The himbo, he who is “thicc of thigh and even thiccer of heart,” has enjoyed something of a cultural moment in recent years. Attention has shifted away from snarky genius characters like Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes and gravitated toward an interest in the types of gentle portrayals of masculinity personified by Chris Hemsworth in…
VIZ Pubwatch March 2022
Spring is in the air! In theory. There’s a snowstorm going on outside my window right now. But we’ve got some exciting VIZ news and reviews to go over this month, so let’s get to it! We’re covering some different genres this month, from classic horror Orochi to recent shoujo Ima Koi: Now I’m in…
REVIEW: Flung Out of Space Paints a Complex and Brilliant Portrait of Patricia Highsmith
I don’t have the right words to prepare you for this comic. At its simplest, Flung Out of Space is about Patricia Highsmith’s quest to escape the drudgery of writing comics and get her novels published, including Carol, considered the first lesbian romance with a happy ending. It’s also about her years-long attempt to try…
“Will This Be the Year the Earth Refuses to Forgive Us?” A Review of Notes from the Burning Age
This is the humanity that is on display throughout Claire North’s Notes from the Burning Age. One side of that feature of human nature that is a desire to leave some kind of mark on the world, even if it is just something small token for someone to stumble upon in the future. Here’s the…
REVIEW: Queer History Sparkles in Smut Peddler: Sordid Past
All the Smut Peddler comics compile sex-positive, more or less queer- and trans-positive, very NSFW comics. They’re big anthologies, full-color, with glossy production values, and they’ve already got a following, which they very much deserve: this sixth installment in the series hits in every way. I can’t think of an NSFW comic that I’d recommend…
REVIEW: Iron Fist #1 Packs Punches and Lots of New Lore
There’s a brand new Iron Fist in the Marvel Universe! When Danny Rand gives up his powers to save the world, he leaves the position open for another person to take up the mantle. In the first issue of Alyssa Wong and Michael YG’s mini-series, we get to know Lin Lie, a young man who…
REVIEW: A Fake Affair Is Classic Akiko Higashimura
Award-winning mangaka known for Princess Jellyfish and Blank Canvas tries a new format for her dramatic josei stories with her webtoon A Fake Affair.
REVIEW: Strange #1 is Striking Start for the New Sorcerer Supreme
Stephen Strange may be dead, but in Strange #1, the Sorcerer Supreme lives. When Stephen is murdered, his death causes Earth’s magical barrier against other dimensions to disappear, allowing other beings to cross over. One such being is Clea, Stephen’s estranged wife. Stephen’s resurrection is only temporary, leaving Clea to mourn him and solve the…
REVIEW: Picard Season 2 Is Already More Cohesive than its Debut Outing
Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) hopes to settle down for a simple life on Earth, and maybe even find love again. But a disruptive cosmic force changes the course of Picard’s life, along with the entire universe. Can Picard and the motley crew of La Sirena save time itself?
REVIEW: Unbound Levels Up
Initially released as a five-issue series from 2019 to 2020, Unbound blends cyberpunk and fantasy elements in a neon-infused mystery that wears its influences on its sleeve. Writer Ralph Tedesco and artist Oliver Borges team up with color artists Leonardo Paciarotti and Maxflan Araujo in a bloody hunt for werewolves, vampires, and masked killers through…
DC PUBWATCH: February 2022
Not with a bang, but with confusion and an unreliable narrator, that’s how Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #8 ended, but luckily Joker #12 is setting up a much better conclusion in February’s DC releases.
REVIEW: Mystical Medleys Is a Delightful Marriage of Tarot & 1930s Cartoons
I’m always surprised by the creative ideas people theme tarot decks around. Liminal 11’s latest release, Mystical Medleys: A Vintage Cartoon Tarot is a great example of that. A playful deck meant for fans of antique cartoons like Betty Boop and Steamboat Willie, it’s a concept that’s niche enough to cater to a very specific…
