(via Shutterstock) When I bought my first Christmas tree as an adult way back in 1992, I bought some pop culture ornaments but I mostly stuck to the sorts of ornaments and baubles I remembered from childhood. But as time went on, I increasingly bought more and more pop culture Continue Reading
Comics
Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ almost didn’t air − and why it endures (curated article)
(courtesy IMDb) In 2024, the beloved special is streaming on Apple TV+. Stephen Lind, University of Southern California It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple – etched into traditions across generations like decorating the tree or sipping hot Continue Reading
Retro comic book review: Scooby Doo … Mystery Comics #1 #AndyAt60
A curious thing happened in late January 1990 as I prepared to move to Sydney, by overnight Kirklands bus no less, and tried to sort out my belongings at my parents’ place. I decided to throw out, for reasons that completely escape me now, almost all my ABBA collection (since Continue Reading
Graphic novel review: Stitch Head by Guy Bass (writer) and Pete Williamson (artwork)
(courtesy Larrikin Press) It’s a recurring theme in all kinds of creative expression – just who are the monsters really and might they be lurking where you least suspect? The answer, to the second question at least, is an emphatic “YES!!”, owing to the fact that humanity, despite millennia of Continue Reading
Graphic novel review: Fierce: The F*cked-Up Fairytale of a Fed-Up Princess by Geoffroy Monde (writer) and Mathieu Burniat (artwork)
(courtesy Abrams Books) Think you know the legend of King Arthur? Think again, my friends in the yelling, scremaing, frenetically colourful and boisterous chaos of Fierce the Fcked-up Fairytale of a Fed-up Princess by Geoffroy Monde (story) and Mathieu Burniat (artwork/layout/colours), the much-told story of the fictional (?) hero of Continue Reading
The art and fun of Wallace the Brave: Watch creator Will Henry bring a Sunday strip to playfully colourful life
(courtesy official Will Henry Twitter/X account (c) Will Henry/Go Comics) Wallace the Brave, which flows from the imaginatively whimsical hand of Will Henry, is of those unicorn comic strips that has it all. Set in the archetypal New England town of Snug Harbor [sic], the strip follows the adventures of Continue Reading
“We’re gonna leave it all better than we found it…” Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical debuts a gorgeously upbeat trailer
(courtesy First Showing (c) AppleTV+) SNAPSHOTSnoopy Presents: A Summer Musical is a musical special about the joy and magic of summer camp and the importance of preserving what you love. Charlie Brown loves camp and is determined to make his final year special, but Sally, a first-time camper, is nervous Continue Reading
Movie review: The Fantastic Four: First Steps
(courtesy IMP Awards) Most superhero movies, if you look beyond the bangs and the booms and the epic struggles for curdely painted yet titanic struggles between god and evil, are about connection. Friendship, camaraderies, even family figure strongly, even with figures like Batman or Iron Man who might otehrwise be Continue Reading
Graphic novel review: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) Appearances, as we all know and have been instructed about repeatedly, can be deceiving. For one reason or another, people project one thing while living quite another, a white lie in most cases that avoids emotional entanglement, vulnerability or the need to share in something that Continue Reading
Comic strip review: Sunday Funday Wallace by Will Henry
(courtesy Simon & Schuster) SNAPSHOTA visual celebration of one of the most dynamic and imaginative comics since Calvin and Hobbes, this deluxe hardcover treasury celebrates includes every Wallace the Brave Sunday comic strip from 2018-2024, featuring original watercolors, character art, maps, and an introduction by the author. This book celebrates Continue Reading