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Category: Books & Comics

What we read, mostly comics and books. Check out Nekoplz for more comics and book blogging.

Back to the Future…with a Warhammer – Aaron Dembski-Bowden Guest Blog

On July 30 By Aaron Dembski-Bowden In (special) Guest Blogs, Books & Comics, Gaming

Aaron Dembski-Bowden is back!

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new frontier

DC: THE NEW FRONTIER… Stripp’d

On August 4 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

0. Looking Back in order to Move Forward One of the more interesting developments in superhero comics has been the growing popularity of comics that take familiar characters and transplant them into unfamiliar historical contexts. …

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chew

Chew… Stripp’d

On July 19 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

Food is the archetypal First World problem. While some parts of the world starve and other parts are turned inside out by our demand for low-cost and low-fuss supplies of exotic and increasingly refined foodstuffs, …

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gijoe

G.I. Joe Rawhides – 30 Years Later, the G.I. Joe Animated Movie

On July 7 By Jay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Back in 1987 fans of G.I. Joe got an animated film that has gone on to become a pretty divisive movie during a time which was probably the height of or toward the end of …

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Rorschach

Batman or Rorschach? – Point/Counterpoint

On June 27 By Elisabeth Rappe and Eric Schlelein In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

o, who would you rather have operating just outside the law to protect your city?  Batman or Rorschach?  Discuss!

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guy gavriel kay

Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay Review

On June 25 By Victoria Hoyle In Books & Comics

I have a set of bright memories associated with various of Guy Gavriel Kay’s novels: Sitting, aged 13, grief-stricken and sobbing in a cold bath having finished “The Darkest Road”, the final weft in his …

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falkor

Shai-Hulud from DUNE or Falkor the Luck Dragon from THE NEVERENDING STORY? – Point/Counterpoint

On June 24 By Elisabeth Rappe and Eric Schlelein In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

The question on everyone’s lips, which we humbly seek to answer today, “Which is the better ridiculous mode of transportation, Shai-Hulud from Frank Herbert’s Dune series, or Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story?

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The better sci-fi/fantasy pet? Spot from Star Trek: TNG, or Oy from Stephen King’s Dark Tower | Point/Counterpoint

On June 18 By Elisabeth Rappe and Eric Schlelein In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

This week we seek to answer that most pressing of questions: Which is the better sci-fi/fantasy pet?  Spot from Star Trek: The Next Generation, or Oy from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series?

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The Chimpanzee Complex… Stripp’d

On June 10 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

There is consolation in conspiracy. Whenever something terrible happens, humans look for answers and they don’t stop looking even when they have found them: It wasn’t Oswald who killed Kennedy, it was the mob or …

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Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit… Stripp’d

On June 6 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

Some would say that beautiful lives bloom only in the shadow cast by death. But while this may very well be true, how could we ever know for sure? Statements like this one and Plato’s …

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Whitechapel Squad: The Detective Comics of Warren Ellis

On June 5 By Jimmy Callaway In Books & Comics

I’ve long believed Warren Ellis is a crime-fiction writer at heart.  The first series of Wolfskin was a clear example of sword-and-sorcery comics, but had that distinct Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars feel, a dyed-in-the-wool crook playing both sides.  Comics like Aetheric …

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Black Crime Fiction: An Introduction

On June 5 By Brian Lindenmuth In Books & Comics

I. Introduction II. The Holy Trinity – Chester Himes, Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines III. Gone, Forgotten and Waiting for Discovery – Robert Deane Pharr & Clarence Cooper Jr. IV. The Best of the Rest …

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Arrivederci, Eltingville

On June 5 By Jimmy Callaway In Books & Comics

Comic book nerds are easy targets.  Fish in a barrel and on crutches, to boot.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but going to down to comics conventions and making fun of …

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Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky Review

On June 4 By Trine Paulsen In Books & Comics

Empire in Black and Gold is the debut of British author Adrian Tchaikovsky and the first installment in a trilogy titled Shadows of the Apt. In his debut Tchaikovsky gives us a heroic narrative where …

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Charlie Adlard Interview – Portrait of the Artist as a Walking Dead Man

On June 4 By Stefan Petrucha In Books & Comics, Interviews, Movies & TV

Back in the nineties, I had the pleasure of working with Charlie Adlard on Topp’s The X-Files comic.  Ages later, the man who draws The Walking Dead was kind enough to spend some time catching …

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scott pilgrim

The Scott Pilgrim Girlfriend Test

On June 4 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

So you’ve finally met a girl who seems cool.  Outlook: positive…except that you can’t figure out how to suss out her level of nerdery without offending her or seeming even geekier than you are by …

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Phonogram… Stripp’d

On June 2 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

One could argue that the enduring popularity of genre motifs is a direct result of the death of God. Prior to the Enlightenment, the people of the ancient and medieval worlds knew their place.  They …

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ninjak

Before Youtube, Ninjak Debuts with a Bloodshot Problem in VALIANT Comics

On September 28 By Jay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

… ahhh classic VALIANT.

