Utilitarian Review 2/16/13

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Jason Michelitch on Eddie Campbell’s After the Snooter.

Me on how Peter Jackson is too twitchy and so made Frodo paranoid and stupid.

Alex Buchet with a survey of the cartoons of G.K. Chesterton.

Ng Suat Tong on how the EC Comics are still not very good despite Eddie Campbell’s protests.

I compare Billie Holiday and Jack Kirby since Eddie Campbell asked me to.

Christopher Gavaler on the original Iron Man and other war machines.

Eddie Campbell on plot summaries and Nicki Greenberg’s graphic Hamlet.

Robert Stanley Martin explains why he prefers Eddie Campbell as a cartoonist to Eddie Campbell as a critic.

Jones, One of the Jones Boys pisses on Eddie Campbell from the heights of Mt. Parnassus.

Our weekly music sharing post features Uriah Heep’s Bird of Prey.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

Bunch of articles at the Atlantic this week:

I confess that I’m a lazy parent.

I stage a cage match between Betty Friedan and Anne Bronte.

I ask why no one calls Beyonce is a genius.

I review Hitler’s Children, a documentary about the descendents of notorious Nazis.

At Splice Today I compare the shaming of Minami Minegishi of AKB48 to the shaming of Ann Wilson of Heart.

Also at Splice I review the soundtrack to Berberien Sound Studio.
 
Other Links
Apparently Wertham fudged his data.

Tom Spurgeon with a nice brief review of a T.Rex gag book.

Alan Jacobs on why he doesn’t like Watchmen.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy on rich girls and unpaid internships.

Laura Hudson on the (lack of) women in Star Wars.
 
This Week’s Reading
Kind of a crazy week; I didn’t manage to read much. Read this mediocre book about US involvement in Afghanistan that I’m supposed to be reviewing. And just started a collection of Anna Akhmatova’s poetry.
 

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Utilitarian Review 2/9/13

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Monika Bartyzel on Bella, Buffy, and Katniss.

Me on Jack Hill’s Switchblade Sisters and the feminist revolution.

Voices from the Archive: I express some skepticism about the excellence of Eddie Campbell’s prose.

Jacob Canfield reviews a bunch of student-run college comics publications.

Brian Cremins on the end of the Comics Buyer’s Guide and Matt Levin’s Walking Man comics.

I talk about gender in comics by Lilli Carré and Derik Badman.

Jog on why he writes the comics criticism he writes.

Bert Stabler asked folks to help him out with recommendations of comics for his high school art class.

Vom Marlowe reviews Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians.

Our weekly shared music post features Wax Audio’s amazing mashup “Stayin’ Alive in the Wall.”
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I wrote about Azzarello’s violent, man-pandering Wonder Woman.

Also at the Atlantic I talk about noir and misogyny and Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects.

At Splice Today I explain that Matthew Houk is not as cool as Johnny Cash, and that he should really shut up.

Also at Splice I write about the ambience of pop and the pop of ambience.

Other Links

Alyssa Rosenberg talks about video games and the violent fantasies of the gun lobby.

Carly Lewis suggests that men stop writing celebrity profiles of women.

Helen Rittelmeyer on less sex and more God at Yale.

Russ Smith speculates on personnel changes at TNR.

A short piece on the state of video games.

Jadehawk on whether there will be sex work in the feminist utopia.

C.T. May sneers at House of Cards.
 
This Week’s Reading

Finished Carol Ann Harris’ Fleetwood Mac tell-all memoir; read Franklin Einspruch’s Comics as Poetry anthology; read the Azzarello/Chiang second volume of Wonder Woman; just started Anne Bronte’s Agnes Grey.
 

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Utilitarian Review 2/2/13

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Ng Suat Tong on original comics art and a nostalgia for racism.

I talk about Irish music and authenticity.

Voices from the Archive: Matt Thorn on Kirby and the world outside his skull.

