The loss of Beano artist and children’ comic pioneer Leo Baxendale was felt by grown-up brit-comic kids across the world. Creator of, among others, Minnie the Minx (a bad girl, not a Bad Girl), Baxendale was mourned in a style he’d surely appreciate with more than one tweet displaying a huge mound of mash studded with…
Mary Kills People: Lifetime’s New Show Plays It Safe And Falls Short
When I first decided to review Mary Kills People, I was under the impression that it was just a show about a female serial killer starring Hannibal‘s Caroline Dhavernas, and I was very, very much about it. I have a soft spot for trashy horror and intricate narratives that delve into what drives women to…
Chiodo Comics’ Joey Ryan Dickstarter Asks You For a Chance
Remember that GIF you saw once of a wrestler destroying his opponent simply with the power of his own penis? This GIF: Well, that wrestler’s starring in his own comic… as the Chiodo Comics’ funding Kickstarter makes it into the black. At time of writing there are no stretch goals announced, but with the campaign closing in the…
Reading and Rereading The Handmaid’s Tale
Many of us have been heavily anticipating Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, starring Elisabeth Moss in what could be her next great television role since she played the ambitious Peggy Olsen on Mad Men. Several of us at WWAC (and our friends) took to rereading (or in some cases reading for…
Dominic Toretto: The Failed Family Man of Fate of the Furious
No one watches The Fast and the Furious movies for grumbly, mumbly, sometimes shouty strong man, Dominic Toretto. Well, I guess some people must, but as the series continues and the crew grows and the scope of its heists and missions along with it, Dom Toretto, king of the street racers and, lately, international super-something, has…
A New Chapter for the Gospel of Patience in The Magdalena
It seems appropriate to begin here with a confession: Forgive me, readers, for I am skeptical. So, the Catholic church, an entity that has subjugated women like it’s their job for literally centuries, has, as their secret, a supernaturally powerful champion woman descended from Mary Magdalene and Jesus? Haha, good one! Maybe lay off the…
Daddy Issues #3: Magneto When Good Dads Turn Bad
To “celebrate” Father’s Day I’ve written a selection of essays on some of comics worst ever dads. From adoptive fathers to absent ones, from rich and fascist to poor and useless, I’ve got ’em all! So strap in, grab your daddy issues, a stiff drink, and get ready to realise that pretty much all of…
Harlequin Violet & Harlequin Pink: Manga Romance Fusion!
Harlequin Ginger Blossom, published in English by Dark Horse, are successful Harlequin novels adapted for the Japanese comics market. Every volume says “written by [American Name]” and “art by [Japanese Name]” on its cover, which doesn’t seem entirely fair; adapting prose to a sequential graphic narrative is a job in itself and it goes uncredited thanks…
What Heroes these White Men Are: A Look Back at M.A.S.H.
In 1970, director Robert Altman released a film that, despite its blatant anti-war rhetoric and heavy criticism of Cold War attitudes, would win several awards including five Academy Award nominations and an Oscar for it’s screenplay, and a designation of “culturally significant” from the Library of Congress. M.A.S.H — and the TV show that followed…
Power Rangers Makes a Strong Case for Diversity
Power Rangers Directed by Dean Israelite Starring Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Banks Haim Saban & Lionsgate Temple Hill Entertainment March 24, 2017 The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series has always been about bringing teens from diverse backgrounds together. The 2017 Power Rangers film…
Visionary Comics: Black Girl Magic is Spreading
Ariell R. Johnson of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia and Jazmine Joyner co-owner of Visionary Comics in Riverside California–we are two sides of one coin. The two black women in America who own comic book shops.
ALL GROWN UP: Image Comics Bad Girls at 25
Image Comics was founded 25 years ago—you may have noticed all the commemorative parties they’ve been having. It was a shot in the arm to the American comic book industry, a nice load of amphetamine that got everyone buzzing and yelling and focused and horny. The young, male pioneers at Image’s founding gave a huge push to…