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Judging Jorah Mormont as Daenerys Targaryen’s Champion

On May 19 By Jay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

A lot things happened in last week’s episode that people want to talk about a lot more — and oddly I think that particular one was one of the better shot, edited, and acted scenes in a …

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Ten Things About House Targaryen for Game of Thrones Fans

On May 1 By Jay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Back to Game of Thrones as a lot of people read my Ten Things about Dorne and House Martell and a similar post about House Stark so I thought it might be worthwhile to go …

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The Evolution of the Serial Killer

On October 24 By Matthew C. Funk In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

America has always been crazy about serial killers. They’re our homegrown werewolves. They click with the fast-food car culture that roars in the country’s busy, busy heart. They fit neatly with our cult-of-celebrity-style national mythology. …

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My Name Is Markham – The TV Sensibilities of NEAR DEATH

On September 10 By Jimmy Callaway In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Near Death is one of the spate of high-quality comic books Image has been cranking out over the past couple of years, and I finally did myself the favor of reading it.  Of course, now …

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A Very Noticeable Young Lady: Lucie Blackman, High Touch Town History & PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS – The Nail That Sticks Out

On May 12 By Cameron Ashley In Books & Comics

In part 9 of THE NAIL THAT STICKS OUT, we delve into the case of Lucie Blackman, the gaijin hostess who never left Roppongi alive.

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Odds That Oliver Stone’s SAVAGES Will Be Any Good?

On April 2 By Jimmy Callaway In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Director Oliver Stone is bringing Don Winslow’s SAVAGES to the big screen.  But will it be any good? “Bet.” Don Winslow’s 2010 novel Savages is one of those books you chide yourself for not reading …

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My Valentine’s Date With BUTCH FATALE

On February 14 By Cameron Ashley In Books & Comics

A few months back, I ploughed through Jungle Street by Don Elliott. Elliott (the pseudonym of SF master Robert Silverberg) wrote numerous smutty novels (such as Escape To Sindom, Sex Gang and Party Girl), the kind which once flooded the market …

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Through The Lovecraft Looking Glass of Love: FATALE #1 by Brubaker & Phillips

On January 8 By Cameron Ashley In Books & Comics

It all depends on how you choose to view it: Fatale is a crime comic. It features square-jawed tough guys making goo-goo eyes at beautiful dames with curling, jet-black tresses and fine suits and shotguns and …

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johnny shaw

The Art of Going Too Far – Johnny Shaw Guest blog

On January 5 By Johnny Shaw In Books & Comics

I think that I found my voice—or at least my confidence—when I was a graduate screenwriting student at UCLA. Although I had been writing for a number of years, it was at UCLA that I …

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Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story… Stripp’d

On December 20 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

If you wander around a second hand book shop and start leafing through old history textbooks you will rapidly notice that history used to be nothing but stories about men with beards and top hats. …

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Johnny Depp’s THE RUM DIARY Is Like Two Movies in One – REVIEW

On October 28 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

I walked away from watching The Rum Diary with feelings as dichotomous as the two halves of the film.  The first half is what the film appears to be in the trailers, while the second is …

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A Colony of Bruce: BATMAN in the New 52

On October 20 By Cameron Ashley In Books & Comics

Speaking simply in terms of narrative possibility, Batman is the writer’s best friend. A skillful wordsmith armed with this brooding pulp titan could spin an infinite number of genre-spliced yarns and never would the plot-well …

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human chair

Edogawa Rampo: The Godfather of Japanese Crime Fiction

On October 14 By Cameron Ashley In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

In a story entitled “The Human Chair,” an anonymous, physically repulsive furniture maker builds a large, beautiful chair that he can climb in and out of to enjoy the sensuous delights of having woman of …

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Ludwig II… Stripp’d

On October 1 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

0. The Challenge of Escapism Like Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), we live our lives obsessed by thoughts of escape. Escape from our jobs, escape from our relationships, escape from our friends and …

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 6

On August 20 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

Okay, so here’s the thing… I started in on the sixth volume of Ooku: The Inner Chambers without bothering to re-read either the previous volumes in the series or my thoughts on those five books. …

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Battle of the Fang by Chris Wraight Review

On June 30 By Phillip Sobel In Books & Comics

Though not billed as such, this book is the last part of an unofficial trilogy. Battle of the Fang effectively bridges the story begun in McNeill’s A Thousand Sons and Abnett’s Prospero Burns to the …

