Evil Emperor Penguin Laura Ellen Anderson The Phoenix Presents, David Fickling Books The Phoenix weekly comic is published at a size comparable with the average magazine-shelf fare. David Fickling Books’ collected editions of Phoenix strips are put out at a smaller size, more like a single-issue comic. On the whole, this is greatly to their…
Feminism and Realism in John Allison’s Giant Days
Amongst the barrage of “best of” comics lists that closed out 2015, I was delighted to see John Allison’s Giant Days pop up in multiple places. The comic follows three friends—Esther De Groot, Susan Ptolemy, and Daisy Wooton—as they navigate their emotionally and academically tumultuous first year of university (a.k.a. college, for the Americans like…
Starting Points: 4 Webcomics (Written by Women) You Should Check Out
I know you’re in a rush. But—looking for some reading material? How about a space opera military science fiction comic? Or two characters on a road trip from one coast of the U.S. to the other, dealing with adventure, sexuality, political intrigue, pie baking, and more? Allow me to introduce you to some of the…
Monthy Girls’ Nozaki-Kun & Comedic Violence
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun Vol. 1 Izumi Tsubaki (C) Publisher: Yen Press Release Date: November 17, 2015 Disclaimer: This advance copy has been supplied by the publisher
A Rabbit, A Kitten, and a House Party: Profile of Rachael Smith
In 2014, Rachael Smith funded her graphic novel House Party through Kickstarter in only four days. The speed of funding suggests she has more than a fan or two who believes in her talent as a comics creator.
Wishing Doesn’t Always Wound the Heart: A Review of The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet
The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet Kate Rorick and Rachel Kiley Touchstone September 29, 2015 For all of the vitriol thrown her way, Lydia Bennet is not a figure that looms large in the original Pride & Prejudice. True, her actions do drive her sister Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy closer together as they work to…
The Twilight Zone in the Treehouse of Horror
There is one Simpsons episode out of every season that is the most popular and pulls everyone in every single year. It has gotten more and more cinematic with guest artists such as Dir. Guillermo Del Toro and most recently, Ren and Stimpy animator John Kricfalusi who take over the couch gags to make it their own. What are these wonderful episodes you ask? They are none other than The Simpsons‘ annual Treehouse of Horror episodes. These episodes have been one of the absolute best parts of The Simpsons because of how different they are. Each one of the Treehouse of Horror episodes has a particular theme for the segments and some of the best gags that one could ask for. After watching them for so many years, some parodies have left me more excited than other. Most of these have to do with the parodies of…
5 Things From the Manga Prison School That Made It into the Anime
When I first heard that Prison School was getting an anime adaptation, my reaction was one of skepticism. It’s a raunchy sex comedy, after all. One of the regular characters is a buxom young woman who wears stiletto boots and a school uniform that leaves little to the imagination. Subway advertisements promoting the anime placed…
Loving Parody: Jason’s Twist on Genre Films
B-movie monsters, private detectives, vampire hunters and damsels in distress—Jason loves them all, and he loves to make fun of them all. From High Noon to The Big Sleep, he has re-written old genre stories with the twist of dark, deadpan humor that has become his signature. While it’s obvious that he genuinely loves spaghetti…
Can’t We Just Call It The Miss Piggy Show: A Review of The Muppets
Have you heard? The Muppets are back. Again. This time they are coming to you during primetime, and competing with shows such as NCIS and Scream Queens. But this isn’t The Muppets Show variety-sketch format of olden days (by olden, I mean 1970s to 1980s). This version of The Muppets will take us into their…
Everyone Wants to Be Touched: Diary of a Teenage Girl
At 15 I thought I was a pervert. This may be why I loved Diary of a Teenage Girl so much. My sophomore year of high school I made my grandmother, a woman uncomfortable with the word “vagina” take me to the pediatrician I was still seeing to discuss my “sex addiction.” When the middle-aged doctor,…
Revisiting Archie’s Weird Mysteries
Archie’s Weird Mysteries is an American cartoon show that ran from 1999 to 2000 on Teletoon here in Canada (PAX in the United States) and was produced by DIC Entertainment. Whenever Archie is brought up, I always gush, recalling the childhood television show that I adored (far more than the comics, I’d add), watching with my siblings and singing along…