Betsy Braddock is a fairly famous comics character. [She is certainly not Linda McQuillan, but we’ll get there. –Ed.] She debuted as an X-Man in the 80s, moving from New Mutants Annual #2 in the summer of ‘86 to X-Men Annual #10 in the autumn of that year. By the full swing of ‘87 she…
DC PUBWATCH – January
The biggest DC news this month is the expansion of their Walmart exclusive Giant line. I was in favor of this idea when it was launched, and I am still a fan of getting more comics into more hands cheaply, even if I don’t have a Walmart near me to access them. The line is…
A New Generation of Ghostbusters: Ghost Queen by Britt Wilson
Ghost Queen Britt Wilson Koyama Press October 19, 2018 Ghost Queen opens on a young witch and her literal knight in shining armour in the middle of a quest. They’re making their way through some dark and spooky caves, and come across a giant Ghost Queen who they engage in battle. The knight quickly gets…
Wish: Angels, Demons, and the Humans (and Cats) Stuck In Between
Wish CLAMP (Writers and Artists) Dark Horse Comics 30 January, 2019 Shuichiro Kudo is a successful doctor and a stoic man, often viewed as unapproachable and unflappable. After a long day in the operation theatre, Shuichiro sees something in a tree. The being is small, like an infant, but with a large head, and what…
Do I Hate the Nine-Panel Grid or Do I Just Resent Watchmen?
What bothers me about the nine-panel grid is the sense of “being told to.” Someone is telling me this is happening, specifically, like this. I am being asked to sit still, with my hands in my lap, while the teacher talks, and I feel there is no facility for imagination. But this is muddied by…
Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle Sink into the Abyss with Submerged Volume 1
One might say that writer Vita Ayala and artist Lisa Sterle were drawn together by Fate. The result is a beautiful, poetic, and soulful journey of Submerged, where the main character, Elysia (Ellie) Puente, plunges into the unknown to save her estranged brother following his desperate call for help. Taking shape from the ominous eve…
To Drink and To Eat: Tasty But Slightly Overcooked
To Drink And To Eat, Volume 1 Guillaume Long (Writer and Artist), Céline Badarous Denizon (Colours), DC Hopkins (Letters), Jeremy Melloul (Translation) Gallimard (French), Lion Forge (English) 29 January, 2019 Guillaume Long is passionate about food and drink, and he wants to share this passion with the world. He’s spent his life learning and testing…
By the Letters: Blambot’s Nate Piekos
An incredible amount of work and attention to detail goes into lettering a comic that the average reader is likely not aware of, despite the fact that it is the lettering of a comic that can help guide the reading experience from panel to panel. Nate Piekos has been working in comics lettering, typography, and…
Betty & Veronica #1: Senior Year At Last
Betty & Veronica #1 Jamie Lee Rotante (Writer), Sandra Lanz (Artist), Kelly Fitzpatrick (Colours), Jack Morelli (Letters) Archie Comics 19 December, 2018 Summer’s almost over, but Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge aren’t ready to start school again. Sure, summer may have started with Betty being dumped by Reggie Mantle, a relationship that only Veronica even…
Previously on Comics: Love is Like a Hole in the Head?
Last week, readers warned of disturbing scenes of violence against Lois Lane appearing in the opening pages of #12, a book that is made available through DC’s new Wal-Mart line with the intention of welcoming new readers in a family-friendly line. Writer Tom King responded to the criticism over at Bleeding Cool, explaining that the…
Comics Academe: The Evolution of Comics in Education Educators
To quote Jill Gerber, “In an increasingly image-driven culture, it is important that we purposefully incorporate visual literacy into our curriculum and equip our students, not only to be better consumers of information, but also for them to effectively communicate to a global community.” Gerber is an award-winning, published author and longtime educator. In this…
The Lumberjanes Remain Heroines in “Parent’s Day”
Lumberjanes, Vol. 10 Shannon Waters and Kat Leyh (Writers), Aubrey Aiese (Letterer), Maarta Laiho (Colorist), Ayme Sotuyo (Artist) BOOM! Studios November 29, 2018 The series Lumberjanes consistently redefines girlhood by including gay, queer, and trans identities often left out of common narratives about girls, and in the latest volume, collecting the “Parent’s Day” arc, the…
