The Rumpus Poetry Book Club Chat with Eric Tran
Eric Tran discusses his new collection, THE GUTTER SPREAD GUIDE TO PRAYER.
...more
Posts Tagged: comic books
The Good, the Bad, and the Unf*ckwittable: Talking with Ron A. Austin
Ron A. Austin discusses his debut novel, AVERY COLT IS A THIEF, A SNAKE, A LIAR.
...more
Angry Reminders: Lee Ann Roripaugh’s Tsunami vs. the Fukushima 50
Human beings like to make myths out of things we don’t understand.
...more
Living in the Fulcrum: A Conversation with Mary H.K. Choi
Mary H.K. Choi discusses her debut YA novel, Emergency Contact, her versatile writing career, and writing diverse Korean-American characters.
...more
VISIBLE: Women Writers of Color: Tara Betts
Tara Betts discusses her newest collection, Break the Habit, the burden placed on black women artists to be both artist and activist, and why writing is rooted in identity.
...moreBringing Diversity to the Comic Book Store World
Ariell Johnson, owner of Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, is the East Coast’s first black female comic book store owner. For CNN, Ryan Bergeron talks with Johnson about opening up the geek world to young black girls, bringing comic authors of color to the forefront, and creating a welcoming space for comic lovers everywhere.
...more
Boy of My Youth
In my desperate attempts to keep my secret I learned to shut everyone out, to become as closed as a fist.
...moreThis Week in Indie Boosktores
A charity bookstore in Swansea, Wales, had so many copies of Fifty Shades of Gray that the store built a fort. A Georgia store needs a superhero after more than $200,000 worth of comic books were stolen. One of the Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared last year amidst mainland China’s censorship sweep has vowed to […]
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Sanae Ishida
Sanae Ishida discusses her debut children’s book, Little Kunoichi, The Ninja Girl, embracing her creativity after years in the corporate world, and finding inspiration in her young daughter.
...moreThe Invention of Eastern Europe
Harry Merritt writes for The Awl on the history of Eastern Europe as the traditional home of villainy, particularly in comic books and their cinematic universes.
...moreThe Super-Secret Identities of Clark Kent and Stan Lee
Such is the paradox of comics: they’re the medium of the marginalized, yet they remain wildly popular. Perhaps that’s because in some way, at some point, everyone will feel marginalized and need a seat at the table in the cafeteria away from the jocks. Even the jocks. Jabeen Akhtar looks back to the publication of […]
...moreIn the Batcave with Robert Moses
If you’ve been curious about Robert Moses but put off by the sheer heft of volumes like The Power Broker, a forthcoming comic book rendering of the master builder’s reign is a fun new option. The book, titled Robert Moses, comes from a long French tradition of giving traditionally serious subjects the comic treatment. Author […]
...moreBatman Saves More than Gotham
What does it take to transcend your medium into the stuff of literary value? Batman. 1986, the year both The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were first published, can be seen as a turning point for the comic book in America. Both titles defended the concept of comics as something more than low-brow entertainment. They […]
...moreBanned Books Week to Highlight Graphic Novels
This year’s annual Banned Books Week—a celebration of books that have been banned—will target graphic novels, those picture-filled narratives better known as comic books. And that’s exactly why Banned Books Week is taking a special interest in comics this year, as Comic Book Legal Defense Fund executive director Charles Brownstein explained to Library Journal: For […]
...more
Crossovers #1: Reporting Live from the Cultural Borderlines at the Comic Book Theater Festival
The Comic Book Theater Festival runs from June 3rd–29th at The Brick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
...moreA New Way to Read Comics
Only a small percentage of blind people commonly use Braille—and that number drops even further when it comes to reading comic books. With a new Braille-based comic book, Danish designer Phillipp Meyer may have overcome some of the limitations that prevent the visually impaired from enjoying sequential art. Instead of merely raising the lines on […]
...moreShopping For Comic Books With Junot Díaz
Vol. 1 Brooklyn documents author Junot Díaz’s comic book hunt through New York’s St. Mark’s Comics. The video allows Díaz to explain the foundational effect comic books had on him, and others of his generation – such as the work of Los Bros. Hernandez, who gave an adolescent Díaz his first exposure to realistic artistic representation of […]
...moreMorning Coffee
Wednesdays can be hard, so its either this or reading the GG Allin Wikipedia page in its entirety. Literally the best thing NPR has ever been responsible for (and that includes every episode of Car Talk): dinosaurs vs snakes! Neatorama ponders one of the less talked about casualties of e-book business. Sometimes I really like […]
...moreLying in the Gutters
Comic-book gossip column Lying in the Gutters, hosted at Comic Book Resources, is one of the things that makes the subculture of comics so fascinating and exciting. Unlike most comics journalists, Rich Johnston has the chops, the résumé, and the connections to do much more glamorous, well-paying work— and has, on several occasions. But he chooses to […]
...moreComic Book Legends Revealed
Think you know the origin of Superman? Think again. Comic Book Legends Revealed weaves the kinds of stories you didn’t know you cared about. CBLR is often for the hardcore fan; if you’re not in your local comic shop every Wednesday, you probably don’t care why Jack Kirby’s Ultraverse titles failed, or that Vince Colletta […]
...more