A new licensed manga reader app called Azuki launched recently, offering digital manga from Kodansha and Kaiten Books. As I scrolled through the list of titles, I asked my friends what’s worth checking out on there, and one of them recommended I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die by Umi Shiina.
Review: Ghosts by Raina Teglemeier
Ghosts Raina Telgemeier (Writer, Artist), Braden Lamb (Colors) Scholastic Graphix September 2016
Gozer in Ghosbusters: Call Me Marshmallow Woman
Marshmallow Man is a woman. Granted, “Marshmallow Woman” doesn’t roll off the tongue with the same alliterative satisfaction as “Marshmallow Man.” It’s tough to pronounce two W’s in a row like that, not to mention adding an entire extra syllable. But, it’s the more accurate of the two. Accuracy versus a lulling literary device is…
Interview with Matt Ruff, Author of Lovecraft Country
Let’s time warp back to 2007. It’s a rainy day in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I just ducked inside the downtown Borders. I work at a library and rarely buy books, but I leaf through the new arrivals all the same. None of them hold my attention for long, and I consider giving up and…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: Exciting News from Image Expo!
Last Wednesday in Seattle, Image Comics held the 6th Image Expo, an all-day event for creators to meet with press, retailers and fans. But it’s not your typical convention: there are no vendors and panels focus primarily on discussing upcoming releases with writers, artists and other team members. The convention began with publisher Eric Stephenson’s inspiring…
Comics’ Infinite Scroll: To The Rim and Beyond
The launch of Stela, a new comics app which publishes titles optimized for the downward scrolling function of smartphones, has kicked up some talk about Scott McCloud’s Reinventing Comics. Published in 2000 as a sequel to Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics considers the kinds of innovations that McCloud believed would advance the medium. He paid particular attention to…
Interview: The Creators of The Other Side: A Queer Paranormal Romance Anthology
After years of avoiding movie nights that involved boy-meets-girl comedies and adamantly complaining that I am anti-romance, it’s time to come clean: I don’t hate love. I’ve just never been interested in hetereo love stories. Whenever a friend raised the terrible idea of watching some movie with Hugh Grant in it, I always offered my preferred…
BAM! POW! Comics Are Still For Kids!! Tamsin & The Deep
Imagine a comic for children. Imagine it’s about a girl braving horrors and humiliation. Imagine she saves her brother from a family curse, and imagine the mermaid in the story is the the kind that doesn’t let you go home. Sounds good, right? It’s called Tamsin and the Deep.
The Mediator Is Back With a New Novella: Proposal
It’s hard to discuss Meg Cabot without considering the feelings of teen me. I grew up with her writing, and it helped my reading transition from middle school to young adult with The Princess Diaries. From there, I took off devouring almost everything she’s written from series (1-800-Where-R-You) to the standalone (How To Be Popular) to her adult…
Not Scary (or Romantic or Satisfying) Enough to Tempt Me: A Review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, slides the undead into 19th century England, arming the Bennett sisters against the writhing hordes of zombies taking over the countryside. Their fighting skills are as impressive as their personal fortunes are poor and it’s in this conflict that Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam…
Welcome to Night Vale: Leave Your Expectations at the Town Sign
Welcome to Night Vale Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor Harper Perennial October 20, 2015 It was a crisp spring afternoon when I started listening to the aptly named podcast Welcome to Night Vale, the kind of afternoon where if you breathe in too quickly, the wind sinks its tiny teeth into your throat. In Night Vale,…
A Little Noir Magick: Review of Black Magick #1
Black Magick #1 Greg Rucka (Writer), Nicola Scott (Artist), Jodi Wynne (Letterer), Chiara Arena (Color Assists) Image Comics October 28, 2015 Disclaimer: This review may contain spoilers and is based on an advanced review copy from Image Comics.