Sculpting in Time by Andrey Tarkovsky
The Great Russian filmmaker Andrey Tarkovsky (1932-1986) died in exile in Paris at age 54. In this memoir, published the year of his death, Tarkovsky breaks down cinema through the prism of his perception. read more
X-O Manowar Volume 1: By The Sword
Writer: Robert Venditti Artists: Cary Nord and Stefano Gaudiano Publisher: Valiant Comics 2012 The first collection of the new X-O Manowar series focuses almost entirely on the character’s origin, which might make it feel a little too geared toward new readers. I should know: I am one of them. I didn’t read the original Manowar twenty years ago. I’ve never read the second series from Acclaim. I haven’t even played the videogame with Iron Man (is that the only cross-company comic book crossover to exist in videogame form?). I’m the ideal reader for this latest version of the comic: I’m... read more
The Holy Or The Broken by Alan Light
The Holy Or The Broken traces the history of a single song—“Hallelujah,” written by Leonard Cohen and originally recorded in 1984, with a chorus that invokes the Messiah and the holiday season and verses about struggles with more worldly desires. read more
The Wayside by Julie Morstad
Writer/Artist: Julie Morstad Publisher: Drawn + Quarterly 2012 Somewhere between Emily Winfield Martin’s sweet vintage illustrations for The Black Apple and Hideo Nakata’s visions of avenging nature spirits lies Julie Morstad’s work, which has the genuine creepiness of non-bowdlerized fairytales. The Wayside is more a collection of drawings than a comic proper, but it does have moments of sequential storytelling, mostly in its first few pages. Whether there’s an overarching narrative hidden throughout the book is indeterminate, especially without words to help, but it seems likely that any links among the individual vignettes are more thematic than plot-based. Morstad’s... read more
Django Unchained #1
Writer: Quentin Tarantino Artists: R.M. Guera and Jason Latour Publisher: Vertigo 2012... read more
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables debuted 150 years ago in 1862 and now has become the literal definition of The Big Book. read more
Hopeless, Maine Volume 1: Personal Demons
Writers: Tom and Nimue Brown Artist: Tom Brown Publisher: Archaia 2012 What hath Neil Gaiman wrought? It’s not that there wasn’t a space for Goth on the mainstream edge before his resounding success, but there’s no question that that fantasy icon broadened its place at the table. Married couple Tom and Nimue Brown clearly take inspiration from Gaiman, but don’t quite reach the level of of the dream king’s storytelling, even with its weaknesses (a tendency to work with corny artists, a questionable taste level, the idealization of young women as saviors).... read more
Carnival by Rawi Hage
With Carnival, his third novel, Montreal-based author Rawi Hage once again takes facts from his own life, blends them with the carnivalesque (quite literally in this case) and pushes things to the border of the fantastic. read more
The Hero with the Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell & New Villager
On a cool night in early June, a handful of Brooklynites stand on the corner of Driggs and North 10th in Williamsburg, about to set out on a pilgrimage. read more
360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story by Sean Wilentz
Sean Wilentz, a history professor at Princeton University, writes on prominent American figures, including Ronald Reagan and Andrew Jackson. read more
Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (12/5/12)
Each week, Paste reviews the most intriguing comic books, graphic novels, graphic memoirs and other illustrated books.... read more
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
Style is often called upon to compensate for a lack of substance. read more
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz
Yunior de las Casas's voice sounds like no other in contemporary fiction—peppered with profanity and slang, code-switching seamlessly between Spanish and English, the language of the streets and the language of the academy. read more
Strategies Against Extinction by Michael Nye
The most socially prevalent stories of the past several years are far from pragmatic. read more
Giant-Sized Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (11/28/12)
We've stuffed our double-sized column with thoughts on Jane Mai, Nathan Bulmer, Moro Rogers, Howard Chaykin and Marvel NOW! read more
Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (11/14/12)
Each week, Paste reviews the most intriguing comic books, graphic novels, graphic memoirs and other illustrated books.... read more
The Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music by Dylan Jones
While there will always be a place for dry, fact-choked reference books like The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, they fail to capture the pop-music listening experience as it undeniably is—subjective. read more
The Paris Review Interviews: Volumes I-IV
In the years since I began to publish fiction, fresh-faced young dreamers and writing wannabes, their numbers like grains of sand on the beaches, have approached me at conferences, coffee shops, bars, readings, libraries, restaurants and signings. read more
Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (11/7/12)
Each week, Paste reviews the most intriguing comic books, graphic novels, graphic memoirs and other illustrated books.... read more
Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
Neil Young’s new autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace, largely recounts the strange career of its writer, but it contains few of the brilliant peaks that make some of Young’s frustrating releases worth slogging through. read more
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