#criticism — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #criticism, aggregated by home.social.
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Imprinted Image: Is Marvel’s “Midnight” Line Making Plans Before It Turns Into a Pumpkin?
Comics Link Roundup August 23
As I was assembling this newsletter, a news item crossed my feed. Marvel is already in discussions for more “Midnight” series beyond the initial three, even before they launch. For those of you that don’t know, Midnight is a new Marvel publishing initiative seemingly designed to capture some of the hype around DC’s Absolute universe. Midnight takes some of the core Marvel characters and reimagines them in a more horror context (The X-Men are half vampires and half vampire hunters, Spider-Man is a body horror experiment gone wrong, and the Fantastic Four are…seemingly also a body horror experiment gone wrong.) Initially planned for each to debut a month apart, Marvel then changed their plans to have all three debut on October 7 at midnight, just in time for Halloween. Not only that, but there would be no other Marvel comics published that day.
Marvel seems to need this to work. For the first time in decades, Marvel is consistenly underselling DC. Although their new Editor in Chief Stephen Wacker most likely inherited this plan from the previous admin, I have to assume he was involved in some of these new changes, like the Midnght release date and the new variant cover program Marvel is launching alongside the universe. Hickman is bringing back data pages for Midnight. While I’m sure the primary Marvel universe is still hoping for success following their summer Armageddon event, Midnight is their moonshot to building off of the now-ended Ultimate 2niverse and reclaiming their momentum as a publisher.
Here’s the problem: I don’t know if the midnight books are going to be any good. Don’t get me wrong; I am excited for Jonathan Hickman to write more X-Men comics, even in an alternate universe. I am but mortal. I think Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Spider-Man’s take could be interesting, like SPIDER-MAN 2099 but less cyberpunk and more THE FLY. Benjamin Percy’s Fantastic Four…sure, maybe that take could be interesting too. But there are a number of things that have me unsure of just how this will play out.
The first comes from a comparison to Absolute. One of the defining traits of the Absolute Universe, and one of the reasons for its success in my opinion, is the use of top-tier artists. Absolute has many killer writers, to be sure. But when you think of ABSOLUTE BATMAN, you think of Nick Dragotta’s ridiculous proportions and manga-influenced panelings. Similarly, ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN wouldn’t be the same without Hayden Sherman’s intricate panelings and ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER needs Javier Rodriguez’s trippy pop art to work the way it does. These were all exciting choices that both built anticipation before release and delivered on their promise.
I’m not saying that the artists announced for Midnight are not good at their jobs. I’m simply saying that I’ve never really heard of them. They aren’t artists just about to tip into superstardom, other than maybe Kev Walker. Compare even to the Ultimate 2niverse that had Marco Chechetto and Peach Momoko on art duties and you can see what I mean.
Secondarily, I think the “horror” tint has the potential to silo Midnight. Instead of doing what Absolute did, re-examining what made various characters interesting and rebuilding them from the ground up, Midnight feels distinctly alt-universe. This feels more akin to SPIDER-MAN NOIR than Absolute or either of the prior Ultimate lines. It feels like something that has a built-in expiration date of 2 years and not something that can take over the industry.
All that to say, this is a lot of caterwauling before any of the issues come out. I will be checking out all three when they come out, thought I don’t think I’ll be hitting up any midnight releases. I have a normal job to be awake for. Marvel can quell all of my doubts by putting out quality comics. Here’s hoping that’s what they do.
Anyways.
Welcome to Imprinted Image, my comics newsletter. If this is your first time, welcome! This is the best way to keep up with my comics blog. After links to my most recent writing, I’ll provide a roundup of comics industry links. This can be news, media, criticism, or anything that I personally found interesting.
Please don’t forget about the resources tab on this website. It’s a collection of reading guides, tutorials, and free legal resources like public domain image archives. I want this to be as useful as possible, so if you have any additions please send them my way.
I made a comic! It’s a two-page mini-zine, and you can read it for free here. But! If you would like a cool print version mailed you, there are two ways you can do that. Either support me on Patreon to get this and any future physical media I do, or buy it on Ko-fi for as low as $ 1.
I also have a behind the scenes video previewing the physical mini-comic, as well as some behind-the-scenes information on my inspiration.
Divining Comics is sponsored by readers like you
I have a Patreon! For as little as $3 a month, you can keep the lights on at this blog and get your name at the bottom of every article. At higher tiers, you can vote in monthly Patreon polls and more! Anything you can offer means the world to me, and I cherish all my supporters.
