#Ngozi! making COMICS!!!

[bluedelliquanti]

Before I go on vacation, I present my list of my top books for 2024.

COMICS:

Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki

Bunt! by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert

Ukazu and Rupert are a powerhouse team, and as an art school adjunct, this already funny GN is even funnier (albeit in a way that necessitates a skull emoji in the educator groupchat)

Tiffany’s Griffon by Magnolia Porter Siddell & Maddi Gonzalez

Phobos and Deimos by J Dalton

Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui

It's a tough task to reach a satisfying conclusion to a series that was as strong as Dungeon, but I think Kui accomplished it!

Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda

King in Limbo by Ai Tanaka

Over the last year I've been drawn towards comic series that work with a retro, fixed-width inking style, and King especially informed some recent experiments of mine.

PROSE:

Twins by Bari Wood & Jack Geasland

When I learned Wood was responsible for the book that became Dead Ringers, I knew I had to try it. This is the one that wins my "Oh, shit! Wow!! Okay!!!" award for the year (distinctions previously awarded to Cyteen and Manhunt).

The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow

DS9: A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson

Those of you who read my journal comic from last August might recall that I met Robinson at a Trek convention! I'd learned from reading these books that Stitch was considered a white whale among collectors, and now I absolutely understand why. If you're a DS9 fan and you want to try any book from the original run of novels, try this one. By which I mean, try the far easier-to-find audiobook version.

Translation State by Ann Leckie

A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason

Fellow SBCF participant Erin Roseberry had shared this title as an inspiration for their comic, The Maker of Grave-Goods, and I was especially interested in trying a book by a Twin Cities author. What a serendipitous find!

Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell

For the third year in a row, a book nominated for the Le Guin Prize makes the list.

Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin

This is another book I always told myself I'd try someday, and was it ever worth it! I spent some time talking about my experience with this story (and its accompanying materials that fill out the world) in my talk with Evan Dahm on his show.

See you in the new year! I've packed some thick books for a long flight, so I'm starting my 2025 reading pile right away!

Reruns of my previous two lists, 2023, and 2022, below the cut.

2023

COMICS:

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano

Out of Style by Devi Putri Megwati

Skip and Loafer by Misaki Takamatsu

The Harrowing of Hell by Evan Dahm

The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

Esteban by Matthieu Bonhomme

I covered my ShortBox reccs back in October, but since then I also picked up Pearl Hunting by Hana Chatani when it came to itch.io and adored it.

PROSE: 

So yes, maybe I'm cheating by including Moby Dick since I'm not all the way finished, but Whale Weekly really did end up being a great tool for getting me to crack open my gorgeous Evan Dahm-illustrated copy I've had for a while.

My favorite book of the year is Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky. I genuinely did read it the first week of January, but after having it recommended to me for years, I'm thrilled it didn't disappoint. Maybe I am someone who likes Russian novels after all???

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Such Nice People by Sandra Scoppettone

Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh (I jokingly placed these three in the "READ 👏 FEMALE 👏 AUTHORS 👏" category because they don't have anything in common other than describing some of the most upsetting/bizarre scenarios I've read this year. Cyteen especially! Wowee!!!)

Brother Alive by Zain Khalid

Glory by Vladimir Nabokov

A Different Trek by David K. Seitz, which I mentioned as my vacation book for the Star Trek convention, but it's given me some great suggestions for more books, both fiction and otherwise. Also, I read... 11 more DS9 books this year. 

2022

COMICS:

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Vattu by Evan Dahm

The Well by Choo and Jake Wyatt

Wash Day Diaries by Robyn Smith and Jamila Rowser

Some ShortBox Comics Fair entries that are graphic novella length and are really good include Food School by Jade Armstrong and The God of Arepo by Reimena Yee et al.

PROSE:

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

edit: oh my god I can't believe I forgot Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Honorable mentions from the pile of DS9 novelizations include Revenant by Alex White (for successfully pulling off a Sara Paretsky-style mystery in space) and Dominion War: Call to Arms by Diane Carey (for absolutely unhinged adjective choices).

[theflashjaygarrick]

Orion and Lightray nation its so over 😭 Pls let Ram V or Ngozi Ukazu or another person with good new gods takes consult or something because if I have to hear Orion is abusive discourse on main I am going to cry

At least the first art looks really pretty. And maybe Tom King will actually read (or reread) Kirby's New Gods in the meantime and improve his book's mistakes.

