The weather is getting chillier where I live, and I’m starting to yearn for afternoons curled up with a hot drink, rereading something cozily canonical like Austen or Shakespeare. Part of what’s cozy about that scene, for me, is the interpretations of characters I developed on first reading, and still stand by. In fandom, “headcanons”…
REVIEW: Star Wars: Life Day #1 Isn’t Quite a Life Day Miracle
In Star Wars: Life Day #1, Han Solo finds himself in a sticky situation while the galaxy celebrates the Wookie tradition of Life Day. How will Han and his trusty co-pilot Chewbacca find their way out of this latest escapade?
REVIEW: Newburn #1 Introduces Us to Comics’ Newest Hard-Boiled Detective
Who, what, when, where, why, and how? The world of Newburn gets into the gritty details of these questions in its premiere issue. Writer Chip Zdarsky’s time on the main Daredevil title ends this month after a run since 2019, and Newburn is his newest book that might satisfy fans of his looking for another…
Previously on Comics: Okay, Sure
Hey, what a week, right? I’m kidding, I have no idea, because I’m losing all concept of time. If you wanna read about some bros being bros and dudes rocking it up, there’s an interview in the Atlantic. Gina Gagliano is moving on from Random House Graphics, the imprint she founded two years ago. Her…
2021 Hugo Award Review: The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
“Clearly, the Space Age is over” declared J. G. Ballard in the ’70s. He had a point: the past few decades have done little to revive the old assumption, made by so many science fiction writers, that a smooth and steady line would stretch from Sputnik to the moon and then to Mars and beyond….
REVIEW: The Scarlet Witch Gets It Together in The Trial of Magneto #4
The Scarlet Witch figures out who she is, and how she came back to life, and how to stop the monsters she’s created (well, at least some of them) while Krakoa’s A-list mutants try to figure out who killed her. But what if she already knows?
REVIEW: X-Men #5 – The Great Dane
“Fearless” is an apt title for any story arc in the Reign of X era, but for Gerry Duggan’s X-Men, it fits like an elbow-length yellow glove. The X-Men have terraformed Mars, built an island nation for mutantkind, and conquered death itself. Hell, in the last issue, they defeated a demon named Nightmare! Reenergized and…
Apocalyptigirl: An Aria for the End Times: Intended Audience and Its Role in the Commentary of Victimhood
Apocalyptigirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew Maclean is one of the best graphic novels I’ve read. When folks ask me what my recommendations are for their next read, it is always at the top of the list — especially when those folks have a young adult daughter as there are not enough…
REVIEW: Monsters, Family, and Flying in Asadora! Volume 4
Asadora! Volume 4 is the latest volume of Naoki Urasawa (creator of Monster, Pluto and 20th Century Boys)’s ongoing series about teenage stunt pilot Asa Asada and a mysterious ocean monster threatening to ruin the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, and it continues to be awesome.
REVIEW: Belle: Headless Horseman Delivers the Action
Back again in a bloody adventure, beast hunter Belle DiMarco squares off against the Headless Horseman. The well-paced action and grisly horror elements make for an entertaining read, but the overbearing narration and chatty characters sometimes undermine the tension.
REVIEW: Closing the Gaps in Queer Storytelling in Stone Fruit by Lee Lai
Lee Lai’s debut graphic novel Stone Fruit follows an overworked thirty-something named Ray as she ends her relationship with her girlfriend Bron and rekindles her friendship with her sister Amanda. Ray and Bron were at their most loving and creative while babysitting Amanda’s energetic six-year-old daughter Nessie, but they’ve drifted apart as their differences become…
Vault Pubwatch: November 2021
If you’re a Goodreads user who happens to also like Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One, then you should get in on round one of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards in the graphic novel category.