Support Divining Comics on PatreonComics Challenge YouTube
I designed and am participating in a comics challenge this year, alongside some friends in the My Marvelous Year community. I have picked 52 comics from 52 categories, shown below. I’d love for you to participate and comment along as you are reading! Note that on this list, categories that match with episodes from the Extra Issues podcast.
Comic Challenge Extra Issues Edition 2026DownloadI decided to create a YouTube documenting my reading journey!
This last week, I read THE INCAL by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius for a wide-ranging conversation with my pal Josh about science fiction, magic, and the next phase of human consciousness.
https://youtu.be/tQVJBQXm3AU?si=Sk8D-ryuRaOT1pUw
I’ve also been doing little shorts where I poorly read a scene I liked from these comics. I guess shortform video gets juiced in the algorithm because they have been blowing up. You can check out the playlist of them here.
It would mean the world to me if, in addition to watching this video, you subscribed to my channel and gave the video a like. No one knows exactly how the black box of social media algorithms work, but I do know that if you interact with the video in different ways, YouTube might show it to more people who would be interested. The other easy way you can help is by sharing this video with a comic fan in your life!
Link Roundup
News:
HarperCollins, making manga moves
One of the “Big Five” publishers, HarperCollins has purchased the French manga publisher KAZÉ and will transition it to being an imprint that publishes manga, manwha, manhua, and more in the European and US markets. Will manga ever hit a ceiling in the US markets? Not yet, it seems.Have you heard of “Lettrism” before?
The Comics Journal has a cool writeup of an installation at the Center for Book Arts in Manhattan called “Rewriting the World: Isidore Isou and the Lettrist Book.” Lettrism was an avant-garde French poetic movement that used something akin to what we would today call comics to create a “hypergraphic” novel. I love looking at comics that aren’t comics.Diamond Bankruptcy Saga Update
There are two pieces of news with the fallout of Diamond declaring bankruptcy almost two years ago now. First, over 1300 creditors are receiving mailouts explaining how they can reclaim some of the consigned inventory that the new owners of Diamond tried to sell. Second, Diamond and Alliance, who sued Diamond over alleged fraud during their attempted purchase, agreed to extend the timeline for their suit because of the lengthy discovery process. The bureaucracy of the law moves slowly.Crowdfunding
The Comics Beat has a roundup of crowdfunded comics projects you may want to back.Other News Roundups:
Comics Beat’s biweekly Digest: 8/18. 8/21.
The Comics Journal’s This Week’s Links: 8/21.Writing:
SKTCHD posted a conversation with critic Oliver Sava on the comic GIGS by Mark Mosedale and Si Smith.
My favorite video and podcasts:
Podcasts:
OFF PANEL had on Terry Moore to discuss his past work on STRANGERS IN PARADISE being omnibized and his future kickstarter called PANDORA’S BOX.
LET’S TALK COMICS had on Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram to discuss their upcoming comic THE KARMAN BLADE, as well as Che Greyson to talk EXQUISITE CORPSES: THE FOX MASK KILLER.
MY MARVELOUS YEAR posted 2015 pt. 1: Angela, Ants, & Squirrel Girl. Their sister podcast, EXTRA ISSUES, posted their episode on THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK to the public feed and part 2 of their HELLBOY series behind the 6-month patreon delay paywall.
Youtubes:
COMICTROPES posted a fascinating video on the theft of Marvel original art from Kirby, Ditko, and their peers. Seriously, pieces that together would be worth collective millions and perhaps tens of millions today just so happened to go “missing” from the Marvel archives before later being sold.
SKTCHD posted the August installment of his Chip Chat series, where he talks with Chip Zdarsky once a month every month of 2026.
On his second channel, MATTTTTTTT published a look at an old Iron Man / Doctor Doom crossover comic and a review of ULTIMATE MANGA TECHNIQUES, a book by Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor of DRAGON BALL and one-time Editor in Chief of Shonen Jump Magazine.
Divining Comics is brought to you by generous support from the “Best Friends of Divining Comics,” Alex Seubert and Dustin Commet.
Divining Comics is also brought to you by the support of the “Friends of Divining Comics,” Comic Book Herald.
