[REVIEW] MARCH STAFF PICKS ⋆

Check out what the Geek’d-Out staff is recommending this month!

Anelise Farris : All The Truth That I Can Tell (2022)

The last couple of years have been a gift to elder emos like myself as 2000s-era bands have been putting out fantastic, nostalgic-laden albums. While I was still riding the high from Mayday Parade’s latest release, What It Means to Fall Apart, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional gifted us with All The Truth That I Can Tell (officially released February 25, 2020).

I have been savoring it all month and feel fairly confident in my ability to sing along to every song at this stage. It is pure high-school era Dashboard–angsty and acousticy. The last couple of DC albums, while not awful by any means, were a little too mainstream for my tastes. Not this. This feels like an album for the kids who were singing “Hands Down” at the top of their lungs in 2002.

All The Truth That I Can Tell is very evocative of The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most (2001)–Dashboard’s second album and arguably their best. And I was delighted (and not at all surprised) to learn that Carrabba worked with James Paul Wisner, producer of the band’s first two studio albums, on this latest release. So, lace up those Chuck Taylors, press play on your portable Walkman, and wear your heart on your sleeve for 41 glorious minutes.

Jonathan Boes: Batman: The Knight (2022)

Do we need another “Bruce Wayne before he became Batman” story? Of course we do! Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, Batman: The Knight introduces us to a teenage Bruce Wayne still learning the bat-ropes. The story focuses less on Bruce’s combat training and more on his education as a detective, taking us from the slums of Gotham to the rooftops of Paris to chase cat burglars and catch serial killers.

What really makes this book shine: Zdarsky’s grasp of character. His stories never stay on the surface, and this one’s no exception. Plus, with Zdarsky taking on the main Batman title in July, this miniseries is bound to plant some fruitful thematic seeds. If you’re looking for some good, grounded Batman storytelling, check out Batman: The Knight.

Michael Farris Jr.: Shining Vale (2022)

The Phelps family has found a dream home in Connecticut–it’s large, it’s out of the way, and it has the perfect attic for Patricia Phelps to start working on her next romance novel. And it’s also a great place to get away from New York City where Pat was struggling with mental issues and sexy plumbers who, uh, laid pipe where they shouldn’t.

As the Phelps family is recovering from Pat’s affair, Pat starts to see the ghosts of the house…literally. Now, she must figure out how to balance her life while also maintaining what few shreds of sanity she has left.

Shining Vale on Starz is a pleasantly surprising series that blends horror elements with the comedy chops of Courtney Cox and Greg Kinnear helming the main cast. While the first episode struggles slightly to find its footing, the show finds its groove as it continues. The comedy elements help us to empathize with the Phelps family in a way that’s different than your typical “family-uplifts-its-roots-and-moves-to-a-different-house” horror trope. The season is about halfway through, but the various mysteries surrounding the Phelps and their house continue to deepen and keep watchers engaged. You can easily catch up on Shining Vale now by streaming the 30-minute episodes on Starz.

Muriel Truax : Loyola Chin and The San Peligran Order (2004)

Loyola Chin and The San Peligran Order by Gene Yang, a sequel to Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, follows teenager Loyola Chin as she strikes up a friendship with a mysterious stranger she meets on her journey of food-related dreams. As someone who personally experiences a vivid and bizarre dream life, the premise of this story caught my attention and I was not disappointed. It’s an unusual, yet much needed, coming of age story.

Check back next month as we share what Geek’d-Out staffers are enjoying in April!