Boy, do we have a lot to talk about this month! From the VIZ app launch (!) to the sudden repromotion of classic shojo manga (!!) and new shojo series for fans to enjoy (!!!), this May is bringing some serious flowers. That play on words was a bit of a stretch, but I tried!…
REVIEW: Put on Your High Heels for Wine Ghost Goes to Hell
Wine Ghost Goes to Hell is a comic that you must read twice. On the first read-through, let it wash over you. Soak up all the details Sage Coffey places in the backgrounds that color Wine Ghost’s world; her high-femme shoe fashion, the strange hellish liquors on the shelves at the bar, the wildly detailed…
REVIEW: Food and Loss in Victoria Ying’s Hungry Ghost
The best stories in fiction always have some truth in them, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Victoria Ying’s newest graphic novel, Hungry Ghost. While not a memoir, it’s clear that this book is written from a real place of dealing with eating disorders, cultural values, trauma, and coming to terms with not…
REVIEW: Hot Docs 2023 – Cynara Puts the Canadian Injustice System on Blast
[[Editors Note: This review is part of a series of reviews from the Hot Docs Festival that took place from April 27th to May 7th 2023 in Toronto, Canada.]] In Cynara, the Ali family challenges the criminal conviction of Cindy Ali, who was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of her daughter,…
REVIEW: Hot Docs 2023 — Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story Shows Football is Universal
[[Editors Note: This review is the first in a series of reviews from the Hot Docs Festival that took place from April 27th to May 7th 2023 in Toronto, Canada.]] The documentary from Kurdish-Canadian director Kordo Doski, Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story follows the Dalkurd Football Club, which is made up of a group of Kurdish…
REVIEW: Ray Nadine’s Light Carries On Is A Low Key, Punk Rock Love Story That’ll Save Your Life
Light Carries On is a haunting love story that surreptitiously defies your tired expectations to surprise you with genuine empathy, healing and joy. Light Carries On Ray Nadine Dark Horse Books May 16, 2023 Light Carries On opens with Leon, our romantic lead, simmering with dissatisfaction. He’s a guy who knows what he wants, and…
REVIEW: Hot Docs 2023 – All You See is a Melancholic Meditation on Immigration in the Netherlands
[[Editors Note: This review is part of a series of reviews from the Hot Docs Festival that took place from April 27th to May 7th 2023 in Toronto, Canada.]] All You See asks the question what happens when a person is stared at but never actually seen? Director Niki Padidar attempts to answer this question…
REVIEW: Sugar & Other Stories is a Brilliant Showcase of Joy San’s Horror Comics
In Sugar & Other Stories, Joy San delivers seven deftly illustrated horror comics that will make readers shiver, gasp, and carry each image into their nightmares. Whether it’s a morning headache that could simply disrupt a young student’s day, a reflection on what it means to be a “good girl,” or a long-desired beautiful smile,…
REVIEW: Socrates is a Dense, But Riveting Look at the Philosopher’s Trial
Socrates chronicles the philosopher’s trial in 399 BC and his eventual demise. Why did Athens, the seat of democracy, condemn a man widely regarded as one of its ‘greatest citizens’?
Seven Seas Pubwatch April 2023
Welcome, April! Between a new strain of COVID-19 that has a threatening name (Arcturus!? But also I missed the Kraken strain??) and my springtime allergies have given me more than enough to worry about. You know other than the rising incident of gun violence over in the U.S. and the banning of anything and everything…
WWACommendations: Mimosa, Unhealthy, The Moth Keeper and More
Well hello there! I thought, since I used March’s WWACommendations to get emotional about my own birthday, I’d use April’s intro to reveal that I am writing this on my cat’s birthday! [Editor’s note: happy extra belated!] She is 11 today, and according to various aspects of a random horoscope meant for humans she’s confident…
Archie Comics Pubwatch: April 2023
Welcome to the Archie Comics Pubwatch for the month of April! I’m Lisa, reporting from a corner booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and here’s this month’s news! In April’s Pubwatch, Archie goes to summer camp…to die!, Jamie L. Rotante breaks down the Archie Horror world’s use of canon legacy characters, Archie collaborates with Hours, we…
