Childhood's End Arthur C. Clarke Science Fiction, 1953 From Storygraph: In the near future, enormous silver spaceships appear without warning over mankind’s largest cities. They belong to the Overlords, an alien race far superior to humanity in technological development. Their purpose is to dominate Earth. Their demands, however, are surprisingly benevolent: end war, poverty, and… Continue reading January Reads and Reviews
Tag: comics
The Failed Villain to Hero Pipeline as a Pop Culture Thermometer
The Punisher, Frank Castle, began as a Spider-Man antagonist. I don’t think this is secret knowledge. If anything, it’s one of the key issues of Amazing Spider-Man. The kind that people slab and grade. The kind of issue whose cover gets homages in other comic runs twenty years down the line. This is not unknown… Continue reading The Failed Villain to Hero Pipeline as a Pop Culture Thermometer
December 2024 Reads and Reviews
Check the end for promos, free books, and special sales. Landscape with Invisible HandM. T. AndersonScience Fiction2017 From Storygraph: When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth -- but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the… Continue reading December 2024 Reads and Reviews
A Year in Forums: Fake Fans and the Proliferation of Non-Analysis
I spent some time in a lot of new pop media forums this year. This is what I observed. In comic book circles, it's a very difficult time to be someone who actually liked the movie Madame Web. Who didn't think Morbius was "that bad, damn, y'all need to calm down." Some of the Spider-Man… Continue reading A Year in Forums: Fake Fans and the Proliferation of Non-Analysis
A Year in Forums: I Don’t Know How Collecting Works Now
I spent some time in a lot of new pop media forums this year. This is what I observed. So I’ve always been the collectory sort. Snow globes and statuettes from around the country. We’ve got magnets from each installation of our favorite art exhibit. I like picking up cool, pulp covers of my favorite… Continue reading A Year in Forums: I Don’t Know How Collecting Works Now
November Reads and Reviews
The Mimicking of Known SuccessesMalka OlderCozy Science Fiction-2023 From Storygraph: "On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. Pleiti has dedicated her research and… Continue reading November Reads and Reviews
A Year in Forums: People Don’t Know Anything About Stuff They Like
I spent some time in a lot of new pop media forums this year. This is what I observed I have this pet peeve that shows up the most in my more text-based book forums, and science fiction book readers are the worst offenders. Someone will come into a science fiction reading forum and make… Continue reading A Year in Forums: People Don’t Know Anything About Stuff They Like
A Review and Light Analysis of Venom:’21 Ewing and Venom War
It's been a long time since I've gotten to be part of a comic run from the start then all the way through the ending. I have to note, from the start, that I read large chunks of this run as it was coming out. So not every single issue comes back to me with… Continue reading A Review and Light Analysis of Venom:’21 Ewing and Venom War
How Comics Expose Our Expectations Around Critical Analysis
Recently I’ve been spending a lot more time in comic book and super hero spaces. Despite being a low-key (and occasionally high-key) fan of a few different franchises for years, those kinds of spaces were not great to navigate as a kid or teen femme-presenting person. As an adult, I don’t give as many shits,… Continue reading How Comics Expose Our Expectations Around Critical Analysis
October Reads and Reviews
BlindsightPeter WattsScience Fiction-2006 From Storygraph: "It's been two months since a myriad of alien objects clenched about the Earth, screaming as they burned. The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the… Continue reading October Reads and Reviews
Pixels and Pins Studio 