The Gumazing Gum Girl: Popped Star

The third book in the Gum Girl series by Rhode Montijo with Luke Reynolds, The Gumazing Gum Girl: Popped Star, addresses the concerns readers and parents may have had around the girl hero hiding her abilities from her family. Previously, Gabby Gonzalez became a stretchy superhero when she chewed bubblegum,...

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Daphne & Velma Get Their Own Movie

Daphne and Velma, the two women of the Scooby-Doo team, are getting their own movie! It’s a prequel, from before they met the talking dog, and it’s live action! Sarah Jeffery (Descendants: Wicked World) plays Daphne and Sarah Gilman (Last Man Standing) plays Velma. Here’s the trailer and description:...

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Death of Superman Animated Movie Cast

We knew, from the announcement of the extras on the out-soon Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay animated movie, that the next film would be The Death of Superman, based on the 1992 event storyline. Now, TV Insider has more information from the Wonder Con just past. First is the news that there will be a sequel,...

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Aggretsuko Comes to Netflix April 20

Out April 20 is a new animated show on Netflix. Aggretsuko consists of ten 15-minute episodes about Retsuko, a 25-year-old red panda who is an office associate in the accounting department of a trading company in Tokyo. All she wants is to do her job and get through the day, but when frustrations reach...

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My Brother the Shut-In Volume 2

I was surprised to see how the original premise of My Brother the Shut-In fell by the wayside in this second digital-only volume by Kinoko Higurashi. We’ve moved away from Shino’s conflicts, with her concerns about taking care of her family and her worries about her friends disappearing. Instead, the...

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Static Shock’s Fourth (and Final) Season Coming to DVD

As pointed out by World’s Finest, Warner Archive has posted a listing for Static Shock: The Complete Fourth Season, available April 24 for $24.99. The series, about an electrically powered teen superhero, has been long overdue for collecting, so I’m glad to see they’re going to finish out the series....

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There’s More to European Comics Than SciFi and Fantasy Babes

Humanoids, best known for publishing the works of Moebius, Milo Manara, and Jodorowsky in English (as well as bringing back Barbarella), is branching out from the typical European science fiction and fantasy graphic novels. Life Drawn is a new literary imprint dedicated to “deeply personal stories that...

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Bruce Lee: The Walk of the Dragon

Darby Pop continues their Bruce Lee series from last year with a new one-shot, Bruce Lee: The Walk of the Dragon. Although it continues from Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises, which explained how the martial arts legend was preserved and awoke in our modern era, you don’t need to have read any of that to...

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Lumberjanes #48

Lumberjanes #48 is a nice little stand-alone issue that fills out the world of the camp for hardcore lady-types. It begins with Barney distributing the new camp newsletter in a story written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh and illustrated by Ayme Sotuyo. The Zodiac cabin is putting together articles,...

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Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

The Blu-ray release of Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero is the best argument yet for how any medium can be used to tell substantial, meaningful stories. The reinvention of Mr. Freeze as a tormented widower instead of just a guy with an ice gun gives the battles and action scenes more depth. I started...

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Today I’ll Be a Unicorn

Out in May is a new addition to the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series of books by Dana Simpson. Today I’ll Be a Unicorn is a board book aimed at preschoolers. It’s short, 12 pages, as typical of the format, and each two-page spread is one image of Phoebe and Marigold (the unicorn). There’s not a lot of...

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Giant Days to Get YA Novel

Apparently, the Lumberjanes novels are doing well enough that Boom! has announced another YA book deal for another of their Boom! Box titles. Giant Days, based on the comic series, will be published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, who also does the Lumberjanes books. Unlike those books, though,...

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More Toon Books Coming to Paperback

Comic publishers interested in targeting the school/library market often put out works in hardcover, because when you’re looking at circulation (books going out to a bunch of different readers), you want something that can hold up to the traffic, particularly if those readers are younger and maybe not...

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When Is the Black Panther DVD Coming Out?

As you likely know, Black Panther has been a tremendous hit, surpassing all expectations. It’s already in the top ten all-time domestic highest-grossing movie list, and it set a record for best February opening ever. We finally ended up seeing it after it had already been out a month, and even at a...

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This Should Be Worth Watching: Astro City to Get TV Show

Astro City is one of those high-quality, long-running comics that’s too easily ignored because it feels as though it’s always been there, and the issues are always good reads. Admittedly, the nostalgia approach it takes to the Silver Age of superhero comics may not be to everyone’s taste, but many of...

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Snails Are Just My Speed!

Snails Are Just My Speed! is the latest in Kevin McCloskey’s series of “Giggle and Learn” books, after We Dig Worms!, The Real Poop on Pigeons!, and Something’s Fishy. They feature odd animals, heavy on the kind of gross facts kids love. In other words, they’re a lot of fun. The attitude is obvious...

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Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #1

Usagi Yojimbo is a samurai rabbit, a ronin wandering old Japan in an historically faithful world where the characters just happen to be animals. His stories run the gamut, with gifted cartoonist Stan Sakai hitting all kinds of emotional beats. This issue starts a particularly ambitious run, a seven-issue...

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DC/Hanna-Barbera Crossovers to Continue

The older I get, the more I look for fun in my superhero comics, and these sound like there’s plenty of room for goofy adventure. DC has announced another set of comics crossing over DC superheroes with their Hanna-Barbera cartoon cousins (since they’re all part of the same parent company). I don’t...

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Tess of the Road

Tess of the Road is an astounding book that presents a heartbreaking portrait of a young woman finally breaking the shackles of a restrictive upbringing in a fantasy world. Aided by a serpent-like quigutl, a species cousin to dragons, Tess overcomes her outcast status to find and value what she wants...

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How to Handle Conventions Like a Boss

Kel McDonald, author of Sorcery 101 and Misfits of Avalon, has posted some wonderful advice on how to prepare for and set up at conventions. If you’re there for business, not just as a fan, then there are many solid tips in this piece about things to consider, including: I need to pick which shows I...

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Young Frances Collects Pope Hats, Now by Hartley Lin

Pope Hats was a triumph, an amazing accomplishment of gorgeously delineated art and richly developed characters. Although the main story of the intermittent comic series was set in mundanity, starring a law clerk coping with office politics and a flaky roommate, it was full of skilled observations of...

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Lego DC Super Heroes: The Flash

Lego DC Super Heroes: The Flash is a cute, fun adventure with plenty of imagination and humor for young viewers. As it opens, Cyborg (Khary Payton) is being shown up by Ace the Bat-Hound, and Superman (Nolan North) and Batman (Troy Baker) are showing new member Atom (Eric Bauza) around the Justice League...

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Copyright, Creative Rights, and Comics: A Brief History

I put together this presentation as a brief overview of what copyright means. I cover some of the most famous copyright disputes in comic history, including Captain Marvel, Howard the Duck, and Miracleman, as well as work for hire, fair use, and whether to work with a publisher. I am not a lawyer, and...

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Crunchyroll Anime Awards Best Manga of 2018 Announced

As I mentioned at the beginning of February, this year, as part of the Anime Awards, Crunchyroll added a Best Manga category, for which I was one of the judges. The winner was… https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/967615298395193344/video/1 My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. Here’s the manga section...

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DC Super Hero Girls to Visit Atlantis

I love the DC Super Hero Girls! After some qualms about the property when they launched three years ago, I’ve come to love the comics, with their adventurous team-ups. That’s due to the skills of writer Shea Fontana and artist Yancey Labat, who keep the entertainment coming and the characters more than...

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