Bert Stabler on the new free Chicago comics issue of Lumpen.

Emma Vossen kicks off a short Twilight roundtable by explaining why you should hate Twilight hate memes.

I argue that Edward is a male variation on the manic pixie dream girl.

Peter Sattler wonders what reading influenced Kirby (Charles Hatfield, Jeet Heer, and James Romberger weigh in, among many.)

Mette Ivie Harrison on Bella as a Mormon Goddess.

Charles Reece ends our twilight roundtable with a whimper, as he explains why he hated the series too much to write about it.

We had the first of what may be a regular music sharing post…so let us know what you’ve been listening to if that appeals.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I got to write about the great romance of Charlotte and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice.

At the Atlantic I argue that geeks are not necessarily bullied for being geeks (but instead for reasons involving class and gender.)

At the Loyola Center for Digital Ethics I write about the ethics of scanlation.

At Splice Today I argue that US employers are crippled by their hatred of workers.

Also at Splice I talk about the great gospel duo The Consolers.
 
Other Links

Eleanor Barkhorn on not overselling marriage.

Amanda Marcotte argues that my feminist argument against women in combat is wrong.

The American Conservative on right-wing copyleft.

Miss Universe national costumes.

This story about being out with HIV made me cry.
 
This Week’s Reading

I finished Sense and Sensibility, read for review a preview copy of Alex Sayf Cummings’ book about the history of music piracy, Democracy of Sound, and started Elmore Leonard’s Get Shorty…which is mediocre, but plugs along quickly. Also started Storms, Carol Ann Harris’ memoir of dating Lindsey Buckingham…which I may or may not finish….
 

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Utilitarian Review 1/5/13

On HU

Featured Archive post: me on Edie Fake’s amazing Gaylord Phoeix.

I talk about me, Bart Beaty, and the eternal circle of citation.

Brian Cremins on Tarantino, Oscar Micheaux, and black cowboys in the Western genre (with a pretty long comments thread.)

The 2012 Utilitarian Year in Review.

Jacob Canfield on Stokoe vs. Druillet.

Bert Stabler on Edie Fake’s one person show, memory and queerness.

America loves me because I’m a Jew.

Ng Suat Tong provides the list of 4th quarter nominations for the Best Online Comics Criticism awards.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I talk about Moto Hagio’s Heart of Thomas, boys’ love, and cross-gender identification.

At the Atlantic I review Laina Dawes’ book about her experiences as a black woman metalhead.

At Splice I talk about Carlene Carter’s wonderful and hardly remembered album Little Love Letters.

At Splice I argue that both Republicans and Democrats are craven, albeit in somewhat different ways.
 
Other Links

Jason Bailey with a really nice piece on Spike Lee’s career.

Alyssa Rosenber on gender in Django Unchained and Lincoln.

 
This Week’s Reading

Reread Moto Hagio’s The Heart of Thomas for a review. Read Walter Benn Michaels’ Our America, which was fantastic. Started the last 50 Shades of Grey book, which may actually be worse than the other two, if such a thing is possible. Also started Alisa Valdes’ The Feminist and the Cowboy, which is pretty bad, but better than 50 Shades of Grey.
 

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2012 Utilitarian Year in Review

Numbers

I was pretty sure that 2011 was going to be HU’s biggest year ever. As readers may remember, Sean Michael Robinson and Joy DeLyria had a massive internet viral hit with a post about the Wire as a Victorian novel, and it just seemed unlikely that we’d ever reach that level of popularity again.

It’s true that we haven’t had a post that big. But nonetheless, the blog grew on average this year — and that average growth was enough to put us over the 630K odd unique hits from 2011. Not by a ton (as you can see from the graph below) — but still, it was a pleasant surprise.

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News, or Olds

On the technical end, the big change this year was that we managed to move our archive over from the old blogspot address, so that all five years of our archives are now in one place (which is here — where you are at the moment.)