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james rollins

The Devil Colony | James Rollins Interview

On June 24 By Douglas Cobb In Books & Comics, Interviews

The extremely talented author James Rollin is with me today to talk about his latest Sigma Force novel, the 7th in the series, The Devil Colony. Was America originally supposed to have 14 instead of …

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Return to Cerebus, cried the Earth-Pig Born! Part the Second

On June 12 By Tobias J McGuffin In Books & Comics

After what seemed two clunky beginning issues, Cerebus hit its early stride with the introduction of Red Sophia, and it built from there. Over the course of the next ten issues, Sim’s ability to see …

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Sucker Punch – A Study On The State Of Comics

On June 6 By Ryan Lindsay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Sucker Punch is possibly the most spectacular failure I’ve seen in a while. It’s certainly ambitious, it’s got lots to praise, but there are far too many efforts falling flat or possibly offending for it …

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Square Jawed Heroes – The Aesthetics of Who Is Jake Ellis?

On May 2 By Ryan Lindsay In Books & Comics

Comics are all about beautiful people. Find me a leading character who isn’t physically desirable and I’ll find you a comic I either don’t know or it isn’t selling. This is an aesthetic medium and …

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Thor – Movie Review: A Study In Universe Expansion

On April 26 By Ryan Lindsay In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Marvel Studios have had a lot of success at the box office lately, especially with the Iron Man movies, and they obviously plan to have a lot more success in the coming years with a …

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GrimDark: Loose Canon & Warhammer Race War Aaron Dembski-Bowden Guest Blog

On April 20 By Aaron Dembski-Bowden In (special) Guest Blogs, Books & Comics, Gaming

Aaron Dembski-Bowden bringing his cannons to canon. Also his warhammer.

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Universal War One… Stripp’d

On April 19 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

The Christian conception of redemption is an oddly commercial one. Grounded in Old Testament talk of ransoming the slaves, redemption is presented as a transaction through which Christians pay off their debt to God and …

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RETURN to CEREBUS, cried the Earth-Pig Born! A Cerebus Retrospective

On April 14 By Tobias J McGuffin In Books & Comics

Part the First Dave Sim is not dead.

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Embedded by Dan Abnett – Review

On March 24 By Phillip Sobel In Books & Comics

Embedded is Abnett’s second independent novel for Angry Robot Books and one of the most original and compelling SF stories I’ve read in quite some time. In fact, I’m drawn to a grossly overused cliché to describe …

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game of thrones

Playin’ With Ice and Fire: A Game of Thoughts | Bran Stark Chapter 17

On March 16 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

George R. R. Martin has us in Bran dreams in our reread this week and we are talking the heart of winter and other things We know nothing about.

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Iron Company by Chris Wraight – Review

On March 14 By Phillip Sobel In Books & Comics

I’ve been meaning to review this little beauty for a while, so, straight to business. Iron Company was Chris Wraight’s first Black Library novel and yet somehow managed to tick almost all the boxes for …

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 5

On March 9 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

At the end of volume one of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chambers, the Shogun Yoshimune asks an elderly monk to explain to her “the logic of the present custom” of using male honorifics and …

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 4

On March 3 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

With the opening volumes of Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Fumi Yoshinaga attempts to answer the question of why it is that a culture’s values do not automatically keep step with its demographics.  For example, why …

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Show Me Your Lightning Bolt!

On March 2 By Tobias J McGuffin In Books & Comics

My burgeoning affiliation with the All New! All Different! Boomtron, with its Ooku reviews and its Sandman Meditations and its other various lovingly crafted commentaries, comes with the knowledge that I am lacking in … well, knowledge. …

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game of thrones

Playin’ With Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Eddard Stark Chapter 16

On March 1 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Even in a fantasy world we join forces in our Game of Thrones reread to hate anyone who kills our puppies.

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 3

On February 26 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

Volume One of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chambers posed a question of both its world and ours.  That question was why there is such a thing as gender inequality when gender inequality is so …

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game of thrones

Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Sansa Stark Chapter 15

On February 23 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Sansa Stark sees the world of Westeros in a much different way as her siblings and we dive into her first POV of this reread of A Song of Ice and Fire.

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 2

On February 18 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

The First Volume of Ooku: The Inner Chambers ends with the newly installed Shogun asking a question of an elderly monk. This question, though apparently simple, cuts straight to the heart of her kingdom, her …

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Phonogram: Singles Club 4 – Konichiwa Bitches | Top Single Issues

On February 16 By Ryan Lindsay In Books & Comics

The first Phonogram mini landed and people weren’t sure what to believe. Here was a comic about music that talked about lyrics and music instead of writing and art. It didn’t feature a cape in …

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Ooku: The Inner Chambers – Volume 1 (2009)

On February 14 By Jonathan McCalmont In Books & Comics

0.  A Statement of Subject and Method Fumi Yoshinaga’s Eisner Award-nominated and James Tiptree Jr. Award-winning series Ooku: The Inner Chambers is a multi-volume manga series set in an alternative version of Medieval Edo Period …

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire A Game of Thoughts | Catelyn Stark Chapter 14

On February 13 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Catelyn Stark does Catelyn Stark things and me and Elena just can’t in this chapter of our Game of Thrones reread.

