From here, you can link to Searchbank, Infotrac, ProQuest, books in print, or any other of the valuable tools available from Palomar's online access.
Need to find a book? Check out the most popular commercial site on the Net. Here, you can find books (and reader reviews), award winners, music, and videos.
If Amazon.com doesn't have your book, check Bookfinder, a website that scours all used book venues, too. I've found many out-of-print books through this site.
Check book reviews, connect to your favorite authors' websites, or keep up-to-date on literary news and events on this website for bookish folk.
This site of a HUGE used bookstore in Portland, Oregon is a great place to shop for used books online (and in the process save some money).
An insightful web newspaper that has something interesting to say about all aspects of our culture.
This site collects a number of useful reading guides for many, many works of fiction published by Vintage/Random House.
This comprehensive, literate site covers many famous (and not-so-famous) urban legends and analyzes their origins, (in)accuracies, and meanings. Lots of fun.
This is the online version of Garrison Keillor's popular show on NPR. Check in each week and find out about literary history.
This site celebrates the graphic novel in the form of background, news, reviews, and previews. There's so much useful information here that it's impossible to cover it all, but any serious inquiry into graphic novels should begin here.
A great site that has been "pushing comix forward since 2000." On this site you can find reviews, recommendations, interviews, and news related to comics and the comic book industry. It takes a while to get through it all, but it's well worth the effort.
This is a very useful list created and maintained by Bud Plant Comic Art, a great source for all things comics (including some very hard-to-find and out-of-print titles). The list of illustrators is growing, and by clicking on any of the active names, you can find out more about their history, work, and significance.
The site of the CBLDF, an organization devoted to fighting censorship and violations of First Amendment rights as they relate to comic books. In addition to providing information about the organization, this site also has an interesting archive of past case briefs, an overview to comic book censorship, and articles about these issues.
A great listing of the websites of independent comic book publishers. These are the publishers who are putting out the best comic book work today, and most sites allow you to order directly from them.
This site contains biographical and bibliographical information about many, many comic book artists and writers, and it is constantly getting bigger and bigger.
The online version of a monthly magazine that elevates discussion of comic books to a mature and insightful level. The Comics Journal is filled with reviews, articles, editorials, and features that all make the very valid assumption that comics are a legitimate and challenging art form.
This international bibliography of articles, reviews, etc. about comic books and related matter is updated very frequently and has over 7,000 entries. There's also a list of useful and interesting links, too.
This is the website for the above-named group, a "national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry." Cool site with lots of resources and information.
A hilarious website devoted to the all-time worst, most ridiculous superheroes in comic book history.
This site houses a comprehensive, cross-referenced database where you can search for writers, publishers, inkers, and characters. There's plenty of comics-related information at your fingertips here.
Here are two sites by a young doctor who's interesting in comics. The first site--www.graphicmedicine.org--was one that he set up while finishing up his M.A. dissertation on medical narrative in comics & graphic novels; the second site--www.thomferrier.com--is one that features his original work about life as a doctor. Check them out!
This online magazine provides news, reviews, interviews, articles, and links related to independent comic books, their writers, and their publishers. This is a great resource for this innovative and important art form.
An outstanding comic book site (and believe me, I've seen a lot of them). From here, you can access cool artwork, comprehensive histories, old animated television show themes (remember the theme from "Spiderman"?), biographies, publishers, and a huge collection of links that is MUCH more impressive than what I've put together here.
The online version of the classically subversive American comic magazine. Sure, Mad isn't nearly as great as it used to be, but the website is still pretty fun.
Encinitas's own Mary Fleener has her own website, and it's a treasure trove of images in her patented "cubismo" style. There are covers, posters, and assorted illustration work. Definitely check this site out to find out about one of the most innovative underground comic book artists around.
The author of Understanding Comics has his own website, and it's chock full of interesting comics-related stuff. The best section by far, though, is the one entitled "Online Comics." Here, McCloud has really taken advantage of what the computer has to offer, and he has created some unique combinations of the two media (comics and the internet). The coolest feature in this section is watching a comic "grow" panel by panel.
As someone whose main childhood companions were comic book monsters with names like Zzutak, Fin Fang Foom, Groot, and Moomba, I nearly died when I stumbled upon this site, a "tribute to the monster comics of Jack Kirby." Long before ushering in the Marvel Age of Comics with the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and others, Jack "King" Kirby and Stan Lee created some of the coolest (and coolest-sounding) monsters in the pages of Tales to Astonish and Strange Tales. This site does a great job of collecting information about these comics, including a rogue's gallery of the monsters themselves. Awesomely nerdy!
This is the homepage for the National Association of Comics Art Educators, a group whose purpose is to "facilitate the teaching of comics in higher education." It's a very detailed and useful site, conceived of and designed by James Sturm (The Golem's Mighty Swing), an outstanding comic book writer/artist and educator. I'm on the steering committee for this website, so many of my assignments--as well as an article I wrote for The English Journal--appear in the "Teaching Resources" section.
