Category Archives: Utilitarian Review

Utilitarian Review 8/19/11

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On HU

This week we finished up the Best Comics Poll with Robert’s concluding essay and the rest of the participant lists.

With the poll roll out finally completed, this seems like a good moment to thank Robert Stanley Martin. Robert put in an obscene amount of work organizing the polls, the essays, and the lists. It’s been an enormous undertaking, and I’ve been honored to help with it, and to have it hosted on HU. It’s been a great experience, and (if HU is still around then!) I’d be thrilled to do it again in 2021.

Other Links

Sean Witzke with some thoughts on his best of list.

Martin Wisse on the lack of women on the best of list.

John Porcellino with some thoughts on his best of list.
 
 


Robert Stanley Martin

Utilitarian Review 8/13/11

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News

I’m out of town next week, so there will be a reduced blogging schedule. We’ll finish up with the remainder of the best comics poll lists, and Robert Stanley Martin will have some final thoughts on the poll results. We’ll be back in force Monday, August 22.

On HU

Our best comics poll index has all the essays and participant lists that have appeared through the week.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Splice Today I talked about Eugene Thacker’s book about philosophy and horror and also cockroaches.

Also at Splice I review Kelly Rowland’s new album.

At the Chicago Reader I’ve got a brief review of Matt Irie’s Chicago opening at Ebersmoore.

Other Links

James Romberger interviews Anders Nilsen.

Slavoj Zizek on the Norway attacks and antisemitism.

Alyssa Rosenberg on Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

Alyssa again on horror television shows, or the lack thereof.

Utilitarian Review 8/7/11

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On HU

This week was devoted to our countdown of the top ten comics of all time according to our poll. We also revealed the list of the top 115 comics from our poll. More information about the poll is at Robert Stanley Martin’s introduction and intro.

Utilitarians Everywhere

I have a piece at the Washington Times about the effect of Borders closing on manga.

At the Chicago Reader I have a piece reviewing Annette Fuentes’ Lockdown High, a book about security measures in schools.

For Splice Today I have an essay about Reinhold Niebuhr.

Also at Splice, a review of Cowboys and Aliens.

And finally at Splice, a discussion of Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse.

Other Links

David Welsh with thoughts on women’s representation at DC and tcj.com.

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Obama and the left.

Utilitarian Review 7/31/11

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Next week begins our Best Comics Poll countdown. Discussions, essays, lists, and more will be running on this site over the next two weeks. Robert Stanley Martin has knocked himself out putting this together, and we’re very excited to be presenting it here on HU. So please stop back throughout the week!

On HU

This week on HU was devoted to our Illustrated Wallace Stevens roundtable. The easiest way to navigate the roundtable is probably to start at the index. Many, many thanks to all the artists who participated. It’s been a wonderful project, and I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to host it.

Utilitarians Everywhere

On Splice Today I have a review of the new documentary The Interrupters about violence in Chicago.

Bert Stabler and I talk about Zizek and Christianity and more at his blog.

Other Links

Alyssa Rosenberg on race and magic pixie dreamgirls.

Interesting article on sexism in the scientific community.

Shaenon Garrity’s review of Wandering Son.

Uncomfortable questions about women in DC titles.

Utilitarian Review 7/23/11

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The blog is going to be very busy. Starting tomorrow we have an exciting artists roundtable which will run through the week. After that it is looking as though Robert should be ready to do his Best Comics Poll results extravaganza in early August. So check back with us!

On HU

In our featured archive post, Jones, One of the Jones Boys, talks about visual aliens.

We started the week off with a meditation on Gasoline Alley and change by Sean Michael Robinson.

Robert Stanley Martin looked at Godard’s Les Carabiniers.

Franklin Einspruch discussed the Krazy Kat inspired abstractions of Walter Darby Bannard.

I expressed mixed feelings about Shimura Takako’s Wandering Son.

Richard Cook looked at ten types of stupid in transformers 3.

I posted a neo soul download mix.

Russ Maheras wondered why the Air Force gets such a bad rap in Super 8.

And Caroline Small…

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Splice Today I discuss the ecological black metal of Botanist.

I argue that Harry Potter is mediocre and Quidditch makes no sense.

And I talk about Tomas Sedlacek’s book The Economics of Good and Evil.

Other Links

Craig Fischer on Gene Colan.

Conor Friedersdorf on Obama’s broken promises.

Alyssa Rosenberg speculates on why people freak out at politics in their pop culture.

And Switchblade Sisters is available on netflix instant. Watch it!

Utilitarian Review 7/16/11

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On HU

Featured Archive Post: Erica Friedman discusses the solution to the scanlation solution.

Nadim Damluji discussed Tintin and the Case of the Arab Henchmen.

I talked about the positive aspects of American financial collapse, sparking a debate about economics in the comments.

Matthias Wivel argued for the formal, visual, and thematic successes of Chester Brown’s Paying For It.

I still didn’t like Paying For It that much.

David Bitterbaum talked about sex and violence in Ellis and Ryp’s “No Hero.”

I talked about gender, romance, and tragedy in Weeds and the Wire.

Robert Stanley Martin reviewed Ron Rash’s short story “The Ascent.”

I reviewed the Republican presidential candidates.

James Romberger discussed Basquiat.

Utilitarians Everywhere

I look at the release of campy B-movie sort-of-classic Oblivion.

Other Links

At TCJ, Sean Michael Robinson interviews Mahendra Singh.

Utilitarian Review 7/9/11

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On HU

Tom Gill with follow up comments on his essay on Tatsume and Tsuge.

This week’s featured archive post: Ng Suat Tong on Chester Brown’s gospel adaptations.

Richard Cook provides a fourth of july Uncle Sam gallery.

Michael Arthur on Shimura Takako’s Wandering Son.

I posted a metal, blues, cock and rock music mix download.

I talked about my disappointment with Jack Kirby’s Jimmy Olsen stories, prompting an interesting comment thread including Matt Thorn, Domingos Isabelinho, Matthias Wivel, Jeet Heer, Jones, Johnny Bacardi, and lots of other folks.

Domingos Isabelinho discussed Andrea Bruno and the crisis of capitalism in Europe.

Robet Stanley Martin talked about Henry Miller and surrealism.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Comixology I talk about Rogue, critic Susan Kirtley, and Jacques Lacan.

At Splice Today I review Dolly Parton’s new album.

Also at Splice I talks about the upsides of an apocalyptic collapse of America’s economy.

Other Links

Terry Eagleton on the difficulty of being secular.

C.T. May on The Hangover II

Alyssa Rosenberg on Luther, the Wire, and Stringer Bell in love.