Glen Weldon : NPR

Wonder Woman's Dated New Duds, or: Desperately Seeking Zeus-an

Wonder Woman has a new look. No, really -- this is Wonder Woman. DC Comics hide caption

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DC Comics

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Wonder Woman's Dated New Duds, or: Desperately Seeking Zeus-an

June 30, 2010 • Wonder Woman has a new look. And while we're all for the pants, the jacket is calling to mind various eras that we'd prefer not to revisit.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Artichoke Tales': Smart. Nuanced. Deeply Imagined. And Cute As All Get-Out.

June 23, 2010 • 'Artichoke Tales': A smart, nuanced, deeply imagined graphic novel that just so happens to be cute as all get-out.

Frank Masi/Warner Bros. Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The One Gunfight Jonah Hex Won't Win

June 17, 2010 • We consider the sad fate of Jonah Hex, destined to be bested this weekend by a highly dangerous adversary of the cowpoke variety.

Anger, Pangs for Less-Than-Sanguine Manga Fans As The Market Contracts

Vampire Knight is one of many manga titles published by VIZ Media. VIZ Media hide caption

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VIZ Media

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Anger, Pangs for Less-Than-Sanguine Manga Fans As The Market Contracts

June 16, 2010 • Manga publishing enjoyed quite a boom in the U.S., but that boom has seemingly come to an end, and now fans are trying to figure out how to get their fixes.

The Twittery Confluence of Comics, Comics, And (Of Course) Spider-Man

Donald Glover , subject of an enthusiastic Twitter campaign, attends the 2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors on June 3. Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Twittery Confluence of Comics, Comics, And (Of Course) Spider-Man

June 9, 2010 • Comics blogger Glen Weldon considers the Twitter-based collision of funny people and comic-book people, and incidentally explains what Twitter is for in the first place.

'Wednesday Comics,' Collected: 'Trippy, Experimental,' Still Freaking Huge

DC Comics

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Wednesday Comics,' Collected: 'Trippy, Experimental,' Still Freaking Huge

May 26, 2010 • We talk to the art director at DC Comics about the huge new book collecting a huge comic series.

Lizards, Leap No More: Little Orphan Annie Strip To End In June

Little Orphan Annie's very long reign will end in June. Tribune Media Services hide caption

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Tribune Media Services

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Lizards, Leap No More: Little Orphan Annie Strip To End In June

May 19, 2010 • We pause to pay tribute to Little Orphan Annie, whose long reign in comics will end in June.

Ol' Blue-Eyes Is Back: Race And The Return Of The Retro Superhero

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Ol' Blue-Eyes Is Back: Race And The Return Of The Retro Superhero

May 13, 2010 • When superheroes are rebooted to their "retro" forms, things get lost. Like everybody who isn't a blue-eyed white guy, for example.

The Hairy Swedish Charm Of 'The Troll King'

Review

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

The Hairy Swedish Charm Of 'The Troll King'

May 13, 2010 • Kolbeinn Karlsson's graphic novel is a profoundly surreal, at times grotesque, fever dream filled with bold colors and strange characters that blur the line between men and beasts.

I, Zombie: A Jug of Wine, A Lobe of Brain, and Thou

Vertigo

Pop Culture Happy Hour

I, Zombie: A Jug of Wine, A Lobe of Brain, and Thou

May 5, 2010 • Today in comic shops: The debut of a new series about a zombie girl detective/gravedigger. Did we mention the were-terrier? Because there's a were-terrier.

The Life And Trials Of A Full-Tilt Cartoon Misanthrope

Review

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

The Life And Trials Of A Full-Tilt Cartoon Misanthrope

April 30, 2010 • Daniel Clowes' new comic, Wilson, about a middle-aged misanthrope who lives for the sound of his own voice, will be familiar territory for the author's fans. But Glen Weldon says that Clowes' dark humor is as lacerating as ever.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Free Comic Book Day: A Checklist for the Comics Agnostic

April 28, 2010 • This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, an annual event whereby local comic shops attempt to reach new readers. Our comics blogger, a True Believer, offers his FCBD recommendations for the Non-Believer.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'This Looks So Broadway': Tim Gunn Critiques Superhero Costumes

April 21, 2010 • In which our comics blogger discusses (read: gushes about) the best superhero-related thing on the web this week. Here's a hint: It involves Tim Gunn saying, "The color on that cape is just ... ridiculously extreme, and ... I don't understand it."...

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Shiv and Let Shiv: Making Peace with 'Kick-Ass' (And Other Meditations)

April 15, 2010 • Our comics blogger rounds up some recent comic book developments, and attempts to get to the bottom of the furor around the ultra-violent "Kick-Ass".

'Market Day': Beauty And History In Handmade Art

Review

Book Reviews

'Market Day': Beauty And History In Handmade Art

April 12, 2010 • James Sturm's graphic novel, set just before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, is about a young expectant father on his way to market to sell the rugs he carefully makes by hand.