Boyfriend Material

I have just finished reading Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, and I had to tell people how wonderful it is. Luc is the mid-20s son of two former rock stars, although he hasn’t ever known his father. His parentage means that he’s in the tabloids whenever he does anything embarrassing in public, though,...

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The Binge Watcher’s Guide to Doctor Who: A History of Doctor Who and the First Female Doctor

Since I’d just rewatched the Doctor Who episodes featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, I was looking forward to reading analysis of that series, particularly around the rather significant change of making the character a woman for the first time in over fifty years. Unfortunately,...

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Under the Cape: An Anthology of Superhero Romance

Under the Cape: An Anthology of Superhero Romance, although a perfectly fine collection of prose stories, illustrates why so many new superhero concepts have a hard time getting off the ground. I was curious to check out this diverse group of tales. There are eleven in total, grouped as six “sweet”...

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The Hardways #1

I liked Russell Lissau’s Old Wounds when I read it several years ago (unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available digitally), so he got in touch about his newest project, The Hardways, and sent over a copy of the first issue. Illustrated by Shawn Richison, it’s the beginning of a five-issue miniseries,...

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Major Holmes & Captain Watson

These days, I’m excited by how many good Sherlock Holmes projects there are. (I’m even more excited if Mycroft’s in them.) Of course, it’s always a dice roll when ordering comics on Kickstarter if you don’t already know the creators or publisher, but I was pleasantly surprised by this comic series,...

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What Did You Eat Yesterday? Volume 14

Obviously, I’m not rushed to keep up with Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? series — but since we’re at a point where we’re lucky to get one volume a year, I think I’m better off saving it to savor. Much like the many delicious-sounding meals Shiro makes for Kenji. What Did You Eat Yesterday?...

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Food Manga Titles on Sale Digitally

As a tie-in to the upcoming US Thanksgiving holiday, Kodansha has put a number of food-connected digital manga titles on sale through November 30 in a promotion they’re calling “Delicious Delicacies”, with installments up to 50% off. The lead title is one of my very favorites, What Did You Eat Yesterday?...

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Touch is Really Strange

Touch is Really Strange is the newest book in the therapeutic comic series. Written by Steve Haines and illustrated by Sophie Standing, it’s due out in April 2021. The book is almost a meditation on paper, wandering through poetic thoughts on the importance of touch, how damaging the lack of touch can...

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The Angel of the Crows, an Urban Fantasy Take on Sherlock

I’m not normally a fan of urban fantasy, or fantasy in general, but if you put Sherlock Holmes in it, turns out I can’t read it quickly enough. Not that we ever see that character name, or Watson, here. Instead, it’s a personality resemblance and twists on familiar cases in a world with magic and vampires...

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The Most Popular Streaming Genres in Several Countries

Thanks to the good folks at Just Watch, who provided this data, I found out what the most popular genres are for streaming movies and TV shows in several countries. Comedy ranks highest in the US, UK, France, Spain, and Italy. (That’s common — 28 out of the 60 surveyed countries had comedy rank first.)...

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Heartstopper

Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper is an absolutely wonderful coming-of-age romance between British schoolboys. Charlie is a runner and drummer, known to be gay. Nick is the human equivalent of a golden retriever, a rugby player and outgoing everyday guy. They meet when assigned seating together in class and...

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The Flash: 100 Greatest Moments

Review by KC Carlson There have been several DC characters named the Flash (or something similar, like Kid Flash), and so it was about time that DC did one of these books devoted to all things Flash. The Flash: 100 Greatest Moments is the latest in the series of DC Comics history books by Robert Greenberger,...

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The Full Convention Experience Game

Found myself thinking this weekend about the last comic convention and when we might be able to travel to see friends and gather again. So in honor of my resolution to be more optimistic, here’s a silly little game in honor of convention gatherings. Have you had the full 100% convention experience?...

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Inherit the Shoes

Inherit the Shoes is a breezy, fast-moving mystery with a Hollywood setting and a sympathetic protagonist. I expected as much — given that author E.J. Copperman has brought out any number of other enjoyable mystery series, including the Haunted Guesthouse series, the Asperger’s mysteries, the Mysterious...

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Conventionally Yours

Conventionally Yours is an adorable teen gay romance that takes place during a road trip to a gaming convention. Conrad and Alden regularly face off playing a collectible card game as part of programming on a YouTube channel. They don’t get along, with different styles and personalities. Both have challenges...

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Deb Aoki, Brigid Alverson, Erica Friedman, Heidi MacDonald, and I Talk Manga

I have been remiss in not linking to this before now. In the time frame of what would have been the New York Comic Con in mid-October, Deb Aoki, Brigid Alverson, Erica Friedman, Heidi MacDonald, and I did a livestream where we talked about manga for over an hour. It was a lot of fun! Deb, Brigid, and...

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Calpico in America

If you’ve read any amount of manga or have an interest in Japanese culture, you’ve likely heard of Calpis. If nothing else, it’s one of those names that are accidentally funny in English, because of the sound. The actual beverage is a fruity, non-carbonated drink with a hint of yogurt. (It’s made through...

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