The Top 20 Movies That Have Influenced Us (Part 1)
Find out what movies have shaped Kat & Phil the most in Part 1 of our Top 20 Personal Favorites!
Hi Lifeline Comics Readers,
This week, we’re tackling a topic that Kat has been pushing for since we started this newsletter: the Top 20 Movies That Have Influenced Us (Part 1). Below, we’ll run down our personal favorite movies that have had a major impact on us as people.
We’ll also share our experiences at Vermont and Saratoga Springs Pride Events, discuss our thoughts on recent releases The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Hunting Wives, and The Paper, and more!
Let’s dive in!
Upcoming Kickstarters
Before we dive into our main topic, let’s take a quick moment to remind you of our upcoming comic book Kickstarter campaigns!
The Comic Shop: The Comic Anthology Tie-In!
“The Comic Shop is a TV comedy about a quirky crew who will do anything to save their shop - including: starring in their own comic!”
Lifeline Comics is publishing a comic anthology tie-in to the hottest new sitcom set in a Queer- and Black-owned comic book shop! We’ve got some ALL-STAR CREATORS contributing hilarious and action-packed stories that you don’t want to miss!
If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching the series yet, here’s a link to the first episode:
Mob Princess #1 - NYCC 2025 Exclusive Variants
“The unprepared daughter of a Mob Boss inherits his empire AND hits up the Javitz Center for New York Comic Con in this EXCLUSIVE cover!”
Folks who won’t be attending New York Comic Con this year can still grab the Exclusive Covers of our New York-set series, Mob Princess, via a one-week-only Kickstarter!
Get two versions of the Exclusive Cover (the Javitz Center during the Con Day and After Dark), as well as Lenticular Edition that features both versions!
Top 20 Movies that Have Influenced Us (Picks 20-11)
Kat: Originally, this was going to be a Top 10 post. But Phil and I realized that ten movies just weren’t enough. So we’re making our Top 20 movies a two-part Substack! In this post we’ll feature our Top 20-10!
Phil: We’ll also emphasize that these are the Top Movies that have influenced us. Our list of “Top 20 Movies of All Time” ranking on film quality, craft, and cultural influence would look very different. But these are our personal favorites, movies that really appeal to us personally and have shaped the kinds of stories we love to see/tell.
20. Kat’s Pick: Halloween (1978)
Phil and I LOVE horror movies. I especially love slashers! People misconstrue the final girl as just victims, but horror movies allowed women to be the hero DECADES before other genres started to feature women prominently in action roles. So, of course, I had to put the blueprint to the modern slasher on my list!
As an independent creator, I’m wowed by how John Carpenter was able to stretch his $300,000 budget into the masterpiece we know today. Carpenter takes inspiration from Hitchcock as he slowly reveals the terror that Michael Myers causes to this small town. It’s when Michael is behind a tree or driving a car where he’s at his scariest. It builds up tension for when Laurie Strode takes her final stand against the invulnerable creature.
Halloween is “over the top”! No, it’s not bloody. It doesn’t have any wild set pieces. But its kitschy nature creates a whole new tone that horror movies have perfected. It’s both scary and silly all at the same time, which makes a good slasher truly maddening.
20. Phil’s Pick: Monster House (2006)
Phil: Kicking off this list right away with proof that I’m not necessarily aiming for high-brow, well-crafted auteur cinema. Monster House is a bizarre computer-animated one-off film from the mid-2000s about a trio of kids who must contend with the haunted house across the street after its owner seemingly dies in front of them.
Monster House is the kind of “gateway horror” for kids that I absolutely love. It’s got some genuinely creepy visuals and scenes, but nothing that would be too intense for younger viewers. The movie also delivers a timeless “urban legend” vibe with the universal “creepy house on the street” centerpiece.
