Memoirists, unsurprisingly, often retell moments of their lives to extract a lesson from their experiences. It is natural to use the act of writing or talking about yourself to generate meaning, but lately I’ve been wondering if building narratives out of one’s own incomplete life can be dangerous. We all have, at one time or…
Previously On Comics: Comics You Might Have Missed
Hello again! Kate here for this week’s Previously On Comics. It’s been A Week, to say the least, and as I’m getting on a plane in 36 hours, I’m going to keep this short and sweet and mostly focused on suggestions of things to read that you might have missed. Before we start, I have…
Pondering Pull Lists, Part One: Why? What? Really?
We couldn't have said it any better. pic.twitter.com/faPdRAuRcT — Joey Von (@JoeyVonKinsley) January 11, 2017 Pull lists. What a notion! A non-binding agreement with a supplier of goods, a supplier of goods whose order from their supplier of goods–when it’s Diamond, which is usually–is binding. A simple little option, the ability to say, “Hey man, hey…
Villains and Masterminds: The Third Doctor #4
The Third Doctor #4 Paul Cornell (Writer), Christopher Jones (Artist), Hi-Fi (Colors) Titan Comics January 11th, 2016 It’s hard to imagine anything topping The Third Doctor #3’s explosive reveal that the Second Doctor was really Ramón Salamander in disguise. And yet, things are only getting more interesting as we hurtle into issue #4. Fragile alliances are built, characters’…
Review: Vanessa Davis’ Spaniel Rage
Spaniel Rage Vanessa Davis Drawn & Quarterly February 2017 Disclaimer: Spaniel Rage was reviewed using a copy provided by Drawn & Quarterly. Vanessa Davis’ Spaniel Rage mostly chronicles her one-drawing-a-day diary comics from 2003 to 2004. Now over 10 years old, these drawings are practically historical, living in a very different time where few people had…
Suffering Sappho! The Role of Queer Coding in Wonder Woman
It’s a good time to be a Wonder Woman fan. Sure, it’s only taken seventy-five years, but the Amazon princess is finally beginning to receive a level of widespread respect equal to the other, mostly male, heroic icons venerated by popular culture. A vast amount of responsibility for this achievement lies with the relaunched Wonder…
To Be Or Not To Be “Respectable”: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
For the first time in several months, I decided to pick up a copy of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #15, despite my reservations regarding the ongoing series. (See the following excerpt from an open letter I sent to Marvel on 22 August 2016.)
Previously on Comics: Immunization, NYT, Zine Fair
Are all of you having trouble focusing on things the way I am lately? I keep forgetting I have the tab open to work on this story, and I walked away from my phone while in the middle of a game earlier. My thoughts are scattered, but comics always bring things into focus. So, here’s…
Fourth Year of Informal ColoristAppreciationDay
In January 2013, Eisner-winning comic book creator and primarily colorist Jordie Bellaire wrote a Tumblr post titled “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” decrying an unnamed convention–as well as the wider comic book industry–that refused to give colorists their due. “Colorists…are the unknown amazing backup singer who makes every…
Political Comics: Captain America Was Never Neutral
January has seen the writer of Captain America advocating for the bodily integrity of, and being retweeted by, neo-Nazi Richard Spencer. Like a lot of awful moments in the past year, there is a temptation to confuse our horror with shock. We want to ask, “How could this have happened?” But as many Cap fans…
Myth, Motherhood and Buttered Toast: An Interview with Sophia Wiedeman
Nothing makes me happier than a story that gets in my head, manipulates my emotions, and controls how I read. I am a fast reader, and poor pacing or lazy writing — whether in comic or prose form — cause me to speed through a book, letting my impatience get the better of me. This…
New York Times Drops Graphic Novel Best Sellers List
Yesterday on Twitter, literary agent Charlie Olsen shared that the New York Times Bestsellers List has announced major changes to their categories, including the removal of the Graphic Novel Best Sellers List https://twitter.com/ComicsisPeople/status/824394782843793408 https://twitter.com/ComicsisPeople/status/824398640152186880 Olsen sent us the New York Times announcement, which you can read in its entirety below: Dear Best Sellers Client, We hope you…