In other news, that post by Sean Michael Robinson and Joy DeLyria which I mentioned turned into a book on the Victorian edition of the Wire.

Also, James Romberger’s collaboration with Wallace Stevens was named one of the notable comics of 2012.

And finally, all my blogging on the Marston/Peter Wonder Woman has turned into a book project; it should be forthcoming from Rutgers UP goodness knows when (the ms is finished, but academic publishing takes a bit.)

Comings and Goings

We had a number of folks leave us over the course of this year, including Erica Friedman, Caroline Small, and Nadim Damluji. We were very sorry to see all of them go…and hope we’ll see them back again for guest posts at least occasionally during the new year.

There have also been a number of new additions to the HU roster.

Michael Arthur has started a monthly column on comics and furries.

Jacob Canfield is also writing monthly on more or less whatever he wants.

Kailyn Kent is writing monthly on comics and art.

Subdee i is writing monthly on manga and web comics and other things.

Jog with a monthly column on first run Bollywood cinema.

And Isaac Butler and Jones, One of the Jones Boys have joined as contributing writers, posting occasionally, i.e., whenever I can nag them into it.

So with the numbers out of the way, here’s a quick review of some of the highlights of the past year, in roughly chronological order.

James Romberger with brief takes on numerous comics throughout the year.

Domingos Isabelinho on Carl Barks.

Me on sound effects in Tiny Titans.

Tom Gill on Tsuge’s Incident at Nishibeta Village.

Andrei Molotiu on the fascination of Frank Miller’s Holy Terror.

Katherine Wirick on Rorschach as victim of abuse (tying in to a series of posts in which everybody sneers at Before Watchmen.)

Sean Michael Robinson with a massive Gerhard interview.

Ng Suat Tong on Flash Gordon, Umberto Eco, and sadomasochism.

Monika Bartyzel on Xander Harris, passive-aggressive sexist ass.

Nate Atkinson on having Moebius in his living room.

A knock-down drag out Locas roundtable.

Michael Arthur on the mysterious joys of kpop.

Robert Stanley Martin on the eras of Crumb.

Me on Stanley Hauerwas and America’s worship of war.

Alex Buchet on the Avengers film.

A roundtable celebration of the last Marston/Peter Wonder Woman comic.

A series of posts from Phillip Troutman’s comics criticism class.

Ng Suat Tong on comics adaptations of Lovecraft.

Erica Friedman on Sukeban Deka, girl gangs, and giant snakes.

Marguerite Van Cook on comics and the postmodern sublime.

Isaac Butler on Election vs. the Wire in a brutal cage match of gritty despair.

Subdee on Homestuck as metatext of doom.

Kailyn Kent on comics and the age of mechanical reproduction.

Matthias Wivel on Degas as comics.

Darryl Ayo on reading and rereading comics.

Jaime Green on how Clybourne Park is lying to you.

James Romberger on Marie Severin.

Ryan Holmberg on abstract comics.

Derik Badman on comics poetry.

Our massive fifth anniversary roundtable of hate.

Kristian Williams on Mad Max, Watchmen, and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Russ Maheras on the greatest Lee/Ditko Spider-Man story.

Richard Cook on the hackery of Cloud Atlas.

Jacob Canfield on Johnny Ryan and Benjamin Marra.

Kailyn Kent on Chris Ware’s Building Stories.

Vom Marlowe on a web comic about knitting.

Robert Stanley Martin on the Superman case and best legal outcomes for comics creators.

Sarah Horrocks on science-fiction and horror comics.

Me on Junji Ito’s Tomie comics and the terror of the female.

Kinukitty on the Wilson sisters and Heart.

A bunch of posts on Bart Beaty’s recent book Comics vs. Art.

Matthew Brady on Emily Carroll.

