The Pageturning Report: April 2024
The Spider-Verse, The Bad Batch, Dragonslayers, and more!
Greetings! I hope you’re all having a blessed Eastertide. I’ve been working on a new freelance gig and a big volunteer project, so I only have time for another brief update this month.
Explore the Spider-Verse!
This month saw the release of the latest Voyage Comics anthology book, Spider-Man & Faith. I contributed an essay called “The Return of the Prodigal Spider” about the redemptive arc of Peter B. Parker from the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Pick up your copy of Spider-Man & Faith today! It’s the perfect gift for Spider-Fans!
Voyage Comics will be putting out at least a couple more anthologies this year. I can’t wait to share the details with you soon. Watch this space!
Podcast life
It’s been a busy month over at the StarQuest Network (SQPN). We’ve been reviewing the final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch on The Secrets of Star Wars. Stay tuned for our future reviews of Star Wars: The Acolyte and Tales of the Empire.
Meanwhile, The Secrets of Middle-Earth is still going strong, with more Silmarillion content coming soon.
The Secrets of Middle-Earth
The trilogy ends! I’m joined by Jeff Haecker and Alix Murray to finish our discussion of the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy. We dive deep into the themes of sacrifice, courage, resilience, and more, while comparing how the films differed from original book and discussing the films’ lasting impact.
The Secrets of Star Wars
Getting answers is never easy for the Bad Batch. I join Robert King and Kathryn Laffrey to discuss the Batch's negotiations for answers about Omega with frenemy Fennec Shand and Crosshair’s search for answers on his shaky hand. We uncover some surprising insights!
The Bad Batch enters darker storytelling territory. I’m joined by Kathryn Laffrey and Josh Beeghley to discuss the return of Ventress, Emerie facing dehumanization and abuse of power, and Omega's choice of sacrifice herself to save her brothers.
Juggernaut! I join Robert King and Ryan Nafziger to discuss this action-packed episode, the return of the Batch to warrior form, Omega's heroic sacrifice and her moral calculus, Emerie's moral struggle, and the return of Rampart.
Nearing the end: I join Robert King and Jon Koral to review the “ante-penultimate” episode of The Bad Batch and discuss the child-warrior Omega, the loss of innocence, and the complexity of her role in the story; possible redemption for villains; and the ethical complexity of Star Wars.
The Secrets of Movies & TV
Discussing the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I join Patrick Mason, Kathryn Laffrey, and Jeff Haecker for a deep-dive into the portrayal of beloved characters, changes from the original Nickelodeon animated series, and the oppressive nature of totalitarian systems.
A special update on “Dragonslayer Saints”…
You’ll remember that last month I announced that I submitted my children’s book about dragons to a publisher and that it was rejected.
Based on the feedback I received, the 16,000-word manuscript needs a top-to-bottom rewrite in order to be marketable. I’ve decided not to delay: I’m going to make this rewrite my priority writing project for the summer.
And I want you, my readers, to be a part of this! I’ve decided to post the rewritten chapters here on Pageturning as I finish them. I hope you’ll join me on this adventure into dragon-country!
I definitely want to devote much more time to this Substack over the summer. I want to keep growing this project and this community. Please let me know if you have any ideas for the kind of content you’d like to see from me in the near future.
And, of course, I love comments in general. So, please, feel free just to reach out and say “hi”!
I’d really appreciate it if you’d share Pageturning with anyone who might be interested. Word of mouth really helps small newsletters grow! Until next time, take care, God bless, and happy reading!