If you would like to add your name to the list of friends, best friends, or best friends forever, support this work for less than the cost of one cup of coffee a month at patreon.com/diviningcomics. You can also leave a one-time tip/buy my zines at ko-fi.com/spikestonehand. Follow me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky and share my posts there.
#art #books #ComicBooks #comics #criticism #dcComics #fiction #graphicNovels #ImprintedImage #links #marvel #marvelComics #reviews #spiderMan #Writing -
‘How to Divorce During the War’ Review: Lithuanian Sundance Winner Turns a Marriage Crisis Into a Darkly Funny War Drama
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #HowtoDivorceDuringtheWar #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/how-to-divorce-during-the-war-review-1235212055/
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‘Spa Weekend’ Review: These Funny Women Deserve a Much Better Break
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #AnnaFaris #Film #IslaFisher #LeslieMann #MichelleButeau #Reviews #SpaWeekend -
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
[Al varón sabio más le aprovechan sus enemigos que al necio sus amigos.]Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 84 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/gracian-y-morales-ba…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #gracian #baltasargracian #advantage #criticism #critics #enemy #feedback #friend #opponent #opposition #pressure
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‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ Review: Or When a Franchise Makes the Case for Its Own Death, Again
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #Insidious #InsidiousOutoftheFurther #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/insidious-out-of-the-further-movie-review-1235211474/
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sturgeon’s law (slight return)
I think we're probably past Peak Poptimism already, myself, and driving hard into enantiodromia territory; the headlines are full of it, if you've eyes to see with.
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#TIL what #TESCREAL means. I'm impressed by the explanatory power of conceiving of this cluster of #ideologies as an #interconnected #aggregate which then get used to justify #harm
I feel like a lightbulb went on and that I understand the current state we're all in a bit better now.
Highly recommend starting with the @wikipedia article, which covers the #concept and some of the #criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TESCREAL
Thanks go to #Bhante #Sujato (https://sujato.me/) for making me aware of the term.
#transhumanism #extropianism #singularitarianism #singularity #cosmism #rationalism #effectiveAltruism #longtermism #transhumanist #transhuman #longnow #eugenics #AGI #utopia #utopianism #bigtech
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the events in our lives that happen online are never depicted or mentioned
Some thoughts on the unnarratability of the extremely online life.
#Art #Criticism #Futures #ScienceFiction #SocialTheory #Writing
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Imprinted Image: I am Not Excited for Marvel x Star Wars
Comics Link Roundup August 16
Last week, the crossover to end all crossovers was announced. Marvel will be putting out comics where their superheroes will meet the characters of Star Wars, all of which are of course owned by Disney. The series will be written by Kevin Smith and drawn by David Marquez. The five-issue minseries will be titled “Hope Assembles.”
I am not very excited about this, to put it bluntly. Let me start by putting aside my feelings for the series itself and talk about what I think this means big picture. While I’m sure there were tons of negotiations to make this happen, a Marvel x Star Wars crossover could have happened at any time since Disney purchased the two media empires. There is a reason it is only happening now, and the reason is simple: both Marvel and Star Wars are in their flop eras. Now, I’m not even talking the MCU, which has had some recent success with the most recent Spider-Man and will probably succeed again with the next Avengers. I’m talking Marvel comics, which have been consistently outsold by DC for the first time in literal decades. Star Wars has had some TV shows that were loved, but not widely viewed, and some TV shows that were viewed, but with mixed reception. Their first movie since episode IX, THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, was a major flop on both levels. This crossover deal is a “break in case of emergencies” scenario.
Moving on to the comic itself, I struggle to imagine something less exciting. Perhaps the only way is if they had a more boring artist, as Marquez has drawn some series I actually like. But what person that isn’t a male born between 1965 and 1980 is excited for a Kevin Smith written comic in the year of our lord 2026? I think the last thing people genuinely enjoyed of this was RED STATE, and since then people only enjoyed TUSK on an ironic level (and because horror movie fans have some of the worst taste of any genre fans). The cover itself is bland and uninspiring. Figures look “on model” in the most generic way.
I’d love to be wrong about this. Marvel has done some crossovers recently that really worked. ALIENS VS AVENGERS was legitimately incredible, with writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic delivering something that takes the best of both franchises and applies them through their specific interests. But the real cynical thing is that this Marvel x Star Wars will sell regardless of how good or bad it is. That’s what makes me cynical.
