Page Chewing is where books, comics, and conversations collide. From in-depth chats with authors and artists to lively discussions with fellow readers, we explore the craft of storytelling, the worlds we love, and the ideas that stay with us long after the last page.
Chapter 10 of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian gives us our deepest look at Judge Holden yet.
Next up: Chapter 11.
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This week on Panel Chewing, we have the opposite of a bad comics problem: there were almost too many good books to choose from.
Join us for a great week of comics, some unexpected favorites, and another journey down the assassin's road.
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 9.
This isn't a definitive guide to Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter per day, recording immediate reactions and watching our interpretations change along the way.
Next up: Chapter 10.
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 8.
This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time and keeping a running notebook of our observations as they develop.
Next up: Chapter 9.
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 7.
Next up: Chapter 8.
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The Slog continues as our full-series reread of R. Scott Bakker’s The Warrior Prophet reaches Chapters 18–21.
The Holy War enters one of the most brutal stretches of its journey. Water disappears, the desert becomes an enemy of its own, and the enormous scale of death becomes almost impossible to comprehend. Even when salvation seems to appear, it brings new horrors with it.
As always, we're rereading with knowledge of the entire series, so later events are constantly informing how we interpret these early chapters.
⚠️ FULL SERIES SPOILERS: This discussion contains spoilers for all seven books of The Second Apocalypse.
Welcome back to the Slog.
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Chapter 6 is a short but important transitional chapter in our journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.
It's a brief stop in the read along, but it feels like we're crossing a threshold.
Next up: Chapter 7.
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 5.
This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and building a notebook that we'll revisit as the novel develops.
Next up: Chapter 6.
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This week on Panel Chewing, Steve and Jarrod do something that almost never happens: they choose the same Pick of the Week.
But first, why are there so many #1 issues? We talk about the appeal of jumping into a brand-new comic from the beginning, whether publishers are leaning too heavily on #1s to boost sales, and why more comics might benefit from starting as limited series instead of promising an ongoing that could be cancelled before the story has a chance to finish.
Then we dig into this week's stack, including American Caper #10, Powers 25 #12, Denver #1, Conan the Barbarian #34, Battle Beast #12, Black Star #2, Regicide #1, Batman: Bad Seeds, Terabytes #9, and Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1.
There's plenty to like this week, including the gloriously violent fun of Battle Beast, but The Last Driver isn't so lucky and earns a visit from the dreaded trombone.
Then it's time for Pick of the Week, and somehow we both picked the same book. We talk about its deeply flawed protagonist, excellent dialogue, fantastic artwork, and a tense first issue that left both of us wanting to know what happens next.
Finally, our Lone Wolf and Cub readalong reaches Volume 14: Day of the Demons, putting us officially halfway through the series. This volume offers another fascinating look at Edo-period Japan, the ordinary people caught within its rigid social structure, and Daigoro's remarkable ability to maintain his compassion despite everything he's witnessed on the assassin's road.
Join us for comic reviews, our rare shared Pick of the Week, and another journey down the road of demons.
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 4.
This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording what stands out and building a running notebook as the novel develops.
Next up: Chapter 5.
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What happens when corporations don’t just control the things you buy, but begin to own pieces of your life?
It’s a wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, creativity, television, books, and writing something you genuinely care about.
Find Matt: https://mattwittenwriter.com/
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Our chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 3.
This isn't a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and seeing how those ideas change as the novel develops.
Next up: Chapter 4.
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The journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian continues with Chapter 2.
This isn't intended as a definitive explanation of Blood Meridian. We're reading one chapter at a time, recording observations, asking questions, and seeing where those questions take us.
Next up: Chapter 3.
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In Episode 24 of Beyond the Page, I’m joined by scientist, educator, human rights advocate, and author Zafra Lerman for a remarkable conversation about a life devoted to education, freedom, and peace.
This is a conversation about science, courage, human rights, diplomacy, education, and what one person can accomplish by refusing to believe that division has to be permanent.
Find Zafra: https://zafralerman.com/
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We're beginning a chapter-by-chapter journey through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, reading and discussing one chapter every day.
Read Chapter 1, listen along, and join me tomorrow for Chapter 2.
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Our full-spoiler reread of R. Scott Bakker's The Warrior Prophet continues with Chapters 14–17, bringing us to the end of Part Two.
⚠️ FULL SERIES SPOILERS: This discussion contains spoilers for all seven books of The Second Apocalypse.
Welcome back to the Slog.
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In this episode of Beyond the Page, I’m joined by author and professional violinist Brigid Kennedy for an incredible conversation about family history, lost treasure, Irish roots, the Amazon, and the unusual experience that led her to become a novelist.
It’s a conversation about much more than writing a novel. It’s about preserving the stories that might otherwise disappear—and sometimes creating the ending your family never received.
Find Brigid: https://brigidkennedybooks.com/
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This week on Panel Chewing, Steve and Jarrod are back with another stack of new comics, some winners, some disappointments—and one comic carrying a whopping $15 price tag.
Join us for comic reviews, industry talk, our Picks of the Week, and another journey down the assassin's road.
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In Episode 22 of Beyond the Page, I sit down with author and fellow podcaster Michelle Miles to talk about fantasy romance, fairy-tale retellings, dark paranormal romance, worldbuilding, and the enduring appeal of the happily-ever-after.
Michelle has written more than 45 books across fantasy, paranormal romance, and fairy-tale retellings. We discuss how the recent rise of romantasy has brought fantasy romance back into the spotlight and why Michelle was drawn to combining magic, adventure, and worldbuilding with slow-burn romance long before the genre's current boom.
We also dig into her approach to worldbuilding as a discovery writer, including how she creates kingdoms and magic systems as the story develops, keeps track of established canon, and plants connections and Easter eggs across different books and series.
From there, our conversation turns to fairy tales and why these familiar stories continue to resonate. Michelle talks about deconstructing stories like Cinderella while preserving the elements readers recognize, and why themes of hope, love, fear, rejection, and adventure remain universal.
We also discuss morally gray characters, the popularity of darker paranormal romance, genre expectations, heat levels, author branding, newsletters, finding readers, and the realities of trying to build a career in an increasingly crowded publishing industry.
Whether you love romantasy, fairy tales, paranormal romance, or simply enjoy hearing how writers build their worlds, there's plenty to dig into in this conversation.
Find Michelle: https://michellemilesbooks.com/
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Our full-spoiler reread of R. Scott Bakker’s The Warrior Prophet continues with Chapters 9–13, as Kellhus’s influence over the Holy War begins to grow at an astonishing pace.
⚠️ Full-series spoilers: This discussion assumes you have finished The Second Apocalypse. Nothing is off limits.
Welcome back to the Slog.
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