Text based games are the best of both worlds, they are low-pressure games and exciting Choose Your Own Adventure stories. They are story-telling at its most immersive. Last year Al Rosenberg recommended a few text-based games to read and play, but if you know our Games Section, you know we can’t wait to get you…
She’s Back: The Rebirth of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 Greg Rucka (Writer), Matthew Clark/Liam Sharp (Penciler), Sean Parsons (Inker), Jeremy Colwell/Laura Martin (Colourists), Jodi Wynne (Letterer) and Liam Sharp/Laura Martin (Cover) DC Comics June 8th, 2016 Disclaimer: This review is based on an advanced copy from the publisher and may contain spoilers. I was excited when it was announced that…
Dice Vice: Lords of Waterdeep, a D&D Board Game
Hello tabletop gamers! I’m on a serious Dungeons & Dragons tear right now, so I’m going to talk about Lords of Waterdeep, a worker placement tabletop game with a D&D theme. Last month I wrote about libraries and gaming, specifically about investigating playing D&D with some of my library teens. So this month I’m going…
2016 Hugo Reviews: Short Stories
Having looked back on the works that contended in 2014 and 2015, I will now be casting an eye over the 2016 finalists in the four prose fiction categories. First up, we have the nominees for Best Short Story, four out of five of which arrived via Vox Day’s Rabid Puppies campaign.
Zine Review of Julia Gfrörer’s Dark Age: Everything Will Fade
If the greatest painting of all time was never seen by anyone but the artist, does it matter that it was created? Even if that work was lucky enough to be seen by a large audience, who is to say whether or not an exact duplicate preceded it? Julia Gfrörer’s Dark Age centers on decay, the…
Alien: Out of the Shadows Audible Drama
Alien: Out of the Shadows: An Audible Original Drama Written by: Tim Lebbon Directed by: Dirk Maggs Narrated by: Rutger Hauer, Corey Johnson, Matthew Lewis, Kathryn Drysdale, Laurel Lefkow, Andrea Deck, Mac McDonald Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins Audible Studios April 26, 2016
Interview with Hannibal and Sherlock Fanartist Reapersun
Reapersun is a popular fanartist known for her comics within many fandoms, but particularly those of the television shows Hannibal and Sherlock. After gaining a strong following on Tumblr, the demand for her comics grew, and she set up a Patreon in order to financially support herself while making art. Now earning over $3000 a month from about…
Zine Review: Abstract Door #6/Let it Sink #9
Abstract Door #6: Gargoyles & Garbage/Let it Sink #9: The Tears of Jim Joyce Jim Joyce and Vicky Lim Anything could be behind a door. I assume this is why my cat is fascinated by closed-off rooms, but for Vicky Lim, doors are an opportunity for both a writer and a reader to open themselves…
Comic Cons, Comic Books, and a Library Magazine: Anne Drozd on the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, Pulp, and a Mystery Comic
In the past few years, Anne Drozd and her husband Jerzy Drozd have produced a boatload of comic events: Comic books, podcasts, conventions, cartoonist instruction for kids/teens/adults, school workshops, library events, Nerd Nites, tiny expos, big expos; these two do it all. I was thrilled that Anne was able to take the time to answer…
Mom’N’Pop Culture: Can Kids’ Art Be Inappropriate?
Can kid’s art be inappropriate? It’s a loaded question, and one I’ve found to be sometimes answered with sarcasm or dismissive sentiments such as “they’re just kids.” This means they’ll draw what they see, and if grown-ups consider it to contain inappropriate depictions of body parts or scenarios considered too adult for children to understand, it’s…
Zine Review: Trans Man Walking #1
Trans Man Walking #1 Andi Santagata Sorry Mom Comix I’m very excited that the third and final zine I’m reviewing for Chicago Zine Fest is also debuting at the festival! Andi Santagata, the artist behind American Spirits: Freelance Ghostbusters—a webcomic that’s unsurprisingly about ghostbusting—just released a brand new zine called Trans Man Walking #1. It’s…
Zine Review: Lady Teeth #7 + Dude Swirl
Lady Teeth #7 + Dude Swirl Taryn Hipp and Jonas Cannon Images from various issues of Craphound My second review in this brief series highlighting zinesters who will be featured at Chicago Zine Fest’s Friday evening events is the seventh issue of Lady Teeth, a series of perzines—”personal zines” that contain writings about personal experiences—by…