Welcome to the first-ever monthly VIZ Pubwatch! VIZ is the largest publisher of graphic novels in the United States, bringing an extensive catalog of manga and anime from Japan to English-speaking audiences. From simulpublishing Shonen Jump chapters online, to releasing the newest hit anime on DVD and Blu-Ray, VIZ has been a force in Western…
Remembering Charlee Jacob: Dark Moods
In Charlee Jacob’s fiction, the modern landscape of mass media and urban sprawls is never far from the barbarism of the ancient world. An earlier age of weird divinities and brutal religious rites is present just below the surface of those millennial cityscapes, ready to burst forth into the lives and minds of contemporary humanity….
REVIEW: Read Your Cares Away Down At Fraggle Rock
A lovely volume of short stories make Down at Fraggle Rock a good choice for parents and kids to read together.
[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] Versailles: My Father’s Palace
Lovers of art and history will find the beauty of both in Versailles: My Father’s Palace, the graphical biography of Pierre de Nolhac, the historian, poet, and curator of the Palace of Versailles between 1892 and 1920. The original soft cover graphic novel will be available tomorrow in comic shops from Humanoids.
REVIEW: X-Men #12: The Secret History
X-Men #12 begins with a game, continues with a story, and ends with a promise. But aren’t all stories a kind of game? Summoner, the grandson of Apocalypse, sets the tone immediately: “We’ve learned so much about one another. What we love, what we hate…the things we believe…but now we come to the sharp end…
Previously On Comics: You Win Some, You Trace Some
Good morning, it’s monday and the thing about comic books fans is that we are, for the most part, a bunch of detail orientated, pedantic nerds. This means that when you trace artwork and then try to pass it off as your own someone will notice. And by someone I mean everyone. In unrelated news,…
REVIEW: Tony Stark Has a Mid-Life Crisis in Iron Man #1, and Whatever, I Don’t Care
In Iron Man #1, Tony Stark decides to renounce his way of life and go back to the simple ways—is he having an existential crisis? Is he going undercover? Is this some kind of covert mission? Or could it be something closer to home? We get an inkling in this opening issue.
“Socks Off on Krakoa” an Interview with Jay Edidin on Marvel Snapshots: X-Men
Very few comics announcements can elicit the same reaction as the announcement of Jay Edidin’s Marvel Snapshots: X-Men. Which is to say, few announcements can get me to turn my camera off during a zoom call at my old job, mute my mic and shout “Fuck Yeah! Are You Kidding Me?!?! Fuck Yeah!” to myself…
Last Week’s Episode: Black Rights are Human Rights and Pronouns Aren’t a Joke
Is it 2021 yet? I’m ready for next year. Maybe next year we can stop explaining the basics of human rights and common decency to people. In case you need to primer for having your own conversations — Black rights are human rights (not a political stance) and someone’s pronouns aren’t a joke. If you…
REVIEW: Giant-Size X-Men: Storm #1: She’s Strong But I’m Tired
With every crackle of thunder, every bolt of lightning, and every wind-gusted strand of hair, Russell Dauterman expresses how important Storm is to him. I wish I could say I felt the same about how Jonathan Hickman has been writing Storm.
REVIEW: Hellions #4: We Still Demand Justice for Madelyne Pryor
The first arc of Hellions wraps up just in time for X of Swords, leaving the readers with moral quandaries and righteous anger. Hellions #4 is a dirty, grimy, yet satisfying conclusion to an arc that still sets things up for the future.
Vault Comics Pubwatch: September 2020
Vault Comics is moving at full steam now that comics distribution is back in full swing. Autumnal, Vault’s new horror series, has already sold out and is off for a second printing which will feature a new cover. Meanwhile, Resonant, one of my favourite series from this publisher, will be returning with a new story…