On top of all that, this movie really helped to shape my sense of humor. There are so many quick one-lines and just truly unhinged lines dropped throughout this movie that are sure to make you laugh-out-loud multiple times. My siblings and cousin very, very routinely quote this movie. And there are so many gems that I couldn’t even list them all here. I’ll just drop three of my favorites:
“I paid 28 dollars for that ball! I raked ten yards and ask my mom for a dollar 26 times!”
“My dad’s at the pharmacy and my mom’s at the movies with her personal trainer.”
“My cousin's a cop in Milwaukee. I mean, he's kind of a cop... he's got a gun.”
19. Kat’s Pick: Big Fat Liar (2002)
There’s only a handful of movies I’ve seen as much as Big Fat Liar. When I was younger, we would have 2-hour trips back and forth to visit my grandparents every weekend. Our favorite way to kill time was to pop in a movie, and yes, I mean “pop in” they were all VHSes. There would be an occasion where we’d watch a new movie, but we mostly cycled between the same tapes, which included Big Fat Liar.
Big Far Liar follows a kid who finds out a “big time” movie producer, played by the brilliant Paul Giamatti, has stolen his story and is creating a blockbuster with it. It’s a pretty simple script that uses their set design and Amanda Bynes & Frankie Muniz’s comedic timing to their advantage.
Twenty years later I still think about the brilliance of putting two kids in a prop room to use any object to their advantage as they put down this big shot Hollywood guy by exposing him AND EVEN TURNING HIM BLUE! It’s visually a very memorable movie with a hook that has stayed with me all these years later.
19. Phil’s Pick: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Phil: I grew up on the A Series of Unfortunate Events novels. They were one of my first obsessions as a kid. I absolutely love the way that they intertwine the bleak with the comedic. And the 2004 film adaptation of the first three books was a perfect adaptation of the source material in my opinion (moreso than the just-fine Netflix series).
Much like Monster House, I credit this movie with shaping my sense of humor as well as my enjoyment of a dark, gothic aesthetic. I love the way that the Baudelaire orphans never drop their somber, brooding expressions even in the face of absolutely cartoonish antics happening around them. I love Jim Carrey’s comedic performance of Count Olaf that manages to still be intimidating. I love Meryl Streep’s hilarious and bizarre Aunt Josephine. I love the melodramatic narration by Jude Law. And I love how quotable the movie is.
It’s a real shame that this version of the story didn’t continue with films adapting the remainder of the books. But even so, I love that Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events still works as a standalone film, capped off by a genuinely moving letter from the children’s late parents that is unique to this adaptation.
18. Kat’s Pick: Freaky Friday (2003)
Was there ever a better time in movie history than the Lohan Renaissance?
Freakier Friday has really reminded me just how much I love the original Freaky Friday. It’s truly a PERFECT movie! Jamie Lee Curtis (yeah, she’s back on my list) and Lindsay Lohan complement each other as the two comedic actors find empathy between the “up tight mom” and “wild” teen stereotypes.
And let’s not forget the classic music! Anna’s concert is an emotional climax to Curtis and Lohan’s characters truly understanding each other’s points of view with songs that don’t phone it in. (And I don’t think I ever really stopped listening to “Take Me Away” and “Ultimate”.)
18. Wonder Woman (2017)
Phil: A few years ago, Wonder Woman (2017) would have probably cracked my Top 5 movies of all time. It’s just such a moving, inspiring film. Everything from Diana’s characterization, to the beauty of Themyscira, to the horror of the trenches, to the romance with Steve Trevor fired on all cylinders. Wonder Woman was a comfort movie for me, one that I watched monthly for a long time. The movie poster was my phone lock screen. It just loved it.
Unfortunately, the years since its release have hurled a lot of mess in Wonder Woman’s direction. The cinematic universe it was in completely fell apart at the seams. The direct sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, was a boring slog fest (truly one of my biggest disappointments ever…Wonder Woman 1984 nearly ruined movies for me). And star Gal Gadot’s has become an increasingly troubling figure in the years the film’s release.
