Dejah Thoris #3 Frank J. Barbiere (writer), Francesco Manna (artist), NEN (cover) Dynamite Comics, April 2016 Disclaimer: A review copy of this comic was provided by the publisher. The dethroned princess of Helium’s journey of discovery takes many leaps and bounds to get her to her destination. We’re not getting much exposition to get us from…
Dice Vice Does Denver: Gaming at Libraries and Library Conventions
This month I’m going to take a break from talking about a new game I’m playing and take you on a magical journey. Imagine hundreds, nay thousands, of ladies* and a few men, all decked out in gear ranging from sensible shoes to cat-print sweaters to tattoos to all of the above wandering around a…
Team Dynamics and Violent Cork-Screw Ballet: A Conversation with Jeff King
I stopped by Jeff King’s booth at Long Beach Comic Con back in February because I was already a fan of his writing. King has had a long and impressive career in television as a writer, director, and producer, and I’ve watched several of the shows he’s helped bring to life, going all the way back to…
Jillian Tamaki’s Sex Coven Is Back in Print: Go Buy It! [Review]
Frontier #7: Sex Coven Jillian Tamaki Youth In Decline April 2015 Late last year the Loser City crew invited me to participate in making a giant list of comics that don’t suck. I wrote several blurbs for their The 100 Best Comics of the First Half of the 2010s, including one on Jillian Tamaki’s Sex Coven….
DC Daily Planet: Still Gloomy
Before I start this week’s news post, I want to take some time to give a small update on last week’s situation as it’s unfolding right now. The conversation about Eddie Berganza that was ignited by Shelly Bond’s dismissal from Vertigo last week is still ongoing. More outlets and insights from various corners of the…
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…
Orientalism in Big Trouble in Little China
Before you read this: did you watch the Dr. Strange trailer? You should, because I’m going to compare it to Big Trouble in Little China, a movie thirty years its senior. “Why?” you ask. Because John Carpenter made BTLC with the understanding that Chinese-ness is context and not just culture, and that the mixture of…
Interview with Matt Ruff, Author of Lovecraft Country
Let’s time warp back to 2007. It’s a rainy day in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I just ducked inside the downtown Borders. I work at a library and rarely buy books, but I leaf through the new arrivals all the same. None of them hold my attention for long, and I consider giving up and…
Frontier #11: BDSM, by Eleanor Davis
Frontier #11: BDSM Eleanor Davis Youth In Decline February 2016 BDSM takes place on a porn set. Two women, one a dom the other a sub, are playing out a mistress/maid scene while an all-male crew — save the makeup artist — directs and shoots. The director calls for a halt: the sub is too…
The Thursday Book Beat: Hugo Award Nominations Are Causing a Hullabaloo
Spring’s finally arrived in Toronto, and with it, some great new book news for everyone! Potterheads might not be getting an eighth novel in the Harry Potter series, but J.K. Rowling seems committed to giving her fans new material to devour. She announced that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them wouldn’t just be available…
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…