Idle Animations is a recurring series in which I play games without playing them, exploring quiet, still moments, how games fill space and time, and what happens when you let a game play itself.
Triangulating Looks: Fashion, Beauty, & Style in Comics
Editor’s note: Sequential Sartorial was a column about the use of personal style to express character and context in comic book narratives. It was one I felt strongly about, but wasn’t one I managed to keep up. It was too easy to go negative, and too time-intensive to find really great examples of really communicative comic…
Book Beat: Amazon Opens First Store & Everything, Everything Gets Mixed Reviews
Hi book lovers! Ashley here! My friend Stephanie has been holding down the fort as it was a very busy work period for me. I finished Big Little Lies and surprisingly found that I kind of liked the HBO adaption better. I had to move this week and my friend Chelsea helped me and admonished…
Who Would’ve Thought Zines Are So Personal? Reflections and Reviews from Chicago Zine Fest 2017
It would be unfair to write another piece about Chicago Zine Fest (CZF) without admitting bias. I don’t go to a ton of shows because navigating big crowds wears me out very quickly, and while I love meeting creators, I also get nervous and can turn into an awkward mess. However, CZF – and perhaps…
Piecing Hope Together in Shattered Warrior by Sharon Shinn and Molly Knox Ostertag
Shattered Warrior Sharon Shinn (Writer), Molly Knox Ostertag (Artist) First Second May 16, 2017 A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Warning: mentions of rape, violence. It was the brown face that caught my attention when I was first presented with the cover for Sharon Shinn’s Shattered Warrior. Jagged…
Get Your Game on Wednesday: Representation in Prey and Trolls in Counter-Strike
Howdy, gaming lovelies! I’ve been on the road a bit so it feels good to be back. With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, I’m hoping to catch a few tabletop games while drinking sangria on the patio. What about you? Tell me all the juicy plans in the comments below. Now, on to the news!
Manufactured Fantasies: On Kyoko Miyake’s Tokyo Idols
Tokyo Idols Director: Kyoko Miyake North American Premiere: April 29, 2017 It’s sold as a platform where dreams come true. Tokyo Idols is a fairly straightforward film. Like its title, the documentary from Kyoko Miyake is direct in its introduction of Japanese idol culture. We meet 23-year-old Rio Hiiragi as she prepares for a show,…
Feminist Fan Activists Get Ready for a Steven Universe Tweet Chat
The power of storytelling can’t be underestimated. One of the things that gives me hope for the future — no joke — is that kids today can grow up, not just watching but actively debating the radically inclusive popular cartoon show Steven Universe.
A Whistle-stop History of Fanfiction: Part 3
Previously on The Whistle-stop History of Fanfiction, we have talked about the Bronte Sisters creating fictional worlds for Wellington to dash around in, the Austen Family writing fic for the lovely Jane, if Star Trek is the granddaddy of fandom, and does the Tolkien Society need to get over itself? See parts one and two…
Review: What Parsifal Saw
What Parsifal Saw Ron Rege Jr. (Writer & Artist) Fantagraphics Books March 2017 Fantagraphics provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. In his previous collected work, Cartoon Utopia, Ron Rege Jr. suggested that readers read the book like a textbook. Not necessarily in sequential order. Looking for bits and pieces…
Previously on Comics: Rosa for America Chavez
Oh, hello there! As you saw last week, WWAC was hanging out at TCAF and catching up on comics. So, let’s see what there is to know now (plus my bid for who should play America Chavez in a screen adaptation).
Fatphobia in the Never Changing Comic Book Landscape
EDIT: an incorrect fact has been removed from this article. Superhero comic books retain the ability to deeply wound their audiences. What do they propagate a desire for? Thinner women. “Superheroine” is still, despite occasional pushback from Marvel’s (Adrian Alphona’s) Gert Yorkes and Valiant’s Faith, synonymous with “titty, yet thin.” They define a “correct” template, and…
