Jul. 6th, 2026 10:26 pm
Jul. 3rd, 2026 11:05 am
Media Roundup: Lots of Short Things
![[personal profile]](/post-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forestofgloryAnother Media Roundup, less than a week after the last one? More likely than you think! As the title of this post says I have a bunch of short and quick reads to talk about.
The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route by Debbie Fong—This is an early reader graphic novel about a raccoon mail carrier. It's very sweet and has fun colorful art. It's not very long so there's not much else to say about it.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest issues 1-12 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, et al. —I was trying to explain to R the other day that comics have their own brand of weirdness, but I couldn't articulate what set it apart just vibes. Anyways this has the comic weirdness vibes. There's parallel worlds, time travel, ancient Chinese villains (and heroes), rooms full doorways, ect. I generally like this kind of weirdness though, so this was fun to read.
It's set “some years ago” when Dick is still Robin. (I briefly tried to figure out how it fits into continuity, then I remembered that continuity does make any sense) I like the way Dick is written here. He's a little goofy and a little snarky – it feels right for him at that age. Kara/Supergirl is also here and a lot of fun!
Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki, and Joëlle Jones—I liked This Place Kills Me a lot and wanted to check out the author's other works. I read a few things she wrote a while back but she's written a lot more since then! This was pretty good. I guess teen girls are Tamaki’s thing because teen girls and their friendship was also central to this book.
A True Wonder: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything by Kirsten W. Larson and Katy Wu—This non-fiction comic about the history of Wonder Woman is the size and shape of a picture book and aimed at young readers. As such it's not very detailed or nuanced but it is quite charming. I do find the straightforward “progress” narrative a little bit frustrating though.
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema—This book from 1978 was referenced in some of the non-fiction about comics I read, and I was curious. It turned out to be a quick read with lots of pictures written in a very breezy style. One of the things I’ve been unsure about in discussion about comics history is references to “superhero comic style” – I had only a vague idea what that meant. This book has given me a much clearer idea. Also wow the sexism built into that style leaps off the page here! Men are angular and muscular, while women are soft and curvy. Still helpful for my quest to better understand comics history.
Perspective! for Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in your Artwork by David ChelseaI— More non-fiction about comics. How to books aren’t always the best for learning how to be a more nuanced reader unfortunately. This is very technical, and what I really wanted was some discussion out how perspective can be used in comics and how that’s different from other visual arts. Oh well, I shouldn’t really complain that this book was exactly what it said it would be.
The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route by Debbie Fong—This is an early reader graphic novel about a raccoon mail carrier. It's very sweet and has fun colorful art. It's not very long so there's not much else to say about it.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest issues 1-12 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, et al. —I was trying to explain to R the other day that comics have their own brand of weirdness, but I couldn't articulate what set it apart just vibes. Anyways this has the comic weirdness vibes. There's parallel worlds, time travel, ancient Chinese villains (and heroes), rooms full doorways, ect. I generally like this kind of weirdness though, so this was fun to read.
It's set “some years ago” when Dick is still Robin. (I briefly tried to figure out how it fits into continuity, then I remembered that continuity does make any sense) I like the way Dick is written here. He's a little goofy and a little snarky – it feels right for him at that age. Kara/Supergirl is also here and a lot of fun!
Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki, and Joëlle Jones—I liked This Place Kills Me a lot and wanted to check out the author's other works. I read a few things she wrote a while back but she's written a lot more since then! This was pretty good. I guess teen girls are Tamaki’s thing because teen girls and their friendship was also central to this book.
Content Notes are Spoilers
death of a teen as a major plot pointA True Wonder: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything by Kirsten W. Larson and Katy Wu—This non-fiction comic about the history of Wonder Woman is the size and shape of a picture book and aimed at young readers. As such it's not very detailed or nuanced but it is quite charming. I do find the straightforward “progress” narrative a little bit frustrating though.
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema—This book from 1978 was referenced in some of the non-fiction about comics I read, and I was curious. It turned out to be a quick read with lots of pictures written in a very breezy style. One of the things I’ve been unsure about in discussion about comics history is references to “superhero comic style” – I had only a vague idea what that meant. This book has given me a much clearer idea. Also wow the sexism built into that style leaps off the page here! Men are angular and muscular, while women are soft and curvy. Still helpful for my quest to better understand comics history.
Perspective! for Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in your Artwork by David ChelseaI— More non-fiction about comics. How to books aren’t always the best for learning how to be a more nuanced reader unfortunately. This is very technical, and what I really wanted was some discussion out how perspective can be used in comics and how that’s different from other visual arts. Oh well, I shouldn’t really complain that this book was exactly what it said it would be.
