Lady Business

I've been going through a bit of a reading slump this year, and breaking it meant focusing on short, fast reads I could complete quickly. So, last month I finally got around to reading the first volumes in a ton of graphic novel series I've been meaning to start for a long, loooong time. In celebration of using graphic novels to break my reading slump I thought I'd try to use them to break my recent writing slump as well. So, here are my thoughts on a the start of six popular graphic series.

( Click for my thoughts on Jem & the Holograms, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Invincible Ironman: Ironheart, Velvet, Princeless & Lumberjanes )

In 2013, Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch's Rat Queens burst onto the graphic novel scene to a general cry of delight. As the blurb for Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery says, 'Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they're in the business of killing all god's creatures for profit.' Basically, they're an awesome-sauce gang of outrageous ladies. With their overwhelming quest for a destructive good time, their battle lust, and their defiant fashion sense, the Rat Queens provided the kind of rowdy, confident female gang many fangirls just couldn't resist.

( Read more... )

In 2014 and 2015, Greg Pak released 11 issues of a solo title focusing on the white haired, weather manipulating X-mutant Storm. I have always counted the X-Men as my first super fandom. I grew up with X-Men: The Animated Series in the 1990s. I have a list of favourite X-Men that has literally not changed since I was an eight year old tiny person (here they are in order if you're interested: Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Gambit, Jean Grey). I even paid to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine in cinemas. And maybe it's just my British perspective (we do love to talk about the weather) but I think Storm is one of the coolest long term X-Men characters. Yet, this run of Storm comics seems to have gone a little under the radar despite the efforts of critics like Black Girl Nerds. Which is just ridiculous because just look at her on those covers.



Yes, I am going to start my first solo foray into writing about comics with a lengthy look at the covers of the two collected trade editions, Storm, Vol. 1: Make It Rain and Storm, Vol. 2: Bring The Thunder. It's well established that I'm a hopeless imagery nerd, who loves unpicking symbols.( Read more... )

Today, I have five - count 'em - five short reviews for your delight and delectation. Talking cats, giant grasshoppers, emotionally fragile superheroes - Lady Business is a broad church today!

( Cat Girl’s Day Off – Kimberly Pauley )

( Grasshopper Jungle – Andrew Smith )

( Rivals in the City – Y. S. Lee )

( Happy Families – Tanita S. Davis )

( Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life As a Weapon and Hawkeye, Vol.2: Little Hits – David Aja & Matt Fraction )