But Wonder Woman (2017) still stands as this time capsule of hope for me. Even in spite of the issues that arose after its release, I still really love it as a standalone film.
17. Kat’s Pick Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde is the perfect example of the stories I ADORE, and I love writing myself. Elle at first glance is your stereotypical sorority girl, and people judge her (even underestimate her) because of it. Then she becomes a “fish out of water” when entering the “masculine” world of Harvard Law. And throughout the process she finds her own strength, but never changes who she is at her core. Loving pink and being blonde - her femininity, becomes her strength!
17. Phil’s Pick: Batman Returns (1992)
Phil: I really struggled between The Dark Knight and Batman Returns for this list. The former is, obviously, a better movie. But in the end, I had to go with Batman Returns as it is the movie I return to more often and it really cemented my love for Batman (and comics in general) as a kid.
Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman is a classic that (more-or-less) faithfully adapts Batman and the Joker to the big screen. Batman Returns is where Burton got to be weird, putting an extra coat of Gothic paint on top of the source material and giving completely different interpretations of Catwoman and the Penguin than we are used to seeing. They’re bizarre, fascinating, and wholly unique.
My love for this movie has only increased in the years since its release. We now have so many superhero movies, many of which feel like straight adaptations of the source material and/or derivative of one other. But Batman Returns occupies this space all its own. There’s no other superhero movie like it. And on top of that, it’s a Christmas movie? Amazing.
16. Kat’s Pick: Air (2023)
“A shoe is just a shoe -- until somebody steps into it. Then it has meaning. The rest of us just want a chance to touch that greatness. And we need you in these shoes, not so you have meaning in your life but so that we have meaning in ours.
Everyone at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up. Except for you. You're going to be remembered forever -- because some things are eternal. You're Michael Jordan, and your story is gonna make us want to fly.”
Air isn’t just a movie about a shoe. It’s a story about America! Matt Damon plays the man behind Nike’s comeback story as he works with Michael Jordan to sell a dream. Damon delivers a jaw dropping monologue by breaking down celebrity culture, and its effect on capitalism’s creation of American individualism.
And just like our own relationship with media, as a basketball fan I was first drawn to the movie because of Michael Jordan’s brand. But I fell in love with the story because of the ideals and people behind the brand.
16. Phil’s Pick: Easy A (2010)
Phil: A loose adaptation of The Scarlet Letter as a teen comedy starring Emma Stone. Easy A is just one of those movies with a script that I cannot get over. It’s endlessly quotable, with at least one iconic line in every single scene. It’s full of colorful characters and hilarious performances. And it has one of my favorite movie leads of all time in Olive Penderghast, the snarky-but-loveable narrator of the film who finds herself the victim of a high school rumor that just won’t quit.
Easy A is just an incredibly easy watch. Its pacing is absolutely perfect, never lingering for too long on one joke or character. And it strikes a perfect balance in its comedy, being quirky and witty, but never actually jumping over the line to farcical. And damnit if Emma Stone doesn’t also sell the somber moments of the film just as well as she does the comedic.
15. Kat’s Pick: You’re Next (2011)
Laurie Strode walked so Erin could run!
Erin is visiting her boyfriend’s family…and of course, it’s a lavish cabin in the woods. Two masked killers quickly start taking down each member of the family one by one, but don’t worry Erin is a trained survivalist. She knows all the tricks for helping the family…not that they’d listen.
You’re Next challenges the “final girl” trope by putting Erin in the fighting stance from the start. She doesn’t run away and so happens to survive. She takes the villain by the mask and UTTERLY DESTROYS THEM! It may be an under the radar film, but movies like You’re Next was a step in the right direction for sequels like Halloween (2018) to explore the Final Girl’s next chapter.
15. Phil’s Pick: Shrek 2 (2004)
Phil: I firmly believe that we wouldn’t still talk about Shrek today if it wasn’t for Shrek 2. One of the best examples of a sequel that improves upon the original in every regard. The first Shrek was a solid animated comedy with a handful of memorable jokes and standout characters. But Shrek 2 is a modern animated classic.
