Category: Reviews

Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.

On the Shelves: 2/14/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! In honor of Valentine's Day, my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/14/07 is all about the love. No snark; no bad reviews; just the good, might-be-good and hope-it's-good stuff. As a result, it's a pretty light read, too! … Continue reading On the Shelves: 2/14/07 →

Marketing Monday: A Simple Plan, Part II

Last week I covered the first three steps of Kevin Stirtz' "Smart Marketing System", focusing on a marketing plan's Goals, Market and Message, and this week I'll take a look at the final two pieces of this simple but apparently often confounding puzzle: 1. The GOALS or objectives you want to accomplish 2. The MARKET … Continue reading Marketing Monday: A Simple Plan, Part II →

Strip Club: Lust & Marriage

Opening Lines, Pinky Probes, and L-Bombs: The Girls & Sports Dating and Relationship Playbook By Justin Borus and Andrew Feinstein (Santa Monica Press, 2006; $14.95) While I was vaugely familiar with the Girls & Sports comic strip from the Daily News, thanks to the main crossword puzzle appearing in the comics section, it was never … Continue reading Strip Club: Lust & Marriage →

Marketing Monday: First Things First

Among the myriad challenges comics publishers of all sizes face, one of the biggest -- and most frustrating, personally -- is marketing. Way too many publishers believe that marketing is little more than sending out badly written press releases and snagging previews, reviews and interviews from Wizard, Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, et al. While some … Continue reading Marketing Monday: First Things First →

Suburban Dysfunction & Blaxploitation

Ghost World By Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics Books, 1998; $11.95) I skipped the movie version of Ghost World when it came out because I could tell from the previews that it wasn't my cup of tea; stories of suburban angst make my skin crawl (ie: I hated American Beauty), suburban teenage angst even more so. But, … Continue reading Suburban Dysfunction & Blaxploitation →

Amazon POD Update: Raves for Sale!

Last month I posted a brief item about Amazon's Print-on-Demand services, offered in partnership with BookSurge, suggesting it might be "worthy of consideration for potential self- and micro-publishers." On Friday, Slate posted an interesting article entitled "Raves For Sale" that reveals one of the options available to its customers is "a personally crafted review written … Continue reading Amazon POD Update: Raves for Sale! →

Smallville’s "Justice" Was Pretty Damn Good

It's been a long while since I caught a full episode of Smallville, but there was no way I was missing tonight's episode, "Justice", even if it meant skipping my latest addiction, Ugly Betty. (One year after "Code Black", Grey's Anatomy remains my numero uno!) Bart Allen is the only one of the nascent Justice … Continue reading Smallville’s "Justice" Was Pretty Damn Good →

On The Shelves: 1/17/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/17/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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 … Continue reading On The Shelves: 1/17/07 →

Review: The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One

The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One By Scott Christian Sava (Blue Dream Studios, 2006; $19.95) I have to admit that I was initially put off by the computer animated artwork when I first flipped through The Dreamland Chronicles, especially compared to Diego Jourdan's more familiar cartoony style in Scott Christian Sava's Ed's Terrestrials, which I received … Continue reading Review: The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One →