AltWeeklies Wire
A Sweet Crop of New Graphic Narrativesnew
Comics. Graphic novels. Sequential-art books. Call them what you will, but there are more of them than ever. Here's a rundown on some of the best from the past few months.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
10-15-2009 |
Books
Spike Jonze Turns Maurice Sendak's Classic Children's Book into an Adult Work of Artnew
Jonze's sensibility is an authentic development of the music-video era's generational split -- which is also an aesthetic split. He doesn't exploit pop rebellion but has a counter-intuitive slant on what's funny, sad, universal.
New York Press |
Armond White |
10-15-2009 |
Reviews
Kerouac's Big Sur Dreams -- and Nightmares -- are Memorialized in New DVD/CDnew
F-Stop/Atlantic Records is honoring the 40th anniversary of Jack Kerouac's death on Oct. 21, 1969 with the release of a 98-minute documentary and accompanying CD about Big Sur, both titled One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur.
Monterey County Weekly |
Stuart Thornton |
10-15-2009 |
Books
The Afghan War: Too Illegit to Quit
Eight years. We've been in Afghanistan longer than any other war in American history. The party of the president who invaded Afghanistan has been repudiated at the polls. Yet we still haven't altered the flawed strategy that allowed uneducated tribesmen with outdated weapons to defeat us year after year.
Brooklyn's Grooms Have a New Album and a Distinctive Take on Today's Soundnew
The band doesn't quite fit in with the current, decidedly '60s and '70s signifiers of indie rock cool. "Sometimes people will listen to our music and say, 'It’s kind of '90s, and it reminds me of Pavement,' and I really don't think it does. We sometimes worry that we're out of step with the trend."
New York Press |
Adam Rathe |
10-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Republican Dark Horse Candidate for Congress Winnning Over Some New Mexico Votersnew
Adam Kokesh, the Republican candidate for New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District seat -- currently held by Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Lujan -- is picking up support from Truthers, Birthers, Deathers and Tea Partiers, whose affiliations run the gamut from disenchanted Democrats to white supremacists.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
10-15-2009 |
Politics
Al Giordano's School of Authentic Journalism Tweaks J-School Conventionsnew
The school, which is located on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, has grown steadily in the past seven years. And this past month, the school announced it will be offering 24 scholarships for "up-and-coming journalists and communicators" to attend a 10-day session there this February.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
10-14-2009 |
Media
Mirror Universe Tapes Helps Revive Interest in a Once-Dead Formatnew
It's hardly worth declaring a cassette revival, or even to say tapes are the new vinyl. But the recent success of the Charleston-based cassette-only record label Mirror Universe Tapes seems to indicate otherwise.
Charleston City Paper |
Bryan Reed |
10-14-2009 |
Music
'Where the Wild Things Are' Left Me Out in the Coldnew
It's standard practice to praise children's movies by saying they'll be enjoyed by parents and children alike, but in this case I suspect that some parents will sink blissfully into a reverie watching the characters throw clods of dirt, while their offspring tug on sleeves to ask when they can go outside and throw clods of dirt.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
10-14-2009 |
Reviews
Kathy Griffin Wins Big as a Hollywood Losernew
Many comedians have made a living by finding funny eccentricities in everyday life. But Griffin's show is less about what you did or saw yesterday and more about what you read on TMZ.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
10-14-2009 |
Performance
Who Took Our Jobs? Why Oregon's Unemployment is at the Top of the Charts ... Againnew
Studying unemployment figures in Oregon is like being a homicide detective in Baltimore -- there's no lack of casework. The problem is, how to piece together so much evidence. There's no shortage of theories why our unemployment is always among the nation's highest -- here are a few possibilities.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
10-14-2009 |
Economy
In Virginia Gov. Race, Democrat Creigh Deeds Crawls Toward the Finish Linenew
There's little doubt that would-be governor Creigh Deeds is currently stuck between Barack and a hard place. Long known as a genial, gun-lovin' Democrat, Deeds has been forced to fight his current battle against Bob McDonnell -- a slick, well-coiffed conservative Ken doll -- well outside his comfort zone.
C-Ville Weekly |
Dan Catalano |
10-14-2009 |
Politics
How Anna Broadway Cashed in on Being a 31-year-old Virgin and Scored a Book Dealnew
There are huge advantages to being a 31-year-old virgin, says Broadway, whose popular blog "Sexless in the City" ultimately led to a book contract with Doubleday. But there are downsides, too.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-14-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'Couples Retreat' is Like a Half-Assed Update of 'Fantasy Island'new
Getting away from it all isn't easy. Start by getting away from this movie.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
10-14-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Couples Retreat, Peter Billingsley
Sprial Stairs Dishes on His New Album and Pavement's Hyped Reunionnew
Five years after the last Preston School of Industry album was released, Scott Kannberg is ready to present his fans with an album full of material that sounds nothing like his previous bands' output. He's back to being Spiral Stairs, but this time, there's not as much to joke about.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dryw Keltz |
10-14-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
