Shelf Abuse

Storytelling, comic books and self-publishing

  • Dominic Cooper Confirms Captain America

    by

    Richard Fitch
    in

    SuperHeroHype has confirmed that Dominic Cooper will play Howard Stark, Iron Man’s father, in Joe Johnston’s 2011 superhero flick Captain America: The First Avenger. Howard Stark recently made an appearance in Iron Man 2, played by John Slattery. Cooper will portray the pioneer some thirty years before Slattery’s Stark Expo footage, in the film’s World…

  • Turf #1 Comic Book Review

    Turf #1 Comic Book Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    Image, $2.99 Creators: Jonathan Ross, Tommy Lee Edwards Story: Jonathon Ross Art: Tommy Lee Edwards American audiences (as the majority who visit this site are) might not recognise the name Jonathan Ross, but to us Brits he’s a TV presenter adored and reviled in equal measure. A paradoxical, flamboyant man-child who’s arrogant yet self-derivative, power…

  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 Comic Book Review

    S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 Comic Book Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    Marvel, $3.99 Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Dustin Weaver Colours: Christina Strain In S.H.I.E.L.D., Jonathon Hickman (Fantastic Four, Secret Warriors) has come up with one of those ideas so darn brilliant, you can’t help but wonder how nobody else came up with it earlier. This is S.H.I.E.L.D. through the ages; from Egypt, 2620 BC, to Renaissance…

  • Kill Shakespeare #1 Comic Book Review

    Kill Shakespeare #1 Comic Book Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    IDW, $3.99 Story: Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col Art: Andy Belanger Colours: Ian Herring The blurb on the back of issue 1 of Kill Shakespeare promise to “change the way you look at Shakespeare forever.” Which might have been true, had this series, which sees the Immortal Bard’s creations integrated into one universe, arrived a…

  • Comics Fighting Cancer: RIP is now FREE

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    Joseph Pais of Black Snake Studios has informed me that the first issue of charity series RIP is now available to download free from digital comic and eBook store www.wowio.com, with $.25 of every download going to the National foundation for Cancer Research. While you’re at it you can also download 4 other comics of…

  • Sweet Tooth vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods Review

    Sweet Tooth vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    Vertigo. 2010 Story, Art: Jeff Lemire Colours: Jose Villarrubia There’s a certain sense of intimacy that comes through whenever an independent comic creator handles both the art and writing duties on a comic. When Eisner-nominated Jeff Lemire (Essex County Trilogy) moved to Vertigo, these indie sensibilities thankfully remained intact in The Nobody, an eerie homage…

  • Dragon Age #1 Comic Book Review

    Dragon Age #1 Comic Book Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    EA Comics $3.99 Story: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston Pencils: Mark Robinson Inks: Jason P. Martin Colours: Raul Trevino It’s testament to the quality of the writing team at Bioware that Dragon Age: Origins turned out to be one of the most absorbing fantasy RPG universes ever created. From afar Ferelden appeared to be yet…

  • The Call of the Wild Graphic Novel Review

    The Call of the Wild Graphic Novel Review

    by

    Carl Doherty
    in

    Campfire, 2010 Script: Lloyd S Wagner, adapted from Jack London Pencils: Sachin Nagar Colours: Pradeep Sherawat I still remember with absolute clarity the mocking laughter of my fellow pupils when I burst into tears during a primary school reading of The Call of the Wild. You see, Curly the gentle Newfoundland (kind of the dog…

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.

Author Page
Welceom to The Fold

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.

Submission Guidelines