Oh, and I’m calling my shot now: there will be a reference to the CLERKS joke about the “innocent” workers on the Death Star. Perhaps Deadpool will get caught in the explosion and say “I was just a janitor!”
Anyways.
Welcome to Imprinted Image, my comics newsletter. If this is your first time, welcome! This is the best way to keep up with my comics blog. After links to my most recent writing, I’ll provide a roundup of comics industry links. This can be news, media, criticism, or anything that I personally found interesting.
Please don’t forget about the resources tab on this website. It’s a collection of reading guides, tutorials, and free legal resources like public domain image archives. I want this to be as useful as possible, so if you have any additions please send them my way.
I made a comic! It’s a two-page mini-zine, and you can read it for free here. But! If you would like a cool print version mailed you, there are two ways you can do that. Either support me on Patreon to get this and any future physical media I do, or buy it on Ko-fi for as low as $ 1.
I also have a behind the scenes video previewing the physical mini-comic, as well as some behind-the-scenes information on my inspiration.
Divining Comics is sponsored by readers like you
I have a Patreon! For as little as $3 a month, you can keep the lights on at this blog and get your name at the bottom of every article. At higher tiers, you can vote in monthly Patreon polls and more! Anything you can offer means the world to me, and I cherish all my supporters.
Support Divining Comics on PatreonComics Challenge YouTube
I designed and am participating in a comics challenge this year, alongside some friends in the My Marvelous Year community. I have picked 52 comics from 52 categories, shown below. I’d love for you to participate and comment along as you are reading! Note that on this list, categories that match with episodes from the Extra Issues podcast.
Comic Challenge Extra Issues Edition 2026DownloadI decided to create a YouTube documenting my reading journey!
The past few weeks, I read MONKEY MEAT with my friend Josiah W. Sutton of the FRUITLESS podcast. It’s one of my favorite videos I’ve made thus far, and probably my best.
https://youtu.be/J0AqaFdrYzg?si=y4UxSJx27fsyqpjY
I also read a volume of LUCKY LUKE, the classic Franco-Belgian comic about a cowboy in the United States west.
https://youtu.be/1ckzxBo-Y78?si=jWcPWcfczXdbpsFd
I’ve also been doing little shorts where I poorly read a scene I liked from these comics. I guess shortform video gets juiced in the algorithm because they have been blowing up. You can check out the playlist of them here.
It would mean the world to me if, in addition to watching this video, you subscribed to my channel and gave the video a like. No one knows exactly how the black box of social media algorithms work, but I do know that if you interact with the video in different ways, YouTube might show it to more people who would be interested. The other easy way you can help is by sharing this video with a comic fan in your life!
Link Roundup
News:
DC takes video revealing AI concept art for SUPERGIRL down
In a behind the scenes video on their official YouTube, DC accidentally revealed that they used AI to generate concept art for Jason Momoa’s Lobo design. After people pointed this out, DC took the video down.The State of Digital Comics
Publisher’s Weekly had an article about the current state, or lack thereof, of digital comics. As the Beat points out, most publishers report digital comics sales plateauing at 5-10% of their print sales.Diamond Bankruptcy, seeing some resolution
After a lengthy bankrupcy, it wseems that Diamond will have to pay back some of the publishers for the books they held in consignment. Heidi MacDonald of the Beat has some analysis of what happened and what is next, as does Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool.Archie Legal Woes
One of the 50% owners of Archie Comics, John Goldwater, is in some legal trouble. The Beat has the full writeup, but long story short, he made a deal with a venture capitalist company that may become an albatross on his neck. Worst case scenario is he loses half of his share, which would go to the VCs he owes.A Former Publisher accused of financial misconduct
Adam Fortier, who worked as a publisher for Boom!, has been accused of unsound business practices and unmet financial obligations.Other News Roundups:
Comics Beat’s biweekly Digest: 8/4. 8/7. 8/11. 8/14.
SKTCHD’s Comics Disassembled: 8/7. 8/14.
The Comics Journal’s This Week’s Links: 8/7. 8/14.Writing:
SKTCHD posted an analysis of if the trend towards miniseries as opposed to ongoing comic series has ended and an interview with artist Matias Bergara discussing his latest series A MISCHIEF OF MAGPIES.
Shelfust continued their “Year of the Villain” series with an essay on SCOTT PILGRIM’s Gideon Graves and their “Spawn De Replay” sereies looking at issue # 17.
