The Official Wonder Woman Ring

While searching for something else in my jewelry box, I stumbled across this lovely item I thought people might want to know about. In 1999, DC Direct (which used to do a lot more than action figures and statues) released a sterling silver Wonder Woman ring, as shown here. It sold for $79.95 US ($139.95...

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Banana Sunday Returning in Color

I really liked Banana Sunday, the story of a girl taking three apes to school. Written by Paul Tobin (under the psuedonym, for some reason, of Root Nibot) and drawn by Colleen Coover, it was first published in 2006 from Oni Press. It was cute and funny and, as you’d expect from Coover, very well cartooned....

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Monet: Itinerant of Light

There have been a number of European-published graphic novel biographies about artists translated into English, but Monet: Itinerant of Light, written by Salva Rubio and illustrated by Efa, is the best of them I’ve read. For one thing, this book doesn’t require you already knowing about the protagonist’s...

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Warner Combines Movie Streaming Services, Shutting Down Warner Archive Instant

Time Warner had FilmStruck (launched 2016), an arthouse movie streaming service focusing on indie and foreign films. They also had Warner Archive Instant (launched 2013), which provided streaming of classic movie and TV shows. Now, they just have FilmStruck, with the classic movies moving over to the...

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DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster!

The latest DC Super Hero Girls comic is just as good as rest of the series! DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster! stays true to the high school concept by setting the action around a coming winter formal dance. First, though, Batgirl, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Bumblebee, and Poison Ivy have to save...

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Behind the Scenes!! Volume 5

Word has just come out that the end of this series by Bisco Hatori is in sight in Japan, and no one will be terribly surprised. It’s an entertaining series, but not a particularly memorable or remarkable one. The plotlines here in Behind the Scenes!! volume 5 indicate a certain amount of casting around...

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Pride of the Decent Man

Pride of the Decent Man is the kind of quiet, literary graphic novel that’s too easily overlooked, because it doesn’t have a high concept with a catchy hook. As told by T.J. Kirsch, it’s a simple story, but one with great resonance, about a life full of struggles and poor choices made, culminating in...

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The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss

The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss is the third in the series of mysteries featuring an accidental hipster geek detective, after The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss and The Astonishing Mistakes of Dahlia Moss, all by Max Wirestone. I liked it best, because the heroine and the series both...

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The True Death of Billy the Kid

Out next month is Rick Geary’s latest murder exploration, The True Death of Billy the Kid. It’s in keeping with his popular Murder Treasury series, in that it explores a famous, historical, violent death, but it’s larger in format, and a little shorter (64 pages), which makes the hardcover oddly reminiscent...

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Marvel Tries Again to Get Customers to Believe, Like Them

It’s sad to watch a titan tumble. Marvel Comics used to rule the comic stores, but with no clear sense of direction; a willingness to offend new audiences without consideration for how that will kill off future growth; no clear expansion strategy outside their fanboy direct market base (including the...

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Strange Practice

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw has an immediately grabbable premise — Dr. Greta Helsing is a monster doctor — that it uses to show a gripping battle to save the world among some unlikely allies. I really like Greta’s determination to keep her practice going in spite of money issues, time struggles,...

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Devil’s Due Comics Admits They Don’t Have Much to Offer

Under a press release blandly titled “Devil’s Due Entertainment Becomes Devil’s Due Comics”, I found some surprising statements from founder Josh Blaylock. The brand is changing its name “to reflect its new Publishing Platform for creator-owned titles. While most of the changes will remain invisible...

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Don’t Call Your Readers Stupid About a Cover’s Purpose

A few months ago, I got an email from a creator. He had a book coming out in a month, and he wanted to start people talking about it, so he was providing preview images and an advance digital copy of the first issue. This is a very smart way to go about things, except… The book he was working on, with...

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Studio Ghibli Fest Returns for 2018

Last year, the Studio Ghibli Fest, an exhibition of six anime classics, was so popular that additional showings were added. Now comes the announcement for Studio Ghibli Fest 2018, this time with nine films. Each film is shown across three days, two dubbed (Sundays and Wednesdays) and one subtitled (Mondays)....

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I Kill Giants Movie Has Release Date

I Kill Giants was an award-winning comic, collected in 2009, written by Joe Kelly (Action Comics, Deadpool), and illustrated by J.M. Ken Niimura. Now, it’s a movie, written by Kelly and directed by Anders Walter. The poster and trailer suggest fantasy adventure, but there’s an undercurrent (particularly...

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Neat: The Story of Bourbon

Available digitally on February 20 is Neat: The Story of Bourbon, a documentary about America’s native spirit. (No, not attitude, the liquor.) I recommend having a cocktail in hand while watching, because you’ll want one, particularly when they start mixing up recipes. “Neat” is a liquor served plain,...

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Two New Doctor Who Comics Announced for Seventh, Thirteenth Doctors

The Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, will be appearing in the new Doctor Who series (Series 11) much later this year. And she’s getting a comic series as well. Titan Comics has announced “the Thirteenth Doctor will be debuting in comics this fall… alongside premiering in the Doctor Who...

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The Joe Shuster Story: The Artist Behind Superman

Out in April is a graphic novel biography of a key superhero comic creator. The Joe Shuster Story: The Artist Behind Superman is a comprehensive overview of his life, driven by the creation of one particular hero. Perhaps too comprehensive, as I fear only the most dedicated, old-school comic fan will...

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Weeds a Terrific Comic About Acceptance and Reputation – With Magic!

I am not familiar with the art of Mollie Rose, but I will definitely be paying attention in future after reading her short comic “Weeds”. It’s on Tumblr in two parts: part one and part two. I loved the art, I loved that I had no idea where it was going, I loved that it was about gardening, but most,...

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Star Scouts

Avani doesn’t get along with the other girls in the Flower Scouts troop in her new neighborhood. They only want to talk about boys and makeup, while she’s interested in rodeo, which means they put her down with country wisecracks. Then Avani is abducted by a Zirdonian Star Scout named Mabel who is trying...

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Steven Universe: The Complete First Season

OK, I’m a convert. Now that I’ve watched Steven Universe: The Complete First Season, I get why fans are so dedicated to this show, with its themes of love, family, and acceptance. In that way, this late release (the show is up to season five) worked. I hope there are more coming. Steven (voiced by Zach...

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Say I Love You Volume 18

Shojo manga series have the best conclusions. They’re formulaic, of course, usually jumping us just enough forward in time to see the lead couple have their happy ending, then spending the rest of the final book checking in with the various side characters and showing us their futures and (usually)...

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Incognegro: Renaissance #1

The five-issue sequel to the graphic novel Incognegro is one of the early releases from Berger Books, a new imprint from Dark Horse Comics. As with the previous, it’s written by Mat Johnson and illustrated by Warren Pleece. Incognegro: Renaissance can be read without having read the previous book, because...

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Mega Princess

In Mega Princess, Kelly Thompson (Jem and the Holograms, Hawkeye) brings her energetic, aware writing style to a wide-ranging fantasy adventure for kids. The mega princess of the title is Maxine (who prefers Max). It’s her tenth birthday, which means she gets the powers of all princesses. But what she...

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A Visual History of Black Panther’s Costumes

There’s another comic book superhero getting a lot of press, with the Black Panther movie coming out later this month, so here’s a visual history of his costumes, both comic and movie versions. As you might expect from someone running around in what’s basically a black bodysuit — and let’s not pretend...

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