News

Last week in Paris, disparate Utilitarians united.

That’s Sean Michael Robinson and Alex Buchet, no doubt discussing comics.

Along those lines; I’m going to be in San Francisco in a couple weeks; if any Utilitarian folks live out that way, let me know….
 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: Deb Aoki with a fan letter to Jaime Hernandez.

Vom Marlowe reviews Elementary.

Me on the incompetent venality of Bluewater’s Oprah bio comic.

Jog on the nameless assistants who worked on Misturu Adachi’s Cross Game.

I interview Bee Ridgway on her novel The River of No Return, history, romance, genre, queerness, and more.

Michael Arthur on Madoka Magica, and young girls who suffer for us all.

Chris Gavaler on the retconning of dinosaurs, superheroes, and Mormons.

Richard Cook reviews the film Les Miserables.

Me on how country music has gotten more racist since Jimmie Rodgers’ day.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I wrote about:

how the gender-role revolution didn’t start with millenials.

Wonder Woman, Cimorene, and more princesses for everybody.

the non-democratic closing of Chicago’s public schools

At Splice I wrote about how Rahm and Obama learned to be dictators in Chicago.

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Other Links

Nanette Fondas on how parents read more to their daughters than to their sons.

Jessica Hopper from a bit back on Kid Sister.

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Adam Stephanides begs you not to rearrange the manga.

A commenter named Alexander on why as a trans man he loves Sailor Moon.

Me on sequence in Satoshi Kitamura’s children’s book “When Sheep Can’t Sleep”.

Chris Gavaler with an appreciation of Austin Grossman’s novels.

Ng Suat Tong on the selections for the best comics criticism of 2012.

Me on Gay YA and Nora Olsen’s Swans and Klons.

Jacob Canfield on his choices for best comics criticism of 2012.

Me on the advertising campaign for the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat make-up pen, and how capitalism will eat the self (for better or worse.)
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I talk about

— how the recent Gatsby film erased Nick’s gayness.

— David Bowie’s glib, stupid anti-Catholicism.

At Splice Today I talk about

— the great jazz trombonist Bill Harris honking.

— Angelina Jolie, mastectomies and femininity.

—The Julianne Moore rom-com The English Teacher, and how it’s supposed to be set in my hometown.
 
Other Links

Matthias Wivel on the best comics criticism of 2012.

Barack Obama sucks.

Mary McCarthy on the joys of embarrassing your kid.

Monika Bartyzel on why the Disney princesses suck.

Tucker Stone urges you not to tighten up your Berlatskys.

Elissa Strauss provides a manifesto for lazy birthing.
 

A house down the street from where I grew up. Significantly less chic than any of the houses in the rom-com The English Teacher

On HU

So we’ve had another week of our Comics and Music roundtable Individual posts are below, but it’s kind of fun to skim through the ever-growing list as well.

Featured Archive Post: Hating and loving the end of Nana.

Me on Beethoven and Charlie Brown.

Chris Gavaler on Two-Face and the bad (and good) of chaos.

Kailyn Kent on soundtracks for comics.

Marc Sobel on Reinhard Kleist’s comics biography of Johnny Cash.

Michael Arthur with a black metal/My Little Pony mash-up. Sort of.

Ng Suat Tong on the opera adaptations of P. Craig Russell.

Chris Gavaler on the top 5 Superman songs of all time.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Chicago Reader, I reviewed an anthropological study of Hello Kitty and globalization.

On the Atlantic, I wrote about

—Alex Woolfson/Winona Nelson’s gay romance android sci-fi comic Artifice

—Oneida, where men learn to have sex without orgasm by practicing on menopausal women.

—quitting, women, and the workforce.

—the George Jones/Tammy Wynette duets, since George ones died this week.

At Splice Today, I wrote about:

—Abortion and violence.

— the temptation to waterboard George Bush.
 
Other Links

Ashley Fetters on why Ke$ha’s autobio-doc is better than Beyoncé’s.

Amanda Marcotte on prosecuting prostitutes for carrying condoms.
 
This Week’s Reading

I’m having some freelance job turmoil, which is stressful and playing havoc with my reading. But I finished Nora Olsen’s Swans and Klons which I’m hoping somebody will pay me to review, and am rereading Heather Love’s Reading Backward. And finished the Two Towers with my son; started on Return of the King.
 

News
 
The cartoonist Fred died this week. Take a minute to check out Domingos Isabelinho’s post looking at his work.

Th eweek of the 15th we’re going to start a comics and music roundtable. If you’ve got a post you’d like to write on that theme, let me know. You can email me at myname at gmail.

On HU

A brief post on comics that work in a gallery and those that don’t.

For Easter, a post on death metal and bluegrass gospel.

Featured Archive Post Fabrice Neaud on Aritophane’s Conte Dominaque. trans. by Derik Badman, intro by Domingos Isabelinho.

