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‘American Terrorist’ Needs Your Support
I was away when I received this info, so this is probably coming at the 11th hour. And yes, that headline was intended to aggravate. Essentially, Tyler & Wendy Chin-Tanner of publishing company A Wave Blue World are looking for comic fans to help fund a print run of their comic project American Terrorist via…
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Indie Comic Spotlight: The Minions of the Happy Aisles, Book One
2010, Five String Press Story: Zach Hudson Art: Mike Murphy Oh how times have changed. Several decades ago all we had to worry about was Galactus devouring the planet or a late night encounter with an escaped Arkham inmate. Now, it would appear that comic book villains are getting just that little bit too recognisable…
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Dogtooth Film Review
2009 Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou Cast: Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni, Christos Passalis, Anna Kalaitzidou Everything unknown is taken for magnificent, in this surreal and downright warped Greek movie that immediately evokes Lars von Trier and Michael Haneke, but is no less distinctive. Bar one home dentistry scene…
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Deadpool Kicks Ass in Marvel vs Capcom 3
E3 has been seen some true gaming gems unveiled this week, but the real highlight for me had to be the decent amount of gameplay footage from the long-anticipated Marvel vs Capcom 3, and finally some videos of the ubiquitous Merc with the Mouth in action. Not quite sure he’s wacky or fourth wall-busting enough…
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Iron Man 2 Movie Review
2010 Director: Jon Favreau Script: Justin Theroux Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson The finer superhero movie franchises have so far followed a pretty rigid formula. The first instalment acts as an origin story, the superior sequel throws a greater and/or more personal threat…
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The Heroic Age: Atlas #1 Comic Review
Marvel, $3.99 Story: Jeff Parker Art: Gabriel Hardman, Ramon Rosanas Colours: Elizabeth Breitweiser Back in the 90s it was compulsory at Marvel for every new series to guest star either Spider-man or Wolverine, in the hope that kids would grab these comics up just because of a familiar face, only to get hooked on new…
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Firefly: Still Flying Book Review
Published by Titan Books Firefly may have been cut down in its prime (only to be briefly brought back as a criminally underappreciated movie) but its fans refuse to move on. Not that they should, of course; few other sci-fi shows featured as enduring a cast or as distinct a universe as Joss Whedon’s…
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The Heroic Age: Secret Avengers #1 Review
Marvel, $3.99 Story: Ed Brubaker Art: Mike Deodato Colours: Rain Beredo If you’ve been in a coma for the past five years and are wondering what the ugly Heroic Age banner is all about, it’s simply Marvel’s way of saying “here we go all over again!” with another batch of new titles and super-team configurations…
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.