The creator of Understanding Comics returns to fiction with an exploration of just how far an artist will go for his art.
Reviews
Law Student’s Play Premieres at A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival
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An article published a few weeks ago reviewing the world premier of Cary Simowitz’s play, Ekphasia, or “The Shadow Girl.”
“As the house lights illuminated the interior of Washington University’s A.E. Hotchner Studio, a young man stepped out onto the stage and found himself awash in a sea of friends, relatives, and other well-wishers. The house was packed, every seat filled, and he could not go more than three paces without a hug, a handshake, or a pat on the back.”
Read the full article here: [link]
Panel Features Prof. Norwood’s Book, Color Matters
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An article published in the Spring of 2014 detailing a panel in which Professor Kimberly Jade Norwood and some of her fellow contributors discussed some of the details of their book Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias and the Myth of a Postracial America.
“In Color Matters, they, along with nine other contributors, examine the phenomenon of colorism, which they define as the preference, even among people of color, for lighter skin. The book also challenges the belief that skin color no longer matters in a postracial America. According to Norwood, colorism is a form a discrimination or preference based on one’s skin tone. The phenomenon leads to a color caste system where the darker one is, the more marginalized personal and socioeconomic outcomes for that person becomes.”
Read the full article here: [link]
Review | Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni
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Sequels are never easy. Whether it’s in the form of a book, a movie, or a graphic novel, sequels are a place where all expectations and theories are put to the test. However, the one trick that every reader should keep in mind is that it’s not about what the sequel’s story should be, but what the story is. In both cases, Danielle Trussoni’s Angelopolis fell short of its promising beginning.
Review | Belka, Why Don’t You Bark? by Hideo Furukawa
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There are lots of stories about men and dogs out there (or women and dogs, or dogs and dogs), but rarely do those stories place the dog in something other than a supporting role. Usually it’s the human’s story, filled with their dramas and their struggles. This does wonders for solidifying dogkind’s role as humanity’s best friend, but what if it were the other way around? What if the dogs had their own interests, and their time spent side by side with humanity had a different purpose than what we imagine? This is a question that few books explore, and none in as interesting a manner as Hideo Furukawa’s Belka, Why Don’t You Bark?Review | Deva Zan by Yoshitaka Amano
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Whether you know his famous design work from the long-running Final Fantasy series, the art from Vampire Hunter D, or even his brief partnership with Neil Gaiman in The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, there’s no denying that Yoshitaka Amano is a talented man. He has an art style all his own, a respect for classic mythology, and a creative flair that few can equal. One of the few things he’s had little of up until this point is a written voice, but that’s all changed with his latest work, Deva Zan.Review | The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Danielewski
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How do you place a value on a weapon? Do you judge it by how many lives it can extinguish? How efficiently it can take them? Suppose someone forged a weapon sharp enough to rend a memory in two, powerful enough to destroy a season in a single stroke; how much would such a blade be worth? These are the questions posed at the end of Mark Z. Danielewski’s The Fifty Year Sword.A Novel Approach: Alumna Publishes Second Thriller
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An article written in Spring of 2010 about legal expert and novelist Julie Compton and her second book, Rescuing Olivia.
Julie Compton, AB ’85, JD ’88, has successfully mixed her legal background with her love of writing to become a published author of two psychological thrillers— with a third one on the way. Compton’s second novel, Rescuing Olivia, was released in February to enthusiastic reviews. Set in her current state of residence, Florida, the book centers on Anders Erickson, a man who is told that the love of his life, Olivia, has died in a motorcycle accident. He then discovers that he was deceived and that she had been stolen away from him. The story encompasses his quest to find her by sifting through the life she left behind. What Anders finds is a tapestry of lies, conspiracies, and hidden violence as he strives to save her life, and, consequently, his own.
Read the full article here: [link]
Brent Mueller 