12/20/12

Come join A-Kon at the screening of the Madoka Magica movie at the Texas Theater on December 29!

Bramlett, Frank, ed.  Linguistics and the Study of Comics.  New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012.  xiv + 310 pp.  $85.00.  Hardback.  ISBN 978-0-230-36282-6. The basic purpose of this edited volume is best stated in the editor’s “Introduction.”  Namely  that this is “a book for anybody who wants to know more about how language and comics go together.  It begins...

Spiegelman, Art.  MetaMaus: A Look inside a Modern Classic, Maus.  New York: Pantheon Books, 2011.  301 pp.  $35.00.  Hardback.  ISBN 978-0-375-42394-9.  With MetaMaus: The Complete Maus Files.  DVD. Reader Warning: This volume is not for the faint of heart.  Confronting evil never is. This insightful work, by the author of the original Maus, brings to light...

Through our new Fandom & Neomedia Studies (FANS) Association initiative, A-Kon is seeking to support, assist, and promote fandom and media studies.  We are encouraging investigations and studies into these and related phenomena in the widest possible scope.  Though we are starting small, with a peer-reviewed online journal and hosting a conference, our...

After more than four decades, the fate of the Ringworld and its cast of trillions is revealed. Niven and Lerner have outdone themselves in bringing to a conclusion the saga of a world vast and diverse beyond measuring. And the ultimate danger comes from an unexpected front.

Robinson, already famous for his Mars and Environment Trilogies, tackles the questions of returning to a degraded environment on Earth after the human species has been living in space habitats and colonies around the solar system for several centuries.

On the surface, the game of karuta doesn’t appear to be particularly interesting or exciting, but the game’s simple nature belies the speed and intensity of competitive gameplay. The same could be said of the new show on Crunchyroll this season, Chihayafuru. On the surface, a series about the game of karuta does not sound all that compelling, but this simple premise belies the strength of the show’s artistry, characters, and storytelling.

Sherlock Holmes reenters the American canon of detective fiction in the new series Elementary.

09/24/12

Tokyo-based production group Gaijin Channel is producing a new on-going documentary web series covering Japan’s traditional special effects films, including Godzilla, Gamera, Ultraman and more.

09/22/12

Let’s be real here – I just want to talk about “Gangnam Style,” even if the review is a month or two late to the party. And soon!! You will get some delicious Gangnam goodness if you keep reading, because I wanted to take a unique angle to reviewing it.