So... I love Star Wars. I have always loved Star Wars. My friends and I would routinely marathon Star Wars , The Empire Strikes Back , and Return of the Jedi at sleepovers when we were younger. (Or maybe we still do - who among you will judge me?) So, for fans like me, May 4th is a special day - it's Star Wars day! Why do you ask?… continue reading May the 4th Be With You!
By written by Rachel F. May 4, 2017
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month , so I thought I would share some exciting developments in the world of Asian American superheroes! There's a brand new Hulk in town, and his name is Amadeus Cho ! Get ready for gamma-fueled entertainment as the newly-empowered kid genius decides he's gonna be the best… continue reading Asian American Superheroes
By written by Rachel F. May 3, 2017
Wow, what a success that was! 2017 marked our third annual Free Library of Comic Con and it was our biggest yet! To all of you who came—Thank You! You are the reason we’re able to do great programs like Free Library of Comic Con that are fun for everyone and empowering to local artists, publishers, and performers. Without you and… continue reading Free Library of Comic Con 2017 Wrap-Up!
By written by J. Matthew C. April 19, 2017 1
At long last, the time has come... If you’ve been longing to get out of the house after a long snow and ice bound end to winter, Free Library of Comic Con ( FLoCC ) is a great chance to go out and get your geek on! This year's event kicks off outside of Parkway Central Library at 9:45 a.m. with a performance from the Drexel Dragon… continue reading Free Library of Comic Con
By written by J. Matthew C. March 22, 2017
Looking for something heartfelt and inspiring to read while supporting a worthy cause this Valentine's Day? Check out Love is Love , a 162-page graphic novel from IDW Publishing and DC Comics , honoring the victims, supporting the survivors, and celebrating the LGBTQ community affected by the senseless Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando,… continue reading Love is Love
By written by Peter SM February 14, 2017
I have weird memories of being a teenage girl—I’m pretty sure that I thought I was right about everything when maybe I was in actuality not so swift on the uptake. It’s refreshing for me now to read graphic novels in which the teenage female protagonist is so much stronger and sometimes has more superpowers than I could have… continue reading Teen Girls in Comics: The People I Wish I Would Have Been
By written by Rachel F. January 11, 2017
2016 was another great year for readers and fans of comic books, specifically graphic novels. While not necessarily a "Top 10" (especially since I selected sixteen!) and definitely not in any order of importance, the following are just sixteen really cool, fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking graphic novels I read and enjoyed in… continue reading 16 Great Graphic Novels from 2016
By written by Peter SM December 29, 2016
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... to be a lady who likes comics. One day you get to celebrate the appearance of the first African American woman to own a comic book store on a cover of a major comic and then the next you have entitled jerks creating impossible and sexist art ( NSFW link here ). It’s a give and take… continue reading Let's Hear It For the Ladies (in comics)!
By written by Rachel F. December 21, 2016 1
I love a graphic novel—and even better I love a graphic novel memoir . There is something so much more intimate about reading the words AND pictures when someone shares her story. Or maybe I’m just a slower reader when it comes to nonfiction … who is to say? Either way, there have been a TON of amazing graphic novels that… continue reading Graphic Novel Memoirs
By written by Rachel F. August 24, 2016
Since their inception, comics have been considered “low culture.” Comics have their roots in political cartoons, which were targeted toward those who could not read the newspaper. They were for poor communities with little access to education. Comics are accessible, popular, and affordable, and thus have been deemed less worthy of… continue reading A comic #FLPNoShameNovember
By written by Jordan H. November 3, 2015
It's new comic book day across the United States today and you can flip through some new comics without even leaving your house to head down to your local comic shop. Hoopla , one of our most popular Digital Media resources here at Free Library, already boasts a catalog of more than 300,000 movies, TV shows, music albums, and audiobooks.… continue reading Hoopla Makes A Splash (Page), Now Offering Comic Book Downloads!
By written by Peter SM May 20, 2015 1
It's new comics day across the United States today. Unfortunately, I am still catching up on my reading from last year! Yes, it was another year where a ton of great graphic novels were released! While the following list isn't necessarily a definitive list of THE best graphic novels of 2014, the following are fourteen really cool, fun,… continue reading Graphic Novels: Top 14 of 2014
By written by Peter SM January 7, 2015
Have you seen the new trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron ? It has all the standard features of a summer blockbuster: slow motion clips, people running and screaming, and lots of explosions. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll notice something new. New Characters Fraternal twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff ( Quicksilver and the… continue reading Avengers: Age of Ultron
By written by Christina P. November 12, 2014
This Saturday many comic book stores across the country will celebrate Halloween ComicFest , reveling in the horror-day spirit of screams and scares this frightful fall. Here is a " Friday Five " of some of the most creepy comics and spooktacular series lurking in our cob-webbed strewn bookstacks, just in time for the Halloween… continue reading Friday Five: Four Color Fear and Illustrated Horror
By written by Peter SM October 24, 2014
image courtesy of DC Comics Back in April, I wrote about the numerous events DC Comics had planned throughout this year to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Batman . Today is one of the bigger events—if not the biggest—of the year, as comic shops, bookstores, and libraries across the globe will celebrate Batman Day . It's no… continue reading Holy Celebration! It's Batman Day!
By written by Peter SM July 23, 2014
After a failed geoengineering attempt to fix climate change leaves the earth in an everlasting winter, the last humans in Bong Joon-ho’s new sci-fi thriller, Snowpiercer , survive aboard a high-speed train that circumnavigates the world. Based on the French comic book, Le Transperceneige , by Jacques Lob, Bong’s film depicts… continue reading Crazy Train
By written by Jamie B. July 8, 2014
It's Memorial Day weekend once again, the official start of summer, and with it movie blockbuster season. Godzilla may have stomped and crushed the competition last week (pun intended!), but this weekend one of the more anticipated films of the year will fill multiplexes with mutants . X-Men Days Of Future Past is probably one of my… continue reading Friday Five: A to Z X-Men
By written by Peter SM May 23, 2014 3
2014 marks the 75th anniversary of "The Dark Knight," "The Caped Crusader," "The World's Greatest Detective"--Batman! Feel free to sing along... Created by Bob Kane and Bil Finger in 1939, Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 and the world was introduced to one of the more interesting and complicated… continue reading Batman at 75
By written by Peter SM April 25, 2014 2
This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Hellboy and has been designated Hellboy Day across libraries, comic book shops, and bookstores around the world. Who or what is Hellboy, you ask? Only one of the most unique and interesting "superheroes" to splash onto a comics panel and the world of fiction in some time,… continue reading Friday Five: Hellboy
By written by Peter SM March 21, 2014
If you have ever read a Graphic Novel , you have Will Eisner to thank. The artist and writer popularized the term in 1978 with his critical and commercial success A Contract with God , defining the visual storytelling medium with his realistic depictions of city life and the human condition, with intricately, no-detail-is-too-small line work,… continue reading Friday Five: Will Eisner
By written by Peter SM March 7, 2014
