Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1

The historically most popular Doctor (at least in the states), the fourth, played by Tom Baker, gets his own miniseries of five issues. The first issue of “Gaze of the Medusa”, as written by Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby and illustrated by Brian Williamson, sets up the elements, which feel like a classic...

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Siren’s Calling: A Horror Noir #1

I know, what am I doing talking about a horror comic? Well, it was pitched to me as heavily influenced by film noir, and I love classic movies. However, as soon as I started doing my basic review research*, I found a number of warning signs. So let’s start with those. Siren’s Calling is written by John...

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Death and the Lit Chick

If you’re interested in the world of publishing and the outsize personalities some authors portray themselves to be, you’ll enjoy the mystery Death and the Lit Chick. This is the second mystery by G.M. Malliet to feature Detective Chief Inspector St. Just, and it’s juicy. (The first, Death of a Cozy...

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Death on a Starry Night

Death on a Starry Night is the third and latest Nora Barnes & Toby Sandler mystery in the series written by Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden. As with the other volumes, it’s full of art and travel knowledge in a place it sounds wonderful to visit. Nora Barnes is an art historian who travels to amazing...

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Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash

The premise of Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash is one many comic and superhero fans are familiar with. Brainiac is shrinking planets for his collection, and his latest target is Earth. In order to get rid of the Justice League, who are in his way, he sends the members to other...

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Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge

Like the cocktails that populate this novel, the story is an appealing blend of flavorful ingredients. Bailey is an overachiever who, out of college, doesn’t know what to do with herself. She’s moved back in with her parents while she tries to find a direction for her life. The geek who had a crush...

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All Murders Final!

All Murders Final! is the third and latest in the “Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery” series by Sherry Harris. It’s one of those books I think of as a “modern cozy”. “Cozies” are mysteries in the tradition of Agatha Christie, set amongst a small community and contrasted with thrillers or hardboiled...

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Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor: A Matter of Life and Death

Although a comic is the perfect format for more adventures for a version of the Doctor cut short by time and format, I was a bit disappointed by the first issue of this miniseries. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because by the end, I realized it had done more than I gave it credit for. The five issues...

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Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Becomes Ongoing From Titan Comics

Last year, Titan Comics added to their slate of Doctor Who titles with a Ninth Doctor miniseries, featuring the likeness of Christopher Eccleston. I thought the idea was a good one, but the execution was disappointing. It appears that other fans had a more favorable opinion, since Titan has announced...

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A Visual History of Wonder Woman’s Costumes

Put together in one place like this, a history of Wonder Woman’s costumes becomes a catalog of detail tweaks, with differences only noticeable to the fan or the obsessed. Until you get past 2006, where the entries are just crazy. The paragraph explanations sure brought back memories, though. Image Created...

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Interview With John K. Snyder III on Fashion in Action

Friend of the site Roger Ash conducted this interview with John K. Snyder III about Fashion in Action, especially the music of the 1980s that inspired it and some album cover mash-ups Snyder has done to promote the book’s Kickstarter. John K. Snyder III is best known for his work on adaptations of Dr....

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Sherlock Manga Preview Pages, Covers Released

The manga adaptation of Sherlock, A Study in Pink, now has a release date, June 8; a price point, $4.99 for 52 pages; and preview art available. Here are two of the pages, relettered in English. The book won’t be flipped but will read right to left. Titan Comics has also released a flock (or maybe,...

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Good Books to Order for May 2016

The latest Diamond Previews catalog lists a lot of books worth checking out. Here are a few of them. You can order them now through your local comic shop for delivery in May or later. (The ones with April dates are relists of books that have already been published, so they’re available earlier.) Beasts...

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The Real Poop on Pigeons!

The author of We Dig Worms!, Kevin McCloskey, returns with another gross/cool examination of a common but misunderstood natural creature. The Real Poop on Pigeons! features a group of pigeon-loving (and bird-costumed) kids explaining to adults how cool the birds are, disproving the myths that they’re...

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Happy Anniversary, First Second!

Congratulations to First Second for making it to ten years! This year is their tin (tenth) anniversary, and over that time span, they’ve published 157 books. (And as of right now, I’ve reviewed 39 of them.) It’s great to see such a diverse publisher continue putting out great titles. Here’s a brief...

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Could Young Justice Return?

We live in an era where no favorite pop culture show is dead forever. If you’re super-popular or beloved, like Star Trek, then they will keep creating spin-offs and sequels. If you’re a cult classic, then you pray to Netflix for a retry after being canceled, like Arrested Development or Gilmore Girls....

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Interview With Roger Langridge and Andy Hirsch About The Baker Street Peculiars

Now out is issue #1 of The Baker Street Peculiars, a miniseries set in the world of Sherlock Holmes but focusing on three street urchins. It’s written by Roger Langridge and illustrated by Andy Hirsch. The publisher arranged for me to ask them a few questions, answered here. And my thanks to everyone...

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A Goofy Guide to Penguins

Don’t mistake A Goofy Guide to Penguins for an educational comic. This is a book of silly pictures aimed at kindergartners and first graders. Philippe Coudray also does the Benjamin Bear series, and this has a similar irrational logic applied to wildlife, co-created with his twin brother Jean-Luc. Each...

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Media Meltdown: A Graphic Guide Adventure

Media Meltdown is one volume in a series of Graphic Guide Adventures that serve to educate while entertaining. Other topics range from wilderness survival skills to manipulating the food supply to skateboarding. I found out about the series, illustrated by Mike Deas, because the writer, Liam O’Donnell,...

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Science Comics: Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers

After enjoying Science Comics: Coral Reefs, I had high hopes for the second launch volume, Science Comics: Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers. Writer MK Reed and artist Joe Flood previously worked together on The Cute Girl Network, and here, they present not so much an explanation of dinosaurs but the...

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Science Comics: Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean

Science Comics: Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean is one of two debut books in a new non-fiction graphic novel line from First Second, and it’s wonderful. Just as she did in Human Body Theater, Maris Wicks takes a complex scientific subject and makes it both understandable and beautiful. Our narrator...

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Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines

I’m always leery of comic adaptations of long-gone properties. Some are terrific, faithful and yet newly entertaining, like The Muppet Show or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some, on the other hand, are horrible reads, seeming as though they exist just to make a quick buck off nostalgic fans, who often don’t...

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Lucifer a Devilishly Fun TV Show

I know it’s incredibly cheesy, but boy, do I enjoy watching Lucifer. I know it’s an unholy matchup of a myth-based DC comic and a procedural show — Lucifer comes to LA, meets a former actress, now police officer, and together, they’re detectives! — but Tom Ellis does a terrific job of conveying demonic...

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Wonder Woman ’77

I heard a lot of people recommend the digital-first nostalgia-fest Batman ’66 while it was running, but I haven’t heard anyone talk about the similar Wonder Woman ’77. Which is a shame because it also tells new stories using likenesses from the fondly remembered TV show version while reminding us how...

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Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Sells Better as Omnibus

In this interview with Director of International Publishing and Licensing Michael Gombos and Manga Editor Carl Horn about Dark Horse’s manga business, they reveal some positive news about how the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service omnibus is doing. According to Horn, This is a title that has struggled...

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