Time for my long overdue wrap up of Baltimore Comic Con! (Sorry it has taken so long; health stuff.) Baltimore Comic Con was held Sept 5-7 at the Baltimore Convention Center. This is another con that seems to have grown exponentially since last year, though the promoters do not release the attendance numbers, so it…
Karen Abbott’s New “Women’s Magazine” About the Civil War
Karen Abbott is the author of Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America’s Soul (2007), American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee (2010), and most recently Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy. She is a well-received author who focuses on nontraditional women in history. Basically, she’s…
Where Do We Stand? September Comic Sales
Topping the Diamond’s top ten lists are two beloved characters, Marvel’s Wolverine and DC’s Batman. Taking the top two spots on single issue list is Death of Wolverine #1 and #2. The weekly mini series is getting so much buzz that even NPR’s All Things Considered has a piece about it. First prize on the…
Afterworlds Is Only Half The Fun
Afterworlds Scott Westerfeld Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster *Advanced Reviewer’s/Reader’s Copy (ARC) Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she’s made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and…
The Thursday Book Beat: Black Widow Is Starring In Her Very Own YA Book!
Black Widow Is Making Her YA Debut In 2015 It was alluded to at San Diego Comic Con that Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures, Icons) would write a secret young adult title for Disney but it was finally announced at New York Comic Con this past weekend that Stohl is writing about an Avenger. The Black…
Off With Her Head! Klimt Goes To Drakulon: A Discussion of Art, Reference, and Story
Gorgeous, right? This is Judith and the Head of Holofernes, or Judith I, by Klimt. Gustav Klimt is enduringly famous, as his work should be — it’s also often referenced. Judith, the subject of the picture, is an Old Testament heroine who achieves political grace by gratifying and then beheading the general who is ransacking her…
Review: Red Sonja, The Black Tower #2
Red Sonja: The Black Tower #2 Frank Tieri (w) Cezar Razek (a) Amanda Connor (covers) Dynamite October 15, 2014 Issue 2 of Frank Tieri’s Red Sonja mini-series, The Black Tower, just arrived in stores. Let’s check in and see how our ample-bosomed, red-headed heroine is faring? If you need a refresher, you can read the…
DICE Interview: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
In the last and longest of my DICE interviews, I talked to Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie about their hit gods-as-pop-stars comic The Wicked and the Divine. Editor Chrissy Williams was also on hand to provide clarifications and additional wit. We covered a lot of ground, including pop culture, the generation of ideas, cultural appropriation,…
You Wanted a Movement? #StopGamerGate2014
Yesterday afternoon, Utah State University was sent anonymous threats of violence. “Feminists have ruined my life,” the man claimed. He would shoot up the university, targeting women, especially feminists, if Anita Sarkeesian was allowed to give a planned talk on sexism in video games. The talk was cancelled. To be clear: I didn't cancel my USU…
By the goddess! A Wonder Woman Movie!
Today Warner Brothers held their shareholder meeting, during which they announced a plethora of upcoming movies – including the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trilogy and all the LEGO movies you could want. But the real news was what they have planned for their DC Comics properties. Not counting standalone Batman and Superman movies…
A Trip Down Fear Street: The Secret Bedroom #13 (contains gifs)
Welcome to the second review in the Fear Street reread project in celebration of R.L. Stine rebooting the series! You can read the first one here. Tagline Don’t open that door! Synopsis After the lackluster The New Girl, I decided to revisit a Fear Street that I knew was a favorite of my younger self….
Review: Thor #1
Thor #1 Jason Aaron (writer), Russell Dautermann (art) Marvel Comics October 1, 2014 Thor is no longer worthy, and the fact that his replacement will be a female has been hyped for a few months now. Time to see if this hype pays off. If you were following Marvel’s recent epic crossover event, Original Sin, you’d…
