Every year brings with it a new World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon. And every year brings a new set of Hugo Awards, voted for by the convention’s paying members.
Reimagining the Personification of Death in Popular Culture
When people learn that I am studying death and comics they will invariably ask if I mean the grim reaper. Usually I say no, because that’s not at all what I’m doing, but sometimes I say yes, just to see where the conversation will go, to find out what they know about the thing that…
The Exquisitely Beautiful Darkness of Snow, Glass, Apples
Snow, Glass, Apples Colleen Doran (artist), Neil Gaiman (writer), Val Trullinger (flatter) Dark Horse Comics August 2019 Disney has mastered the art of reimagining fairy tales to the point where many believe their versions to be true to the originals, but it’s always a delight to find reimaginings that twist the story in entirely new…
I Went to Narnia and All I Got was this Lousy Complex: Lewis, Gaiman, Grossman, Fearscape
In October 1950, C.S. Lewis’s novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was published, and this was the birth of Susan. In this novel four kids are evacuated to the large country house of an old professor, because the war—World War II—is on. In this house they find a gateway to another, more magical…
Books to Read in 2019 Before They Hit the Big/Little Screen
There comes an exciting time in every reader’s life when one of their favorite books gets turned into another medium, like a TV show or a movie (or comic book, or play, or podcast … you know what I mean). When the adaptation is good, you get the indescribable joy of seeing your favorite characters and…
Book Beat: Indie Bookstore Sales and Good Omens
Hello again, readers! Welcome to the first Book Beat of 2019. I hope your year is off to a good start and that your celebrations were successful, whether they included parties, going to bed early, or anything in between. The book world has been pretty quiet over the holidays, so aside from 2018 reflections and…
Dream or Nightmare: Sandman Universe #1
Sandman Universe #1 Bilquis Evely (artist), Max Fiumara (artist), Sebastian Fiumara (artist), Tom Fowler (artist), Domonike Stanton (artist), Nalo Hopkinson (writer), Kat Howard (writer), Simon Spurrier (writer), Dan Watters (writer) Vertigo Comics August 8, 2018 Sandman Universe #1 returns to the Dreaming, realm of the Lord of Dreams, as Sandman celebrates its thirtieth birthday this…
My First Comic: Enter Sandman
Four years ago, everything I knew about comics came from Saturday morning cartoons (X-Men, BTAS, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I honestly didn’t read comics. I knew we had a local comic shop, but had never been there. I really wasn’t all that interested in comics as a storytelling medium….
American Gods Vol 1 is Not Quite A Melting Pot
American Gods Volume 1: Shadows Neil Gaiman (Story and Words), P. Craig Russell (Script and Layouts), Scott Hampton, Walt Simonson, Colleen Doran, Glenn Fabry (Art), Lovern Kindzierski, Laura Martin, Colleen Doran, Adam Brown (Colorists), Rick Parker (Letterer) Dark Horsem February 28, 2018 The American Gods comics adaptation is both beautiful and well-paced. P. Craig Russell…
Book Beat: Bisexual Visibility and Awards Season
Hi book lovers! Ashley here! I’ve been so stressed lately with the start of a new school semester and my new job placement, so I took a few weeks off from Book Beat. You can understand, right? I’m going to try to keep up with my normal reading and writing schedule, but it seems like…
Book Beat: Amazon Opens First Store & Everything, Everything Gets Mixed Reviews
Hi book lovers! Ashley here! My friend Stephanie has been holding down the fort as it was a very busy work period for me. I finished Big Little Lies and surprisingly found that I kind of liked the HBO adaption better. I had to move this week and my friend Chelsea helped me and admonished…
American Gods Episode One: One Hell of a Trip
American Gods promised to be strange, and strange it is. The first episode, “The Bone Orchard,” sets a tone if not a plot. With the abundance of amazing TV shows at the moment, showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are banking on exactly that: every story has been told, so the real drawcard is how you do it.