Ah, the love triangle—one of YA’s most divisive tropes! Love it or hate it, the YA love triangle is here to stay. In “The Curse of the Love Triangle in YA Fiction” at Acculturated, Abby W. Schachter said, “Romance in YA fiction is fine; but love triangles are boring. Authors who have conjured entirely new…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: We Have This Conversation Every Year
Sorry about the disappearance last week! I know I missed a biggie: the announcement of the Eisner nominations. The up side of my absence is that it gave me a lot of time to think about how webcomics fit into the Eisners as a whole. And plenty of time for me to have the same argument I…
Fashion Forward Review: Fashionista, Gaming Noob
When I sat down to play Fashion Forward I was at a bit of a loss. I don’t understand much about feminine fashion, and I couldn’t tell if the looks I put together were actually cute or just well-drawn. So I asked my good friend Katie Mayo to play the game with me. She’s a “casual gamer”…
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…
Udon a Bad Thing: Frank Cho, Anuses, and Visual Impact
Much like many other areas of culture, monthly direct-market comic books are an industry, a scene, which is largely hostile to women even now, a place where harm is produced and reproduced, and objections are seen as shrill lies told for cheap thrills. I know it’s dull, but let’s talk about Frank Cho.
Fainted When She Saw My Body: Social Construction of Monstrousness in Saga
What is a monster? The easy answer is an “unnatural” being—your zombies, ghosts, or vampires. Stories from Frankenstein to The Walking Dead showcase the idea that humans can become monstrous through action, perhaps even more monstrous than the undead. Critics like David J. Skal and Stephen King argue that fictional monsters are metaphors, vehicles to…
A Less Stressful Writing Challenge: Flash Fiction Wednesday, May 4
Writing fiction is hard work, but it’s helpful to build a habit. Marjorie Liu recently shared how during a crossroads time in her life, she woke up at 6 AM each day, wrote 3000 words, and at the end of a month she’d written her first novel. Flash Fiction Wednesday is a monthly writing challenge…
Mighty Marvel Monday: It’s Gonna Be May
And we’re back for another Mighty Marvel Monday! Just as a reminder–this column will remain spoiler-free this week even though Captain America: Civil War has premiered internationally. My review should be out this Friday, and I’ll be linking to other reviews next week in a special Captain America: Civil War column. Also a reminder that…
Pokémon XY Fates Collide TCG Expansion
The Pokémon XY Fates Collide Expansion is set to hit shelves May 2nd in the United States. The set is already out in Japan with the title Awakening of the Psychic King (めざめる超王) and some cards are available via pre-release events through participating Pokémon Play hosts. The set will feature 120 new cards and will fall…
Returning to the Four Lands: A Shannara Chronicles Roundtable
Season one of The Shannara Chronicles came to a dramatic close, then spiraled into a cliffhanger that promised more adventures in the post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Based The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks, the show takes us on the journey of half-elf Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler), human rogue, Eretria (Ivana Basquero), and the elf princess,…
This Week in WWAC History: Friendship
As you could probably tell, the WWAC History theme of the past couple of weeks has centered around the release of Captain America: Civil War. Today is no different, but from the headline and articles below you may not be able to tell why. I’ll explain the connection. The movie trailer has me concerned about a…
Shinbun Saturday: The Return of CLAMP’s Favorite Magical Girl
Hi everyone! Welcome to the last Saturday of April. Is it still rainy where you live? Or have you moved on to warm, flower-filled days? Here in the Mid-Atlantic, it’s somewhere in between. Rainy or sunny, I hope you’re ready for a blast from the past. Last month, Angel reported that we were getting a…