Shrek and Fiona rode off into the sunset at the end of the first film. And this sequel gives us the opportunity to live with the pair of Ogres as a couple. Seeing them navigate newly-married life and a complicated relationship with Fiona’s parents makes for some hilarious and heartfelt moments. The last film ended with Fiona changing herself for Shrek. But this film gives Shrek the chance to change for Fiona.
In addition to its humor and heart, Shrek 2 introduces us to an AMAZING soundtrack, a fantastic pair of villains, and a great supporting cast (including the iconic Puss in Boots).
14. Kat’s Pick: Fantastic Four (2005)
Before you type that comment! Fantastic Four isn’t the BEST superhero film, BUT it’s the superhero movie that influenced me to read comics on a monthly basis. So it holds a very special place in my heart.
Superheroes had always been in my life. My Dad would read me Silver Age Superman comics before bed, I was addicted to the Spider-Man films (more on that later), but Fantastic Four made me realize that girls could be superheroes too.
I’d never seen a character like Sue Storm on the big screen. She was just as powerful as the boys, and she wasn’t just there to be “the girl”. She had her own story and impact on the team.
And sure, it’s not as flashy as the MCU, but there’s a modestness that I miss with movies like X-Men and Fantastic Four. It wasn’t just about the next big character to show up in the epic. It was just a story about four heroes dealing with their own cosmic issues.
Movies like Fantastic Four was a HUGE stepping stone for films like Iron Man or Captain America to exist in the first place!
14. Phil’s Pick: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Phil: When we ranked the Disney Renaissance movies back in 2023, I ranked The Little Mermaid at #2 and Aladdin at #1. And while I maintain that Aladdin is perhaps a better, more balanced movie (between two perfect movies), when I’m listing by my personal favorites, I have to give the crown to The Little Mermaid.
There’s something so human and moving about Ariel that just resonates with people. The character — and especially her performance of “Part of Your World” — just speaks to people in a way that is universal and rare in media. Add on top of that the beautiful animation, Ursula being the best Disney villain of all time, and so many amazing musical numbers and you have a timeless classic.
My already-great love for The Little Mermaid has only grown in the last year since we began publishing our own Little Mermaid-inspired comic.
13. Kat’s Pick: Princess Diaries (2001)
“Stupid Cupid stop picking on me!”
Mia is your average girl that learns she’s a princess of some far off land that’s too hard to pronounce. As a young catholic schoolgirl wearing those same exact checkered skirts, there was a relatability that anyone could be destined for bigger - even playing the piano with M&Ms on the keys.
Julie Andrews, Hollywood royalty, was the perfect casting for the posh Queen who learns to loosen up as Anne Hathaway brings a modern twist to Disney’s classic princess story. (I guess there are good Disney live action movies).
13. Phil’s Pick: Freaky Friday (2004)
Phil: The only movie, so far, on both Kat’s and my lists. And for good reason. We’ve both said that we consider Freaky Friday to be a perfect movie. In fact, when I was whittling down my Top 20 list, I asked myself for each potential entry: “What is my least favorite part about this movie?” And Freaky Friday was the only entry where I literally didn’t have an answer. I just love it.
And this one isn’t just recency bias because Freakier Friday came out this year. I’ve made a point to watch Freaky Friday at least once a year since it was released. And my family and I very routinely will quote this absolute classic.
12. Kat’s Pick: The Incredibles (2004)
It should be no surprise to you that I love superheroes. So when Pixar announced they were doing their own take on the genre I remember counting the days, the moments until I could see this movie.
Now this was WAY BEFORE I started reading Image Comics, Dark Horse, or any other independent comics. My fourth-grade mind didn’t know there could be superhero stories or comic-like narratives outside of Marvel and DC Comics.
