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Previous SFF Author: Suzanne Collins

Series: Comics

Reading Comics, Part 2

Brad Hawley continues his series on How to Read Comics. If you missed the previous columns, be sure to start with Part 1: Why Read Comics?
(Or find the entire series here.) Reading Comics, Part 2: Terminology and Production

by Dr. Brad K. Hawley

Assuming that you have found a more adult-themed comic book (I’ll give some recommendations in a later installment of this essay), what do you need to know to begin to appreciate what happens in it? First, understanding key terminology and the production of the comic book as a commodity seems necessary.

April 27th, 2012. Brad Hawley | Comics, Reading Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Reading Comics, Part 1

FanLit welcomes Brad Hawley to our team of reviewers. Dr. Hawley received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon in 2000, specializing in ethics and contemporary fiction as well as rhetoric and composition. After teaching for two years at Jacksonville State University and a short break from teaching to be a stay-at-home dad, he now teaches at Oxford College of Emory University. During the past fifteen years, he has taught courses and independent studies in composition, Crime Fiction, Comic Books, Beat Literature, twentieth-century poetry, and Shakespeare. His wife, who also teaches English at Oxford College, thinks he has too many comic books.
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April 20th, 2012. Brad Hawley | Comics, Reading Comics | SFF Reviews | 25 comments |

Battle Chasers: A groundbreaking fantasy comic book

Battle Chasers by Joe Madureira & Munier Sharrieff

Battle Chasers was a groundbreaking fantasy comic book that emerged onto the comics scene in 1998, when independent comic publishers were finally giving the big two — DC and Marvel — a run for their money. Despite the sporadic release dates of Battle Chasers’ issues, the series won the hearts of many readers, only to disappear like a shooting star when Joe Madureira went on to pursue interests in the video gaming industry. I was one of those original fans,

April 13th, 2012. Greg Hersom | Comics | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

Dear Creature by Jonathan Case

Dear Creature by Jonathan Case

So here I am, fresh off a review where I admit that it seems graphic stories just aren’t for me, and lo and behold, here comes one that proves the exception to what has been a pretty consistent rule. Jonathan Case’s Dear Creature is a wonderfully quirky story that nicely mixes humor, pathos, 50s monster movie nostalgia, and a heaping portion of Shakespeare. And it all works.

Set in a California coastal town during the early 60s,

March 30th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol.1

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol.1 by Frank Miller (author) & Jim Lee (illustrator)

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1 is the re-telling of how the legendary Dynamic Duo came to be as only Frank Miller has the cahoonas to do it.

About a year before Alan Moore started exploring a realistic approach to superheroes in his famous WATCHMEN series, Frank Miller was delving into the twisted psyche that would drive a playboy millionaire to become a vigilante with his highly acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One.

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human (2011), by Grant Morrison, examines comic book superheroes from the early days up to the present. Part memoir, part history, part literary/artistic analysis, it’s both an outsider fan’s view (from Morrison’s early years) and an insider writer’s view (from his working days at several comic shops,

March 16th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 11 comments |

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk by David Lindelof (writer) & Leinil Francis Yu (artist)

A little background for newcomers or fanboys/girls who have been away for a while: Marvel comic’s ULTIMATE story arcs are a rebirth of the Marvel Universe for a new generation of readers and have storylines that fit better with the recent movie adaptations.

Bruce Banner is sentenced to death and executed by nuclear bomb. Soon after, three random disasters occur in remote places around the world that were not due to nature or terrorists. It doesn’t take S.H.I.E.L.D.

March 9th, 2012. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

Agatha Awakens: Kat loves it. Bill doesn’t.

GIRL GENIUS: Agatha Awakens by Phil & Kaja Foglio

Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!

I don’t read many graphic novels — though I’ve tried many of them, they’re just not my thing. In fact, I only read one graphic novel and that’s GIRL GENIUS by Phil & Kaja Foglio. I love this comic and I must not be the only one —it’s won the Hugo Award three times (and lots of other awards, too). Therefore, I was thrilled to see that Tor is releasing hardback omnibus versions of GIRL GENIUS because this comic is a work of art that deserves to be beautifully bound and displayed on coffee tables everywhere.

Dark Swan: Storm Born: A sensual graphic novel

Dark Swan: Storm Born by Richelle Mead

The Dark Swan: Storm Born comic is based on Richelle Mead’s Dark Swan urban fantasy series. The art is by Dave Hamann and the comic was written by Richelle Mead and Grant Alter. I recently had the opportunity to read the first two issues.

The story centers on Eugenie Markham, also known as Odile, who does fairy and spirit banishings for hire. But now, alarmingly, the spirits she encounters have been calling her by her real name,

Shaun Tan’s The Arrival

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is a highly acclaimed graphic novel about immigration. There are no words in this graphic novel, allowing Tan to rely entirely on images to reveal the doubts and conflicts that his characters face. On his website, Tan explains that:

“In ‘The Arrival’, the absence of any written description also plants the reader more firmly in the shoes of an immigrant character. There is no guidance as to how the images might be interpreted,

Next SFF Author: Johnny Compton

Previous SFF Author: Suzanne Collins

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