[pluckyredhead]

hi! i'm new to comics and i got in through reading your fics and wayne family adventures. i've since started reading more of the mainstream verse and i realized that most comic fans consider wfa to be totally fanon. you're one of the few i saw that disagrees. would you mind elaborating a lil on why? i'm too new to really form an opinion either way but i'd like to know your's!

(also yes i really did stalk your blog back years worth of posts i'm sorry! 😭😭)

Aw I love this! Welcome!

So I think it's really important to be clear on definitions here:

Canon means it's part of an official text. It's literally in a comic (or book or movie or other property) published or licensed by DC.

Fanon means it's made up by fans. That doesn't mean bad or good, it just means that it comes from fandom and is not part of the official text.

Wayne Family Adventures is an official licensed comic by DC, so by definition, it cannot be fanon. That doesn't mean everyone has to like it, but it's not a fan comic. It's an official DC product. It's not fanon.

Now, WFA isn't part of the main DCU canon. It takes place in a separate universe. The Jason in Batman #138 and the Jason in WFA are not the same and they are having very different experiences. (And I'm sure the Jason in WFA would be grateful if he knew.)

But that's no different than a comic that takes place in an alternate universe, like Dark Knights of Steel or DCeased, or a movie like Blue Beetle or a show like My Adventures with Superman. They all take place in their own universes, but all of those universes are canon. None of them are fanon.

What I think most people mean when they say WFA is fanon is that WFA draws on tropes and characterizations that are popular in fandom. Which...yes, absolutely. This is on purpose, and honestly, it pisses me off when people complain about it. (Not you, anon! Your question was lovely, you just triggered my unskippable cut scene of dialogue. Sorry lol.)

Wayne Family Adventures is probably the single best idea DC has had in the 20 years I've been reading comics. (The second best was the kids and YA graphic novel lines.)

I just checked, and WFA has 1.3 MILLION subscribers. That's more than every floppy comic starring Batman sells in a month, combined. It's more than literally any superhero comic has sold in decades - in this century! The combined strips have over A HUNDRED MILLION VIEWS. That is bonkerstown. That is a readership like DC hasn't seen since the 1970s. That is unparalleled success, and it's introducing characters like Kate Kane and Duke Thomas to a whole new audience.

Now, WFA was clearly designed to appeal to Batfans who were active on social media and fanfic sites like AO3 and Wattpad, and Webtoon readers. The readership of Webtoon is mostly young and female. Fandom as a whole is mostly female. The writer of WFA is female.

And maybe I'm not being fair here, but when I see people dismiss WFA as "just fanon," I always catch a whiff of "It's not a real Batman comic. It's a girl comic for girls."

I have spent the past 20 years begging DC (and Marvel, DC is not alone in this) to see women as a viable audience - as their largest potential growth audience! I have watched in dumbfounded frustration as they ignored the juggernaut success of Raina Telgemeier and Ngozi Ukazu and Alice Oseman running rings around the NY Times bestseller list and counted a 50k shipment here and there as a resounding triumph. I have literally seen them throw out survey responses from women because "those women had an agenda." (This is a true story. 2011 was rough, y'all.)

And all of a sudden, they gave us a comic actually catering to women and young people and fandom, and they put it on the most popular, current, modern platform for comics availably - and it's brilliant. It's smart and funny and stunningly drawn and every episode makes clever, inventive use of the scrolling format. They FINALLY gave us a girl comic for girls, and it's a masterpiece.

And yes, it riffs on fanon concepts. It also has its roots firmly in mainstream DCU canon. It references deep cuts. CRC Payne and StarBite know their shit. Jason Todd being a bookworm may be a fanon staple, but he does plenty of reading - including Jane Austen - in the 100% canon mainstream DCU comics.

It's not going to be for everything, because nothing is. It's completely fine if you don't like WFA. No one has to read it or enjoy it. If you're into Batman for the darkness and the crime and the ongoing plotlines and the angst, WFA won't be for you, and that's totally fine!

But to finally, finally be valued as a reader by DC, to have them do something smart and innovative and so, so well executed, and have the exact people they made it for dismiss it out of hand because Bruce has a "World's Okayest Dad" mug or whatever? Yeah, that chafes.

