer: An Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of the book was provided by the publisher for an honest review. Two years ago, around this time, when the winter blues became a distant memory and it was still bright outside at 7 PM, I read and reviewed…
Review: Green Arrow #1
Green Arrow #1 Benjamin Percy (Writer), Otto Schmidt (Artist), Nate Piekos (Letterer) and Juan Ferreyra (Cover Artist). DC Comics June 15th, 2016 Disclaimer: This review is based on an advanced copy from the publisher and contains spoilers. I reviewed Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 last week and really enjoyed it. It did well as a one-shot setting up a rebooted/relaunched/reimagined…
The Thursday Book Beat: On Pottermore, and the Continued Erasure of Native Americans
It’s a bit of an odd week for book news this week, readers, as holidays and vacations start to empty out publishing offices. That said, our biggest news item is rather polarizing, and will definitely see more discussion in the following weeks. Suki Kim, the only undercover journalist to successfully live and work in North…
Gunpla: Rediscovering My Childhood and Self Care
“So what is Gunpla?” This was a question from my partner that I’d been dreading for some time. For those who don’t know, “Gunpla” is the portmanteau for “Gundam” and “plastic,” simply meaning the official model kits based on the mecha from the eponymous anime franchise. They are also something I have damn-near obsessively dived…