Books – Page 3 – the Addison Recorder

J&STAC: the Gen Con Crossover

July 29, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

With Gen Con, the largest gaming convention on the continent, starting tomorrow, we thought it would be fun and fitting to pick a few comic series that would make fun role-playing games (RPGs).

This isn’t new ground — DC and Marvel have both licensed their universes to a number of different RPG companies in the last 30 years. And Atomic Robo, one of our favorite comics, was released as a critically-acclaimed RPG this past year. But if we could pick a few other comic books we want to play as RPGs, which ones would they be? What would we want to see in them?

We start with the series that nobody should be surprised to see on this list:

Rat Queens

Steph: Rat Queens. Obviously.

-J.: Obviously. One: because we love it, and two: because it already reads like a fantasy RPG turned into an awesome comic book.

[Read more…]

J&STAC: Summertime #1s

July 15, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

It’s been a while since we did a recap of recent #1 releases, in part because of the re-booting brought on by Secret Wars and Convergence. The summer has brought us a plethora of new and re-launched stories, and we start with a classic comic that looks very, very new.

Archie #1

words by Mark Waid, art by Fiona Staples, published by Archie Comics

Synopsis: The reboot of Archie finds the titular character giving the reader a tour of his high school, introducing his friends, and now ex girlfriend Betty.

Steph: I loved this. The Waid/Staples combo is just so fun to read. [Read more…]

J&STAC: The Autumnlands, volume 1

July 1, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

When the first issue came out last fall, the series was titled Tooth & Claw. Today sees the release of the first trade collection of the series under its new name, The Autumnlands vol. 1: Tooth and Claw, and it’s an action-packed book that blends fantasy and sci-fi in a world of animals.

The Autumnlands, volume 1: Tooth and Claw

words by Kurt Busiek, art by Benjamin Dewey, published by Image Comics

Synopsis: In a world of anthropomorphic animals and floating cities, the one form of true currency and power — magic — is fading. In a last ditch effort to resurrect it, Gharta the wizard works a massive spell to bring forth the Great Champion in the hope that he will restore their magic to what it once was.

[Read more…]

J&STAC: the Lingo

June 17, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

As any industry or medium grows, it develops jargon — language that fans, practitioners, and others “in the know” understand, but can be an obstacle for new fans and practitioners. As someone who works in a comic shop, and who is an advocate for bringing in new fans, Steph wants to ensure that such technical terminology isn’t a barrier.

Here, then, are a few pieces of jargon that can help potential new fans and readers. [Read more…]

J&STAC: Marvel’s Secret Wars

June 3, 2015 by -J. 7 Comments

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

May and June mark the DC Universe event Convergence, a smashing together of all DC stories and timelines– wait, no… sorry, the Marvel event Secret Wars, a smashing together of all Marvel stories and timelines.

Yup.

-J.: Please no more. I can’t. There are so many mediocre crossover events, and they just keep coming…

[Read more…]

J&STAC: Rat Queens, vol. 2

May 20, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

-J.: In our last piece, we summed up our feelings about DC’s Convergence event by telling you to read the brand-new Rat Queens volume instead. It’s been a couple weeks, and we’ve thoroughly read, re-read, and digested this second volume. Having done so, we would like to say, in many more words, “seriously, you need to read this series.”

Steph: As some of you know, “-J. & Steph Talk About Comics” was created because I NEEDED to tell everyone about Rat Queens.

-J.: It’s true. So let’s tell them about volume 2.

[Read more…]

Why You Need to Read Roller Girl, a Graphic Novel

May 20, 2015 by Meryl Williams Leave a Comment

(image via)

I am not widely familiar with graphic novels, but I decided to pick up Roller Girl a few weeks ago — a new release by Victoria Jamieson. I do a lot of reading and writing about roller derby, and I wanted to support a fellow female derby writer. I am so glad I did, because this book is about a lot more than my favorite sport. If you’re interested in a quick read about young female friendships, complete with lovely and clever art, look no further. I read this gem in less than a day – and the second I finished it, I ordered a second copy to be sent to a girl friend. [Read more…]

A Stranger in a Strange Land: Alternate Glimpses of Our Past in The Moor’s Account

May 15, 2015 by Alex Bean Leave a Comment

Last month Moroccan-American author Laila Lalami’s second novel, The Moor’s Account, was announced as a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In their citation the Pulitzer committee said that the novel was “a creative narrative of the ill-fated 16th Century Spanish expedition to Florida, compassionately imagined out of the gaps and silences of history.” That second clause ran through my mind as I raced through the novel a few weeks after its citation. The Moor’s Account is Lalami’s imagining of the famously doomed Narváez expedition to Florida that began with 600 Spanish conquistadors and settlers landing near Tampa Bay and ended 8 years later when the only four known survivors stumbled across some Spanish soldiers in what is now northern Mexico. Cabaeza de Veca would become the most famous of those survivors when his La Relación became the official royal account. Lalami, as you might have guessed, moves the narration from de Vaca to Estevanico, a Moorish slave owned by one of the other surviving Spainards and the first known African (and African slave) to land in what is now the United States. [Read more…]

J&STAC: Convergence

May 6, 2015 by -J. Leave a Comment

-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

April and May mark the DC Universe event Convergence, a smashing together of all DC stories and timelines. For many readers who have watched the “New 52” era with frustration and disdain, Convergence offers the possibility of bringing back some of the characters and writers that made them DC fans (once upon a time).

Or maybe it won’t. Because after diving into this supposedly-epic event, we’re only sure of one thing: there are way too many books tied into it. But we read them all–

Steph: Please no more. I can’t. There are so many Convergence titles, and they just keep coming… [Read more…]

Our Month in Pop Culture: May 2015

May 1, 2015 by Alex Bean 1 Comment

We here at The Addison Recorder read stuff. We also watch stuff. And play stuff, even. Sometimes, that stuff is interesting. Sometimes we just need to talk about whatever pop culture ephemera occupies our time. Soar on. [Read more…]