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The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb Book Review
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MQ Publications By: Robert Crumb Though the debate over whether Crumb’s work is juvenile pornography or inventive, sexually-charged satire has hopefully been left behind with the seventies, it is difficult to believe that the “nasty, negative, misanthropic sex pervert” – as Crumb himself describes his public image in this book’s introduction – has a sweeter…
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Batman: Death and the City TPB Review
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2007, DC Writers: Paul Dini, Stuart Moore, Royal McGraw Pencils: Don Kramer, Andy Clarke Inks: Wayne Faucher Colours: John Kalisz, Nathan Eyring Perhaps more than any mainstream comic property, Batman is perfectly suited for short stories, due in parts to the character being firmly rooted in the noir/crime genre. The Bruce Timm and Paul Dini…
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Hellboy II Movie Review
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2008 Director: Guillermo del Toro Script: Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt As much as it may agitate the bitter pro-auterist cinephile, there’s a lot to be said for imposed creative restriction. If the excessive Brontosaurus chase in the recent remake…
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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is, er… Forcefully Unleashed?
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in NewsThe demo for the much anticipated Star Wars unleashed has just hit Xboxlive, and it’s pretty darn good to say the least. In fact I was so impressed by it that I decided to write a certain someone a little letter: Dear Mr Lucas, Unlike most of my ilk, I would not accuse you of…
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Feminist Media Studies And Soap Opera
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in ColumnWhy, despite evidence that soap audiences are both male and female, soap opera is still generally regarded as a women’s genre.
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Wall E Movie Review
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2008 Director: Andrew Stanton Script: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy After the delightfully oddball concoction Ratatouille, Pixar has moved further still from family movie conventions with Wall E, the tale of a diminutive recycling robot (a Waste…
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie Review
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2008 Director: Dave Filoni Written by: Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, Scott Murphy Voice Cast: James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, Ashley Drane, Tom Kane, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson There’s a noticeable lack of grandeur in the very first minutes of Clone Wars. Gone is the scrolling text, replaced by a recap montage and a Starship…
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Signal to Noise Graphic Novel Review
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Story: Neil Gaiman Art: Dave McKean Signal to Noise has one of those rare concepts every aspiring writer wishes they’d come up with first. A film director, diagnosed with cancer, has only a few weeks to live. Tormented by the fact that a long standing personal project he’s longed to make, his unproduced magnum opus,…
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.