[flightyalrighty]

i love how you pace infested!! every single page leaves me super curious and i never feel like something goes on too long

how long have you been making comics?

Technically since middle school! I used to make comics about my lil Sonic OC and i'd put those comics in a binder and lug that binder on vacation and stuff so i could keep working on my lil Sonic OC comic

which isn't too different from what i'm doing now

but yeah so that was the start of my unprofessional comics career, and then I was learning to do it PROFESSIONALLY in college, and after that I was an assistant for Gene Luen Yang on his book "Dragon Hoops" and then after THAT I was an assistant for Ngozi Ukazu on her book that's actually coming out on September 23rd (!!!) called "FLIP" while also flatting for her on a few extra things for "Check, Please" and a teensy tiny bit on DC Comics's "Barda" (uncredited).

Before all that I tried and failed to do a webcomic called Fight/Flight. It was a whole lot of work and no one read it. It's probably for the best that it died tbh.

And AFTER all that, I had done an ashcan published by Legacy Comix called "A Tiger's Tail" (which is still available for purchase and family friendly) which I will someday bring back with its original name, A Legacy Of Fangs, and self-publish it.

So I'd say I've been doing comics for a lil while? I'm only 30. Still got a lot to learn and do.

Thanks for this ask!

[optimistpax]

Comics by Black Cartoonists

It's Black History Month y'all! Go support your local (and international!) Black cartoonists because they're out here making fantastic work.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here is a list of some of my favourite comics by Black cartoonists, artists, and/or writers:

Clock Striker by Fredrick L. Jones and Issaka Galadima (Steampunk/Fantasy)

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu (Sci-fi/Romance)

Brooms by Jasmin Walls and Teo DuVall (Fantasy/Sports)

Bunt! by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert (Sports/Slice of Life)

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and Juni Ba (Fantasy/Sports(?))

The Last Session by Jasmin Walls and Dozerdraws (Slice of Life)

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos (Superhero/Fantasy)

CHEW by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Fantasy/Mystery/Horror)

Far Sector by NK Jemisin and Jamal Campbell (Superhero/Sci-fi)

Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro (Dystopian)

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens (Fantasy)

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu (Sports/Slice of Life/Romance)

[jayladfanpage]

What would be your ideal Outlaws team + how would you go about writing/constructing it? <3

My ideal team is, maybe a little predictably, Jason Todd Eddie Bloomberg and Rose Wilson.

Gosh uhm!! First of all, little to no Gotham issues. I prefer Jason when he isn't in Gotham, or is at least not interacting with the Bats, so it's just easier to have him be somewhere else. Most likely, I'd start it off in Hollywood, because I see it starting with Freshly Revived Eddie (p sure he like, just got revived in the new Flash?) not really understanding what happened for him to die and plus he's just... alone. So he texts Jason and Rose to come visit him! But then when Jay and Rose get there (already skeptical bc hello, Jason hasn't seen Eddie since they were 15 and Rose is literally Eddie's ex) Eddie gets kidnapped by a demon/magician/brother blood/etc and Jay and Rose have to go after him and that sets up the start of the comic

I'd take a more magical route with it, personally. Obviously to connect it to Eddie's whole thing as a demon hunter but also to try and fix the All-Caste stuff that Lobdell came up with. Lots of potential there if it came from a better writer. I don't think Rose does anything with magic in canon, but I do always enjoy watching characters have to adapt to seriously fucked up shit. (Plus, she has Slade's meta powers. She'll be fine.)

This is also like, you know, THE daddy issues team. So many conversations to be had between Jason and Rose about their dads bc Bruce and Slade are eerily similar in how they cope with their respective issues. Jason and Eddie can also connect over their bio dads being kind of shit (I say kind of because there's nothing I hate more than physically abusive Willis Todd. I am not kidding when I say that's the worst Jason retcon that Lobdell has ever come up with) and how they never felt wanted or loved by their parents. All three of them can relate to how their parents' abandonment (or, in Rose's case, Slade's lack of knowledge) shaped them as people. Lotssss of parallels to be drawn here

Also, obviously, Roy Harper cameo. But get this. He's here because of ROSE. I do enjoy platonic jayroy (and romantic but I don't want it to be canon) but I think the connection Roy has with Rose is a little deeper. I think he'd want to check on her after so many years (he was her foster dad! for fucks sake!) and make sure that she's doing well, considering he knows how Jason can Get.

