LightNews — News, ranked by scholars

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

"Bit of a long shot - do you have a copy of Dracula..?"

A display of multiple different editions of Dracula on sale in a shop in Whitby.

September 9, 2026 at 2:06 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Stephanie Wood

@stephaniewood.bsky.social

"the beautiful setting of Kynos is described so well and you really felt like you were with them in Greece. I love Stephanie's storytelling"
#booktour #booklovers #booksky 💙📚

Such a lovely way to close the book tour this week with be_ca12 through hyggebooktours
instagram.com/p/DclwsGHgs3...

August 29, 2026 at 8:48 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

I forgot that Secret Wars II featured Jim Shooter's Steve Gerber analogue, Stewart Cadwall. It's such a weird thing to fixate on, particularly since the conversation he's referencing happened more than 10 years prior. I guess the only other thing Shooter knew about Gerber was his lawsuit. 🤷‍♂️

Stewart Cadwall is yelling into his phone, "YEAH? WELL, MAYBE I AM ALWAYS ANGRY--BECAUSE I'M SICK AND TIRED OF WRITING THE PABLUM THE NETWORKS BUY--! TIRED OF PROSTITUTING MYSELF, TIRED OF CAR CHASES AND PHONY DRAMA! DID YOU KNOW THAT ON LAST NIGHT'S "A TEAM" FIVE THOUSAND SHOTS WERE FIRED AND NO ONE GOT SO MUCH AS A SCRATCH?

BLAST IT--! I'M SICK OF THE NETWORK CENSORS--! SICK OF THE HYPOCRISY OF THIS STUPID WORLD--SICK OF THE VIOLENCE, THE MEDIOCRITY, THE IDIOCY--REAGANOMICS, FOR PETE'S SAKE!

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT TO DO ABOUT IT--! I WANT TO SHOW THOSE COUCH POTATOES OUT THERE WHO SIT IN FRONT OF THEIR TV'S LIKE MINDLESS ZOMBIES ALL DAY THE DISGUSTING HORROR OF THE SUFFERING THEY INFLICT UPON EACH OTHER!

I WANT TO SHOW 'EM WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A FORTY-FIVE CALIBER SLUG RIPS THROUGH YOUR GUTS--SHOW 'EM UP CLOSE THE SHREDDING FLESH AND SQUIRTING BLOOD, AND--OF COURSE I'M AGAINST VIOLENCE, YOU IDIOT! THAT'S THE POINT!"

$The first time I met Steve Gerber we had an argument.It was the summer of 1974. I had flown to New York to meet with Roy Thomas and other people at Marvel, looking for writing work. After meeting briefly with Roy, I went to lunch with a group of guys who worked in the office or were hanging around there. Among them was Steve Gerber. Of course, we talked comics. And Gerber and I got into it. It wasn’t a heated argument. More like a discussion. And it wasn’t even a heated discussion. Just a conversation in which we expressed clashing viewpoints. A debate, I guess. But low key. Very polite. I was the stranger at the table, the new guy to the group, so I suppose it would have been wise to merely sit and listen. But, no, I weighed in with my opinions. Because Gerber was saying the damnedest things! I don’t know how it came up — I wasn’t the one who started this tack in the conversation — but Gerber started lamenting the fact that he was prohibited from doing the kind of things he wanted to do in Marvel Comics — sex and violence. Mostly violence. Graphic violence. Up close and personal, ripping-eyeballs-out, extracting-lungs-through-the-nose, multiple-compound-fracture, let’s-see-if-we-can-make-Peckinpah-blow-chow violence. Lovely conversation over rare burgers, no? His rationale was more or less show the awful stuff as it really is. Anti-violence is best served by rubbing peoples’ noses in the real consequences and horrors of violence. He abhorred the “happy violence” in comics. And cartoons, for that matter. So, we had some common ground. I was generally against violence without consequences in comics. Where I parted company with Steve was at the notion that somehow Marvel comics ought to allow him to get as X-rated for violence and degeneracy as he wished in the pages of their books. It seemed simple to me. They’re paying you to write stories that fit their specs. If those specs are anathema to you, why not go elsewhere? Write novels. Write movies. Write for no…$

August 10, 2026 at 11:54 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

I've just finished reading this run of Spectacular Spider-Man, and as you'd expect, it's a bit of a mixed bag. After Gerry Conway's brief run as Editor-in-Chief, Spectacular was launched in order to give him a Spider-Man book to write and fulfill his new contract to write 6 titles per month. 🧵

Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 to #100.
#spiderman #marvelcomics #comics #comicsky

August 9, 2026 at 1:51 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Sarah Skye

@sarah-skye.bsky.social

Panel detail from the graphic novel 'The Vanishing Village' a tribute to the 60's Avengers TV series.

