5 Pagan, Folk, and Secular Graphic Novel Winter Worlds Tucked In….

Graphic novel winter worlds move beyond holiday cheer, drawing on pagan, folk, and secular traditions where snow, darkness, and isolation shape the story. These chilling titles use winter itself as myth, menace, and memory.

Graphic Novel Winter WorldsAs the nights grow even longer and the month of December settles in, many people would rather stay home, cosy with a book than venture out. For those getting heavy snowfall, heading outside often isn’t even an option. In these graphic novel winter worlds, artists and writers use ice, snow, and darkness to evoke the season’s chill without needing to experience it firsthand, especially when the colouring and atmosphere land just right.

But when you start looking for material that isn’t rooted in year-end celebrations, Yule, or festive tradition, it becomes surprisingly difficult to find winter stories that truly stand apart. In these tales, winter becomes the main character, not tinsel or mistletoe. Here are some standout titles that embrace the season on their own terms:

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Aria’s 20th Anniversary Album is a Best Hits!

This year marks Aria’s 20th Anniversary, and this anime franchise has various projects planned for release, including a Best Hits, and we got the track listing!

ARIA The BEST 2005-2025ARIA’s is celebrating 20th glorious years, and this anime’s producers have more than a best hits album planned to acknowledge the fact. This 3-disc album will feature the best songs performed ever since this IP made its way to television and cinema!

This coming of age series focuses Akari Mizunashi as she trains as an apprentice gondolier (known as Undines). Along with Aika and Alice, they face various dangers on a terraformed planet now known as Aqua (formerly Mars). The manga written by Kozue Amano debuted in 2001, and since then, creators have regularly released new material.

From the Press Release:

The five main theme songs featured in the trilogy, ARIA the AVVENIRE, ARIA the CREPUSCOLO, and ARIA the BENEDIZIONE, have been recorded on albums by their respective artists before, but never on an ARIA album until now. The first disc will be a collection of 14 opening and ending themes from the anime, the second disc a compilation of 13 insert songs, and the third disc will feature an original collection of songs on piano by pianist and producer Mina Kubota.

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Celebrating An Anime X-mas with GKIDS and Shout! Studios In This Look Back of 2024 Releases

We got more to mention since also checking out the GKIDS & Shout! Studios’ website for the latest info on what else to expect early in 2025.

Shout! Studios New Logo Anime X-mas

Shout! Studios and GKIDS have certainly kept busy with releasing some top hits this year, and in this roundup is a list of our favourites to consider for the gift-giving season. While some folks opt for an anime X-mas, others have their own traditions. Also, we got news about one wintery treat for next year.

We have also included reviews where possible, since they released earlier this year.

THE BOY AND THE HERON (4K) & REVIEW

The Boy and the Heron 4KStudio Ghibli’s latest release is Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal film to date! We’ve seen it on the big screen and to watch it again on the small screen with all the bonus material made me appreciate this movie more. For my original review, please check it out here.

There’s details that aren’t as well known, and what’s revealed here are featurettes to truly understand what went on.

This new release offers a 4K transfer with a superior color palette compared to previous works (which lacked an ultra-HD release), and it’s almost tempting for collectors like me to upgrade to the latest video format rather than keep them all. I began with region 2 DVDs, which I still own, and then blu-ray happened.

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All Macross All The Time with Macross Frontier Nyan Nyan Greatest☆Hits!

Macross Frontier Nyan Nyan Greatest☆Hits! will be released on Ranka Lee’s Birthday, on April 29, 2025.

Macross Frontier Nyan NyanMacross Frontier is getting a new album. Despite the anime series being off the air, the subsequent movies have kept the love alive, and with Macross Frontier Nyan Nyan Greatest☆Hits album, there’s new tracks! Included are the theme song from the film Labyrinth of Time, “Labyrinth of Time,” “Sacrifice,” and “Good job!”

This release will be available in three editions: a limited-edition “Deculture” boxset, a special-edition, and a standard edition. The limited-edition boxset comes in a memorial box and includes the new album, a bonus drama CD with cover songs, a blu-ray disc, and an acrylic figure. The special-edition comes with the album and bonus drama CD in a decorative case.

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It’s a Retro Kickass Wuxia A Go-Go with Shaw Brothers Classics Volumes 2 & 3 in Review.

Yes, another Shaw Brothers Classics set is coming, and in volume four, it’s sure to mirror what the prior release offers, and we look back at those!

Shaw Brothers Classics Vol 4 Box
Volume 4 available to preorder on Amazon USA

The Shaw Brothers Studios are well known for being able to pump out kung fu movies faster than I can say Hi-Yah! And early this year, Shout! Studios has been releasing the best of them to celebrate this company’s legacy! Although their founding and 100th anniversary is two years away, I’m glad fans worldwide are getting something to whet appetites sooner than later. There are three volumes of the Shaw Brothers Classics one can now buy, and with a fourth along the way, I definitely want to own them all!

I’m liking this release over Shawscope, an unwieldy set which I think is tough to store because it’s a book! What the cube offers can easily be filed side by side with regular blu-rays on the shelf. The main reason I’m excited for this set is because of the new material that’s included–audio commentaries and short documentaries–do a great job to explain why that selected film or performer matters! Also, for a few titles, an English and Cantonese dub is also offered.

As for the packaging, not only do we get reproductions of the original posters in the case, but also, I’m not as concerned whether the films are using past remasters or this American side distributor has done further work.

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Thoughts on the Best Super Bowl Sunday Movie Trailers

Out of the 10 Super Bowl Sunday Movie Trailers and 2 TV spots, we give our thoughts on the best ones that got us excited for the film thsmelves!

Super Bowl Sunday Movie TrailersMost regular film previews can last up to two minutes, but that’s provided you’re seeing them in theatres. Unfortunately, all of the Super Bowl Sunday movie trailers satisfies this criteria. The Flash is its own independent entry than make the list because I thought, “Didn’t I see this before?”

I’ll have to watch my home video release of the television series’ first season to verify if the house is indeed the same architecture, and check if that version of Barry Allen reacted the same way when witnessing his mom’s death. The interior of that home might have been reused, and aside from that, we learn Batman will be key to this adaptation of Flashpoint. His role may well save an otherwise maybe doomed film.

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