No matter how apolitical a work of art can be, all art is inherently political. Matt Bors, founder of political cartoon publication The Nib, leaned hard into this idea when he created his famous online journal in 2013. Now, nearly a decade later, Bors is retiring from his two decades of political cartooning for the…
10 Years of WWAC
Today is a pretty auspicious day, what with it being the 10th anniversary of WWAC. As we look back at where it all began, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. Over 300 contributors have shared their passion for comics through WWAC and we are grateful to all of them and especially proud to…
REVIEW: Hellcop #1: Not Great, but Quite Foxy, and Very 1998
The immediate value of Hellcop and the reason for my enduring interest in a late ‘90s character with five published appearances is his head: it’s done, excessively. Hellcop not only has red-tinted sunglasses, which he wears without arms (a sort of cyber pince-nez?); he not only has a clifftop flop of thick blond certified-dreamboat hair….
WWAC’s Free Comic Book Day Favorites!
Free Comic Book Day! One of the best days of the year for comic book fans, FCBD is perfect for discovering new books, hooking little or novice fans, or getting to know your local comic community. (And, if you’re in my neck of the woods, getting a free shaved ice in honor of the day…
Good Butt Cracks & Bad Butt Cracks: The Nuance in Old City Blues
Cyberpunk police story? Corporate interests versus morality, in a mech-filled, nourished dystopia? Patching in–Old City Blues.
Letting Yourself Harass Zamii For Love of Steven Universe: Life Lessons From Going Too Far
Content warning: we’re going to talk about harassment and self-harm. Do you get a shiver down your spine and a catch in your heartbeat when you tell somebody they’ve done something hurtful? That’s really entirely okay. Physical responses to internal stress and the feedback of bravery aren’t rotten. It’s alright to enjoy the roller coaster…
Hungry for Definition: xxxHolic’s Addiction to Food
xxxHolic Omnibus editions vols. 1–5 CLAMP (mangaka studio); William Flanagan (adaptation and translation); Dana Hayward (letters) Kodansha 2014–2015 (first published 2003–2009) Note: this essay contains some light spoilers; review copies were provided by Kodansha. Watanuki Kimihiro sees spirits. Even worse, they want to eat him, and so they chase him. All the time. Big, scary,…
Weekend Review 2/5/2015
On Monday… Choose horror: play Emily Carroll’s webcomics. All things NOT Age of Ultron in this week’s Mighty Marvel Monday. Lest we forget: Batgirl. Lumberjanes #13 is a great jumping-in point for new fans. If irrational parenting is wrong, Melinda doesn’t want to be right. On Tuesday… Red Stylo is singing Killer Queen in an interview with Enrica…
You Are What You Watch: Which Five Anime Shaped Your Life?
Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books, movies, anime, or video games, I hesitate to answer. For me, comparing my love of Haruki Murakami to J. R. R. Tolkien, for example, is like comparing apples to oranges or choosing between chocolate and vanilla. Murakami and Tolkien, apples and oranges, and chocolate and vanilla are all…
What You Read: Our Top 20 Posts of 2014 [GIFs]
Reviews, essays, a couple of top tens, and tons of opinions, these are the top twenty, most read WWAC articles of 2014. This list is more diverse in authorship and topic than last year’s, with several of our newer writers cracking the top ten — and one, the top five. Among them are some of…
Sequential Sartorial: The Wardrobe of Colleen Wing
Sequential Sartorial! It’s gonna be a new thing! Talking about costume design in comics: GOOD costume design. This week: Colleen Wing, 2006. First things first: does anybody want my copy of Daughters of the Dragon, trade number one (“Samurai Bullets”)? Pay the postage and it’s yours. I don’t need it in my house; it’s a…
“Oh Japan”: Let’s Talk About Criminalising Anime
ITS DEAD NASTY BUT ITS LEGAL, DO YOU GET IT??? When I’d read Chobits in the Upper Sixth common room, my friends would call it “your porno”. I was like “uuh, NO”, because I was committed to being more beatnik than thou and knowing that, scoff, obviously not all (or even most or even nearly most or…