Tags:
Jun. 30th, 2026 02:44 pm
New Post at Lady Business: "Superhero Comics I’d Actually Recommend"
Jun. 30th, 2026 02:06 pm
Superhero Comics I’d Actually Recommend
forestofglory posting in ![[community profile]](/post-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ladybusinessI have been on a reading journey that has taken me to the land of superhero comics. It started during a stressful time when I ended up reading a ton of fic about the Batfam (Batman and his various allies/sidekicks/semi-adopted semi-feral children), and accidentally got really into the fandom. (Reading a lot of stories that focused on found family but didn’t have romance was extremely soothing.) It was my original intent to just read fic and not bother with any of the source material. But I have slowly gotten sucked in.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Jun. 29th, 2026 06:37 pm
Sidetracks - June 29, 2026
helloladies posting in ladybusinessSidetracks is a collaborative project featuring various essays, videos, reviews, or other Internet content that we want to share. All past and current links for the Sidetracks project can be found in our Sidetracks tag. You can also support Sidetracks and our other work on Patreon.
( Read more... )
Jun. 27th, 2026 11:15 am
Media Roundup: Library Mini Challenge
forestofgloryI was feeling very stressed out by my library pile last week so I set myself a goal of reading 4 books form it this week (stretch goal seven). I in fact read 8 library books! Go me! (Of course I got excited and put in to many holds and now I have 8 things to pick up on Monday so it doesn't exactly feel like progress -- maybe I can finish one or two more things before then)
The Truth season 4 has been airing for a bit but I have only manged to watch half of the first episode -- maybe if I get my library pile more under control I set myself a goal of getting caught up -- or at least actually watching some of it.
Anyways here are some thoughts on my recent reading
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Hitoshi Ashinano, trans Daniel Komen—Post apocalyptic slice of life manga about a robot who runs a coffee shop in a small town. It’s not explained what happened but there are lots of panels of falling apart roads and other ruins. I know several people who love this, but I merely liked it, which feels a little disappointing. It’s sweet and chill, but honestly I found the lack of explanations a bit distracting.
Nezha 2—I watched this with my group watch Discord (we’ve been trying to do movie night again for a while and it finally worked out) This movie is so pretty! I see why people were raving about the animation. Also lots of cool fights! And I really enjoy the way this movie cares about family relationships and includes a lot of touching parent+child moments.
A Comics Studies Reader ed. Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester—A collection of non-fiction writing about comics. I think this is the first work of prose written for adults that I’ve read this year. I kinda skiped around and skimmed a lot. I’m interested in learning more about comics theory but alot of this was too theoretical or I didn’t really have enough context to understand it. Still there were some interesting tidbits and now I know a little bit more. I’m struggling to find non-fiction about comics that’s what I want to read– probably doesn’t help that I’m not sure exactly what I want to read
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1 by Sanho—Slice of life manhwa about a bakery that makes funeral cakes. The bakery is kind of a frame for people to come and tell stories about dead loved ones. The art is lovely but the whole thing is very melancholy. I did like the edition of red ink in a format that’s usually black and white
Hirayasumi vol 1+2 by Keigo Shinzō—Slice of life Manga about two cousins living together in a small house (a hiraya) in Tokyo. The younger cousin is an 18 year old woman who just moved to Tokyo for art school and the older cousin is a 29 year old man who works a kinda deadend job at fishpond. It's a pond stocked with fish that people can come fish at in the middle of the city which seems like a cool thing to exist. Anyways he inherited the house from an old woman he befriended who didn't have any relatives. It’s very charming, I find both of the cousins relatable in different ways.
Raging Clouds by Yudori—Another Eisner Award nominee, I didn't know what to expect from this at all. It’s historical fiction set in the Netherlands in the 16th-century. I was surprised by how big it was in print, but it turned out to be a fairly fast read because there aren’t many panels on a page. The art is gorgeous! The story is angry and intense and hopeful all at once. I ended up really liking it!
Content Notes: martial rape, explicit sexual content, slavery, animal cruelty, period typically sexism and racism
The Truth season 4 has been airing for a bit but I have only manged to watch half of the first episode -- maybe if I get my library pile more under control I set myself a goal of getting caught up -- or at least actually watching some of it.
Anyways here are some thoughts on my recent reading
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Hitoshi Ashinano, trans Daniel Komen—Post apocalyptic slice of life manga about a robot who runs a coffee shop in a small town. It’s not explained what happened but there are lots of panels of falling apart roads and other ruins. I know several people who love this, but I merely liked it, which feels a little disappointing. It’s sweet and chill, but honestly I found the lack of explanations a bit distracting.
