For a long time, I didn’t play many games. I didn’t grow up with enough expendable income to afford a large game library, and spent much of my childhood playing and replaying the few NES and Super Nintendo games I had—Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country, and movie tie-ins of Toy Story and The Lion…
“This is Halloween!”: A History of Halloween, Part 2
The Mad Historian returns in Part 2 of “This is Halloween!” a two-part series that looks into the history of Halloween traditions, symbols, and more. Part 2 is a quick and dirty look at a few specifically American Halloween tradition for those history-loving folks who are intrigued by Halloween’s convoluted past. For an overview of how…
The Problem with Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode
“Hey, are you the type that’s okay with spoilers? The 3rd game of ‘Dangan Ronpa’ is so good, I gotta talk about it! But are you okay with spoilers?” CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of child abuse and sexual abuse. Graphic sexual descriptions and images. SPOILER WARNING.
Stop Telling Women How to Feel
This is not a piece of hard-hitting journalism. I didn’t bury myself under a mountain of research before sitting in front of my computer to write, and that is on purpose. I’m here to talk feelings, because I am sick of women being policed for expressing their real and legitimate emotions.
We Got The Beat: All-Women Bands in Comics
Hey there, Cats and Kittens! Have you heard the new sensations sweeping the nation with their spectacular sounds, rockin’ riffs, and show-stopping, toe-tapping, sell-your-worldly-possessions-for-a-chance-to-touch-glory performances that will make you question your purpose in life? Yes? No? Well then, sisters and brothers, have I got some bands for you! If you’re diggin’ the New York scene, check out…
A Gender-bent Bella: Damsel No More in Meyer’s Life and Death?
October 6th was already a big day for middle grade and young adult lit, from the illustrated re-release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Magnus Chase, Simon and Baz, and the rest (of us who just live here). Then Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Stephenie Meyer decided to Beyoncé the market…
Manga are Comics. Comics are Manga.
In the world of visual storytelling, there exists a divide. You see, there are manga fans, and there are comics fans, and seldom the twain do meet.
My First Horror Movie: Friday the 13th
My mom is the queen of inappropriate when it comes to allowing children to watch horror movies and television. On her most recent visit, she waited for me to leave the room so she and the kids could tune into a ghost hunting show. My kids slept with me for the next two nights.
“This is Halloween!”: A History, Part 1
In this special article, Ginnis sought out a historian to reveal some of the secrets behind the history of this great season. Fortunately, she discovered a “Mad Historian” who takes a perverse pleasure in tackling the maddeningly mundane questions that plague so many of us like “How did Halloween come to be?” In Part 1 of this two…
It’s Time to Reconsider Fanfiction
For almost four years now, the popular YouTube gamer channel ScrewAttack! has hosted a show titled “Death Battle!” In each episode, two commentators (Ben Singer and Chad James) pick two characters from separate geek properties and glean the extent of their powers and abilities based on a particularly thorough combing of each character’s history and…
Books That Shaped Me: L.J. Smith’s Night World
There are the YA classics many of us read, such as Newberry Award recognized books like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, and many more. I vaguely remember these books, but I certainly don’t…
X-Men: A Return to the Classics
If I share my Classic X-Men collection with you, it’s not merely because you are or are becoming an X-Men fan and I think this is required reading for your journey. When I share my Classic X-Men with you, I’m offering you a piece of my soul; a peek at what goes on in my head…
