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54 results.

Trans Rights Are Human Rights #transrightsreadathon

By Gene Ambaum on March 25, 2023 at 10:45 am

  Willow speaking: as some of you know, I am a transgender woman. Right now trans rights are under attack across the globe. Many conservative politicians and demagogues don’t want trans people to be safe. They don’t want us to be visible. To those in power I say: too bad. Trans visibility is important. Someone you know is trans. A trans person you know is afraid to come out to their parents, afraid to make friends, afraid to be bullied, or excommunicated. When I was young, every trans person I saw in the world was my hero. They had the courage to make themselves seen in a world that was hostile to them, to declare their real name in front of God and everybody. Trans visibility is a celebration of the pillars of our society: freedom of information, the free exchange of ideas, and education. To oppose trans and queer visibility is to be on the side of censorship, to […]

Bookstabber Podcast Episode 33: Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

By Gene Ambaum on March 24, 2023 at 9:38 am

Gene and Willow struggle to remember the one true podcast, the podcast which casts all others as shadows. Can they ally themselves with sibling podcasts and take the throne, or will this book lock them in a dungeon? This marks the beginning of The Year of Sword and Sorcery, which Gene is excited for. Willow estimates it will last three months.

Support the #transrightsreadathon this week!

By Gene Ambaum on March 20, 2023 at 7:38 am

Willow and I are supporting this week’s Trans Rights Readathon and hope you will, too!   Please read a book by a trans author and consider supporting a trans charity as well! Here are three we recommend: Trans Lifeline https://translifeline.org/  Transgender Law Center https://transgenderlawcenter.org/  Mermaids (UK) https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/  I’m re-rereading one of my favorite books, All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, which I highly recommend to everyone. And my family (including my daughter’s roommate and boyfriend) are recommending a few other books we love:  Dana Simpson’s Phoebe and Her Unicorn series, As The Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman, Nimona by ND Stevenson, and Glory (Image Comics) which was illustrated by Sophie Campbell (and our copy of which has either disappeared or is out on loan). If you’re looking for books to read you can start with those or search the hashtag on social media instead. There are lots of folks posting great recommendations out there and talking about their […]

Graphic Novel Review: 6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton Volume One by Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer

By Gene Ambaum on February 9, 2023 at 6:09 am

6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton Volume One by Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer. Image / Skybound, 2022. 9781534320086. Contains #1 – 6. Action star Trigger Keaton was a huge asshole, and no one knows it more than his sidekicks. They’re a diverse bunch with varied careers, and after Keaton’s funeral, they look into the cause of Keaton’s death together. There’s a lot of misogyny (Keaton’s), cursing, and ass-kicking, but it’s all pretty light courtesy of Starks’ dialogue and Schweizer’s cartoony violence. And there’s a stuntman war. (I just rewatched Carpenter’s They Live and its best moments have a lot in common with the best lines in this book.) Schweizer has created a bunch of graphic novels, and my favorite series of his is The Crogan Adventures. Starks seems hellbent on bringing B-grade action movie-inspired stories to comics, and it’s hard to keep up with his output — Sexcastle or Old Head (basketball+vampires) would be a great place to start exploring […]

One Of Those Days by Willow Payne

By Gene Ambaum on January 25, 2023 at 9:56 am

Willow wrote and drew “One Of Those Days,” a NSFW guest comic for Oh Joy Sex Toy about gender dysphoria. I highly recommend you read it when you’re away from your work computer. http://www.ohjoysextoy.com/one-of-those-days-willow-payne/ Make sure you check out the amazing comics Willow has been publishing at hauntedskull.com too. “Soiree” (the one with dinosaurs!) is one of my favorites.

Bookstabber Episode 30: Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

By Gene Ambaum on January 20, 2023 at 9:00 am

Gene and Willow are bound by their Houses to raise the corpse of their podcast. Willow is frustrated about swords and queer representation while Gene enjoys being a smartass. bookstabber.podbean.com 

Graphic Novel Review: Take The Long Way Home by Jon Claytor

By Gene Ambaum on November 24, 2022 at 6:33 am

Take The Long Way Home by Jon Claytor. Conundrum, 2022. 9781772620702. 460pp. Artist Jon Claytor drove across Canda in 2019, from Halifax to Prince Rupert, BC, for an artist residency. Along the way and after he made this graphic novel about the trip. It’s full of his friends and his kids and his ongoing struggle to stay sober. It’s charming, reflective, and, at times, very dark. In Chapter 10 Claytor reproduces what he’d say at a meeting if he was asked to share his story as it pertains to alcoholism. He continually warns readers to skip the whole section, but it’s my favorite part of the book. There’s a lot of shame involved, and he describes finding that he wanted to live only after a failed attempt to kill himself. It’s one of the most moving things I’ve read in a long time, in part because Claytor’s art and hand lettering feels immediate and honest. I read this section several […]

New Patches in the Store! New Kickstarter!

By Gene Ambaum on October 16, 2022 at 1:55 pm

Our new Badass Patches Kickstarter just launched! We’re funding an XL 9″ version of our new FUCK CENSORSHIP patch.   We’re already selling a smaller 4″ version of the FUCK CENSORSHIP patch and sets including some/all of the new patches at https://read-something.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/

Bookstabber Episode 25: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

By Gene Ambaum on October 7, 2022 at 7:56 am

Just when you thought it was safe to podcast! Gene and Willow stare into the dark hearts of fictional, meta-narrative murderers and victims. Can our heroes unmask this book before it kills again?! Available at bookstabber.podbean.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

My Friend Tim Allen’s Stories

By Gene Ambaum on September 30, 2022 at 8:00 am

I met my friend Tim over 30 years ago in a writing class I took to find folks interested in writing the same kind of things I wanted to write — science fiction and fantasy and horror. Genre stuff. (My university looked down on that sort of thing.) That group was filled with extraordinary writers and amazing stories, and Tim wrote many of the best. (He’s also always supported my work — he gave Bill and I detailed feedback on early Unshelved strips, and he even performed my much-much-too-long wedding ceremony.) Over the years I’ve begged and badgered Tim to follow my lead and just put his stories up somewhere for folks to enjoy. He would not listen…until now. Tim has a website! https://timallenstories.net/ (There’s a convenient link beneath our comic strips if you misplace that.) Pretty please, go read some of his work before he changes his mind and locks it in his vault again. -Gene