ElfQuest was the first comic book I really loved. It was also my first “adult” comic; after reading Betty & Veronica digests and incomprehensible 90s X-Men comics as a tween, ElfQuest felt thrilling and new, with just enough sexuality and violence for me to keep the books on a shelf where my parents couldn’t see….
Webcomic Profile: Kylie of TransGirlNextDoor
There are a few webcomics I follow religiously — Kylie’s TransGirlNextDoor is one of them. Started in November of 2013, the comic depicts everyday life as a trans woman. Her art is hilarious and colorful and brings joy to my life, and only leave me wishing there were more comics about being trans. Kylie works as a…
Multifarious: But the art of it
The rise of curation in popular culture Has the curator supplanted the creator in popular imagination? The Globe and Mail examines the rise of curation as a profession and an art form. The curator’s job has been, among other things, to find the through line. She provides a practical function, telling us who to trust…
Ghost Then and Now: The Reporter is Dead, Long Live the Superheroine
The Dark Horse Comics/Team CGW character Ghost, also known as Elisa Cameron, made her debut in Comics’ Greatest World in 1993. She reappeared in a special in 1994 that developed into a series in 1995. It ran for thirty-six issues before being re-launched in 1998 for another twenty-two issues. In 2012, Kelly-Sue DeConnick and Phil…
Top Five Alternative Superman Stories We Wished Existed
Superman is a character who seems to solve most of his problems with logic through an easy going grin and/or punching nouns. What happens when we dedicate standalone stories to issues people deal with on a regular basis? More importantly, what happens when someone like Superman has to deal with these issues? Stuff happens. Lots…
Chicago Zinester Interview: Meghan Ansbach
I had the recent pleasure of exchanging emails with Jersey Shore native, now-Chicagoan zinester Meghan Ansbach. I came across her zine “Everything is Better in Chicago” and adored her way of sharing her thought process on the page.
M|O|O|N Knight: Electronic Sounds To Commit Hyperviolence To
The relaunch of Moon Knight by Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire has been critically acclaimed for good reason. Getting rid of the inaccurately portrayed mental illness Marc Spector had been shackled with, and shedding his supporting cast in favor of different characters and drone equipment, has worked out in Moon Knight’s favor. The…
November Staff Picks: Comics
Buffy: Season 10, Vol. 1 – I Wish Christos Gage (w), Rebekah Isaacs (a) Dark Horse November 25, 2014 As a full-fledged Buffy fangirl, I will probably read these for as long as they are around — though I do wait for them to come out in trade. Anyway, magic is back, and Buffy and…
Concrete Park and Art: Puryear Purloins Painters’ Perfections
It was the cover that caught me. Concrete Park: You Send Me Tony Puryear and Erika Alexander Dark Horse Comics October 1st, 2014 Talking to Bleeding Cool about his “artist’s journey,” Tony Puryear, illustrator and co-writer of Concrete Park, said: I majored in art at Brown [University], loving Gauguin but doing very indulgent, Morris Louis-inspired color field paintings….
More than Meets the Ear- A Soundtrack for IDW’s Transformers
Hello there, ladies, gents, and non-binary folk. My name is Rachel Stevens, and you may have read some of my previous work analyzing the heck out of the IDW Transformers books. This is the start of something new and different, something less formal and academic. As much as I love comic books, I love other…
“Don’t Linger in the Woods:” A Review of Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods
Through the Woods Emily Carroll Margaret K. McElderry Books July 2014 Through the Woods is series of graphic tales collected in a beautiful, textural book. Like Wytches it explores the mythology of the woods and the various stories connected with the woods. First of all, if you aren’t already following Emily Carroll’s website, then please…
Kickstarter of the Week: RISE: Comics Against Bullying
For proof that bullying still exists, check your social media feed for the day’s latest story. Lately, there’s been so much derision and hate, let’s fight back by supporting a comic series that aims to entertain and educate on the serious issue of bullying.