Disclaimer: This contains spoilers, so read at your own risk! Also, although Basara in general isn’t especially triggering, Ageha’s backstory, “Loquat” in volume 25, has instances of rape and child abuse. Ah, Basara, my love, my most favored manga. You are lovely and perfect. And yet, I wish you had better queer representation. What Basara…
Phoenix Fashion: Jean Grey’s Costumes, Ranked
This month sees the return of the original Jean Grey—not a clone, not a woman from another universe, not a time-displaced teenager—to the pages of Marvel Comics after nearly fifteen years. It’s been a long wait for fans of the original X-Woman, but as excitement mounts for Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey and we…
Superman and Me
I grew up on Superman comics, Superman movies and Superman tv shows. Eventually this spun out of Superman and into the DC Universe as a whole. Superman led me to Supergirl— and that’s a fandom that has defined my life. I was asked to talk about the two most defining moments of my fandom, the…
The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual is Ho-Ho-Hot
The Wicked + The Divine: Christmas Annual Kieron Gillen (Writer and Creator), Jamie McKelvie (Creator), Clayton Cowles (Letterer) Image Comics December 13, 2017 Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s The Wicked + The Divine started with the story in progress, and already steering towards the depths of sadness and pain that this series would bring. Most…
The Crown Jewel of The Hasbro Universe: Aubrey Sitterson Opens Up About His Journey On GI JOE and Scarlett’s Strike Force
Aubrey Sitterson has been making comics for a long time. He’s probably edited some of your favorite books—from the Image Comics smash hit The Walking Dead to Marvel titles like Ghost Rider, Blade, Punisher War Journal, and X-Factor. Aubrey became a comics editor right out of college, before leaving to become a writer and non-comics…
Hipster Manga: Sekai Oni
You probably haven’t heard of it. Disclaimer: Sekai Oni is not nice or fluffy. Content at the core of its story includes rape, incest, child abuse, drug usage, suicide, sexually explicit material, and a great ol’ heaping of death. Also, spoilers.
Women Making Comics: Melina Chavarria and Jean Marie Pilario talk Creating Positive Latinx Representation in Comics
Comics have long been (incorrectly) seen as the realm of homogeneous white male creators. It’s not that marginalized creators haven’t always been making incredible comics, but that they have been exactly that: marginalized. Whether it’s the lack of representation in Big Two comics—Marvel infamously didn’t hire a black woman to write a single comic until…
Lumberjanes #44: Time After Crime
Lumberjanes #44 Kat Leyh and Shannon Watters (Writers), Ayme Soturo (Artist) BOOM! Studios November 22, 2017 This month on Lumberjanes: a rock throws a temper tantrum, Abigail helps in a non-violent way (partly), and a family is found. Molly and her fellow Lumberjanes head off into the forest to chop off the tree that’s causing…
Kong: Gods of Skull Island Doesn’t Roar
KONG: GODS OF SKULL ISLAND Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer), Chad Lewis (artist), Dee Cunniffe (colorist), Ed Dukeshire (letterer) Boom! Studios October 18, 2017 On a whim, I went and saw Kong: Skull Island in theaters. It was a warm day, and theaters have air conditioning. I liked it. It was big and loud. It presented the titular…
The Perfect Squirrel Girl Shirt And Other Stories
It’s gift-guide season, and all through the house, we’ve got presents wrapping while we scream “what else??” The listicles listing the things we could buy make us ponder and wonder and start to ask why— Is it worth it to buy things all branded and fine? Are Pop Vinyls worth much when they lose Christmas…
Ripple Effect: What Does the Disney Fox Deal Mean For BOOM!
It’s been a wild week, hell it’s been a wild year. A long, long year. The last month of 2017 hasn’t disappointed, with a whole bunch of ridiculous/terrifying news and general chaos to close out 365 days of unmitigated hell. Of course, in the comics and comics-adjacent world the conversation has been heavily focused on…
Letter 44, Volume 5, Blue Shift: A Shifted Perspective
Letter 44, Volume 5: Blueshift Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque (cover illustrator), Charles Soule (scripter), Herrara (editor), Joelle Jones (line artist), Drew Moss (line artist), Ryan Kelly (line artist), Alize Gluskova (line artist), Langdon Foss (line artist), Dan Jackson (color artist), Shawn Depasquale (lettering artist), and Crank! (lettering artist) Oni Press November 28, 2017 This series starts…
