International members of the Readership may have noticed their British friends complaining with more than usual intensity about the weather this week—in particular how following a lovely warm spell temperatures have plummeted and rainstorms swept the country in a most unseasonable manner.
Turns out, a cold snap in the second week of May is entirely predictable. People have griped about it for hundreds of years. No-one quite knows why it happens, and it seems to catch us by surprise every single time. Traditionally, though, this has been the week of The Ice Saints. Flag it in your calendar for next year, particularly if you’re a gardener with tender seedlings ready to go out. Maybe give it another week.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Giannis Milonogiannis is a cartoonist with a particularly mangatastic flair. His work reminds me of the propulsive yet detailed stylings of Masamune Shirow, the genius behind Ghost In The Shell. Giannis has started putting an archive up of his comics and sketchbooks. I particularly recommend Old City Blues, his future noir procedural. Also worth taking a look at his collaboration with Brandon Graham on an early run of the far-future epic Prophet. Go wallow.
Rob is watching…
Amandaland. The second season of the breakout domestic comedy. Lucy Punch is incredible as the titular brand influencer, clueless, monstrous, yet somehow vulnerable and capable of striking moments of self-awareness—which naturally never last. This new tranche is co-written by Laurence Rickard, one of the Ghosts team, who are gradually infiltrating all strands of British comedy. Can’t wait for the movie.
Rob is listening…
So C picked up this pretty little bottle in our favourite indie garden centre recently (that’s borage, the colours of the flowers and glass go together well, doncha think?) but the label naturally put one song in my head which simply wouldn’t leave. I’ve included the Coasters original, but if I’m honest it’s probably the Lambrettas cover in 1980 which is most familiar to me.
Rob is eating…
If you’ve ever felt the urge to cook a very specific dish from your favourite game or fantasy epic, the Geeky Chef likely has you covered with a recipe. Well worth a delve. An X&HTrophy to Pal Jillian for the find.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Steve Earle has reappeared in lockstep with Steve Buscemi to bring us an excellent new version of his classic song. New York, like London, is one of those places which becomes more than the sum of their parts and that really is because of the multi-cultural nature of the place. All are welcome. Everyone has a voice. We are stronger together.
A cautionary tale of office politics, passive-aggressive bullying and the sheer power of petty revenge. This is entirely delicious.
I get the thinking behind this article on how Hollywood is going all in on prettification when adapting a beloved classic for the big screen but to be honest it was ever thus. We recently rewatched the 1995 BBC version of Pride And Prejudice and let’s be honest, no-one in the early 19th century had teeth that good.
A fascinating look at how playground games and traits seem to go around in circles. Kids today are strangely likely to be playing the same games, singing the same songs and drawing the same ‘cool S’ as we did. Maybe it’s soaked into the fabric of schools like Nigel Kneale’s Stone Tape, ready to replay when a receptive soul comes into range.
One more for the Ninth Art heads. The 2026 Eisner Awards for best comics are out. A big year for DC following their root-and-branch restart of all the big figures, and for writer Deniz Camp in particular, whose Absolute Martian Manhunter is the trippiest funny book on the racks. Great to see John Allison and Max Sarin get a nod for their Great British Bump-Off book. I was also pleased to see 2000AD’s most recent annual make the grade and hoorah for Shelfdust, the most interesting comics crit site out there in my opinion (other comics crit sites are available of course). The Eisners are always worth a look if you want solid reading recommendations, and it’s not all capes and punching, honest.
Yeah, still on the Ninth Art tip. Stephen Collins is my favourite current newspaper cartoonist, doing brilliant, sharp and acerbic work for the Guardian and New Scientist. See if you can figure out who he’s really talking about here.
A really great interview with Ann Leckie, author of the Ancillary series and lots more. Some interesting thoughts on how most fictional SF and fantasy empires are really a version of Rome with some fundamental misunderstandings baked in.
So, AI is now coming for the knitting community which—well, what, how? Anyway, writer and knotsmith Kate Davies is having none of it and tears the whole charade to bits with some icily hilarious prose and frankly disturbing imagery. Seriously, you may need the eye-wash after this one.
This next one is essential yet difficult reading. I’m presenting it without further comment, but the fact it’s on the Swipe at all hopefully shows my position on the argument.
Right, something lighter. After last week’s Farne Islands puffins, please to enjoy a webcam of sledge dog puppies. Get on that floof!
Please, play this to the end. Chris Geth tells a story which does not end in the way you expect, I guarantee.
In conclusion.
While hunting for a version of Poison Ivy to play above, I came across this brilliant burst of power pop from The Jags. Turn it up loud, have a bit of a pogo, and let’s hope for a sunshiny weekend, shall us?
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 