Books

J&STAC: 2014 in Review

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-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.”

The Addison Recorder has been recounting the year in popular culture, and we’re chiming in with our thoughts about the year in comic books, superheroes, and the influence of TV and film franchises. That latter trend really drove the news and reactions to the four mainstream publishers in 2014, so we start there. [Read more…]

Christmas with a Twist: David Sedaris’s Holidays on Ice

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Image of Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Image courtesy of Hachette Book Group

Like most families, mine has many treasured holiday traditions. One of the most sacred is unpacking our fuzzy-haired and completely deranged-looking angel from the 1970s Jack Daniels box in which she resides during the offseason. We then attempt (and usually fail) to reattach the one tiny plastic arm that constantly falls off before we place her atop the tree. My mom and dad bought the angel before I was born, and as homely as she is, I’m pretty sure she’s the only item my siblings and I will fight over when the time comes to divvy up my parents’ things.

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J&STAC: Artist Spotlight

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-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.”

A picture can tell a story in ways that words can’t, which is why the comic book medium can be so inspiring. We decided to spotlight a few of the many artists working today, but this is only a small sample of the talent in the medium. We could go on for days discussing them, but we’ve limited ourselves to a few of our favorite artists who bring these stories to life. [Read more…]

Made of Books: Growing Out of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead

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Image of Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal from The Fountainhead

 

Made of Books is a monthly column (partly inspired by hero Roxane Gay) where Christina discusses writing that has been meaningful to her, in one way or another.

I was 15 when I stumbled across mention of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead in the local paper. I hadn’t heard of the philosophical and romantic tale of Individualism before, but something, I don’t remember what, in that article piqued my interest. I found a tattered copy printed in the 1960s at a used bookstore. It had a romance novel-y image in the lower right: a naked man’s arm is wrapped around the waist of a similarly naked woman, her hand is on his neck, and her face is tilted up, eyes are closed in an expression of pleasure. I bought it for $1.

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J&STAC: November’s New #1 Issues

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl 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.”

The #1 issue has a tough job: It needs to set the story, to connect you to the characters, and to do it in a scant few pages. We’ve read through a lot of the #1 issues that have hit the stands since our last recap, and weighed in on a few that caught our attention — whether or not they’ve hooked us for issue #2 and beyond.

rasputin#1Rasputin #1

Words by Alex Grecian, art by Riley Rossmo, colorist Ivan Plascencia, letterer Thomas Mauer. Published by Image Comics.

Synopsis: The untold tale of Grigori Rasputin, the infamous advisor to the Romanovs. 

Steph: I tend to pick up most of the first issues of each book that comes through my comic shop, and I base which trades I’ll purchase later on those number 1s, so they have to be engaging. Rasputin was definitely that for me. [Read more…]

Meryl and Christina Discuss Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist

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Image of Beyonce with 'Bad Feminist' written behind her

Meryl and I hung out, ate some soup and drank some wine while talking about Roxane Gay’s kickass essay collection, Bad Feminist. While discussing this book, we fell into many tangents about past relationships and dogs and humor. That’s the awesomeness of the book— it opens up doors and gets you talking.

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J&STAC: The Wicked & The Divine, vol 1

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl 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.”

w+dThis time around, J. & Steph discuss the newest addition to the “young adult meets the supernatural” genre. Is that a genre yet? If not, it probably should be at this point. The Wicked & The Divine is an amorous take on the concept, a story of mysteries piled upon mysteries wrapped up in a gorgeous package.

The Wicked & The Divine (vol. 1)

Words by Kieron Gillen, art by Jaime McKelvie, color by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

Synopsis: Every ninety years, twelve gods return to Earth as young people. They are loved, they are hated, and in two years, they are all dead. It’s happening now. It’s happening again.

[Read more…]

J&STAC: Halloween Inspiration

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl 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.”

Halloween and comic book conventions both spotlight the idea of dressing up like your favorite characters. Steph is an occasional cosplayer, and -J.’s Halloween archive contains many comic book costumes, so we decided to use this year’s costumes to talk about the books that inspired them.

prettydeadly-crow-mauve_1024x1024Pretty Deadly (vol. 1)

Words by Kelly Sue DeConnick, art by Emma Rios, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Clayton Cowles

Steph: I adore Kelly Sue DeConnick. I just want to get that out of the way, so everyone knows that I may be biased in this review, but really, Pretty Deadly is just plain good. [Read more…]

Highlights from Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please”

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Cover of "Yes Please"

Yes Please came out October 28. (image via)

I bought this book on Audible on Friday afternoon and finished it Monday night, savoring the last hour at home while cleaning before sitting down to write this review. Listening to Amy Poehler talk about her life, her career, her family and her friends was soothing and inspiring at the same time. She made me want to write but also call my aunt to catch up. (I still owe you a call, Aunt Cary.)

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Made of Books: On Mary Karr’s Lit

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Image of Marry Karr and her memoir, Lit

Made of Books is a monthly column (partly inspired by hero Roxane Gay) where Christina discusses writing that has been meaningful to her, in one way or another. 

I don’t know what compelled me to purchase Lit, Mary Karr’s third memoir, back in 2010. This seriously disappoints me because this book has so profoundly shaped how I think about reading and writing I feel that Lit and me should have some kind of origin story. Instead, I remember curling up on my parents’s sofa, Mary Karr’s sharp humor and gorgeous prose drowning out How I Met Your Mother or the sports my father was watching.

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