Pullman Backlash
Some snark, and more importantly, alternate recommendations, in response to the news that Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights is supposedly the best children’s book in the last 70 years.
Abyssal Creatures
Fascinated by the ocean’s abyss? There’s a gallery of mysterious wonder and beauty–and even more mysterious occasional cuteness–at the website for Claire Nouvian’s new book about abyssal species. (Link updated, Oct. 2013)
Comics Fans, Grow Up!
Over at Salon.com, Douglas Wolk writes a dense article about comics culture, graphic novels, collecting and nostalgia and urges comics fans, whether art or pop, to grow up: “The medium’s new enemies are internal: the much less casual snobbery of the commercial mainstream and the art-comics world toward […]
Games x2
Gamers With Jobs looks at the pendulum that’s swinging from fantasy back to science fiction: “After ten years of elves and magic, I could use a bit of a change.” And The Escapist is the new home of Shoot Club! Awesomely nerdy dialogue reproduced faithfully, and some insights […]
Superheros on a Slant
I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! brings back fond memories of the passionate works of maniacal genius I’ve occasionally scored at book fairs and zine shows—tracts with titles like “Thousands of Degrees Hot!” and minicomics like “Linda Saves Detroit” or “The Brain Parasites.” Fletcher Hanks’ comics are […]
Evil Will Not Enter the World Through Me
Fantasy novels are filled with war, and maybe that’s a default because human history is also filled with war. And violence is exciting, right? But I start to wonder: can’t we imagine a different way of telling a story? Fantasy is an imagined world after all. After reading […]
The Cultural Gutter 