When it comes to comics, Gary Groth is both a champion and an iconoclast. Equally committed to the notions that comics deserve the full range of critical attention and that superheroes are simply ridiculous, Groth has earned the status of legend in the industry through his ongoing work with Fantagraphics Books and The Comics Journal.
Comics
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Writer Deborah Elizabeth Whaley on the influence of black women as creators and characters in comics
In her recent book, Deborah Elizabeth Whaley, an associate professor of American Studies and African American Studies at the University of Iowa, considers black female creators and characters working and appearing in sequential art. Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime introduces readers to a variety of creators from the past and […]
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Sneak Peek: Check out an online-only segment of our interview with Dr. Deborah Elizabeth Whaley on black women in comics
In issue 192, which drops tomorrow, LV features an interview between Rob Cline and Dr. Deborah Elizabeth Whaley, University of Iowa professor and author of the book Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime. You can read the whole conversation when it hits the stands, but in this teaser, she shares her […]
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Comics: ‘Descender’ and others take us away from winter
As the Iowa winter takes hold, it’s a good time to let comics creators — both established and new on the scene — take us to various other locales. Our destinations include a galaxy in the midst of an interplanetary battle over robots, an alternate Chicago endangered by labor unrest among sidekicks and an island where mainstream […]
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The year in comics: A look at 2015’s best words and pictures
By now, you’re probably making your naughty and nice list for whatever gift-giving activity might be part of your holiday traditions. Here’s a round-up of choice comics you should wrap up. Green Arrow Benjamin Percy, Patrick Zircher Benjamin Percy is best known as a novelist, and he brings his literary sensibility, which has always been […]
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The Tube: As villains take center stage, ‘Gotham’ forges its own path through the Batman mythos
The first season of Gotham, FOX’s exploration of the Batman mythos beginning from the moment Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered, was, at best, uneven. Driven by strong performances, including that of Shueyville, Iowa native Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin, the show nevertheless floundered about as characters and storylines were introduced, dropped and (sometimes) revisited. […]
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How to build a con: UI alum launches campaign for 2016 Cedar Rapids Comic Con
When Preston Moore began organizing his first Cedar Rapids-based comic convention — held earlier this year at NewBo City Market — one question loomed above…
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Colorblind comics: Scott McCloud returns with ambitious graphic novel ‘The Sculptor’
Scott McCloud is best known for Understanding Comics, his 1993 examination of the comics medium that is, itself, presented in the form of a comic. It’s a seminal…
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Comics: Wordless graphic novel explores a day in the life of a tiger
The epigraph at the beginning of Love Volume 1: The Tiger offers enigmatic insight into the wordless graphic novel that follows: “In the animal kingdom, animals…
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Learn about the art of comic books at ‘Superheroes of History’ day
Learn to design your own comic book this Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. at Superheroes of History Day hosted by the National Czech and Slovak Museum…
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Comics: Young adult graphic novel ‘Peanut’ is sweet without being saccharine
In Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe’s Peanut, a girl named Sadie decides to inform her classmates at her new high school that she’s deathly allergic to peanuts…
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Local comic ‘Lost in the Wash’ explores unlikely monsters
In the awarding-winning graphic novel Lost in the Wash, writer John Ira Thomas, who lives in Coralville, and artist Will Grant, an Iowa City native who lives in Minneapolis, have crafted a tale that pays homage to Dungeons & Dragons, horror comics of the past and schlocky, scary movies. The story…
