Wow, it's been ages since I wrote anything on my blog. The reason is actually pretty simple: I got a job. I've been working as a teacher for the last year. Indeed, my life has changed such that "northwest generalist" doesn't effectively describe where I am or what I want to write about anymore. So … Continue reading Don’t Worry! I’m Still Alive and Writing
Quarantined Review – The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
I've tried to write this review several times over the year or so since I've started this blog. At first, I wanted to delay the writing it of because if I started by writing a review of my favorite book, then where would I go from there? I figured that I would hold off on … Continue reading Quarantined Review – The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Quarantined Review – Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness
A Note From your Author: Hello! Sorry it's been forever since I wrote anything. Between grad school and the ever present job hunt, I've been busy. I've tried a few times, but nothing ever stuck. Until. Well...this. I have no idea how to begin writing this review. I'll start by saying that I very rarely … Continue reading Quarantined Review – Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness
So, Portland, Why Roses?
Well, it's that time of year again. Between May 24th and June 9th, the city of Portland, Oregon celebrated the annual Portland Rose Festival. Many folks observed the celebration by watching the famously floral Rose Parade, the second largest in the country. Others indulged in concerts, and other events through the two weeks. Come June … Continue reading So, Portland, Why Roses?
Heroes in Crisis – The Act of Talking
Author's Note: I didn't mean for both of my first two comic book pieces to cover the work of Tom King, but here we are I suppose... Event comics are tricky things. In one regard, they're the primordial soup of the modern superhero film. For instance, while most of Avengers: Endgame was an original story, … Continue reading Heroes in Crisis – The Act of Talking
Book Review: Fire and Blood by George RR Martin
"But it worked out all right for you, didn't it? It always does. If you were dice, you'd always roll sixes. Gods help the little people who are around when a big destiny is alive in the world, bending every poor bugger around itself... "- Terry Pratchett (by way of Samuel Vimes)A Song of Ice … Continue reading Book Review: Fire and Blood by George RR Martin
Undiscovered Country and Art from Trump’s America – A Comic Book Essay
A Note from Your Author: Greetings Fellow Travelers, I wrote this back in June and just sort of left it to sit. I'm publishing it now because the school year is starting and I want to say I wrote something in the last two months. I hope you enjoy. I'm a fan of pro wrestling, … Continue reading Undiscovered Country and Art from Trump’s America – A Comic Book Essay
Digital Comics Re-Examined – Seven Months Later
A while back, I wrote a pair of pieces about several new digital initiatives in the comics industry. I talked about the growing rise in creator-owned content on the Substack platform, partnerships between major creators and digital publishers, and a pivot towards new mediums of distribution for more traditional superhero stuff. Well it's been seven … Continue reading Digital Comics Re-Examined – Seven Months Later
Movie Review – The Northman
Robert Eggers is probably my favorite filmmaker working today. With only three movies under his belt, he's already established himself as a noteworthy talent and possessed of a distinct voice. What's more that voice is saying things are, to me specifically, super interesting. All three of his films, The Witch (sometimes stylized as The VVitch), … Continue reading Movie Review – The Northman
A Rambling Non-Review of The Batman
So this is a format that I tried with Dune, but never got around to posting. Basically, I'm going to try and put as many of my random, meandering thoughts down onto digital paper about this movie. Because I think The Batman is an interesting moving picture show. It was actually really quite good in … Continue reading A Rambling Non-Review of The Batman
Batman: Wayne Family Adventure – The Future of DC Comics?
So last time, we discussed how one creator and one company are riding a trend in the modern comic book industry by treating digital comics as the main course instead of a side dish. This time, we're going to talk about one of The Big Two, DC Comics, and the comic that's acting as a … Continue reading Batman: Wayne Family Adventure – The Future of DC Comics?
Scott Snyder, Best Jacket Press and the Future of Comic Books
I've mentioned before that the first comic I bought for myself was 2011's Batman #1, written by Scott Snyder and with art by Greg Capullo. What I don't think I've mentioned is that I bought that comic book on the shiny new Kindle Fire that I'd gotten as a Christmas present in 2011. I bought … Continue reading Scott Snyder, Best Jacket Press and the Future of Comic Books
Comic Book Review: Rorschach by Tom King and Jorge Fornés
Author's Note: I've tried to write various permutations of this essay going as far back as March or April of this year. To heck with it, let's just go with the classical book review. A Rorschach test is a psychoanalytical tool that is most often used to explore a subject's way of thinking or emotional … Continue reading Comic Book Review: Rorschach by Tom King and Jorge Fornés
Book Review: The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
Author's Note: This is hopefully the first of several book review essays that I intend to publish this month. We'll see if I keep to that. Joe Abercrombie is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting voices working in the fantasy genre today. He doesn't have the name value of Brandon Sanderson, or George … Continue reading Book Review: The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
A Tale of Three Supermen
God, I love superhero comics. I know that's probably pretty self-evident from some of the articles I've written in the past, but it's true! I love superhero comics. But I think it's funny. In this era where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the dominant pop culture force on the planet, the source material for these … Continue reading A Tale of Three Supermen
Midlands Generalist 