Culture Archives | Page 13 of 27 | As in guillotine...

Blog: One Diverse Comic Book Nation

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 4, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture
Post comments:2 Comments

Over in the left column, a little ways down, are "Blogs of Note", my short-list of the most essential comics blogs that I check regularly for updates. If the democratic blogiverse is akin to the [self-elected] House of Representatives, than these blogs are the House Ways and Means Committee. Some are new, some aren't; some I usually agree with, some I often don't; but each one is a highly recommended read. (Sadly, a few are on indefinite hiatus, but remain linked in the hopes they one day return.)One of the most recent additions is Loren Javier's One Diverse Comic Book…

On The Shelves: 1/4/07

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 3, 2007
Post category:Media Pop Culture
Post comments:0 Comments

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! Hello, 2007! 2006 was a great year for comics of all types (be sure to check out my Best of picks) and I'm betting this year is going to be even better all-around. Hopefully Ed Brubaker's crystal ball is in working order: What will be the biggest story in comics in 2007? The rebirth of major interest in creator-owned non-universe spanning comics in the American Market. Yeah, after two years of crossovers and events, readers decide they just want to read the ones they like, and miss…

Best of 2006

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 1, 2007
Post category:Media Personal Reviews
Post comments:4 Comments

In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year’s stellar roundup (below). Posted nearly two months before the year had ended, that 2004 list was limited to ongoing series, two of which were canceled prematurely, in my opinion, and two others that were cut from my pull list a while back. The lone survivor, Conan, remains a consistently good read, and a repeat honoree on my 2005 list, but it didn’t make the cut this year. In fact, reflecting my gradual shift towards OGNs and TPBs, only three ongoing/mini-series made my list this year.

(in alphabetical order)

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Stagger Lee, Best of 2006?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 31, 2006
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

For its outstanding combination of ambition, execution and re-readability, Stagger Lee gets the nod for my Best Original Graphic Novel of 2006.

Review: American Born Chinese

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 28, 2006
Post category:Media Pop Culture Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

American Born ChineseBy Gene Luen Yang (First Second, 2006; $16.95)When I first heard about American Born Chinese back in July, I pegged it as the highlight of First Second's second wave of releases purely based on a few preview images and its solicitation copy. After doing so, I crossed my fingers that it would actually live up to my lofty expectations, as Deogratias had set the bar pretty high. It took me a while to finally pick up a copy, and before I did, it was named as a finalist for this year's National Book Award in Young People's Literature,…

On the Shelves: 12/28/06

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 27, 2006
Post category:Media Personal Pop Culture Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Thursday, 12/28/06 follows. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Captain Gravity and the Power of the VrilAMERICAN MULE ENTERTAINMENT Public Enemy #2, $2.99 It was nice to see Public Enemy promoting their comic book alter…

Review: Lucifer’s Garden of Verses: The Devil on Fever Street

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 26, 2006
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

Lucifer's Garden of Verses: The Devil on Fever StreetBy Lance Tooks (NBM/ComicsLit, 2004; $8.95)The beauty of graphic novels is that, in the right publisher's hands, they don't suffer from the temporal existence of their periodical counterparts, most of which often come and go, completely unnoticed, in the whirlwind of a particular months' issue of Previews. Lance Tooks' Lucifer's Garden of Verses: Devil of Fever Street, first published in 2004, has been on my want-to-read list for more than a year now, first suggested to me by the invaluable Rich Watson, but I never got around to giving it more than…