Taarna is a universe unto herself. Born of the great warrior Taarnak and a dying world. This is a pretty auspicious origin story for the woman who made her debut in 1981 as part of the Canadian animated anthology known as Heavy Metal. Back then, she was a mute warrior summoned to save a race…
Archie Comics Pubwatch: January 2022
Welcome to the Archie Comics Pubwatch for the month of January! I’m Lisa, reporting from a corner booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and here’s this month’s news! In this month’s Archie Comics Pubwatch, we ring in a brand-new year with another title resurrected from the Red Circle Comics File!
REVIEW: House of Slaughter #3 Defines the Series as a Queer Love Story
House of Slaughter #3 stays true to form by exploring love amid monsters. Unlike Something is Killing the Children (SIKTC), which focuses more on children’s loss of innocence and the unfair responsibility when they learn about monsters, House of Slaughter (HoS) is shaping up to be a love story — one which SIKTC readers know…
VIZ Pubwatch: January 2022
Happy New Year! And welcome back to our VIZ Pubwatch, where we take a look at the news and new releases from VIZ Media. Today we’re talking about some continuing series from a range of genres, from the shoujo My Love Mix-up!! to the seinen Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. But first, the news.
REVIEW: Beyond Forgetting Is an Imperfect Memoir
Beyond Forgetting is a short memoir by Frank A. De La Rosa. The memoir combines short historical summaries with personal stories to illustrate the experience of growing up in the Philippines under Japanese occupation and just after World War II. Beyond Forgetting captures an imperfect human voice that informs and colors one boy’s understanding of…
REVIEW: Carmina #1 Lays the Groundwork for Diwata Komiks
Still dealing with the sudden, horrifying loss of her father as a child, Carmina tries to make the best of her situation despite being stuck in an unhappy relationship and living in a trailer park. But after being riddled by strange nightmares that put her up against monstrous creatures all the way on the Philippine…
Previously On Comics: Twenty-Twenty-Sue
Good morning! Before anything else, a hearty cheers for our former editor and occasional star writer, Adrienne Resha, who has just been named as a winner of the 2022 Lucy Shelton Caswell Research Award. Adrienne, you’re as brilliant as ever, and we’re so glad to know you. Congratulations! Now, as for the rest of you…
INTERVIEW: Rob Williams Slices Through Mignolaverse History with The Sword of Hyperborea
Although Rob Williams is stepping into the world of Hellboy for the first time as the writer of the new four-part series, The Sword of Hyperborea, he is certainly no stranger to the supernatural universe of Mike Mignola. “I’ve been reading Hellboy and B.P.R.D. [the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense] for many years, so…
Diwata Komiks Hopes to Bring Forward More Filipino Stories That Resonate From Home
Interest in ongoing komiks series like Trese has shown a growing enthusiasm for wider, global accessibility to consume Philippine-produced media. In recent years, especially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations of conventions and art shows, platforms like Penlab have given komiks creators more opportunities to expand their reach online while broadening the channels potential readers…
REVIEW: My Date with Monsters #2 – Bad Dates and A Good Dog
This metaphor of what it is like to date as a single mom is an entertaining and relatable read. Filled with bad dates, rejections, government training programs, high school drama, and, of course, living nightmares, what more could one want from a horror comic?
Death Watch for Wilbur Weston: A WWAC Mary Worth Roundtable
The comic strip Mary Worth has over 80 years of archives you could read, a nebulous origin story, and an enormous rotating cast. But today’s roundtable is focused on its current villain: Wilbur Weston. Introduced in 1993 by the creative team of writer John Saunders (the son of Allen Saunders, potentially the first writer of Mary…
James Aquilone Ushers in the 50th Anniversary of Kolchak the Night Stalker With a New Anthology
Forgive me; I am remiss. It seems that I omitted one very important Carl in my list of comic book Carls. Though Carl Kolchak began his career on film with the 1972 television film, The Night Stalker, the subsequent appearances of Darren McGavin as the dogged reporter on the case of supernatural happenings in the…