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Rotten #1 Comic Book Review
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Moonstone Writers: Mark Rahner, Robert Horton Art: Dan Dougherty One of the difficulties in reviewing comic books by the issue rather than in graphic novel format is that modern comic plots often take so long to reach their momentum. Writers such as Brian Michael Bendis often favour issue-long dialogue driven scenes that read well in…
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Hum Graphic Novel Review
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2009, Diablo Productions Writer: Scott “Diablo” Marcano, Tom Lenoci Art: Renzo Podesta In one of Warren Ellis’s wonderful column series ‘Come in Alone,’ he comments astutely on the great irony of Image Comics and the exodus of talent by MacFarlane, Lee, Liefeld, Valentino, Silvestri and co. from Marvel and DC to their own creative landscape.…
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Aliens #1 Comic Book Review
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Dark Horse Writer: John Arcudi Pencils: Zach Howard Inks: Mark Irwin, Zack Howard Colours: Wes Dzioba With Dark Horse currently compiling their back catalogue into rather neat Omnibus editions, it’s surprising how well many of the early Aliens, Predator and Terminator miniseries still read. Naturally, there were only so many directions these franchises could be…
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Batman Reborn: Batman and Robin #1 Review
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DC Comics Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Frank Quitely Colourist: Alex Sinclair When DC Comics gave Grant Morrison the keys to their multiversal kingdom, it must have seemed like a winning strategy. Given his reputation as the “reboot guy” on titles like Animal Man and Doom Patrol, it made sense to let Morrison re-jiggle the DC…
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Dead Run #1 Comic Book Review
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BOOM! Studios Story: Andrew Cosby Script: Michael Alan Nelson Artist: Francesco Biagini Colours: Matthew Wilson It’s Mad Max meets Vanishing Point, in this kinetic post-apocalyptic four part series created by Eureka scribe Andrew Cosby. When daredevil delivery driver Nick Masters’ sister is kidnapped by crime boss Kane, he is forced to deliver a package across…
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Officers: World War II PC Review
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Medal of Honour may not have been the first World War II game, but since that title debuted for the original PlayStation in 1999 there’s been a steady market for historical wargames that, if sales of Call of Duty 4 and Company of Heroes are anything to go by, isn’t about to die face down…
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Terminator Salvation Movie Review
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James Cameron’s once treasured Terminator franchise has seen its ups and downs over the last few years. A second sequel that offered little more than a retread veering into self-parody and a sixty year-old Schwarzenegger, and an occasionally interesting and cerebral television show that was cancelled just as it was looking promising have diminished the…
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Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge PC Review
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This spiritual sequel to the Jagged Alliance series does little to bring turn-based tactical gaming out of the nineties.
Shelf Abuse
Storytelling, comic books and self-publishing
To better focus my efforts, Bothersome Books, my wee publishing imprint and home to my novel and short stories, has merged with Shelf Abuse. Expect several new releases this year.
Shelf Abuse: Sporadically Singing the Unsung Since 2006
Welcome to Shelf Abuse, the blog of British writer, web/graphic designer and occasional illustrator Carl Doherty.
What started out in 2006 as a blog about comics, gradually leaning more towards self-published and creator-owned works, has slowly transitioned into a home for my own self-published efforts, and a place to share my opinions on art, literature, cinema, storytelling, publishing, design, animal rights, depression… and yes, still comics. You’ll also find the occasional guest article amidst my mercifully brief rants.
Current Site Status
Due to an increasingly dense schedule, I’m no longer officially accepting review submissions. Hopefully this will eventually change, but not looking likely any time soon.
However, my love for indie comics hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Please do feel free to follow me on social media, add me to your mailing list or inform me of your new book. I can’t always reply, but I always appreciate hearing about new books.