My favorite video and podcasts:
Podcasts:
OFF PANEL had on Joshua Williamson and Kelly Sue Deconnick to talk why they love comics and Christian Ward to discuss his upcoming series THE PATRON and THE FOREVER HOME.
MY MARVELOUS YEAR posted 2015 Variant B, discussing SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY.
Youtubes:
COMICTROPES posted a look at how an independent furry comic helped creatre the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and another Weirdest Golden Age Heroes video.
MATTTT published a documentary on the artist Joe Matt, the creator of the comic PEEPSHOW. On his second channel MATTTTTTTT he published quicker takes on Steve Ditko’s run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, the Marvel / Star Wars crossover comic, and his favorite graphic novels of the year so far.
Divining Comics is brought to you by generous support from the “Best Friends of Divining Comics,” Alex Seubert and Dustin Commet.
Divining Comics is also brought to you by the support of the “Friends of Divining Comics,” Comic Book Herald.
If you would like to add your name to the list of friends, best friends, or best friends forever, support this work for less than the cost of one cup of coffee a month at patreon.com/diviningcomics. You can also leave a one-time tip/buy my zines at ko-fi.com/spikestonehand. Follow me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky and share my posts there.
#art #books #ComicBooks #comics #criticism #dcComics #fiction #graphicNovels #ImprintedImage #links #marvel #marvelComics #reviews #Writing -
‘American Doctor’ Review: Three Doctors Travel to Gaza in a Bracing and Essential Documentary About Treating the Despair of an Ongoing Genocide
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #AmericanDoctor #Film #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/american-doctor-documentary-review-gaza-1235210500/
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‘The Bend in the River’ Review: A Group of Onetime Nudists Get (Mostly) Better with Age
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #Reviews #RobbMosshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-bend-in-the-river-review-robb-moss-1235210446/
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‘The Wrong Girls’ Review: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Save the Stoner Movie
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #AliaShawkat #DylanMeyer #Film #KristenStewart #Reviews #TheWrongGirlshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-wrong-girls-review-1235210080/
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‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Review: Thank Goodness This Clever Comedy About the Evils of Corporate Greed Was Rescued from Corporate Hell
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #CoyotevsAcme #DaveGreen #Film #LooneyTunes #Reviews #WillForte -
‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ Review: Melanie Lynskey and Sunny Sandler Are Trying to Break Your Heart
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Don039tSayGoodLuck #Film #JuliaHart #MelanieLynskey #Netflix #Reviews #SunnySandler -
‘The End of Oak Street’ Review: David Robert Mitchell Delivers the Biggest Surprise of the Summer with the Best Dinosaur Movie Since 1993
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #DavidRobertMitchell #Film #Reviews #TheEndofOakStreethttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-end-of-oak-street-dinosaur-movie-review-1235210068/
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Copyright Is for Suckers: A Brief History of Unofficial Movie Sequels
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #SequelsWeek #UnofficialSequelshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/history-of-unofficial-movie-sequels-1235209659/
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A quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt
Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized, anyway. You’ll be “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
Quoted in Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, ch. 21 (1948)More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-eleanor/85…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #eleanorroosevelt #censure #conscience #criticism #denunciation #disapproval #disparagement #integrity #moralcode #rightandwrong #sensitivity
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Companies are hiring philosophers, and that's a good thing, right?
https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/the-philosophers-are-here-which-philosophers
#ai #ethics #philosophy #aiethics #governance #utilitarianism #selectionbias #technology #criticism #moralphilosophy #analyticalphilosophy #power #institutions #hiring #employment #perspectives #blog #substack #podcast
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‘Objet a’ Review: Ann Oren’s Spellbinding Tale of Kink, Surgery, and Mushrooms Is a Feast for the Senses
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #Locarno #Objeta #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/objet-a-movie-review-1235209906/
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‘Hearing’ Review: Vietnamese Slow-Burn Is a Feast for the Senses
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Festivals #Film #Hearing #LeBao #Locarno #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/hearing-review-le-bao-1235209703/
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Psychotherapist explains a possible childhood reason you always procrastinate, and how to fix it
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’Donkey Princess’ Review: A French Fairytale Gets a Stunning Reimagining from Two Animation Legends
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #DonkeyPrincess #Film #Locarno #Reviewshttps://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/donkey-princess-review-locarno-1235209491/