Nezha 2—I watched this with my group watch Discord (we’ve been trying to do movie night again for a while and it finally worked out) This movie is so pretty! I see why people were raving about the animation. Also lots of cool fights! And I really enjoy the way this movie cares about family relationships and includes a lot of touching parent+child moments.
Content notes are spoilerish
Child death, mass murder, material deathA Comics Studies Reader ed. Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester—A collection of non-fiction writing about comics. I think this is the first work of prose written for adults that I’ve read this year. I kinda skiped around and skimmed a lot. I’m interested in learning more about comics theory but alot of this was too theoretical or I didn’t really have enough context to understand it. Still there were some interesting tidbits and now I know a little bit more. I’m struggling to find non-fiction about comics that’s what I want to read– probably doesn’t help that I’m not sure exactly what I want to read
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1 by Sanho—Slice of life manhwa about a bakery that makes funeral cakes. The bakery is kind of a frame for people to come and tell stories about dead loved ones. The art is lovely but the whole thing is very melancholy. I did like the edition of red ink in a format that’s usually black and white
Hirayasumi vol 1+2 by Keigo Shinzō—Slice of life Manga about two cousins living together in a small house (a hiraya) in Tokyo. The younger cousin is an 18 year old woman who just moved to Tokyo for art school and the older cousin is a 29 year old man who works a kinda deadend job at fishpond. It's a pond stocked with fish that people can come fish at in the middle of the city which seems like a cool thing to exist. Anyways he inherited the house from an old woman he befriended who didn't have any relatives. It’s very charming, I find both of the cousins relatable in different ways.
Raging Clouds by Yudori—Another Eisner Award nominee, I didn't know what to expect from this at all. It’s historical fiction set in the Netherlands in the 16th-century. I was surprised by how big it was in print, but it turned out to be a fairly fast read because there aren’t many panels on a page. The art is gorgeous! The story is angry and intense and hopeful all at once. I ended up really liking it!
Content Notes: martial rape, explicit sexual content, slavery, animal cruelty, period typically sexism and racism
Tags:
Jun. 25th, 2026 11:36 pm
(no subject)
![[staff profile]](/post-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise posting in ![[site community profile]](/post-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceFolks may have noticed that the site has been slow for logged-out users over the last while. This is partly because we separate traffic by logged-in, "logged out but have visited the site before", and "logged out, never visited the site before" and assign the fewest resources to the last category (because we're pretty confident the overwhelming majority of it is bot and scraper traffic, even if it's often impossible to say for sure). The flood of garbage traffic is a plague and a scourge the entire internet is dealing with, and it's hitting small sites the hardest as operators get better and better at cloaking their requests to look like real, authentic use. We long ago hit the point where adding more resources is a possible solution (because they just eat them up as soon as we do), and splitting traffic lets us keep the site usable for our actual users without wasting too much server power on garbage.
We've now, lucky us, reached the point where the "logged out, have never visited the site before" path is just flooded all the time, and the "logged out but have visited the site before" path is suffering some of the overflow. We've made some changes to the routing to try to improve things for logged out users who have visited the site before and keep it at "it may be a little bit slow, but at least it works" instead of "it keeps timing out", and we've seen some improvements, but if you're accustomed to browsing the site while logged out, I'm really sorry but it may continue to be a little miserable.
You will get the fastest page loads and the best performance by browsing the site logged in. If you are having trouble loading the front page to log in, bookmark the direct login page. We can't route the front page to the "more power" server pool, because it's a common target for garbage traffic, but we've switched /login over to "more power" and we'll try to keep it there as long as we can unless it starts getting slammed, too.
We've now, lucky us, reached the point where the "logged out, have never visited the site before" path is just flooded all the time, and the "logged out but have visited the site before" path is suffering some of the overflow. We've made some changes to the routing to try to improve things for logged out users who have visited the site before and keep it at "it may be a little bit slow, but at least it works" instead of "it keeps timing out", and we've seen some improvements, but if you're accustomed to browsing the site while logged out, I'm really sorry but it may continue to be a little miserable.
You will get the fastest page loads and the best performance by browsing the site logged in. If you are having trouble loading the front page to log in, bookmark the direct login page. We can't route the front page to the "more power" server pool, because it's a common target for garbage traffic, but we've switched /login over to "more power" and we'll try to keep it there as long as we can unless it starts getting slammed, too.
