Like most budding pagans, I first encountered the idea of witches as people to look up to in fiction—most vividly (since I’m too old to have grown up with Harry Potter) in the form of Morwen, the practical, ginger-haired witch in Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Morwen was smart and sensible, had a household…
The Thursday Book Beat: All of the Book Awards, Chanie Wenjack & Fake Autographs
Hello from Christa your friendly neighbourhood Book Editor! I’m filling in this week for Ashley and have a bunch of interesting news from the literary world for you so let’s jump right in. This week the winners of two major book awards were announced. The first was the Man Booker Prize, which, for the first…
Review: The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel Volume 2
The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel Volume 2 Written by Philip Pullman Adapted by Stéphane Melchior Art by Clément Oubrerie Coloring by Clément Oubrerie and Philippe Bruno Translated by Annie Eaton Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers September 20, 2016 Another year has passed, and that means the release of another volume of…
Ask Them About Their Feminist Agenda: Marvel & Mockingbird
Chelsea Cain is no newcomer to publishing — she has two series of novels under her belt, plenty of accolades, and just wrapped up a stint writing Mockingbird at Marvel. But it’s that last gig that led to an acclaimed, talented and lovely writer receiving a slew of harassment on Twitter.
Alternative Press Expo: Exactly Right
Attending the Alternative Press Expo (APE) on Saturday, October 8th, in San Jose, CA encapsulated a lot of firsts for me. It was my first independent comics convention, as well as the first comics event that I attended as a member of the press. Thankfully, APE turned out to be all-around the best convention to go…
Knit Your Comics: Magical Scarlet Witch Shawl
This is probably the most personal KYC I’ve ever written, and it came at a time when I was feeling stuck and very discouraged about my life. I’d recently been rejected for a full-time job I’d really wanted and was wondering if I would be consigned to juggling multiple part-time jobs forever. When I’d visited…
Get Your Game On: If I Could Step Into Westworld…
Ever wondered what it would be like to step into your favourite game? Numerous stories have explored this concept. The latest addition to this list and to the list of my obsessions is HBO’s Westworld. If you’ve got a few thousand dollars to spare, you can step into the wild west world created by Delos…
Review: Cosplayers Perfect Collection by Dash Shaw
Cosplayers Perfect Collection Dash Shaw (Writer and Artist) Fantagraphics September 6th, 2016 Cosplayers Perfect Collection follows the meandering lives of Annie and Verti, two cosplayers who both consciously and unconsciously blend reality with fandom. The book is broken down into smaller storylines following the characters as they relate to various aspects of the cosplay community….
Extreme Ghostbusters: Sex in Kids’ Cartoons is Good, Actually (Sometimes)
Extreme Ghostbusters’ working title was, as it goes, Ghostbusters Dark. Clearly this is hilarious (and #radical), but despite its basic applicability I propose an amendment: I propose that Extreme Ghostbusters might just as well be referred to as Ghostbusters: Dirrrty. Yes, friends, with three Rs. Ghostbusters was never an especially chaste property. There-is-no-Dana-there-is-only-Zuul pretty much…
Varney the Vampire: A Penny Dreadful Pioneer
When it comes to the vampire fiction of nineteenth-century Britain, four works in particular are sure to be mentioned during any in-depth discussion. One, of course, is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897. Another is Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, serialised from 1871 to 1872, which continues to inspire writers and filmmakers today. Predating either of them…
Vampirella In Design
Vampirella is being rebooted and recostumed again! Dynamite has announced that they will be rebooting the comic for the second time in recent years, with a new creative team and another new direction. Paul Cornell and Jimmy Broxton (Knight and Squire, Saucer County) will be taking over the book and delivering a Vampirella for a…
Previously On Comics: Wonder Woman at the UN, Campbell’s Riri Cover, and the Check, Please! Kickstarter
Hello again! Kate here to catch you up with the news you might have missed from last week. The top story last week was, of course, Wonder Woman’s 75th anniversary. There were a number of exciting things that happened, including Wonder Woman being named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. That’s a real thing!! And DC Comics…