Monthly Archive:: June 2021
Jun 30 2021
Minnesota Writer and Artist Gerbil, aka Hyde Jonathan Goltz, on Becoming “Cute but Unflinching”
If you were to encounter Gerbil, otherwise known as Hyde Jonathan Goltz, at a convention, they might hand you one of their business cards. On the back, you would read:
Unapologetically weird.
Colorfully queer.
Sparkling through the darkness.
I’m so glad you and I exist. :3
And that sums up this…
Jun 27 2021
This Week in Geek (6/28/21–7/4/21)
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, June 28, to Sunday, July 4.
Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited travel,…
Jun 26 2021
Gold Spun Weaves a Fresh Take on Rumpelstiltskin
Morally grey characters are a lot more common in YA fiction lately, with varying degrees of success. It can be difficult to balance sympathizing with them and condemning them for the choices they make, but—when done right—it can make for a more interesting and compelling reading experience. Maureen…
Jun 23 2021
There’s a Final Fantasy IX Animated Series in Development
Released in 2000 for the original PlayStation, a few months after the console’s successor, and featuring a return to the traditional fantasy themes of early Final Fantasy that had been absent from its PS-era predecessors, Final Fantasy IX did not receive quite the appreciation it deserved at the time.…
Jun 22 2021
The Nice House on the Lake Arrives with an Amazing Debut Issue
It’s been a while since there was a book like this from DC Comics—a book that feels like it could have been published by Image Comics or another independent publisher. Based on its first issue, out this month, The Nice House on the Lake has the potential for the series to be a modern-age horror masterpiece…
Jun 21 2021
The Real MVPs of the 2020–2021 School Year
The end of the 2020–2021 school year is here, and, well, it’s been an adventure. I think this is the safe time to say to my fellow parental figures, teachers, school support staff, and child caregivers: give yourselves a hand—and then give your students one as well! We made it! It required creativity,…
Jun 20 2021
The World Ends with You: The Animation Is a Faithful Retelling of the Popular Game
The World Ends with You is one of my favorite games from the Nintendo DS era. It was the first game that I felt fully made use of the console’s namesake dual-screen technology: players swiped the stylus in various patterns to control protagonist Neku Sakuraba’s psychic attacks on the lower screen while…
Jun 20 2021
This Week in Geek (6/21/21–6/27/21)
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, June 21, to Sunday, June 27.
Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited…
Jun 19 2021
Con Quest! Is a Celebration of Fandom and Conventions for Young Readers
If there’s one thing I’ve missed throughout the pandemic, it’s conventions. Conventions are a place I can be myself, wander around to meet like-minded individuals, and support creators.
It was while pining for cons that I came across Con Quest! by Sam Maggs, a book aimed at middle-grade…
Jun 18 2021
The Sparks Brothers Showcases the Enduring Wonder of a Singular Music Duo
In The Sparks Brothers, now in theaters, director Edgar Wright has composed a love letter of a documentary to one of the most devoted and inspiring of bands. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael became a duo of the most wildly inventive and experimental music out there. They were once recognized on British television…