This has been a pretty intense news week for all corners of the DCU so in an effort to not be completely overwhelming, I’m going to take a more categorical approach to this week. Let’s give it a shot, shall we? First up, film: As part of their “#DCWeek” campaign, the CW launched a special…
Family Drama in the English Countryside: The Past by Tessa Hadley
The Past Tessa Hadley HarperCollins January 5 2015 Disclaimer: A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review The Past opens on four siblings, and their children, gathering at their grandparent’s country home for a three-week holiday. It’s a trip that evokes a lot of strong feelings and memories, as…
Short & Sweet, All-Manga Edition: Barakamon, My Hero Academia, and More!
Barakamon, Volume #5 Satsuki Yoshino (mangaka); Krista Shipley & Karie Shipley (translation); Lys Blakeslee (lettering) Yen Press, June 2015 Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by Yen Press. Volume 5 of Barakamon is just as full of childhood hijinks and warm feelings as earlier volumes. City calligrapher Seishuu Handa has by now more-or-less fully adapted…
The Thursday Book Beat: Coloring Books Aren’t the Only Revolution in Publishing
Happy Thursday, readers! With one more day left to the weekend, are you already thinking about settling in with a warm blanket, and your favourite adult coloring book? Neuroscientist Jordan Gaines Lewis examined the phenomenon for NY Magazine, having recently purchased a coloring book of her own. She is both skeptical and intrigued by how…
Knit Your Comics: Game Knit X-Files Scarf
I am a ridiculous fan of The X-Files. I watched the pilot when I was 12 years old and I never looked back, even when it was traumatizing (“Home”—oh my god). I went to an X-Files convention in Portland back in the 90s. My dad, who ran a limousine service at the time, provided the…
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…
Get Your Game On Wednesday: That Dragon, Cancer
Howdy, gaming lovelies! I’m back from my first convention of the year and chock full of gaming news. This week feels a little like with us, against us and a lot of WTF but that’s how you know you’re having a good news week. So grab a refreshing beverage and read on. Prepare for heartbreak…
The Force Awakens Awareness: On Movie Viewing, Spoilers, and Privilege
It is no secret that Star Wars fans have been excited about StarWars: The Force Awakens (SWTFA) for months since its announcement, only getting increasingly worked up from the moment we saw Harrison Ford’s crooked smile and heard him say, “Chewie, we’re home,” to reaching a fever pitch when the film opened in the US in mid-December.
Augmented Reality and the Reader
Recently, I attended a conference session about the use of Augmented Reality (AR) to engage younger patrons. Interesting and enlightening, I left the session with an itch to know more about the technology, its possible applications, and drawbacks. AR is a layering of virtual objects over tangible, real world triggers. A smartphone or tablet reads…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: MLK’s Surprising Comic Legacy & Celebrating Black Comic Books
Every year, I try to celebrate Martin Luther King Day by delving into the life and times of Dr. King beyond the too-common reduction of his legacy to a quick soundbite. This year it involved comics, the way every major American holiday should! My best discovery this year was Montgomery Story, a short comic written…
Dice Vice: A Board Game Cafe Triple Threat
An interesting thing happened on the way to my monthly Dice Vice gaming: a wild Board Game Cafe appeared! If you’ve never been to a board game cafe you should definitely see if there is one in your area and plan a visit. Basically, it’s a cafe—the one in my town serves coffee, sandwiches, and…
TIFF: In Conversation with Tatiana Maslany
The lights dim and the screen brightens to reveal Tatiana Maslany, expertly portraying a paranoid Alison Hendrix ill-prepared for the neighbourhood pot luck dinner, opposite Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning, who must now take Hendrix’s place at the party after interrogating her husband. Sound strange? Then you have missed out on the critically acclaimed, unabashedly Canadian…