#Avengers #Sixties_TV #Agatha_Christie #Mousetrap #British_Comic_Art

February 1, 2026 at 3:25 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Jo Conklin Author

@joconklin.com

In the same week a Black debut author lost a $2.4 million dollar deal over (so far unsubstantiated) “vibes” accusations of AI usage, seeing influencers rally around and make calls for nuance around Hank Green openly using ChatGPT for his work is a perfect illustration of white privilege in action.

Ali Trotta @alwayscoffee.bsky.social · Jul 31

Re: my last thread

(Image from quote post with alt text)

August 1, 2026 at 11:24 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

It's #SpiderManDay, and I'm here to tell you that Spider-Man is a JERK! A deep dive into the history of Debra Whitman... 🧵
Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #196 by Marv Wolfman & Al Milgrom, Deb gets just two panels as the secretary of Doctor Sloan, for whom Pete works as a teaching assistant...

Amazing Spider-Man #196
#spiderman #marvelcomics #comics #comicsky

Peter Parker meets Deb Whitman for the first time.

August 1, 2026 at 11:22 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

The Cosy Moose

@thecosymoose.bsky.social

BLOG TOUR: Crime In The Gym by Catherine Moloney. A wonderfully witty and twist-packed British crime mystery you won’t be able to put down. Although it's book 24 in the series, this is the first I've read and it works as a standalone. If you're missing Peter Lovesey, this is worth a read. #Review

BLOG TOUR – Crime In The Gym by Catherine Moloney

This is my first tour for Zooloo's Book Tours, and I was excited to join the tour for this British mystery novel from Catherine Moloney. The novel is a twisty police procedural with light, humorous moments to avoid the crimes being too dark and heavy, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable read. Following the death of author Peter Lovesey, I've been missing my annual investigations with Peter Diamond, and Moloney's series is a worthy substitute, feeling like a very similar style, covering dark subjects with a lightness of touch. The novel opens in a local gym, with a Paralympian rugby player found dead in the weights room, and it's clearly not an accident.

thecosymoose.com

July 30, 2026 at 12:14 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Stephanie Wood

@stephaniewood.bsky.social

Sophia has taken on more than she bargained for to fill a gaping hole in her life, but could a handsome business consultant be ready to offer more than just a financial solution?
#secondchanceromance❣️
#booksky 💙📚

amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GQRDS128

July 29, 2026 at 8:29 AM

Rachael Gray

@rachaelgray.bsky.social

By super talented husband 🤩

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II @stevesensible.bsky.social · Jul 24

With apologies to Shepard Fairey; there is no hope, there is only...

DOOM! A picture of Doctor Doom scowling at us, in a similar style to Shepard Fairey's "Hope" artwork.
#Doomsday #doctordoom #Marvel #comicsky

July 24, 2026 at 4:39 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

During the recent heatwave, I got into the habit of going for a walk early in the morning because it was the only time of day it was bearable to get any exercise, but now I just enjoy walking as the sun is rising.

A photo of the sun low in the sky over a field of hay bales. Lots of lens flare!

The sun rising behind some wind turbines on a distant hill.

Some cows in a field with a view of the first light on the hills in the distance.

Some hay bales casting long shadows across a golden field.

July 21, 2026 at 7:04 AM

Rachael Gray

@rachaelgray.bsky.social

caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · May 25

mybook.to/JiG68
✨KU✨

Full series available.

"Just finished reading the Innocents. Fantastic read. Could hardly put my Kindle down."

"If you like a good mystery read, then this is for you. It's well-placed and it's characters vivid. Lots of historical gems."

"Series got better and better."

July 19, 2026 at 7:45 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

The Cosy Moose

@thecosymoose.bsky.social

BLOG TOUR - A Death In The Gym by Patrick Hardy. Debut crime noir novel that follows personal trainer / private investigator Josh Stern as a death in his gym links back to one of his oldest cases. Gripping and addictive. #BookReview #ADeathInTheGym

BLOG TOUR – A Death in the Gym by Patrick Hardy

This debut novel from Patrick Hardy is a wonderful slice of British Noir that makes for engaging reading. We first meet Josh Stern in his role as physical trainer at a gym, which is closed suddenly - later to be revealed that the closure is due to a body being found in the mens changing rooms. From there we follow him as he spends the time in his second role - private investigator. Stern is quite a stoic, quiet character, and we see him reflecting on one of his oldest cases, the disappearance of Kat O'Keefe, over 20 years earlier.

thecosymoose.com

July 15, 2026 at 12:02 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

The Cosy Moose

@thecosymoose.bsky.social

REVIEW: The Chocolatier's Curse by Christopher Seto. Graduate student Theo Chan's summer job working with 2 quirky elderly private detectives finds him in the middle of a creepy case in small town Pennsylvania, with a spooky clown mascot the lead suspect... Fun and engaging!