There would also most likely be a YJ/Tim's TT crossover because duh, Eddie and Rose were in TT03 and Jason has his whole Thing (negative) with Tim, but I'm gonna be so vulnerable here and admit that the only TT03 issues I read are the ones with Mia in them + #42 + the one where Rose lights up her cigarette with Eddie's mouth fire. So, you know, can't give much insight here. Not really a Titans fan regardless of the team itself but if this Outlaws was to ever happen I'd want the author to include them in something.

Also, I think we should get a special issue where Slade repeatedly gets his ass kicked. Rose doesn't even participate but Jason and Eddie do it in her honor. Just for funsies

OH ALSO. I'd want them to bring an artist from the 2000s back. I just don't like the current art styles nearly as much </3 unless it's Ngozi. Ngozi's art is too cute to say no and I would kill to see her draw Rose!! Or or, Jason Fabok, because his art is just everything

[checkdispleased]

thoughts on the webtoon rerelease and what it means for the fandom and author interactivity?

So I have to tell you, and maybe this is because I am turning 98 on my next birthday (July, mark your calendar), I don't understand what Webtoon does other than just be like, a fifth venue where this comic is available to read (after the Tumblr, the dedicated OMGCP website, the Kickstarter books, and the First Second ones)?

Here are two ideas I have:

Idea 1: Because Webstoon is actually built to host webcomics, it looks and functions for this specific webcomic much better than anywhere else it's already hosted? Tumblr is the platform it was made for but it also wasn't built for serialized storyteling and archiving, that website is ass and has never worked, and the comic wasn't made for the static medium of the graphic novel so there are some ways it's never translated. And, again, not to be in my 120s, but I was engaging with webcomics in the early-mid 2000s when platforms like Keenspot facilitated webcomics consumption. Webtoon is more similar to that platform than anywhere else you can read Check Please. Maybe it's even more ideal.

Idea 2: It seems like Ngozi has, over the past couple of years, intermittently tried to generate new interest in the comic. She has posted a few times about wanting a TV show. She has posted on her Discord about having new ideas for OMGCP stories and/or projects. I can think of two (not mutally exclusive) things she might be getting out of putting OMGCP on a new platform. One, she may miss the story/characters and, after three or four years away from the project, enjoy getting to think about and see people dicussing her OCs again. Two, if she does intend to do more with the comic, either by expanding the canon or adapting it (or having someone else do it), showing that it's getting engagement on a new, seemingly more relevant platform in 2024 might help her demonstrate that there is a current audience for it. And actually, I wonder if being able to say that it was popular when it was the most-funded webcomic Kickstarter in 2016 and is successful on this other site in 2025 might make the case that the comic is evergreen in its popularity and will always find an audience so it should be made into a show that can be sold multiple times to various streaming platforms over its lifespan -- or, you know, some shit like that. Then again, is 250k-ish views on that site popular? Just to clear I do not know.

Of course, I also don't know this woman, and these are only some theories based upon, like, how things seem to work. I've never truly engaged with Webtoon because like, I already read this comic 90 times. And certainly my initial reaction was "why would you read this week-by-week on Webtoon when the entire comic is totally free right now both here and here?" So maybe there is something about the community reading experience, week by week at a regular pace, that is appealing to readers. I never got that experience; I lived through a maddening yearslong cycle of anticipation and regret. But maybe this steady year or two of posting will be healthier for whoever is reading it there.

Then again,

I’m posting the Parse triology to Webtoon over the next few weeks how do you think Webtoons readers will handle it? Comment below! (doesn’t even wait for an answer) it’s been nearly a decade—I’m a decade older—the fact that some people reading in 2015 didn’t understand that Parse was a good character but a damaged person who was actively bad for jack

Wait, excuse me, HOW was he bad for Jack???? The comic never tells us this actually? You know what, NOT TODAY, I'll see all of you in hell.

