All posts tagged: Graphic

Seth Rogen says Oscar-winning star quit Knocked Up over graphic childbirth scene

Seth Rogen says Oscar-winning star quit Knocked Up over graphic childbirth scene

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Seth Rogen has lifted the lid on what happened behind the scenes on Knocked Up, revealing why an A-list actor who had been due to star opposite him quit the project. The hit 2007 comedy, written and directed by Judd Apatow, saw Katherine Heigl play high-flying TV producer Alison, who found out she was pregnant after a one-night stand with Ben Stone, an unemployed (and appropriately named) stoner played by Rogen. But when production initially began, Anne Hathaway was in the leading female role. Rogen was quizzed on the Les Misérables star’s exit as he appeared on The A24 Podcast with Olivia Wilde, who he stars opposite in the new film The Invite. “It was Anne Hathaway who quit [Knocked Up],” Rogen admitted. Hathaway ultimately decided ‘Knocked Up’ wasn’t for her (Getty) Referring to a graphic birth scene in the film, …

July’s New Graphic Novels Are Scorchingly Good

July’s New Graphic Novels Are Scorchingly Good

Published by Jenni Sidey

Summer is not my favorite season by a long shot, but even I must admit that everything — the bright blue skies, the flourishing trees, the profusion of flowers — looks great at this time of year. And these freshly published graphic novels aren’t too shabby either. This month, you’ll find a lot of books about dancing for some reason — I didn’t plan it that way, but here we are. There are also stories of young aliens figuring out who they are and even some romance stories about finding love in the last place you expect. At least, I hope you will find them: pub dates can change at the last minute, so double-check before hitting that order button! Corpse de Ballet by Megan Kearney (Jul 7) More than anything, Rosamund wants to become a great dancer and prove she deserves her place at her exclusive boarding school. But between the pressure to do well, a student’s unexplained disappearance, and strange secret meetings, the price of success might be higher than she expects. Kloud …

The best graphic memoirs of the year (so far) offer hope and humanity

The best graphic memoirs of the year (so far) offer hope and humanity

Published by Sam Flores

Earlier this year, my favorite place to buy graphic novels didn’t have the book I was looking for, and I thought, No worries, I’ll see if my second-favorite place to buy graphic novels has it. And then I got a little verklempt: We have never been this spoiled for choice. Though they are now the third best-selling genre in North America (behind general fiction and romance), the legitimization of the nonfiction graphic novel as a literary form is relatively new. Beyond the brisk sales, they’re among the most popular titles in elementary-school libraries, they win Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards, and they get adapted into movies and streaming shows. The now–expansive embrace of graphic novels makes the recent death of “Persepolis” creator Marjane Satrapi earlier this month feel like even more of a blow. Satrapi’s 2003 memoir of growing up in Iran during and after the country’s 1979 revolution became one of the genre’s first blockbuster hits, one of the most widely read (and widely challenged) graphic novels of all time. Earlier this year, …

Happy Ghibli Fest! Read This Graphic Novel If You Love This Studio Ghibli Movie

Happy Ghibli Fest! Read This Graphic Novel If You Love This Studio Ghibli Movie

Published by Jenni Sidey

I first came across Studio Ghibli after my family rented Kiki’s Delivery Service from a Blockbuster back in the ’90s. While I fell in love with that sweet film, I didn’t come across another Ghibli movie until Toonami’s Month of Miyazaki aired on Cartoon Network during the spring of 2006. At the time, I was deep in my Digimon and Sailor Moon era, an era I haven’t ever truly left, and the Miyazaki movie lineup blew me away. Four films had been chosen to play once a week for a month, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. When a Ghibli watch day arrived, I vividly remember stomping down the steps into our basement, sitting on the carpet a foot away from the TV, and getting completely absorbed into these emotional, magical, and awe-inspiring films. This was before streaming was a thing, so if I didn’t time it right, I risked missing part or all of the movies. Every year after that, I scoured Toonami, …

Amy Adams Rejected ‘Graphic’ SNL Sketch to Protect Young Enchanted Fans

Amy Adams Rejected ‘Graphic’ SNL Sketch to Protect Young Enchanted Fans

Published by Daniella Wilson

Amy Adams is opening up about why she rejected a “graphic” sketch idea while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2008. The Oscar-nominated actress hosted the late night NBC show a few months after her family-friendly fairytale comedy Enchanted, also starring James Marsden, hit theaters. So when SNL castmember Andy Samberg pitched her the skit, she chose to turn it down to protect her young fans. “I’ll give you the gist without telling you the punchline,” Adams said of the sketch during a recent appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “It was this couple [and] he got bit by a spider in the park, and she’s like, ‘Honey, I love you so much, and now that you’re dying, is there any last wish?’ And he’s like, ‘Yes, I never got a chance to…’ And then said what could only be described as the most graphic thing that he wanted to do with me.” Host Seth Meyers told the Cape Fear actress that Samberg had previously praised her for speaking up for herself and her image, …

