Review – Queen of the Ring – Wrestling Drawings by Jaime Hernandez 1980-2020

Whoa, Jaime! When I first discovered Love and Rockets in the late Eighties with its depiction of latinx punks in California and the wider society around them, I was entranced. The Hernandez brothers were just depicting their everyday world but to me in faraway, provincial Scotland it was a wonderland. The fashion, both punk and ‘cholo’ – the cars, the music, the expressions. I spent … Continue reading Review – Queen of the Ring – Wrestling Drawings by Jaime Hernandez 1980-2020

alisterbSeptember 17, 2021September 17, 20211 Comment

Review

Another Girl, Another Planet

Lights, Planets, People! Molly Naylor and Lizzy Stewart Public speaking – it divides us. Some weirdos (I must include myself in this group) have no issue with it. They will happily ad-lib a few remarks or drone through a powerpoint for an hour. But for many others the thought of standing up in front of more than two people elicits dread. Lights, Planets, People! Tells … Continue reading Another Girl, Another Planet

alisterbAugust 25, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Brain Drain

Drops Writer: Matthew Cooper, Art/Letters: Connor Montgomery. A sinister government facility. Sadistic scientists have a man tied to a chair. Mind altering experiments are taking place and the latest victim is strapped down to a chair. Left for dead, he launches an audacious bid for freedom. Drops is a psychological horror that does not hold back with the gore. I must confess I would normally … Continue reading Brain Drain

alisterbAugust 9, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Liberation Tales

Review: MARGUERITE VS. THE OCCUPATION Marguerite is a young woman living in a village in occupied France. But with allied troops on the way hope is in sight. Only a German machine gun nest stands in the way. The problem is that this emplacement has a commanding view across the valley. Worst still, it is located in the shattered ruins of Marguerite’s home. Marguerite vs … Continue reading Liberation Tales

alisterbAugust 5, 2021August 5, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Daredevils and Cold Warriors

Review: American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason ‘American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason‘ is an Eisner nominated book by Brett Dakin. It tells the story of a Golden Age comics pioneer who faced the trials of McCarthyism and the onslaught of the ‘Seduction of the Innocent‘ era war on comics with the introduction of the comics code. … Continue reading Daredevils and Cold Warriors

alisterbJuly 31, 2021August 3, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Love Bites

Midnight Widows issues 1 & 2 Doris V. Sutherland, Marcela Hauptvogelova, Jio Butler Rosie Wigg, Delia Mihai, Rob Jones Vampires are immortal and deathless, or so the stories would have us believe. The vampire genre is somewhat undead as well. Not only does it live on but like the vamps in Midnight Widows it has spawned sub-types and mutations. Dracula may provide the template but … Continue reading Love Bites

alisterbJuly 12, 2021July 12, 20211 Comment

Sketch

Take the Leap

Absolutely cracking Daredevil and Frog-Man commission from Jonny Cannon. He could also be Leap-Frog of course as the spring heeled amphibian wonder originated as a Daredevil villain. Leap-Frog’s costume was taken up by his son who tried to make the switch to hero. His antics were usually fairly disastrous however. Continue reading Take the Leap

alisterbJuly 3, 2021July 3, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Dialectical Aetherialism

Powers – Fearful & Divine Written by Cy Dethan, art by RHStewart and letters by Nic Wilkinson The Victorian era is often thought of as a time of progress. The industrial revolution unleashed a golden age of engineering. New scientific discoveries like Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution unlocked the secrets of life. The industrial transformation of society was studied by political philosophers like Karl Marx … Continue reading Dialectical Aetherialism

alisterbJune 26, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Mindfulness Session

Mind Hacker By Luke J Halsall and Chris Manson The world of work. Our relationship with it has changed over the past eighteen months. Some of us are sat at our kitchen tables, or in our spare rooms if we are lucky, interacting with our bosses and co-workers by Teams, Slack and Zoom. But the rhythm of the working week has not necessarily changed. The … Continue reading Mindfulness Session

alisterbJune 20, 2021Leave a comment

Review

Bad for your elf

Sprout, written and illustrated by Craig Sinclair Sprout is an adorable elf, dressed in brightly coloured garb and striding through his fairy tale home with an optimistic spring in his step. Sprout could come from the pages of many works of Twentieth Century children’s fiction. He is straight from Enid Blyton central casting, set the controls for the centre of the Magic Faraway Tree. But … Continue reading Bad for your elf

alisterbJune 4, 2021Leave a comment