Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Finding Gossamyr


 Let's not kid ourselves; writing is hard work. A grueling, toilsome, often thankless task that occasionally leaves the writer questioning themselves at every turn. It's nearly a miracle that anything of value is turned out in written form. This makes the task of writing for people of all ages that much more difficult. Think about it, you not only have to invent interesting characters that live and breathe on the page. You not only have to plot and create an intriguing story. Now you have to do those things and make it accessible to young readers as well as older, more mature ones.

It's these obstacles that make books like Bone, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and Friends with Boys so astonishing. Well, add Finding Gossamyr to the list of stunningly successful all ages reads.

"Gossamyr" revolves around a young boy named Denny and his older caretaker/sister Jenna. Denny is sort of a savant and when he unlocks a math equation that opens a portal to a mystical realm, he and Jenna find themselves in the midst of an epic adventure.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Watercooler: Digital Comics with Slim


A brand new once-monthly discussion show from the Ancillary Characters! In our first episode we welcome @slim of the Comixologist and Paperkeg podcasts for a talk about digital comics. 

To contribute ideas for future shows or to suggest a guest e-mail us at letters@ancillarycharacters.com. Visit us on twitter @ancillarytweets or at ancillarycharacters.com!


Check out this episode!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Episode 55: All-Ages Bonanza Part 2


We're back.

The discussion of books for readers of every age continues! This time we ignore the news segment and instead do some team reviews of Stuff of Legend and Mouse Guard. Then we review a bunch of books such as Adventure Time, Rust, Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, New York Four, Friends with Boys, Peanuts and more. 

We also received some letters with pertinent topics which we talk about at the top of the show. 

Find us online at ancillarycharacters.com or at facebook.com/ancillarycharacters or at @ancillarytweets. You can also watch the shows live at youtube.com/ancillarycharacters.


Check out this episode!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Giants Beware!

If a story's greatness is defined by the likability of it's lead character then Giants Beware is up there with the behemoths of fiction. In Claudette, the lead character of Giants Beware!, Jorge Aguirre (writer) and Rafael Rosado (artist) have created one of the most memorable leads in a comic since Jeff Smith's Bone creations. She's at once intense and adorable. Motivated and lovable. Claudette is a character that lives and breathes on the page like few others we've seen.

Comparisons between Giants and Bone are obvious but not entirely without merit. Both stories center around missions undertaken by three leads whose personalities and foibles bounce off one another like rubber balls on a warm summer sidewalk. Claudette is accompanied by her best friend, Marie and her little brother Gaston. Marie is sort of cut from the Disney princess mold; though to nigh-parody degrees. While Gaston is the loyal companion who more than once saves the day by sheer accident.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Episode 54: All Ages Bonanza Part 1


Hey guys! The Ancillary Characters are back, but they're mixing things up with the first half of a two-part themed special focused entirely on All Ages comics! Join us as we talk all kinds of great books, from Atomic Robo and Cardboard to some fantastic new series such as Finding Gossamyr and Princeless! There are even a couple of cartoons reviewed, including the yet-to-premiere "Rocket Monkeys" and the final season of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Don't worry, that's not all, there's plenty more where that came from, and even more to come next week!


Check out this episode!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Great Ben Kingsley Parody Experiment


A new day has dawned, a new episode has struck. Buckle down, kiddos. In this episode Allen, Ethan and Seth talk news, read your letters and then dig into a ton of comics.

In the news they discuss the new Iron Man 3 trailer, the latest Justice League movie rumors and the fallout of the Sullivan's Sluggers debacle. They also talk about the positives and negatives of Kickstarter before Seth barrels into the next segment which is...

Take it or Leave it! 

Long-form reviews for The Order of the Stick, Green Lantern 18, Swamp Thing 18, Animal Man 18, Lost Vegas 1, and Helheim 1.

In the speed-round they rip through, Fairy Quest 2, Detetive Honeybear, Artful Daggers, Detective Comics 18, A+X 5, Atomic Robo: Two Fisted Tales, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite.

Thanks for listening! 

Btw, leave us a review on iTunes! Reach us @ancillarytweets on twitter or at facebook.com/ancillarycharacters. Also, obviously ancillarycharacters.com. Send your opinionated rants to letters@ancillarycharacters.com


Check out this episode!