These Graphic Novels Are Perfect for Father’s Day

These Graphic Novels Are Perfect for Father’s Day

Published by Jenni Sidey

Here in the U.S., we’re gearing up to celebrate Father’s Day on June 20. That means, if you’re still seeking out the perfect gift, you have a little time left! There’s also time for you and/or your dad to enjoy an appropriately themed graphic novel before the big day arrives. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your father — whether you’ve always been close, have experienced some serious bumps along the way, or somewhere in between — there’s a comic book out there for you. Batman: Li’l Gotham: Calendar Daze by Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen Who says Batman isn’t a good dad? This adorable series of shorts follows the Bat-family through a whole year’s worth of holiday-themed, crime-fighting adventures, ending — appropriately enough — with one about Father’s Day. Buckle Up by Lawrence Lindell After his parents’ divorce, Lonnie hardly gets to spend any time with his dad. They really only see each other when his dad drives Lonnie to and from school. It’s not a lot of time — certainly …

The Best New Graphic Novels for Kids Out This Year

The Best New Graphic Novels for Kids Out This Year

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s almost impossible to create a list of the best new graphic novels for kids out this year. It’s not even easy to curate a list for the month. I’ve been an elementary librarian for ten years, and the explosion of graphic novels for kids has been one of the most satisfying events to witness. As the genre has grown, new graphic novels have been crowding the shelves to the point where we’ve had to move the section in our stacks. Some books have been heartbreaking, some were absolutely absurd, and all of them were offering “thick books” to more and more students who never felt included in the reading world. I already appreciated and celebrated graphic novels, but my adoration has expanded after a recent author visit from Mat Heagerty. Mat was excellent for so many reasons. He shared openly about his experiences being a student with ADHD and dyslexia, and talked about the tools that help him write. And then he made the point that the very first tool that let him be …

Did June-O About These New Graphic Novels?

Did June-O About These New Graphic Novels?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Happy June, my fellow comics fans! You’ve got a lot to look forward to this month. In addition to the expected slate of special anthologies “coming out” (lol) for Pride Month — including those published annually by DC and Marvel, not to mention this year’s Adventure Time Pride Special and Star Trek: Celebrations — you can enjoy these graphic novels about lost or directionless characters finding their way, dark secrets being forced into the light, and, of course, queer characters overcoming both ordinary and extreme challenges on their way to a well-deserved happy ending. Billy Bat Volume One by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (Jun 2) Kevin is a successful cartoonist in post-war America, but his confidence is shaken by the revelation that he might have unintentionally plagiarized his most famous character, Billy Bat. He travels to Japan to get to the bottom of things, only to realize that the mystery goes far deeper than he ever could have imagined. Encore! by Miles Toriko Burks (Jun 2) High school seniors Clay and Aron have been …

Graphic Novels Build Kids’ Literacy Skills, and More Library News

Graphic Novels Build Kids’ Literacy Skills, and More Library News

Published by Jenni Sidey

Katie’s parents never told her “no” when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois and works full time as a Circulation & Reference Manager in Illinois. She has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying and takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers. When she’s not at work, she’s at home watching the Cubs with her cats and her cardigan collection. Other hobbies include scrapbooking, introducing more readers to the Church of Tana French, and convincing her husband that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady View All posts by Katie McLain Horner Source link

5 Graphic Novels About Book Banning

5 Graphic Novels About Book Banning

Published by Jenni Sidey

In the past five years, book bans in the United States have been rampant, wreaking havoc on libraries and schools and impacting authors and readers. I’m a neighbor of Rutherford County, which is in the middle of its own book banning controversy, where, after months of controversy, the library board fired director Luanne James for refusing to move children’s books into the adult section. Rutherford County is just one of many communities across the U.S. dealing with book bans. From big cities to small, from the U.S. to military regimes, these five graphic novels grapple with the personal repercussions of book bans. What they all show is that oppression often begins with the power of controlling what people read. Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier & A.J. Dungo Dapier bases this phenomenally written graphic novel on the 2013 banning of Persepolis in Chicago public schools and the subsequent student outcry. Starring a collection of smart, scrappy teens, Dapier shows how book bans impact personal lives and why these teens choose to participate in …