My own Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, and occasional commentary on all of the above.

COMMENT: Sesame Street Has a Lesson for Comics

When the question of diversity comes up in comics, it's always interesting to watch the likes of Joe Quesada, Dan DiDio, et al stumble over themselves to not put their foots in their mouths as they cautiously dance around the subject. The New York Times has an interesting article today about Sesame Street's newest female muppet, Abby Cadabby, that has some direct relevance to the comics industry.A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' BoysLIZ NEALON, executive vice president and creative director of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," wasn't sure exactly what she wanted in a new Muppet for the…

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On the Shelves: 7/26/06

Read GOOD Comics, not just the ones you're used to! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 7/26/06. 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 Bumperboy and the Loud, Loud MountainADHOUSE BOOKS Bumperboy & Loud Loud Mountain GN, $8.95 Only irredeemably evil people would take a pass on Bumperboy, the best…

Continue ReadingOn the Shelves: 7/26/06

On The Shelves: 7/19/06

Read GOOD Comics, not just the ones you're used to! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 7/19/06. 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 The HungerAK ENTERTAINMENT INC Aya #2, $2.95 Jalila #2, $2.95 Rakan #2, $2.95 Zein #2, $2.95 The first issues of these weren't bad, but they weren't…

Continue ReadingOn The Shelves: 7/19/06

CBC Quickees: Death, Villains and more…

Just as I decide to drastically cut back my pull list, a slew of great new comics are seemingly coming out every other week now, including a couple of unexpected treats from DC thanks to Brave New World. At this rate, I may have to stop drinking just to keep up!Let's do this...Death Comes to Dillinger #1 (Silent Devil, $2.99)Death Comes to Dillinger came out of left field, completely off my radar until its eye-catching cover, um, caught my eye, and it passed the flip test and got to come home with me a few weeks back. In comics as…

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On the Shelves: 7/6/06

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Thursday, 7/6/06. 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 Second Wave: War of the Worlds #4BALLANTINE BOOKS Flight Vol 3 GN, $24.95 For all the praise the first two volumes of this anthology has received, the second one remains buried in my…

Continue ReadingOn the Shelves: 7/6/06

Crystal Ball: September 2006 Solicitations, Part I

Support GOOD Comics! Pre-order something new EVERY month. My monthly look at select comic books being solicited for release in September 2006. The full solicitations for DC, Marvel and Image are available at Comic Book Resources. Dark Horse's solicitations are available at Comics Continuum. Independent publishers will follow in a separate post. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your local comic book shop (LCBS) offers a pre-ordering service, download a convenient order form from Diamond and be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]…

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On the Shelves: 6/21/06

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 6/21/06. 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 Fallen Angel #6APE ENTERTAINMENT Black Coat Call To Arms #3 (Of 4), $2.99 So much better than a black-and-white period piece with a throwback storytelling sensibility has any right to be, I can't…

Continue ReadingOn the Shelves: 6/21/06