[samwell-snark]

so I am LOVING your documentation (but god what a rough fandom this was to be in, I'm getting war flashbacks, NEVER AGAIN with fandoms with such an involved creator) and seeing these two posts

https://www.tumblr.com/samwell-snark/769056612585488384/sugaranspikes-very-interesting-note-from-ngozi-on?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/maeve-of-winter/617405798325338112/rascheln-did-he-earn-this-did-he-deserve-this?source=share

close together was such an interesting experience. Like. Dang. The juxtaposition between "parse got exactly what he wanted and didn’t get to grow/jack got exactly what he was scared of and grew exponentially" and even setting aside the very doubtful veracity of kent getting everything he wanted (esp considering we are introduced to him by him wanting and pursuing something and not getting it lollll), the very correct post that bitty gets literally everything he wants without having to work for it... *fascinating* to see how even the story's creator can see how that sort of trajectory simply does not work to create a real or satisfying character arc, even if she didn't recognize it when it came up in her own work.

I appreciate your kind words!

I am perpetually fascinated by the author's mind. I would love to sit her down one day and just have a chat about all this.

I do believe that she has to, at least to some extent, be aware of what she is doing in railroading Bitty's narrative into such a thin and narrow pastiche of a plotline. The distinct breakaway of all stakes and conflict once the comic hits a certain point (which could both coincide with what happend in hockey RPF and real world hockey at the time, as well as the increase in ZimBits fans who sought to see a more slice of life approach to queer romance) indicates a conscious choice to move away from certain themes and characters, such as Jack's overdose and anxiety attacks, as well as Kent Parson in general.

I do agree that there is something very human about pivoting a narrative to appease fans or to steer clear of real world events, but it makes me wish all the more that the author had been less involved, and that she was less involved even now.

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

Indie Comics Ships

Round 2

Round 2

You can find a preview of Invisible Kingdom (G. Willow Wilson, Christian Ward) here

You can find a preview of Abbott (Saladin Ahmed, Sami Kivelä) here

You can read Check, Please ! (Ngozi Uzaku) here

More under the cut :

Vess and Grix :

Invisible Kingdom, a creation of two big comic names published by Dark Horse, is so good it got an Eisner Award.

In a galaxy far, far away, it tells the story of Grix, a daring spaceship captain who uncovers a vast conspiracy involving the megacorporation she works with and the religious power in place. As she does so, she crosses path with Vess, a religious apprentice who's unveilled the conspiracy from her side of it and is on the run with her delusions. Together with Grix's crew, they try to do what is right. The evolution of Grix and Vess' relationship is really well done.

Elena and Amelia :

Elena's a divorced Black reporter trying to make a name for herself in the journalistic sphere who starts investigating horrific murders pinned on the Black community. Amelia's a Chinese woman working into a gang. They have an on/off relationship along the series.

[nitewrighter]

One complaint about comic book movies that makes me shake my head is “I hate all these ongoing storylines and crossovers, just be self contained!!”. On one level I understand, if someone is new to this, and there are genuine complaints about the mcu and the dc movies, but if continuity is their problem?

Those people would not last long reading the original comics, because they’ve been doing ongoing storylines since at least the 60’s. The guys who complain about not being able to watch an avengers movie without seeing a previous one, reading a few X-men comics would make their heads swim.

I mean even in comics though, for all the tangled storylines, there are loads of one-shots and graphic novels and multiple points of entry for readers to familiarize yourself with the characters. Hence my joke where you can just grab whatever trade paperback your library has and just get started from there. Really because comics themselves are such a mess, there's no shortage of writers and continuities to start shaping your tastes and experiences from. Of course, if you can get your hands on big compilations of famous comic book events or writers working on a continuous arc, such as a collected volume of Kirby's Fourth World, those can be better starting points than floppy thin trade paperbacks because then you got a big beefy compilation to work through rather than praying you can find the next ultra-thin volume of five back issues.

I think the main issue with the MCU is, ironically, you pretty much have just the one entry point back with Iron Man--or back with Captain America if you go chronological. But both those movies came out more than a decade ago, and like, if you want to watch "Agatha All Along" just because you like Kathryn Hahn, only you haven't tuned in to the MCU since like, Endgame (Half a decade ago!!) you're probably still going to watch at least Wandavision and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness to know what's going on. That's like, 10 hours of content! Not to mention all the side characters who show up who are going to have all of these side jokes and references to the rest of the damn cinematic universe! That isn't to say that you don't have a lot of comics referencing other arcs and stuff, but if you pick up a comic in the middle of an arc, there will usually be some notes in the comic on where a good entry point/point of reference for this arc would be, but that's mostly a thing you have to deal with if you're choosing to brave the jungle of back issues. There's still plenty of graphic novels, one-shots, and compiled arcs that don't require much of a previous familiarity with the characters (For example, if you don't have the time for the whole Kirby Fourth World saga, you can read Ngozi Ukazu's Barda!). Or sometimes you have volumes like "Teen Titans: A Celebration of 50 Years" which, granted, cherrypicks from a lot of random issues, but still provides a combination of broad snapshots and some iconic moments (such as the Judas Contract) for characters and big comic events.

