Alisa Kwitney

I bought this at a library sale years ago and it was the best reading experience I've had this year. This sits much more firmly in "chicklit" territory than romance since it's mostly about a 41 year old woman going through a rough transition for the sake of her child while the romance plot slowly simmers in the background.

This was much more diverse than I was expecting even though it's casually mentioned on the cover. It features an Iranian Jewish heroine, lesbian side characters, and a hero show more who has these moments of bi-curiosity. The heroine is 10 years older than the hero and says she has like 30 lbs on him too and I live. Beyond that though, there are intellectual, class, and lifestyle differences throughout and it makes the small town this is set in feel so pleasant, a place you'd want to live.

The hero / heroine felt like they were specifically written to my taste because I loved them both so much. Mack is a sweet and aimless army vet who's figuring his life out with the aide of stolen poetry books and the occasional brawl. Zoe is an uptight, multilingual, intellectual journalist who reads trashy romance novels, likes rough sex and is working on learning how to go with the flow. And they're perfect for each other in this moment. Loved them both, love them together. show less

This is my new favorite graphic novel! Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet are a fantastic pairing in telling this story of a young woman in 1950s Greenwich Village who falls for a science fiction writer...in the midst of a quickly alarming alien invasion (...there's a fungus among us...). The art, the humor, the wit, and depth of narrative all make for a great read. HOWL is especially fascinating in that Kwitney re-imagines her parents' real-life marriage, an act of personal mythmaking that show more resonates with meaning. As the actual daughter of two amazing personalities -- Ziva Kwitney and Robert Sheckley -- she brings forth a work inspired by her parents with a grace and verve that few artists achieve under such conditions. Her essays about each of her parents at the end of the book are wonderful public meditations that add a whole other layer to the book. I hope a second series comes along because I would love to find out what happens next to Ziva and Bert Jeckley. show less

I really enjoyed GraphicAudio’s production of Marvels’ Civil War. Though the adaptation necessarily differed from the original graphic novel event, it still captured the spirit. New Avengers: Breakout is the same.

The graphic novel could bank on readers already knowing about Disassembled/House of M, and all the fallout from Scarlet Witch’s mental breakdown. A book doesn’t have that luxury, so this is written/performed as though people know & are familiar with the characters and their show more personalities, but may be encountering them for the first time outside of movies. For instance, Black Widow is introduced as a KGB spy who has just defected from her handlers. The Avengers know of her by her bad reputation, but she’s not a member of the team (yet). I’ve been reading every event, and most of the solo series since Disassembled so I am very familiar with these characters and their history. But this still worked just fine, and was actually refreshing.

Iron Man disbanded the Avengers after Disassembled. In the aftermath, someone orchestrates a massive prison break from The Raft where all the supervillains are incarcerated. There are no Avengers anymore, but several superheroes show up (or were already on site) to try and contain the situation: Captain America, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage (Power Man), Spider-Man, and Hawkeye. Other familiar characters pop up in the story such as Nick Fury and Maria Hill has a sizable supporting role. This hodgepodge group needs to stop the breakout, track down the escapees and discover who masterminded the whole thing. And together, a new team will form.

I loved the story, but the production made it even that much better. The voice actors were well chosen – Tony’s suave tones, Clint’s witty one liners, Natasha’s Russian accent – and bring the characters to life. It was easy to follow who was talking. The sound effects and music add a lot to the story. It’s not quite a movie in your mind, but it’s damn entertaining. Overall, it was an excellent way to pass a long car ride and I’ve already ordered several more from GraphicAudio (which are sadly not available on Amazon). Highly recommended. show less

Beautiful Vertigo reprint of some of the finest moments from The House of Mystery, DC's flagship horror title from 1968 until its cancellation in 1983. These ten tales elicited real shudders from me when I was a kid, and they've held up extremely well over the years. Highlights include "Nightmare" (story: Jack Oleck / pencils: Neal Adams), about a statue that comes to life to provide company for a lonely little girl; the quite literally chilling "Sno' Fun!" (story: Sergio Aragones / pencils: show more Wally Wood), about an explorer who discovers a race of grotesque underground men in Antarctica; and arguably the single greatest story ever to appear in HoM, "The Demon Within" (story: Joe Orlando and John Albano / pencils: Jim Aparo), about a harmless-looking boy with a dreadful power. In the right hands, three or four of these tales could form the basis for a terrific film in the tradition of the old Amicus horror anthologies.

There's a new cover (featuring Cain, Abel and Gregory the Gargoyle) by the late, great Bernie Wrightson, along with a new wraparound story written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Aragones. Essential for fans. show less