REVIEW: The Chocolatier’s Curse by Christopher Seto

We're having a heatwave at the moment in the UK, and I bought a bag of chocolate buttons, and left them on the kitchen worktop. When I finally got round to eating them, it was basically one big chocolate button. And on the subject of cursed chocolate... Graduate criminology student Theo Chan has to make alternative plans for his summer, when a trip to France falls through. Needing to find paid work, he follows up on a mysterious advert, and ends up taking an internship with a mysterious detective agency. Primrose Ghaust-Lee, who is legally blind, and Philip Teebin, the more outgoing and eccentric of the pair, run the agency that has little digital footprint, yet appears to be held in high esteem.

thecosymoose.com

July 16, 2026 at 2:40 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Lynette Creswell, Author

@lynettecreswell.bsky.social

Two Kinds of Truth

🌲 In the heart of the Scottish Highlands, love and lies collide…
She went searching for answers.
He wasn’t supposed to be one of them.
📖 Read now: getbook.at/TKOTKindle

#bookpromo #womensfiction #outlander #outlanderfans

July 18, 2026 at 7:02 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

G. Lawrence 📚💙📚💙📚

@glawrence.bsky.social

#NewRelease!

Alexandria, Egypt, 51 BCE.

Cleopatra has ascended the throne of Egypt.

As her reign unfold, mistakes cost the young Queen dearly, leading to mortal peril, flight... & civil war

Descendants of the Gods
$4.99 or #Free #KindleUnlimited!

#Ancient #histfic #booksky 📚💙
a.co/d/01q9jT1C

July 17, 2026 at 8:11 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Stephanie Wood

@stephaniewood.bsky.social

Sophia has taken on more than she bargained for to fill a gaping hole in her life, but could a handsome business consultant be ready to offer more than just a financial solution?
#secondchanceromance❣️
#booksky 💙📚

amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GQRDS128

July 15, 2026 at 7:48 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Stephanie Wood

@stephaniewood.bsky.social

#FREE this weekend! 🎉

Enjoy some relaxing time on a gorgeous Greek beach with this 90 minute read - cocktails optional!! 🍹

#FreebieFriday #FridayFreebie #FunInTheSun
#beachread #beachlife #booksky 💙📚

☀️https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B09V8BJ1XW ☀️

July 17, 2026 at 8:31 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II

@stevesensible.bsky.social

You wanna know how deep I'll dive? How about a thread about paper sizes! Which I hope is more interesting than it sounds...

Steve Bannister/ComicDeepDive reading Secret Wars II @stevesensible.bsky.social · Jul 8

The 3-tier page layout was a legacy from the early days of comics, which were originally just collected newspaper strips. You can see similar layouts in Jack Kirby's early Marvel work as well. Their page layouts became less rigid as their work developed, but in 1967 there was a big change... 🧵

July 8, 2026 at 7:35 PM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

George Monbiot

@georgemonbiot.bsky.social

Poster promoting Count Binface, in the famous Obama style

July 8, 2026 at 7:57 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Yorkshire Dales National Park

@yorkshiredales.org.uk

Information gathered from peat survey helps us design woodland creation schemes that avoids areas of deep peat and protects blanket bog. Are you a landowner interested in finding out more? Contact us👉[email protected] or [email protected]

July 6, 2026 at 12:15 PM

Rachael Gray

@rachaelgray.bsky.social

Last year it was redstarts, this year we've got 2 fledgling wagtails in the garden 🏡💗 #birds

July 6, 2026 at 9:40 AM

Reposted by Rachael Gray

Gina Rae Mitchell

@ginamitchell.bsky.social

💙📚 Today’s spotlight is A Little Bird Told Me by Rachael Gray, the 2nd-place finalist in BBNYA 2025. A cozy crime mystery with village secrets, amateur sleuthing, and plenty of intrigue.

ginaraemitchell.com/a-little-bir...

@rachaelgray.bsky.social @bbnya.bsky.social @thewritereads.bsky.social