Category Archives: comics

It’s About Time! Beginning Anew

Posted on January 1, 2016 by rosinskynatalie

It’s a new year, but calendars only measure one kind of time. Its passage is also reflected in our mirrors and the clothes our youngsters outgrow. That straightforward march of days is why a new calendar year is often depicted … Continue reading →

Posted in comic book collection, comics, manga | Tagged "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Dream of a Thousand Cats", Bram Stoker Award, Calliope, dark fantasy, Dave McKean, Dave Stewart, DC comics, DC superheroes, Dr. Who, Dream, Father Time, graphic storytelling, Hitler, horror, J.H. Williams III, Morpheus, Neil Gaiman, New Year, non-linear time, Shigeru Miizuki, Shigeru Mizuki's death, Showa: A History of Japan 1953 1989, teens, The Endless, The Sandman, The Sandman series, The Sandman: Dream Country, The Sandman: Endless Nights, The Sandman: Overture Deluxe Edition, time, Todd Klein, Vertigo Press, World Fantasy Award | Leave a comment

Diversity: The December Dilemma and Beyond

Posted on December 3, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

The month of December has long foregrounded issues of diversity in multicultural countries. As Christmas approaches in predominantly Christian countries, how do we acknowledge the presence and holidays of other religious groups? Some non-Christian parents even call the problems raised … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels, picture books, Uncategorized | Tagged A Fine Dessert, Adrian Alphonsa, Adrian Wallace, Akiko Shimojima, Amazing Spiderman, Barry Deutsch, Beautiful Yetta's Hanukkah Kitten, Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken, Buddhist, burqua, Chasidic Jews, Christians, Christmas, Cold Mountain: The Legend of Han Shan and Shih Te, comic books, controversy, Daniel Pinkwater, December dilemma, diversity, E.B. White, Emily Jenkins, Footnotes in Gaza, G. Willow Wilson, graphic novel, Hanukkah, Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish, Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite, hijab, historical events, holidays, Islam, Islamic terrorist attacks, Israel, Israel's independence, J.P. Seaton, Jake Richmond, Jews, Jill PInkwater, Joan Sfar, Joe Sacco, Kamala Khan, Kelly Starling Lyons, Ms. Marvel Volume 4: Last Days, Ms. Marvel: Crushed, Ms. Marvel: Generation Why, Ms. Marvel: No Normal, multicultural countries, Muslims, Na'ima B Robert, Pakistanti-American, Palestine, Paris, picture book, Ramadan, Ramadan Moon, Sean Michael Wilson, Shirin Adl, slavery, Sophie Blackhall, Spanish, superhero, Tea Cakes for Tosh, teen, terrorist recruiters, the Catastrophe, The Rabbi's Cat, ultra-Orthodox, Yiddish, Zen Buddhism | Leave a comment

O Canada! Super People and Super Heroes

Posted on August 2, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

Last month in Montreal, I had the pleasure of dining with three talented illustrator/authors, all members of the SCWBI’s (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’) Eastern Canada Chapter: Julie Prescesky, Julien Chung, and Emilie Pepin. Chatting with these super people, … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels | Tagged Adrian Dingle, ALA Alex Award, Alpha Flight, Amelie Pepin, and Graphic Novels, Animal Man, Animal Man compilations, Canada, Canadian superheroes, comics, Dan Green, Descender, Drawn & Quarterly Press, Drawn & Quarterly: Twenty-Five Years of Contemporary Cartooning, Dustin Nguyen, Equinox, Erica Henderson, Essex County, Essex County trilogy, First Nations superhero, Green Arrow, Hope Nicholson, Inuit superhero, Jeff Lemire, Jon Morris, Julie Prescesky, Julien Chung, Justice League United, Mike McKone, Miyahbin Marten, Montreal, Moose Cree, Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Quebecois author/illustrators, Rachel Richey, Ryan North, SCBWI Canada East, superheroes, Sweet Tooth, The League of Regrettable Superheroes, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Travel Foreman, Trillium, Underwater Welder, Volume 1: Justice League Canada, Volume One: Squirrel Power, Wolverine | Leave a comment

