Karra Shimabukuro

Dr. Karra Shimabukuro was always interested in where our idea of the presentation of the devil, death, fairies, angels, etc., seen in movies, television, and comics came from. So she went and got a doctorate to find out! Her interests include the medieval and early modern history of these figures, and how they are forwarded into popular culture. She regularly writes reviews for The Journal of Popular Culture and The Journal of Folklore Research Review, and she is also a regular presenter at the Popular Culture National Conference. She is a self-professed geek girl and can be found at scholarlymedievalmadness.blogspot.com.

MAGAZINE CONTENT BY KARRA SHIMABUKURO (20 TOTAL)

Carol DanversMy Thoughts on Captain Marvel: It’s Complicated

Here be spoilers… I went into my 10:30a showing of Captain Marvel not really knowing anything about Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. At a time when the entire media market is glutted with superhero films… [more]

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina logoChilling Adventures of Sabrina Represents the Worst in Demonic Male Fantasies

Historically, witch narratives follow two, often parallel, paths. One is the patriarchal narrative, where men demonize women who threaten their authority and power. Independent women. Loud-mouthed women. Women who veer from their prescribed roles. These… [more]

Dick Grayson TitansCan Thanos Come Snap Comics TV Shows?: Titans Disappoints

When Arrow first premiered on the CW, I was excited because the weekly format seemed the perfect fit for telling comic stories. As more shows got rolled out, I was even more excited. The Flash,… [more]

the orvilleNew Frontiers and Bleak Futures: The Parallel Premieres of The Orville and Star Trek: Discovery

This fall season saw the premiere of both The Orville  and Star Trek: Discovery, and with both set in space, invoking nostalgia, and claiming classic Star Trek as a foundation/inspiration, it’s hard not to make… [more]

justice_league_aquaman_jason_momoaHoliday Double Feature: Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League

Holidays and breaks are the perfect time to sit down to a double-feature. Way back when, double-features were purposely paired, and I like to try and keep that tradition on the rare occasions I have… [more]

wonder-woman-gal-gadotWhat’s Really at Stake with Wonder Woman

I was born in 1976, a bicentennial baby as my mother used to say. One of my first clear memories is of going to see Star Wars in the theatre. For television, we only had… [more]

ct-apb-fox-tv-review-ent-0206-20170203Why APB’s Revision of the Lessons of RoboCop Should Disturb You

APB is a new FOX series that focuses on Gideon Reeves, a Tony Stark character whose best friend is killed in a bodega hold up and as a result Reeves decides to use his maverick… [more]

riverdaleRiverdale’s Rips off Twin Peaks (Badly) and Normalizes Rapey Plotline

There’s a lot wrong with CW’s latest show, Riverdale. Let’s put aside the crazy clown red hair and pale faces of the murder victim Jason Blossom and Archie. Or the obvious invocations of past popular… [more]

arrow-flash-legends-supergirl-posterBerlanti Drops the Ball on CW-DC Universe

I have reviewed CW’s DC superhero shows since Arrow first appeared. Despite its rocky first half season, I had high hopes that it would find its footing in the second half of its freshman year… [more]

Lucifer season 1 posterGive the Devil His Due: Review of Lucifer Season 1

Even before Lucifer premiered its pilot episode on 25 January 2016 it was already disliked and panned by fans of the comic, Lucifer and the character’s original presentation in Sandman. The advanced reviews were not… [more]

SDCC Cap statueI’m Just a Kid from the Lower East Side Brooklyn: Steve Rogers’s Shifting Working Class Background

Today Steve Rogers is branded as “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” His class and geography marks him as much as his old-fashioned ideals and morals do. He is a man of the people, but… [more]

BP and WSErasing Black Panther to Render Him Safe

The Captain America: Civil War trailer has caused a lot of excitement with fans. And certain images have gone onto become instant memes and gifs. Newspapers, reviewers, as well as comic book related journals, have… [more]

469735950Jessica Jones and Netflix’s New Storytelling

SPOILER WARNING Jessica Jones has a lot going on. It’s about trauma, PTSD, rape, and domestic abuse. (Oh, and superheroes, and Hell’s Kitchen, and the Marvel cinematic universe MCU). The fact is that Jessica Jones… [more]

supergirl-1280jpg-e43dd4_1280wSupergirl: Not the Feminist Superhero People Want

I admit to never knowing, or caring to know, much about Supergirl. While I can talk pretty confidently about the story arcs and history of Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman or even to a… [more]

thumbMy So-Called Secret Identity Volume 1 Print Edition Review

The past couple of weeks have not been a good time for female fans of comics. Between GamerGate trying to set up a booth at a Calgary Con, Michelle MacLaren’s rapid exit from Wonder Woman,… [more]

71469hdR96LAmerican Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion by A. David Lewis: A Review

One of the markers of modernity is the concentration on, as well as the definition of, self. How the self is created, defined, and the limits of this identity are all modern questions that seem… [more]

Whistler's DaughterWomen in Super-Hero Movies: We Still Have a Long Way to Go

I was watching Tomb Raider last night, and while I love Angelina Jolie and the movie, there is one scene that makes me absolutely crazy at the beginning: Angelina Jolie’s character, Lara Croft takes a… [more]

Agent Coulson“I Spent Time with Coulson. He’s a Good Man.”

I trusted Phil Coulson from the first moment he appeared onscreen, because he reminded me of someone I knew, a good man, who had a good heart. He was self-effacing and simple, with a sharp,… [more]

All New X-Men hard coverYour Homework Before Seeing Days of Future Past: Read All New X-Men and Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men

When comic book movies come out, it’s sometimes hard to tell what storylines they’re pulling from. Based on the trailers, X-Men: Days of Future Past focuses on a future where Sentinels have taken over, no… [more]

440px-HydraOrganization_HeadThe Winter Soldier as an Indictment of the Post-9/11 Military Industrial Complex

SPOILER WARNING… Much like Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier wants you to view the events through Steve Rogers’s World War II lens. The events are framed through the true evil… [more]

STATISTICS FOR KARRA SHIMABUKURO

Total Words for All Magazine Content: 32,051