I got to see the Maze Runner sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, on Eid with my family and it got me pumped for the next film. It picks up where the second one left off: Thomas and friends (aka The Gladers) escape the maze and the shady organization known as WCKD. They venture into the Scorch where they have to deal…
Queens, Pirates, and Goddesses: The Women of Swords & Sorcery
Although pulp swords and sorcery books feature plenty of scantily clad women on their covers, sometimes there is a different kind of woman inside. She fears neither man nor beast, leads men into battle, captains pirate ships, and lures men to their deaths. Belit and Valeria fought alongside Conan as equals, while Jirel of Joiry…
Five Times Jean Grey Got Kissed And Didn’t Expect It
While I was looking for images with which to furnish the Top Five Scott & Jean Moments, it turned out to be rather easier to stumble across Jean being kissed (or almost kissed) and being shocked about it, than finding pictures of Jean and Scott. Jean: one of the founding five X-Men, perhaps the most…
Shinbun Saturday: Manga, Angels, and Tentacle Monsters
More Assassination Classroom action on the way Can get enough of a certain alien tentacle monster? Don’t worry! Yusei Matsui’s Assassination Classroom is getting a spin-off series next month. Slated to run in Saikyou Jump, Koro-sensei Q! will be drawn and written by Kizuku Watanabe and Jou Aoto and feature the titular character as a…
Kickstarter of the Week: The SEA is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia
Retro-futurism can be anachronistic fun for the whole family, so you’d think steampunk would be a good time for all. But the big issue with the sci-fi sub-genre is its often white-centric stories, which reflect the lack of representation that has been (and remains) all too common in current-day pop culture and media. Editor of…
Freaky Vegan Daughter: Green Giant Tofu Bowl with Miso Dressing
Freaky Vegan Daughter (FVD) returns with some end of summer treats. It’s WWAC Warriors meets offbeat feminist southern debutante. Technically, it’s autumn, and we’re all looking forward to hot cider, warm pumpkin pie, chili cook offs, hayrides, and all the fun the season offers. However, in Texas it’s still nearly as hot as a billy…
Review: 3 Takes on Zodiac Starforce #2
Zodiac Starforce #2 Kevin Panetta (script), Paulina Ganuchea (art, colors, letters), Kevin Wada (cover) Dark Horse September 30, 2015 Disclaimer: This review may contain spoilers and is based on an advanced review copy of Zodiac Starforce #2 from Dark Horse. After the events of Zodiac Starforce #1, where the team learns that they may have…
Beyond the Glade: Boom! Studios’ Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Comic
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Writers: Wes Ball & T.S. Nowlin, Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly Artists: Marcus To, Nick Robles, Andrea Mutti, Tom Derenick Colors: Josan Gonzalez, Vladimir Popov, Whitney Cogar Letters: Deron Bennett, Jim Campbell Boom! Studios June 2015
The Right Number: A Review of Hotline Miami 2
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Devolver Digital/Dennaton Games March 10th 2015 I was gifted the first Hotline Miami game ages ago and adored it. Beautiful colors, intense gameplay, unnerving artwork and confusing narrative + story theming, and the most amazing soundtrack to a video game I’d ever played. I was looking forward to the sequel…
The Thursday Book Beat: Penguin Random House to Answer Diversity Survey
Penguin Random House joins diversity survey They join Macmillan and Scholastic, making a total of three of the Big Five publishers among the participants in the Lee & Low survey. The decision is a great step forward in acknowledging the very real lack of diversity in the publishing industry, and identifying the ways in which…
In the In Between: Make Your Home Among Strangers
Make Your Home Among Strangers Jennine Capo Crucet St Martin’s Press August 4 2015 Amid the chaos of her home life—her parents splitting up, her nephew’s father refusing to acknowledge his baby, and her demanding boyfriend—Cuban-American Lizet applies to a super elite college. She doesn’t tell anyone but the guidance counselor at her under-performing, troubled high…
Family and Survival at the Ottawa International Animation Festival
From September 16-20 I had the opportunity to attend the screenings for the four competing feature length animated films at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. At first glance the films could not have been more different from one another. There was The Magic Mountain, a Romanian/Polish/French film about a Polish refugee fighting the Russians in…