[chiarts45]

Character introduction

ALEX LEE

His ancestors come from the country of Singapore. Now I would call him quiet but at the same time he isn't as he quickly reacts to the things going on around him as well as keeping quiet when he feels that a situation is too stupid to intervene. He swears a lot and is rude and mean even to those close to him. He doesn't really care about a lot of stuff going on as well. He is an expert at creatively insulting people who try to attack him verbally to the point that it's enough to make some cry. He loves reading fantasy comic books and has an addiction to energy drinks so much so that he doesn't even sleep or forgets to sleep most of the time and doesn't eat enough. He doesn't really care about his appearance as well and his clothes always look rumpled and not ironed. He doesn't do that well in school either as he always gets Cs. He always accompanies Monday on her adventures as well...well more like Monday drags him. He is also quick to get angry and annoyed.

MONDAY IMA

A rather optimistic and silly yet smart girl who is kinda cringe and obsessed with anime and Japanese culture or rather is a weeaboo, she is friendly and is a computer whiz/expert who is studying surprise surprise, computer science in the university. She can also be kind of weird especially when it comes to her fictional anime guys/anime obsessions and is also very talkative. What is her and Alex's purpose in the show you ask? Well you see whenever Ngozi(one of my ocs) and her gang get into trouble they always contact Monday for help and she doesn't even mind coming over anyway. When the gang show her the problem she doesn't hesitate to say "blah blah blah but this is not new to me, I think I can handle this" while not forgetting to do the anime push up glasses thing along the way then helps the gang solve whatever problem they're facing with Alex by her side. She and Alex have sort of a confusing relationship where Alex is sometimes mean to her yet still considers her as a friend.

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2025 #10

I remain full steam ahead on reading a ton even while I am in training for me job. Less reading happening at home before and after work though because I am paying attention to my needy cat. Also letting y'all know ahead of time that next week's reading log is going to be late because I will be at a LARP over the weekend, and so coming home Sunday evening I might be too exhausted to function. wish me well and lots of fun putting on costumes and forcing the jocks of the nerd world to do improv games with me

Finished:

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 11-13 by Bisco Hatori, translated by Masumi Matsumoto so you know how last week I went "oh wow Tamaki is the first person to 'think i hauve covid'". well Haruhi has now been struck with the same phenomenon where when she realizes (with a lot of help) that she has a crush on Tamaki she ALSO comes down with flu like symptoms. she is not as deep in denial as Tamaki is and instead does Research on what love feels like thru girl's magazines and romance manga. also we're coming to a climactic point with the Tamaki/Haruhi/Hikaru love triangle, bc at the end of volume 13, Hikaru confesses! Haruhi's reaction to be found in the next volume i've hit a tipping point in the manga where despite still being a comedy, there's a much higher proportion of emotional/dramatic beats to gags & jokes

Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell, narrated by Gary Furlong serviceable gay romantasy, but i wish we dropped the mortal realm side of the storyline in favor of more fae realm stuff. i wanted to linger in the MCs decision to stage ritualized sexual submission in order to save both their lives, coup the fae queen, and have fun while doing it. instead we had an excruciatingly long scene of step by step learning that someone (a trans someone) might change their name (because they are trans) and that that would be mystically recognized as their true name, and a fist fight with a human dude that had next to nothing to do with our protagonists

Check, Please! #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu the way this graphic novel is organized does a MASSIVE disservice to it. Who's decision was it to put all of Bitty's tweets in a separate section at the end, instead of interspersing them chronologically with the episodes they go along with?! That decision makes the comic much less comprehensible, means you miss out on jokes, the reader has to put together themselves when certain tweets were made in the story. It's such a shame bc it would be so fun to end each chapter with "this is what Bitty was tweeting about". i will never not complain about this bc its baffling to me as a way to print a webcomic with tie in tweets

Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again: Women and Desire in the Age of Consent by Katherine Angel, narrated by Cat Gould good pop-academic book about the current state of feminist discourse around rape culture/pushing affirmative consent models as the solution. ie. a lot of the affirmative consent model depends on Empowering Women to know and say what they want, and that has a lot of failure states because it's actually really fucking hard to know yourself and your own desires and express them and act on them, and even if you do, expressing them and acting on them can have social consequences AND we're presuming the person they're expressed to is going to respect that in the first place. also has a good break down on the assumptions that a lot of sexological research has that make it questionable in its actual applicability to life outside of a research setting

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 12 written by Kanehito Yamada, art by Tsukasa Abe, translated by Misa 'Japanese Ammo' *thumbs up* fun, though twitter discourse about it invaded my life this week bc my roommate came to complain to me about people criticizing the way demons are portrayed as ontologically evil in Frieren. i have Thoughts

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 12 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Jocelyne Allen a volume of what did you eat yesterday is exactly long enough to read during my lunch break. I will be blazing through the rest of this manga very soon, right after I finish Ouran

Abandoned:

The Winter Knight by Jes Battis, narrated by Gabra Zackman, Nicky Endres, Gail Shalan, Lee Osorio, and Dylan Kiedman listened to a Lot of this for audiobook busy work time but never really enjoyed it. decided this morning that i dont have to finish it if I didnt like it, even if i got really far. i think contemporary/urban fantasy is not my genre. also its hard to make a fantasy murder mystery compelling bc you need to do fantasy worldbuilding at the same time as clues, and I think the assumption that the reader would be really familiar with Arthuriana and cared about it was where a lot of the play for reader investment was and I Did Not Care or know enough to care i read to 78% and then decided "actually i dont need to finish this" and returned the libby loan

Started/Ongoing:

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto VERY readable scifi heist caper with an entirely queer cast. i'm having a good time and my goal is to finish reading it today after i wrap up this post

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, narrated by Raphael Corkhill this book is going to make me ill (positive). the erotics of power dynamic at play here.....Surit could at any moment bend Tennal's mind to his will irreversibly, has orders to do so, and would be rewarded enormously for it. he categorically refuses to do so and is ready to go against all of his own interests to get Tennal fucking out of here because he is somehow the Most Honorable Man In The Galaxy. that's hot

[unforeseen-idiot]

Check Please is on Webtoons

I haven’t really read Webtoons, but Check Please is one of my favorite things ever, and Ngozi is making new notes to the comics and I’ll take Ngozi talking about Check Please tidbits any day. Also it might expand the audience and could make the show more of a reality. Or at least get more people to recognize my Samwell Hockey shirt.

[gretahayes]

Watching you read Jack Kirby is bringing me so much joy right now!!! They’re such good comics!!

(Also if you are looking for something newer that is very good in the Jack Kirby Fourth World please check out “Barda!” a graphic novel by Ngozi Ukazu, she writes the characters so well and the art is beautiful)

I HAVE A READING ORDER BUT I HAVE!! READ BARDA. SUCHHH A HUGE FAN NGOZI UKAZU MARRY ME RN.

^ article that genuinely did make me fall in love btw

[blackgumball]

4 10 24!

hiii kes! tysm!

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

LEGUINNNNNNN I fell in love with the works of Mrs Ursula K Leguin this year. Had a great time starting the Earthsea cycle and reading The Left Hand of Darkness. Also shoutout to Harlan Ellison, who I already liked as an author but got to appreciate as an audiobook narrator through his reading of A Wizard of Earthsea.

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

Idk if I keep track of new releases aghh. The newest books I've read were a graphic novel by Ngozi Ukazu called Barda and the last of Dungeon Meshi. I liked dunmesh more. Barda had kind of an intruiging premise but I don't know enough about detective comics to really be compelled by her character (maybe that was a failure of the text. never felt a real connection to any character) I should start keeping up w new releases lol

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

Oh so much. I DNF'd 9 books.

The Last House on Needless Street - audiobook. it bored me.

