When we think of gangsters and racketeers, we usually (unfairly, I might add) think of men. But historical women racketeers? We hear about them, annoying, far less frequently. As we know from art history, the lives of these women — and their legacies — can be far more interesting, intriguing, and unfortunately overlooked than their…
REVIEW: Folklore and Urban Myths in After Lambana
You know how you can tell a person was killed by a sirena? They die standing up. To quote from After Lambana‘s tagline, “Lambana, the realm of the Diwata, has fallen, the Magic Prohibition Act has been signed into law, and there is something wrong with Conrad’s heart.” It’s a juicy premise from creators Eliza Victoria…
Comics Academe Review: ‘Supersex’ Puts the Sex Back into Comics Scholarship
Superhero bodies and superhero sexuality are frequent talking points. As on-screen bodies increase muscle, with actors bulking themselves to unattainably immense proportions, the superhero sex drive remains virtually non-existent. It often appears redundant and a contradiction, mainly because the actors portraying superheroes are objects of desirability. But on screen, they are sexless, without desire, and…
REVIEW: Untold Horror Is a Horror Revelation
Like many writers and creatives, I have a file on my computer of incomplete projects. Some things I have abandoned, and other times I have been left high and dry by gonzo publishers. A few months ago, I filed multiple pieces to be greeted not by cheque but by ghosting. Their silence is impenetrable, and…
REVIEW: Nightlife Noir 1 & 2 Shed a Light on the Shadows
Do you ever think about the darker side of nightlife? It’s an entire world that only a tiny fraction of the population get a glimpse of and will vary city by city. But the stories told in these small hours are often the most fascinating. The bar staff, the service workers, the shadowy figures that…
REVIEW: Snoopy, Come Home is a Canine Classic
Snoopy, Come Home (not to be confused with the animated film of the same title) is a reissue of Charles M. Schultz’s book from the early 1960s, incorporating 126 daily Peanuts newspaper strips from 1955-1962. The volume’s release will coincide with the beloved series 70th Anniversary this year and a new show on Apple TV.
REVIEW: Mirrorland by Carole Johnston
Think of a funfair mirror hall: things appear magnified, often distorted, real, yet otherworldly. We see ourselves reflected, but it’s not us. It’s more than that; a distortion of the truth. And sometimes, things can appear so evident when the truth has been so twisted and memories so repressed, and we don’t want to confront…
REVIEW: The Girls Are All So Nice Here
Our reign was short and bloody. What came after it was worse. When an email arrives in Ambrosia “Amb” Wellington’s inbox, she deletes it immediately. It’s from her Alumni committee, inviting her to a ten-year reunion, but Amb does not want to go. Then strange notes start to arrive. Something VERY BAD occurred when Amb…
REVIEW: Witches of Brooklyn Makes Magic
“Young children don’t perceive reality the way adults do…which gives them real creative freedom…and that freedom can lead to the best kinds of magic.”
REVIEW: Ghosted in L.A. Lives its Best Afterlife
Los Angeles is a city of ghosts. They linger on the sidewalk, forever haunt the crumbling old mansions that once belonged to movie stars, and reside in the rooms of historic hotels. Spirits are on every path, behind every corner. But Los Angeles is also a city of hope, where people venture to find themselves….
Portrait of an Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe Is a Lush Account of the Mother of American Modernism
Portrait of An Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe, written by Lucy Brownridge and lavishly illustrated by Alice Wietzel, broadly depicts an iconic artist whose life was vast and encompassing. O’Keeffe is widely known as the mother of American modernism; her art is powerful and potent, and her association to the sprawling Arizona desert synonymous with her name.
Portrait of an Artist: Frida Kahlo Is Perfect for Art Lovers Young and Old
Frida Kahlo is one of the most recognisable artists who ever lived. While her likeness has been highly commodified in recent years, the potency of her art and her fanbase is larger than ever — and constantly increasing. Her home, her Blue House, has now become a regular stop for art lovers in Mexico City,…