The Incredibles showed me what the superhero genre could be, the possibility the genre had! The movie created a world just like DC or Marvel with super villains, and heroes crossing the sky…but then decided what if heroes had to hide? What if there were superheroes that had to pretend to be normal? What did that mean for the super villains and fashion designers out there!!
The movie created a world with a distinct vision that used the comics of the past to tell a very Pixar story with heart and complicated relationships. It’s Pixar and superheroes at their best!
12. Phil’s Pick: Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
Phil: As a huge fan of Scooby-Doo across its various incarnations, I can say with confidence that Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is the franchise at its absolute best. This film kicked off a brief Scooby-sance of direct-to-video films featuring the Scooby Gang going up against “real” monsters. And without a double, this incarnation of the entire gang is what I and a lot of folks first think about when we think of Scooby-Doo.
The aesthetic of this film is my style to an absolute T. Simultaneously dark and colorful. Gothic and creepy but still filled with light and distinct color palettes. I’m not being facetious when I say that I often give Scooby-Do on Zombie Island as a reference for how I like to see my horror comics colored.
I love that we get to spend time with older versions of the gang in this film, reuniting after having gone down their own paths in life. And I love the ways they interact with the mystery of Moonscar Island, particularly as it sets in for each of them that this isn’t like their previous cases.
Zombie Island is another perfect example of “gateway horror” for kids. And it’s one that I try to watch every Fall to hype up for the spooky season.
11. Kat’s Pick: Frozen (2013)
Because of all the merchandising and exposure, I think people forget why Frozen is as popular as it is and that’s because IT’S A GOOD MOVIE with SONGS THAT SLAP!
Frozen was a true turning point for Disney Princess movies. And now looking back a decade later, Elsa and Anna made a true difference for the brand (not just monetarily). The movie commentates on the company’s own past to tell a new type of princess story with two very different types of women. It doesn’t “villainize” romance, but at the same time it does question the “one or two day” relationships Disney had romanticized in the past. The impossible standard we put on two people!
Your Sleeping Beauties, your Snow Whites - they were unattainable caricatures. But Frozen showed that people could be FLAWED, and that’s what actually makes strong bonds and relationships - so be it romantic, familial, or otherwise.
11. Phil’s Pick: It Follows (2014)
Phil: I don’t think I can articulate what I love about this film better than I did in our Top 10 Horror Movies post back in 2023. So I’ll just go ahead and quote myself:
While the premise of a "sexually transmitted demon" sounds ridiculous on paper, It Follows plays it straight throughout. It's a somber, quiet, and bleak movie - one that manages to be horrific in broad daylight. One of my favorite things about this movie is how intentionally disorienting it can be. It's intentionally anachronistic, with technology varying from huge box TVs and older car models to modern furnishing and Kindle-adjacent seashell phones. One scene will see the cast wearing winter clothes while the next will see them swimming in a pool. It's subtle, never calling attention to itself (much like the monster the film centers around). But it creates this feeling of disorientation and fantasy.
You know a horror film is doing its job when something as simple as an extra slowly walking towards the camera is bone-chillingly terrifying.
What have we been up to?
Let’s talk about how we’ve kept busy these last few weeks!
Vermont Pride
Phil: The first weekend of September, we made our way up to Burlington, Vermont to try out their Pride Festival for the first time.
It was a long drive for us (6 hours each way), but thankfully made a little easier because we splurged on a hotel for this one. And the event was definitely worth it for the new fans we got to connect with!
It was a beautiful day for most of the day, but even when the rain hit people were still buying!
Long drives are tough, but we treated ourselves to a Pizzookie from BJ’s Restaurant on the way home (a Pizza Cookie, I eventually learned; when Kat first described it, I thought she was talking about a bizarre Greek dish).
Saratoga Springs’ Big Gay Market
Phil: The following weekend, we did a shorter drive (“only” 3.5 hours) to Saratoga Springs, New York for a Pop-up Big Gay Market! We always love finding new small Pride Events where we can sell out “Pride”-exclusive items.
