October 6th was already a big day for middle grade and young adult lit, from the illustrated re-release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Magnus Chase, Simon and Baz, and the rest (of us who just live here). Then Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Stephenie Meyer decided to Beyoncé the market…
Raising Dion Has a Lot of Potential
If you’ve ever wondered what life was like for Martha Kent, then Raising Dion, by Dennis Liu and Jason Piperberg, is your answer. About a woman raising a superpowered kid, Raising Dion is a warmer side of superhero comics, the domestic side that’s been so forgotten in recent years. I’m not going to lie, I’ve…
Just Let It In: The Force Awakens Trailer
Last night after work I sat down to watch two things – the Canadian election and the first full trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And if we’re being completely honest it’s hard for me to say what I was more anxious about. But now after many hours and hitting the refresh button more…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: TV Comic Dramas Bonanza
Welcome back, dear readers! Apologies for my unexpected time away–work emergencies took me away from my one true love, reporting indie comic news to you. But thankfully I’m back to bring you the highlights from the past few weeks of news! Y: The Last Man Going to FX For Potential TV Series Long lost in development…
Reading Diaries: Ravens, Sparrows, and Horror Oh My!
Christa: I’m sure I read other books/comics this month, but the one at the forefront of my mind is The Heart Goes Last—the latest novel from literary giant Margaret Atwood. Like The Handmaid’s Tale and the MaddAddam Trilogy, The Heart Goes Last takes place in the future. But not quite as far into the future…
Always the Side Character Never the Main: Invader Zim’s Gaz
If you grew up in 1990s America, likely you’re familiar with Jhonen Vasquez’s work. His comic series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is fundamentally part of end-of-20th century United States culture, with its darkness, extreme violence, and bizarre humorous interjections. Greatly popular, his humor seeped into mainstream zeitgeist, joining many of the “totally x-treme” pieces of…
My First Horror Movie: Jaws
Jaws Director by Steven Spielberg Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton Universal Pictures June 20, 1975 There are a lot of horror movies that have scared me. Poltergeist kept me from eating chicken legs for most of my life and maggots still bring back memories. Aliens convinced me that one of those creatures lived at…
Dominion: Have Fun Almost Immediately
It’s such a relief to play a game and have fun almost immediately. It got a little heavy in the Dice Vice column last month and while that’s definitely ok, I’m glad that this month’s game was easy and quick. Though I must say that it is hilarious to me how excited I was to…
Mighty Marvel Monday: Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
It’s Monday, which means it’s time for another Mighty Marvel Monday! This past week the first All-New, All-Different titles were released, as well the cover for Avengers #4, dubbed Earth’s Mightiest Kiss: So…of course I’m going to spend this week talking about the MCU instead. Ahem. I promise that next week, barring earth shattering news, I…
Geek Parenting: Destiny’s Hunter Cosplay and Halloween Costume
When my son first told me he wanted to be a Hunter from the video game Destiny for Halloween (and our local comic con), I was more than a little intimidated. I can’t deny that I did Google costumes at first, because the idea of creating this from scratch seemed beyond me. But then I started really…
Manga, Meet Comics. Comics, Meet Manga.
Last week, Claire and I discussed the divide between comics and manga, the basic thrust of which is: manga are comics; comics are manga. But you know, sometimes words fail us all. Let’s dive into this debate using—what else?—a comic!
Bande Diary: Bellybuttons and Brainless Beauties in Les Nombrils
After voyaging through Smurf Village in my last Bande Diary I had a hard time deciding what bande dessinée to read next. The problem with using bande dessinée to try and improve my French is that I’m spoiled for choice! Should I go with another classic like the Smurfs? Or something more modern? Should I…