Gotham: The Complete Second Season

Review by KC Carlson I think that my favorite thing about TV show DVD/Blu-ray box sets is that I can watch the shows when I want to and at the frequency that I want to. Like this set of Gotham season two I’m currently working my way through. I hated watching this series live on TV last season. They’d...

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Arrow: The Complete Fourth Season

Out tomorrow is Arrow: The Complete Fourth Season, collecting the latest season of the granddaddy of the current DC TV universe. When the show started, I found it new and fresh, even if it was a bit too dark compared to my preferred superhero approach. Now, though… The Flash is more fun, Supergirl more...

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The Question of the Felonious Friend

I enjoyed greatly the first Asperger’s Mystery by E.J. Copperman and Jeff Cohen, The Question of the Missing Head, and its detectives, Samuel Hoenig and Ms. Washburn. The second, The Question of the Unfamiliar Husband, wasn’t as successful, in my opinion, so I wondered what I’d find in the third, The...

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DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete First Season

While watching DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete First Season, I was reminded just what a terrific era we live in for filmed superhero comic entertainment. With the time travel and the reincarnated cast (everyone but the villains on the team have come back from the dead at least once) and the drama-filled...

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DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year is the first — but likely not the last — original animated movie starring the redesigned teen girl versions of DC female heroes and villains. As a branding program, DC Super Hero Girls has been successful. They found an underserved niche — girls and their parents/adult...

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Lucifer: The Complete First Season

I had fun binge rewatching the first season of Lucifer. In large part that was due to the lead character, as played by Tom Ellis. His devil is ballsy and funny in his lack of restraint. He’s an irrepressible, dapper British gent in a suit who loves sex and is good at it. He isn’t hiding anything but...

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The Doctor Tackles Superheroes in Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #4

The fourth issue of the now-ongoing Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor series features a comic favorite: people getting superpowers. Only there’s a twist, of course. First, the comic — written by Cavan Scott, art by Cris Bolson — does something that can only be done these days in the comics. It mixes up characters...

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A City Inside

I wasn’t previously familiar with the work of Tillie Walden, so I had no idea what to expect when reading A City Inside. What I got was symbolic, a strongly constructed series of images that requires subconscious consent in submerging oneself. It’s a piece based on emotion, not logic. For those who...

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Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Gets a New Trailer

The retro-styled Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders put out a teaser trailer last week, and the idea of doing a new cartoon with the 1966-style characters (and original voices Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar) got a lot of attention. This more official trailer confirms that the dynamic duo...

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Angel City a Thrilling Retro Adventure – With Preview Pages

Thanks to the publisher, I got a chance to read an advance digital copy of Angel City, an upcoming six-issue miniseries from Oni Press. It’s written by Janet Harvey — whom I had the pleasure of working with at DC Comics many years ago — and drawn by Megan Levens (Madame Frankenstein). And it’s a lot...

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Marvel Promotes STEAM – Does It Matter?

Marvel has announced yet another cover theme for November, this time promoting “Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)”. (Is there something in the water on this subject lately?) The following books will feature special variants, as follows and shown below: S (science) – MOON GIRL &...

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Order Brief Histories of Everyday Objects Now!

If you like non-fiction comics, make sure to order Brief Histories of Everyday Objects now! It’s available through your local comic shop with Diamond code AUG16 1842, for a $20 hardcover out in early October. I’ve previously covered Andy Warner’s minicomic The Man Who Built Beirut, so I know I like...

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Science Comics: Volcanoes: Fire and Life

First Second launched its Science Comics line this past spring with Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers and the excellent Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean. Now comes a new installment, Jon Chad’s Volcanoes: Fire and Life, and it’s fun and exciting, using a science fiction story to convey its lessons. Aurora...

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Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes

As summer comes to an end, this collection of cocktail recipes will help extend the lightweight, holiday feeling. Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes explains the history and culture of the drink. It’s something of a reclamation, an attempt to recapture the low-alcohol cocktail...

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Graphic Novel Adaptation of “The Lottery” Now Available for Order

Hill and Wang will be releasing a graphic novel adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s famous short story “The Lottery” in late October. The tale, in case you didn’t read it in school, is a simple piece about a small farm community executing a yearly ritual involving all the families. It’s not until far into...

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Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1

Dark Horse has sent out advance review copies of Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1, which will be on sale in comic shops on September 14. It’s the fourth installment of the series written by Peter Hogan and illustrated by Steve Parkhouse, and I quite enjoy it. The concept is simple, but full of...

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SPX Announces Ignatz Award Nominees

This year’s Small Press Expo, held September 17-18 in Bethesda, Maryland, is coming up fast! Today they have announced the nominees for the Ignatz Awards, “a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.” The award is named after the brick-throwing mouse from George Herriman’s strip...

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Return of the Caped Crusaders a New Batman 66 Cartoon

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be releasing Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders this fall. It’s a retro-themed original animated movie that features the voices of the 1966 cast: Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Julie Newmar as Catwoman. The movie will be available to purchase digitally...

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Marvel Announces New TV Series Pilot for Another Streaming Service

Marvel’s gotten good press from its series on Netflix, with Jessica Jones getting lots of great reaction; Daredevil having multiple seasons; and the coming release of Luke Cage on September 30 much anticipated. This is in contrast to the mixed performance of Marvel’s shows on traditional networks. Agents...

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The Flash Cast Promotes Careers in STEM

It’s a fairly standard PSA, but I’m glad to see the cast of The Flash — Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon (although he isn’t given much to say) — promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for students....

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Bedtime for Batman

Since parents are the ones who buy books for kids, this picture book gives them what they want: a way to get hero-loving little boys to go to bed. Written by Michael Dahl and drawn by Ethen Beavers, Bedtime for Batman compares what the Dark Knight does with what the kid has to do at nighttime. Batman...

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A-Force #8

I’m amazed. I’ve been skipping the superhero comics I normally read because they’re either rebooting AGAIN (DC’s Rebirth) or in the middle of a crossover event rerun (Marvel’s Civil War II). But here, Kelly Thompson and Paulo Siqueira manage to explain the point of the event to me while still giving...

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Supergirl Season 1 Now Available

The first season of Supergirl is now available in two ways: You can stream the episodes for free via the CW website, in conjunction with the channel (that’s acquired the show for season 2) re-airing the episodes. Or you can buy the entire season, 20 episodes, now on Blu-ray or DVD. The Blu-ray also...

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Lucifer Season 1 Out Later This Month

If you’re like me and you enjoy watching Lucifer, you’ll want to know that the first season will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 23. Even if you haven’t tried it yet, you should check it out as a fun twist on the lightly supernatural procedural. Although the premise is the same as the Vertigo...

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How Do You “Collect” Something Dependent on Someone’s Electronic Server?

Poor Valiant. They try so hard but come out with such pedestrian, mediocre comics. Yet I admire their willingness to keep plugging and trying new methods to get attention, and more importantly, readers. Their latest announcement, though, just made me scratch my head. Valiant is launching a channel on...

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