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Playin’ With Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Tyrion Lannister Chapter 13

On December 20 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

More Tyrion as we go up North to see the Wall and realize Tyrion is a fan of fantasy in this chapter of our Game of Thrones reread.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Eddard Stark Chapter 12

On November 13 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark won a kingdom together. Which of them will out dumb the other to lose it all amidst all the Lannisters?

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts: Daenerys Targaryen Chapter 11

On October 27 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

We are invited to a wedding by George R. R. Martin and Drogo and Daenerys are the lucky young couple. Emilia and Momoa. Goddamn fine people.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Jon Snow Chapter 10

On October 5 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Our Game of Thrones Reread has brought us to a crossroads, where Stark farewells occur, as we travel north and south, to the wall, and to court.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Tyrion Lannister Chapter 9

On September 29 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Tyrion Lannister enters the Game of Thrones reread, thus beinning the epic journey of a dwarfs who casts a giant kingly shadow.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Bran Stark Chapter 8

On September 19 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Things are going down as in this Bran chapter we get our first GRRM cliffhanger in Game of Thrones – and we all fall down.

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A Glimpse of Winter Falling – Game of Thrones

On September 14 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Since I missed the in-production teaser when it aired during the Countdown to True Blood on Sunday, I had to watch it on HBO’s website.  Which meant that I also read the introduction by the …

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Arya Stark Chapter 7

On September 10 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

We get our first Arya Stark POV chapter and get great Stark family interaction with her and Jon and her and Sansa in this edition of our Game of Thrones reread

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Catelyn Stark Chapter 6

On September 1 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

We disect and discuss the husband wifey relationship between Ned and Catelyn Stark, opportunity, and parenting in Game of Thrones.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Jon Snow Chapter 5

On August 22 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Our first POV Jon Snow chapter offers us the classic first meeting of Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister in our Game of Thrones combo reread. Of Bastards and Dwarfs!

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Eddard Stark Chapter 4

On August 15 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Two brothers from another mother reunite in the first Ned Stark chapter of our aSoIaF reread. And Jay loves Bobby Baratheon?

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts: Daenerys Chapter 3

On August 9 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

We get introduced to Daenerys Targaryen in Chapter 3 of our Game of Thrones reread. She has 99 problems and her brother is #1.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Catelyn Chapter 2

On July 28 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Info dumps! We meet the king through Catelyn Stark’s eyes and see a reunion between two old friends in Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon.

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Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | Bran Chapter 1

On July 22 By Jay In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Puppies! The Starks get direwolves and miss ominous symbolism of wolf and stag in the Bran Stark Chapter 1 reread of A Game of Thrones.

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game of thrones

Playin’ with Ice and Fire – A Game of Thoughts | The Prologue

On July 20 By Elena Nola and Jay Tomio In Books & Comics, Game of Thrones, Playin w/ Ice and Fire

Waymar Royce stylish in his winter gear! Kicking of the two person combo reread of George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones of with the prologue.

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Twilight: Eclipse | movie review

On June 30 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

I thought Eclipse was the best of the three movies so far, though not by as large a margin over New Moon as New Moon was over Twilight.  New director David Slade retained the same look …

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jodelle ferland

Twilight with Jodelle Ferland | Interview

On June 30 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Interviews, Movies & TV

Jodelle Ferland is the young actress playing Bree Tanner in Twilight: Eclipse.  She’s got a resume a mile long already, even though she’s not even sixteen, and it includes working with heavyweights like Terry Gilliam …

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Kick-Ass | movie review

On April 17 By Elena Nola In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Kick-Ass lives up to its name.  Best movie I’ve seen at the theater in months.  I had pretty high hopes going in–all the bad reviews I saw were focused on how violent it was, which just …

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Disney options Lauren Kate’s Fallen novel

On December 10 By Damon Cap In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

Medora was kind enough to point me in the direction of this news item and it was a tough call between BSCkids and this site, but in the end I felt it belonged here.  Disney …

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‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ | Movie Review

On May 3 By Eli Lipschutz In Books & Comics, Movies & TV

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an epic catastrophe on every level, a confluence of poor ideas, poorer execution, and blinding stupidity. When faced with a celluloid abomination of this magnitude, a person must look back in …

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Brian K. Vaughan The Escapists – Shared Worlds, Our Own Golden Age

On October 27 By Jay In Books & Comics

While often times I think fans of comics and thus their creators are a bit too preoccupied with the same ailment that some Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and tend to trade the walking stick …

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