Graduation: Visiting the SuperMutant Magic Academy

Posted on July 1, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

Check your high school diploma! See if the words “SuperMutant Magic Academy” are lurking (perhaps written in invisible ink) on that certificate of achievement. The feelings and “A-hah!” moments evoked by Jillian Tamaki’s recent publication are heartbreakingly familiar as well … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels | Tagged 4th of July, boarding school, Canadian author/illustrator, Harry Potter, high school, high school graduation, Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling, Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki, mutants, Skim, SuperMutant Magic Academy, teens, This One Summer, tweens, web comic, yearbook | Leave a comment

Mighty Small? Not at All

Posted on June 1, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

Springing into summer, we Minnesotans see bugs everywhere. Mosquitoes, those tiny terrors, have yet to be out in full force, but ants trail along sidewalks and beetles bustle in gardens. Out past my suburban home, farmers are readying their crops … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels | Tagged "Field Guide to Superpowers", Ant Man, Ant Man movie, ants, beetles, Blue Beetle, Blue Beetle comic books, Blue Beetle: Volume One: Metamorphosis, bugs, Clan Apis, Drawing Flies blog, entomology, evolution, honey bees, Jaime Reyes, Jay Hosler, Last of the Sandwalkers, middle school, science education, Sir Charles Darwin, Spider Man, teenager, The Sandwalk Adventures, Wasp Woman | Leave a comment

Satisfying Sequels . . . and More

Posted on May 1, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

When it comes to graphic literature, do you like to “snack” on smaller, individual comics, or would you rather sit down to the “full meal” of a compilation? When publishing sequels, today’s comic book industry caters to both tastes. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in biographies, comics, graphic novels, memoir | Tagged Adrian Alphona, Andrew Aydin, Barack Obama, civil rights, comic book compilations, comic books, Congressman John Lewis, David Tipton, desegregation, Eisner Awards, Free Comic Book Day, Freedom Riders, G. Willow Wilson, Harlan Ellison, Here, Hugo Awards, Islam, J.K. Woodward, Jacob Watt, James McKelvie, Kamala Khan, Kris Anka, Marvel Comics, Matthew W. Wilson, Montgomery Alabama, Ms. Marvel, Ms. Marvel: Generation Why, Ms. Marvell: No Normal, Muslim-American superhero, Nate Powell, Rachel Maddow, Richard McGuire, Scott Tipton, Selma Alabama, Shield, Star Trek, Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever: The Originial Teleplay, The Avengers, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Volume 3: Crushed, Wolverine | Leave a comment

“Larger-than Life”? Art, Fame, and Family

Posted on March 1, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

Does the expression “larger-than-life” bring images of Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, or Michelangelo’s David to mind? This term is often used to describe the scale of public art, designed to impress viewers with its grandeur even alongside natural … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels, Uncategorized | Tagged art, art world, autographed copies, book tour, Chrome guide, David Smith the character, David Smth the sculptor, Eric Lorberer, fame, Faust, galleries, graphic storytelling, Macalester College, Making Comics, monumental sculpture, New York City, Portland Maine, Rain Taxi Review, Reinventing Comics, Scott McCloud, St. Paul Minnesota, studios, The Sculptor, Understanding Comics, Zot! | Leave a comment

Resolutions: A New Year for New Superheroes

Posted on January 1, 2015 by rosinskynatalie

New Year’s resolutions—many of us make them, but fewer manage to keep them! It’s not surprising, then, that comics fans and media outlets have poked fun at this tradition itself or at current events by imagining the New Year’s resolutions of … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, graphic novels | Tagged Adrian Alphona, ALA Top Ten Graphic Novel for Teens, Alif the Unseen, Awal Muharram, Cairo, Canada, Chris Peters, Eisner Award, Faith Erin Hicks, G. Willow Wilson, Hadith, Ian Herring, Islam, Islamic New Year, Jersey City, Jill Lepore, Kamala Khan, Kurt Busiek, M.J. Perker, Mark Engbom, Marvel Publications, Ms. Marvel: Next Generation, Ms. Marvel: No Normal, Muslim-American superhero, New Jersey, New Year's resolutions, Nova Scotia, Pakistani-American, Sana Amanat, superhero, superheroes, Superman, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, The Secret History of Wonder Woman, Turkish-American, World Fantasy Association Best Novel | 1 Comment