The Dream Thieves - ebook. sometimes i lose motivation in the midst of a series and tbh gansey kinda pisses me off. i'd like to return to this though, in fact i think i just got it on libby

His Secret Illuminations - ebook. woke fantasy erotica. i dont like to use the word "woke" in a negative sense but there was really no other way to describe it. tmi but i came to see a monk get dominated not to read about him being outraged that they don't make fantasy birth control effectively for big tall girls oml

Book Lovers - ebook. YAWNNNN

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - audiobook. this shit was so fucking long and my hold lapsed :(

On the Way to the Wedding - audiobook - SNOOOOREEEEEE

The Death of Ivan Ilyich/Master and Man - I actually had to read this for class, and I DID finish Ivan Illyich, but i had no reason to read master and man, and by that point i was lighting candles praying for the death of my russlit teacher so i really didnt have any free time for the second half of this.

The Ethical Slut, Third Edition: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love - ebook. i just gave up.

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Difficult, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents - ebook. realised i couldnt relate and moved on.

[neep-neep-neep]

Ngozi's symbolism in Check Please!

it's been boiling inside me too long so i have to let this out now. Too many people don't understand Ngozi's symbolism in Check Please! and to increase your enjoyment of the series and her clever writing (honestly, I've seen the worst takes from people about her writing somehow being subpar because of the ending or Parse not getting a happy ever after ugh). Listen to the woman when she says "the pie is Bitty"!

Part I: Pie

Bitty brings a pecan pie to SMH to introduce his Southern identity to a Yankee university and sports team. He brings another four pies to the family skate with Jack and agonizes when a slice is about to be left over. He drops a pie when overwhelmed by Shitty and Nursey's discussion of the rumors about Jack and the secrets he has to keep.

The fruit filling is Bitty's sweet, warm, and tender inner self and the crust is, well, his formal, people-pleasing, selfless outer shell.

A fruit pie is either fully obscured or latticed, both being some sort of cover for the filling.

Bitty is making an intricate lattice on a pie and stopping halfway through to break down while on the phone with his mom. He isn't ready to tell her, even though she does inform him her pie (Bitty) is 'almost ready to come out'.

II: Jam

After "Me & Jack", Bitty goes on a jam making spree. The jam is a similar fruity sweet substance, but it is in clear jars because Jack and Bitty's truth is out, and may even be open to some sympathetic players on other NHL teams (he mentions in a tweet that he owes someone on the Schooners squad a jar of jam, as the preserve is becoming a hit through Jack's generous gifting). He also informs Jack "it's gonna be two trips", foreshadowing the fact they'll have to come out a second, more emotionally wracking time.

Jam also represents Bitty's connection with his aunt Judy, a nonconformist in the family who as Ngozi has explained encouraged him to seek a higher educational option where he could be himself. He has loyalty to Judy above his mother, a secret that eventually and humorously blows up in his face.

III: Bread and toast

Jack tells his entire NHL team about Bitty while they're eating a lopsided (but delicious) loaf of bread and the aforementioned jam, both homemade by the diminutive southerner. Bitty makes sandwiches for Jack as loving gestures, giving him support during his toughest days on the ice. At his worst, Jack sees himself as broken or incapable of moving past the substance abuse and mental health issues he struggled with under an unbearable spotlight as the hockey prince.

Jack is the bread. The same warm and supportive oven that bakes Bitty's pies also allows bread to rise. Samwell helped Jack just as it helped Bitty, but more important, Bitty was a huge part of why Samwell helped Jack.

It's also why two identical slices of toast pop into frame when Whiskey brushes Bitty off when the latter tries to talk to him in the cafeteria.

Whiskey is or at least wants to be seen as masculine through and through, his interests and future as regimented and compartmentalized as a TV dinner. He sees only weakness in Bitty's soft, sweet personality, and feels they don't have anything (else) in common. He rejects not just pies but Bitty's other offers of kindness and help, because he sees Bitty like he's afraid other people will see him if the truth ever gets out.

He represents the awkward, self-denying phase of coming to terms with your queerness later in life.

The story does, however, leave the question open whether Samwell helps Whiskey the way it helped Jack and Bitty and countless others. Whiskey will have Bitty's dibs as well as his support, as Bitty has done important work in college sports, setting a precedent that will even help people as different to him as Whiskey.

All of this to say some of you need to reread the comic again in its entirety and please annotate in the margins and have a 5 paragraph essay on Ngozi's epicness on my desk by monday class disMISSED