The story starts with a problem as old as time (or at least the ’70s): A broken Hitachi. โDamn! Thatโs the third one this year!โ a wide-eyed Elise complains to her three friends at brunch. โDid I read a book? No. Did I catch up on work? No. I rewatched Butches in Chains five times […]
Comic Books
Queer Superheroes Arriving in Time for Pride
โImagine the gay Avengers,โ says comic artist Joe Glass, and I am happy to oblige. His new book, The Pride Omnibus, is a collection of queer superhero stories that heโs published over the last decade, and itโs a thrill for any nerd tired of the relentless (and, letโs be honest, implausible) heterosexuality of the spandex […]
Gifts for the Geek: Where to Shop for Comics, Games, and More
Portland has so many shops catering to the geeky among us that it feels like you canโt throw a D20 without hitting somewhere that sells comics, video games, or board games. (Do I recommend going outside and throwing a D20 in random directions just to see what you hit? Sure! I also recommend shouting โCRITICAL […]
The IPRCโs Narrow Escape
How the publishing organization faced Portland’s rental crisis—and survived.
Comics Artists Jeff Lemire Goes Further North in Roughneck
It’s a story about Canada and hockey and snow—and a return to form for the Essex County author.
Chelsea Cain Leaves Twitter Following Sexist Harassment
Twitter users criticized Cain for โruining my favorite character with your feminist crap.” Marvel This is why we canโt have nice things: Last week, local mystery writer Chelsea Cain was the target of online harassment over a comic book cover featuring a Marvel heroine wearing a T-shirt that reads โASK ME ABOUT MY FEMINIST AGENDA.โ […]
Let’s Get Fucked Up on Doctor Strange‘s Supernatural Medicinals
Doctor Strange first appeared in the 1963 Marvel Comics anthology Strange Tales as a crippled neurosurgeon apprenticed to a wise Tibetan sorcerer, the Ancient One. After ascending to the position of Sorcerer Supreme, Strange went on to defend Earth from magical attackers and, eventually, chill with the Avengers. As recently as 2011, Strange was loaning […]
Chelsea Cain Responds to Sexist Harassment on Twitter: “It Nurtures a Culture of Bullying”
The image that launched a thousand trash monsters. Marvel Here’s a story I’m sick of hearing: A person did a cool thing, and they were rewarded with online abuse from the richest cesspools of Twitter and Reddit so they chose to disengage from social media for their own sanity. We’ve heard this story too many […]
Here is Dame Darcy, Your Comics Queen
Dame Darcy is an irrevocable part of comics history. I dare those French comics dads to ignore her now. Dame Darcy Last January, Angoulรชme, the second largest comics festival in Europe, made a crazy misogynist blunder. Of 30 nominees for the Grand Prix prize for lifetime achievement in comics, they neglected to name even one […]
Civil War: Team Thor: A Friendly Reminder Taika Waititi Is One of the Best Directors Working Today
“And who’s this purple weirdo?” This Comic-Con reel hit over the weekend, and it’s just delightful. It’s delightful because it’s from Taika Waititi, the director behind What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeopleโand the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, which this is an excellent ad for. In the space of only a few […]
Image Comics Reportedly Moving to Portland
FROM SAGA VOLUME 3, ART BY FIONA STAPLES According to reliable comics industry site The Beat, Image Comics is planning a move to Portland. …At San Diego I started to hear a few whispers that Image Comics might be leaving its Bay Area headquarters for the cheaper and even more comics friendly environs of Portland, […]
Study Group Magazine Applies a Critical Lens to Comics
The latest issue has a Dungeons & Dragons adventure theme and tons of stand-alone fantasy art. LEVON JIHANIAN | FLOATING WORLD INTERIOR SPACE (BACKGROUND) What do you put in a magazine without advertisements? Fantasy adventure art, obviously. Itโs been two years since the release of Study Group Magazine #3, in all of its red-and-blue line, […]
