-
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere TPB Review
by
Originally published 2006, DC Vertigo Writer: Mike Carey Art: Glenn Fabry There’s something foreboding about any book which gives front cover prominence to author over title. It’s a tell-tale sign that a writer has reached a stage wherein his name bears more weight than the quality of his/her material. It’s even less reassuring when said…
-
WE3 Graphic Novel Review
by
2004, DC / Vertigo Writer: Grant Morrison Art: Frank Quitely Colours / inks: Jamie Grant I’ve always considered Grant Morrison the Philip K. Dick of the comic medium. But writers both are inhumanly creative, incomparable to almost any other writer of their period. Like Dick, Morrison writes to pay the bills, churning out radically inconsistent…
-
Peter Parker: Spider-man: Back in Black TPB Review
by
2007, Marvel Writers: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Matt Fraction, Sean McKeever Artists: Ramon Bachs, Angel Medina, Terrell Bobbett, Kano, David Lafuente, Lee Weeks, Rick Hoberg, Stefano Gaudiano, Clayton Crain, Salvador Larroca, Gary Martin Colours: Paco Roca Matt Milla, Paul Mounts, Dan Kemp, Angel Medina, Scott Hanna, Bruna Brito As a bullet riddled Aunt May lies in critical…
-
The Dark Knight Movie Review
by
2008 Director: Christopher Nolan Script: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Cillian Murphy, William Fichtner Outside of the animated feature Mask of the Phantasm, Batman has never really received the cinematic treatment he deserves. Despite a large…
-
Hellboy 2 Fists Competition
by
Hellboy 2, which us Brit’s will have to wait until late August for, has enjoyed a blistering opening weekend of around $35.9m, according to Box Office Mojo. This not only means that Guillermo del Toro’s big red sequel has already bettered it’s predecessor’s $23.1m release, but knocked the befuddled Will Smith vehicle Hancock into second…
-
The Bothersome Man (Den Brysomme Mannen) Movie Review
by
2006 Dir: Jens Lien Script: Per Schreiner Cast: Marian Saastad Ottesen, Fridjov Såheim, Kirsti Eline Torhau The Bothersome Man begins with perhaps the most nauseating and disparaging kiss in movie history. As he watches two adolescent lovers slurping hideously as they attempt to eat each others faces, bland everyman Andreas nonchalantly jumps in front of…
-
Batman: Gotham Knight DVD Review
by
Directors: Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Jong-Sik Nam Writers: Brian Azzarello, Josh Olson, David Goyer, Greg Rucka, Jordan Camera Goldberg, Alan Burnett Cast: Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan, David McCallum, Parminder Nagra, Ana Ortiz An anthology of six different shorts from six disparate art teams, Batman: Gotham Knight was perhaps an…
-
Warner Brothers Surveys Capcom’s Lost Planet
by
in Movie NewsSub-zero sci-fi coming to the big screen Despite Iron Man, Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight all extending beyond the salivating fanboy demographic and enjoying mainstream attention, Hollywood is arguably at risk of running the comic book repository dry. The solution? Resume drilling, with Daniel Plainview fortitude, into that other bottomless source of inspiration: the…
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.