Jacob Canfield on the problems with animation adaptations of comics — particularly Axe Cop, Calvin and Hobbes, and Achewood.

Sarah Shoker on Harry Potter and multiculturalism.

I talk about comics vs. fashion editorials.

Domingos Isabelinho on the the blind man and the elephant, if the elephant was Jack Kirby.

Chris Gavaler on Clark Kent and the passive voice.

The Incredible String Band wants to know what music you listened to this week.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Reason I review Peter Eichstadt’s new book about the mess that is Afghanistan.

At the Atlantic I talk about

— Waldorf education and not sweating the gnomes.

—hook up culture and my college experiences. Humiliating, though not quite in the way you may be expecting.

—teaching kids to apologize.

—the Atlanta teachers scandal and how cheating is caused by high-stakes testing.

At Splice Today I write about:

— the awesomeness of fIREHOSE.

— class and changing ideas of marriage.
 
Other Links
 
Sharon Marcus on comparative sapphism.

This Week’s Reading

Finished Octavia Butler’s Kindred; read around in Brian Attebery’s “Decoding Gender in Science Fiction”, and (on his recommndation) started Gwyneth Jones’ White Queen.

I also saw John Carter, the film, this week. Which was an entirely adequate sci-fi space opera. Not sure why people hated it so much?
 

News

Chris Gavaler is joining us as a regular blogger. Welcome aboard Chris!

It’s about two years since our Victorian Wire post took over the internets.

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Alec Stevens on Christian Comics.

The 1993 Rolling Stone Record Guide. 2 Stars for Reign in Blood?

Saying the same thing over and over about gun violence.

Aishwarya Subramanian on Timpa, an Indian comic inspired by Tintin.

Alex Buchet on the strange collaboration between Steve Ditko and Eric Stanton.

Mahendra Singh on how Tintin is the perfect hero for Indian children.

Thomas Hardy vs. Charles Schulz. Bonk.

Chris Gavaler on Jack Kirby’s metafiction.

Erin Polgreen asks whether comics journalism can be funny.

Gary Groth appeared in comments to talk about Al Plastino’s Peanuts.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic, I talk about:

—why women’s magazines treat women much like men’s magazines do. Sharon Marcus knows all.

—why there should be less handwringing about expensive weddings. Bonus anecdote about how my wife proposed to me!

—Megan McArdle’s silly argument that gay marriage will end the sexual revolution.

—the uncanny valley awfulness of The Host.

On Splice Today, I talk about:

—Child Ballads, and good and bad versions of ancient songs about murder and death.

—A Civil Remedy, a documentary about trafficking, and different experiences of prostitution.
 
Other Links

Stop fat shaming Kim Kardashian. She’s fucking pregnant.

Nanette Fondas on myths about mothers who opt out.

Kate Losse on the downsides of leaning in.

Amanda Marcotte argues that Victoria’s secret sexy underwear for teens is fine.
 
This Week’s Reading

Finished David Graeber’s Debt. Read for review a preview of Jal Mehta’s excellent book about school reform, The Allure of Order. Started Octavia Butler’s Kindred.Also still reading The Two Towers to my son…got to the trek through Mordor, which I think is the best part so far….
 

News

Tom Spurgeon reports that Kim Thompson has been diagnosed with cancer. I had my first online troll battle (via email) with Kim way back when. I hope he beats this thing and is around for many more. You can find the address to send well wishes at the link.
 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: Jog on Alan Moore and his collaborators.

Me on Darkest America, a book about the black blackface tradition.

Me on Nate Silver and the morality of prediction.

Alex Buchet on the cartoons of bandleader Xavier Cugat.

Kailyn Kent on gallery art and comic book splash pages.

We started organizing our upcoming music roundtable.

I argue that film Boromir is better than book Boromir.

Domingos Isabelinho on Jochen Gernet. Watch Betty and Veronica race to the war!

Jacob Canfield on poetry about the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Our Friday music sharing post, featuring Brooke Valentin’s The Thrill of the Chase.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic:

— I talk about Julia Stiles’ YouTube series Blue, and the obsession with the secret lives of prostitutes.

— I review the Suuns new album — indie rock for the state fair.

— I review the documentary It’s a Girl, about sex selective abortion in China and India.

At Splice

— I argue that if you’re not going to moderate comments, you should just get rid of them.

— I review Tweet’s lovely new ep.

 
Other Links

Slate on Shirley Jackson.

C.T. May on Isaac Hayes and the alternative minimum tax.

Felix Salmon tells internet freelancers to abandon all hope.

Molly Westerman on how her son fell in love with a girly book series.

The Producer of the film It’s a Girl responds to my review.
 
This Week’s Reading

I finished Anne Bronte’s Tenant of Wildfell Hall (which was a bit disappointing.) Read Christine Yano’s Pink Globalization about Hello Kitty’s global reach for a review. Started Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, also hopefully for a review.