Pantheon, a division of Random House, Inc., has been publishing some of the best graphic novels out there, including Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Art Spiegelman's Maus, David B.'s Epileptic, and Charles Burns's Black Hole. Their involvement with and belief in this form has played a huge part in the growing acceptance of comics as a legitimate art form.
Arnold is a writer and comic book lover who is doing more than his share of calling attention to this underappreciated literary genre. Each week, he provides insight on comics and graphic novels, often--but not always--in the form of reviewing the latest important release. Checking his column out every week is a great way to stay on top of this vastly growing literature. It's also a great way to expose yourself to some fine writing: Arnold's prose is clear, engaging, and insightful.
If you're a late-night B-movie junkie, then you'll love this site, which contains reviews, articles, trivia, and general information on loads of obscure and/or cult movies. It's got a great look and design, too.
A great collection of film-related links, organized by film fan David Augsburger. The links are categorized for easy surfing, and Augsburger is kind enough to differentiate between free- and fee-sites.
Want to get really depressed? Then check out the list of scripts that have recently sold in the six-figures to various Hollywood studios. Updated continuously.
Here, you can find the scripts (sometimes different versions) to your favorite films and television shows.
Good advice for struggling filmmakers.
A treasure trove of information about many of the best films ever made. Unlike the Internet Movie Database (see below), the information on the films here is critical in nature, helping readers develop a better understanding of the films in question.
This is, bar none, the best, all-inclusive movie database you're likely to find. If you're a film junkie like me (or writing a paper for a film junkie like me), then you'll find this site to be a vital source of information and entertainment about your favorite films, stars, directors, writers, etc. It also contains a comprehensive listing of every Oscar nominee and winner.
Need to find a movie review? Then check out this site, which archives over 90,000 reviews from all around the country.
Cool stuff about movies--especially films noir--from the Silent- and Studio Era. There's also a great section with original poster art.
The official website of the popular A & E series. You can search for nuggets of information about the famous person of your choice.
A good friend of mine once asked me what was the scariest thing that I ever saw on television. Without even having to think about it, I replied Night Gallery. This show was the brainchild of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, and it exhibits a terrifically disturbing dark side. Many of the original episodes--not the butchered ones featured on the Sci-Fi channel--are now available on home video and DVD. I can honestly say that most of my fears--especially my fear of dolls--can be traced to this show.
Lots of great info here, as well as links to various public broadcasting programs.
As complete a source for television news as you're likely to find.
A massive tribute to the most popular medium. Loads of links, clips, and info.
Do I really need to explain this one?
In my humble opinion, the very funniest and wittiest material being created today, in any medium, appears in The Onion, a hilarious parody newspaper. This site houses the online version, which features headlines like "Eyes Removed in Violent Yearbook Attack," "Russian Television Scores Hit with New Game Show Who Wants to Eat a Meal?" and "Parking Ramp Attendant Moves Slightly." All of these fictitious stories are written in a mock-journalistic style and are a complete riot. There is also a section that includes straight reviews of movies, books (including comic books), music, and more. Back issues and articles are archived for your enjoyment.
This site is a huge and ever-growing collection of video from TV and the Internet. Do yourself a favor and do a search on some of the following: "Shining" (Stanley Kubrick's The Shining re-cut as a romantic comedy), "10 Things I Hate about the Commandments" (Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments re-cut as a high school comedy, "Lookwell!" (a short-lived early 90s TV show starring Adam West, and anything from The Dana Carvey Show--especially "Presidents' Wives as Dogs" (a hilarious, brilliant bit from Heather Morgan). Chances are that if you've heard about some video going around, it can be found on YouTube.
A neat online site for the History Channel, with loads of historical information.
This is a great list of links to various sites and resources on the European Holocaust during World War II, during which 6,000,000 Jews and close to 6,000,000 non-Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis. Powerful and important historical materials abound here.
A massive, massive database of federal consumer publications, all of which are designed to help you, the consumer, make more informed decisions about purchases, services available, and the like.
This is a great place to explore our government, from legal decisions to databases to IRS tax forms to job searches and more. If it's related to the government, you can find it here.
Some people cannot use the most everyday items--a phone, a remote control, chewing gum--without wondering how it works or what it's made of. Fortunately for us, Marshall Brain is one of those people, and he has created a website where he shares his knowledge of these and more of the mechanisms that surround us. If you like to know about all these objects that make our lives easier (and more frustrating), then you'll find it very easy to get lost in this site.
This site is a great place to get directions to anywhere in the country; it provides easy-to-read, printable maps.
Loads of legal advice, all at the click of your mouse.
If you're trying to track down someone's address, phone number, or email, this site is a great place to start.