In our morning reading: interviews with Vanessa Veselka and Sarah Gerard, thoughts on the new SUMAC album, and more.
Small Towns, Strange Mysteries: Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin on Their New Comic “Friday”
Nearly every creative medium is going through an unsettling period right now, as COVID-19 disrupts literary events, prompts the canceling of concerts, and shutters movie theaters. It’s arguable that the comics world may the most affected by the pandemic, however — the current distribution model for physical comics is facing an existential threat. And while there are some impressive digital-first spaces for comics producing memorable work, including The Nib and Quarantine Comix, digital-first comics might not yet have its Saga or The Walking Dead — i.e. a heavily buzzed-about comic that also grabs readers on an issue-by-issue basis.
Weekend Bites: Mira Jacob’s Recommendations, Cara Benson, Nina MacLaughlin Interviewed, Bud Smith, and More
In our weekend reading: book recommendations from Mira Jacob, an interview with Nina MacLaughlin, and more.
Afternoon Bites: David Berman, Max Porter’s Latest, Jay Bernard, Ed Brubaker and Megan Abbott, and More
In our afternoon reading: checking in with David Berman, thoughts on books by Max Porter and Jay Bernard, and more.
Morning Bites: Hiro Arikawa, Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Recommendations, Saladin Ahmed Interviewed, SRSQ, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on a novel by Hiro Arikawa, interviews with Ed Brubaker and Saladin Ahmed, and more.
Morning Bites: “On Immunity” Marathon, “H Is For Hawk” on Film, Rachel Kushner, and More
In our morning reading: the upcoming On Immunity marathon reading, literary B-sides, delving into Noah Baumbach’s films, a report from AWP, and more.
Morning Bites: Blake Butler on Javier Marías, St. Mark’s Bookshop’s New Digs, Mirah Interviewed, Crime Comics, and More
Blake Butler discusses a Javier Marías novel, literary criticism meets clickbait, a conversation with Mirah, St. Mark’s Bookshop has found a new space, and more.
#tobyreads: Impressively Disorienting Works From Hopkinson, VanderMeer, and Brubaker
Lately, I’ve been craving good science fiction. This isn’t an impulse born from discontent or dissatisfaction: I’ve also been reading a lot of good science fiction. Maybe it’s due to having heard Warren Ellis speak last week; Ellis’s work often inspires me to seek out interesting speculative fiction and reminds me of the ways that our world can evoke the uncanny.