I got my heart’s desire, and there my troubles began. A pessimistic start to the first book in The Magicians series by Lev Grossman, you might say. We want things, claims the narrative, and we will continue to want them even as we learn that they will destroy us. Showcase’s TV adaptation mirrors that desire a little…
The Thursday Book Beat: Diversity Discussions in Publishing Take the Transcontinental Stage
Welcome back to Book Beat, readers! It’s been a pretty busy week for the book industry, and leading the news charge is the release of Lee & Low’s diversity baseline survey results. 34 publishers and 8 literary review journals participated, including Big Six publishers Penguin Random House, Scholastic, and Macmillan. Unsurprisingly, the results of the…
Zine Review: Jane: Documents from Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service 1968-1973
Jane: Documents from Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service 1968-1973 Firestarter Press, 2004 January 22nd marked the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Perhaps it is more apt to say it sort of legalized abortion as, according to a recent article from Mother Jones, over 1,000 state laws restricting abortion…
Can Companies Criminalize Cosplay?
The upcoming Supreme Court case of Star Athletica, L.L.C., Petitioner v. Varsity Brands, Inc., et al. has a lot of people in the geek community concerned that this may be the case. The case involves cheerleading uniforms—but it does have potential ramifications for cosplay and wearable fandom items. In this case, Varsity claims that designs can be…
The Truth is Out There: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
There was a moment during The X-Files season ten premiere that made me sit up and cheer. It wasn’t seeing Mulder or Scully’s face again after all these years. It wasn’t about seeing an alien space ship crash, or an alien autopsy. The moment didn’t include explosions or romantic tension between our beloved protagonists. It…
Review: Toil & Trouble #4-5
Toil & Trouble #4-5 Mairghread Scott (writer), Kelly & Nichole Matthews (illustration), Warren Montgomery (letters), and Kyla Vanderklugt (cover) Archaia December 2, 2015 and January 6, 2016 Last month, issue #4 proceeded through the showdown between Riata and Smartea at breakneck speed. This month, issue #5 shows the devastating results. Disclaimer: This review is based…
Get Your Game on Wednesday: If you like that, try this edition
Happy Wednesday, gaming lovelies! This week, I thought we’d try something fun with a little “if you like that, check this out” action. So grab a cup of refreshment and let me know what you think. If you like the look of Destiny, check out The Solus Project Similar to the stunning world images in…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: Female Artist Claire Wendling Makes Grand Prix Shortlist Despite Festival Fail
While the film industry’s been wrestling with the complete shut-out of any people of color from the Oscars acting nominations, a similar storm has been brewing over comics’ most prestigious award. Unfortunately, #AngoulemesSoMale does not a great hashtag make, so it may have flown under your radar! It all revolves around a lifetime achievement award given to…
Not Your Average Wizard: An Interview with Stella Maeve of The Magicians
Every generation seems to have a wizard story of origin: our grandparents may remember Frodo and The Lord of the Rings, while our parents might have introduced us to The Chronicles of Narnia. As the kids who grew up with Harry Potter have aged, the idea of magic has remained a fascinating escape. It’s this eternal draw to magic…
The Impostor Queen: A Q&A with Sarah Fine
In her new novel, The Impostor Queen, Sarah Fine takes readers on an exciting, emotional and political fantasy adventure. At the heart of this new novel is a young girl named Elli. Ever since she was a child Elli has been in training with the Elders of Kupari and one day she will succeed the Valtia and protect the Kupari…
Comics Academe: Teaching Ms. Marvel – Part One
Last semester I taught the first volume of Ms. Marvel in my honor’s multicultural literature class. Ms. Marvel was perfect for my class, which centered on how minorities used fantastic fiction to show disfranchisement and how old tropes become new when filtered through a different perspective. Superman and Batman are iconic, and that’s a lot…
Lucifer on Fox: Pretty Lukewarm
Lucifer Morningstar got his start in Sandman #4, created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith. Based initially in part on David Bowie and John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and fleshed out in a solo series by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Ryan Kelly, Lucifer runs the gamut — stories involve angels, demons, ghosts, fighting the armies of Heaven, creating a…