So, again, it’s been a lovely year. Coming up we’ve got a small Twilight roundtable, a massive series on Marvel history, announcements of our annual Best Online Comics Criticism results…and we’ve been tossing around the idea of a Philip K. Dick roundtable or a Spielberg roundtable, maybe. If you’ve got something you’d like us to cover, please let us know — or, you know, if you have a favorite HU post I missed, feel free to mention it in comments. In the meantime, thanks to all our contributors, commenters, and readers for making 2012 so successful. We’re looking forward to 2013.

Utilitarian Review 12/29/12

On HU

Somewhat shortened week with the holiday, but here’s what we had:

Featured Archive Post: Caroline Small on Ellen Raskin’s Christmas illustrations.

My nine-year-old drew a Santa Tiger.

I talked about Nigerians invading London in John Christopher’s The Long Winter.

I suggested it might be worthwhile to think of comics as a genre rather than a medium.

I posted about Trollope and capitalism and lazy lordlings.

Kim Thompson on Tintin in the Congo.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Splice I argue that, contra Mike Huckabee, Jesus really would not have blamed children for getting shot.

At the Atlantic I talk about Jared Diamond’s new book and child-rearing among traditional societies.

 
Other Links

Karen Swallow Prior on Mary’s radical declaration of consent.

C.T. May detourns an HU comments thread.

Andrei Molotiu on abstract comics and systems theory.

Ta-Nehisi Coates with a great post on living prepared for violence or prepared for non-violence.

And I think I’ve seen this before, but it’s worth linking again to this nifty romance comics blog.

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This Week’s Reading

I finished a preview copy of Bee Ridgway’s River of No Return; read Jason Mittel’s Genre and Television; read Trollope’s The Claverings, and read the second dreadful Fifty Shades of Grey book.

Utilitarian Review 12/22/12

News

We’re headed into the holidays, obviously. Posting will be lighter than usual, though something or t’other will probably go up most days. In any case, have a happy season of happiness!
 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: me on Jack Cole’s pin-up art.

Vom Marlowe on the Inspector Lewis television cozies.

Bert Stabler on the radical feminism of St. Paul.

Subdee on Yamagishi Ryouko’s gender-bending Hatshepsut.

My nine-year-old provides a searing cultural critique of Brave and Django, Unchained.

I talk about how Bart Beaty’s ideas are my ideas, and comics scholars vs. comics bloggers. Beaty freaks out in comments, more or less confirming my thesis.

Alex Buchet on how the King drew Mickey, and other Kirby oddities.

Kim Thompson in comments on the rationale behind Fanta’s recent Kurtzman reissues.

I have some comments on the genocide against the orcs.

Domingos Isabelinho on the Brussels court and Tintin in the Congo.

Jog with the only epic contrarian Bollywood essay you’ll need this holiday season.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I have a piece on Peter Jackson’s violent betrayal of Tolkien. I think this is now close to the most read thing I’ve ever written.

Also at the Atlantic, they let me write about Quentin Tarnatino’s great Jackie Brown and masculinity.

At Splice I talk about Tokien’s Hobbit and children’s lit vs. epic fantasy.

Also at Splice, I explain why I am not metal enough for Velnias.

And finally I contributed to Splice’s poll of best albums of the year.

 
Other Links

C.T. May on Sean Howe’s history of Marvel Comics.

Brian Cremins on Captain Marvel, gender, and department stores.

Qiana Whitted on Delany and comics definitions.

Bart Beaty interviewed at the Comics Grid.

 
This Week’s Reading

For a review I finished the first 50 Shades of Grey; only two more to go, god help me. Finished Alasdair MacIntyre’s “Whose Justice? Which Rationality?” by skipping over most of the incredibly detailed discussions of historical philosophical traditions and going straight to the ranting about how liberalism abstracts ideas from their philosophical traditions. Read John Christopher’s excellent “The Long Winter”. Started for review “The River of No Return,” by Bee Ridgway, aka Bethany Schneider, a dear friend I went to Oberlin with many, many moons ago.
 

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