Witches, Apples and Snow
Gamayun Tales II – an Anthology of Modern Russian Folk Tales by Alexander Utkin I had the pleasure of reviewing the first volume of Gamayun Tales, Alexander Utkin’s retelling of great tales from Russian folklore. That book whisked me back to a childhood visit to the library where I read a horrifying ‘children’s book’ that told the tale of Baba Yaga, the witch who lived … Continue reading Witches, Apples and Snow
Annual Insanity
Being a comics collector does lead you to some strange places and I’m not just talking about backstreet comic shops in forgotten towns, although they are strange as well as great. In this case I am talking about Marvel’s 1993 annuals. For their 1993 annuals Marvel decided to create a new character, hero or villain, for each and to include a trading card for that … Continue reading Annual Insanity
Look and Learn
The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott by Zoe Thorogood There are a lot of comics out there, but not always the variety you might expect. I don’t blame creators for picking out the genres that they enjoy or indeed what they know is more likely to sell – autobiography, superheroes, horror. Many of these are great comics, occasionally fantastic comics, but it can make it … Continue reading Look and Learn
United they stand
Kickstarter Preview – The United, Welcome to the Shitshow Jonny Cannon has finally come to the end of his epic saga of superheroes, corruption and the failed state which is Britain today. The United (and sometimes The Divided) took us from the tower blocks of Glasgow to the Tower of London with many a twist and turn on the way. Now the last issue wraps … Continue reading United they stand
Into the Coronaverse
Quarantine – created by Jordan Thomas Near the beginning of lockdown a friend of mine had just started the process of divorcing her husband, when their entire household had to quarantine for two weeks. In a rom-com world they would have some crazy adventure, rediscover the spark and get back together. In this world they managed to blank each other for the fortnight whilst facebook … Continue reading Into the Coronaverse
Woman Web
Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal There has been a lot of debate about the future of comics. The ‘direct market’ of independent comics shops has been hit hard by covid. The comics selling element of those shops seems to be in decline. The weakness of the pound has made imported Marvel and DC books outlandishly expensive. Readers have switched to waiting for the trade paperback … Continue reading Woman Web
Coffee Bar Magi
Slang Pictorial by Nick Prolix Nick Prolix has had a busy lockdown. Busy performing the heroic work of drawing each of the NHS and care workers who lost their lives in the Covid-19 crisis. These were not simply acts of remembrance but also political calls to action over issues like the availability of PPE. Nick also has a great sideline in commissions and sketches, which … Continue reading Coffee Bar Magi
Kicker Conspiracy
Roundup of Amazing Kickstarters Wow, there are a ton of Kickstarters on the go right now. As there will likely be no opportunity to purchase these at cons for a while, then I urge you to sign up and get some amazing comicy goodness delivered to your letterbox. There are also some nice reward tiers available for many of these like prints, sketches and original … Continue reading Kicker Conspiracy
Architecture and Morality
Victory Point by Owen D. Pomery Victory Point is the kind of place that people dream of living in. Designed to be the perfect meeting of form and function, with cool, sleek modernist buildings. The needs of the population both materially and culturally are taken into account. The perfect dwelling place and a dream place to grow up. But life isn’t a dream, no matter … Continue reading Architecture and Morality
Handful of Earth
Brigantia issue 2 Chris Mole, Harriet Moulton, Melissa Trender, Aditya Bidikar, Limnaia Areia In the far off world of the end of 2018 I reviewed Brigantia issue 1. The Brigantia team had hoped at that time to produce issue 2 via Kickstarter but unfortunately did not meet their ambitious target. This time they are setting a more attainable target and I’d be very surprised if … Continue reading Handful of Earth
Daredevils and Warriors 