During our downtime, we got a little goofy and made a big tournament with all of our major comic characters. If it isn’t obviously, we’re feeling the DC K.O. hype!
We’ve blurred out our “winners” for anyone who wants to try playing as well. You’ll just have to excuse our horrendous handwriting.
Media
Let’s discuss some non-comics media!
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Phil: The Conjuring film series is one that has seen largely diminishing returns after an incredibly strong start. The first two Conjuring films were both great demonic possession films. And Annabelle: Creation was a shockingly scary installment to the otherwise unnoteworthy Annabelle spinoff films. But aside for those three greats, the remaining films in The Conjuring franchise have been middling at best (Annabelle, Annabelle Comes Home) and an absolute drag at worst (The Nun, The Conjuring 3).
This newest film, positioned as the “last” film starring the Warrens, has some solid creepy atmosphere (and at least three great scare scenes), as well as some genuinely heartwarming moments. But is otherwise pretty emblematic of the things I don’t love about majority of installments in The Conjuring franchise.
Last Rites is a long horror film at 135 minutes. But it doesn’t really utilize that time very well. We start out by spending a good amount of time with the Smurl family — this film’s victims of a demon-infested house. But midway through the movie, the Smurls are relegated to the background entirely to make room for the family drama of the Warrens, with no member of the Smurls getting a satisfying arc or development.
The Warrens themselves are…complicated. I liked Ed and Lorraine a lot in the first two films. But as the franchise has continued, they have become sort of…boring. The Conjuring franchise really puts its lead couple on a pedestal, failing to give them any sort of material character flaws (other than “We were scared of our first demon and ran away” and “I’m standoffish about my little girl getting married for about five minutes before I get over it”). The films edify its lead couple in such an intense manner that I’ve pretty much lost interest in them as characters and their relationship, which consists 90% of them just talking about how much they love each other.
This isn’t a criticism of the performances of Vera Farmiga nor Patrick Wilson. If anything, their acting is the only reason I still like the Warrens at all in the latest three films they’ve appeared in. But they can only do so much when they’re not given any flaws or material conflicts other than “yell prayers at this demon”.
The Conjuring: Last Rites will satisfy you if you’re looking for a handful of well-made scary set pieces largely surrounded by a romantic family drama. It’s not the worst installment of the franchise for me…but it’s also not far from the bottom of the pile.
The Hunting Wives
Kat: Is it just me or is there even less LGBTQ representation in television shows than there was 10 years ago? I feel like I have to scour the internet to find a handful. I’m sure the disappearance of CW’s original program has a lot to do with that.
So, obviously, when I was hearing all the buzz about how gay The Hunting Wives was, I had to find out for myself. The Hunting Wives is as soapy as a soap operas can get as it explores the hidden queer relationships of the conservative elite - oh, and also throw in a few murders here and there.
I enjoy a good soap opera, but there’s something about Hunting Wives that feels…empty. There’s so much rich commentary that the show can tap into, but instead makes the twists twistier and the betrayals bigger.
The tension between Margot and Sophie and the chemistry between the two actors is what helped me continue binge watching the show. But as the season crept on both characters became more and more unlikable, which made it hard for me to feel attached. I hope they get some deeper characters arcs for their already announced Season 2 because I really want to keep this VERY gay show on my watch list.
The Paper
Kat: I’m the rare viewer watching The Paper who has never seen The Office. As a former journalist, I was more infatuated by a comedy tackling the everyday challenges of keeping a newspaper alive, and what struggles journalists go through to tell real stories in our technologically driven society.
The Paper feels like the early days of your classic mockumentary style comedy. It’s creating a dynamic ensemble building groundwork for many strong seasons to come. I’m drawn by Ned and Mare’s relationship, Esmeralda is a true comedic stand out, while every episode creates a strong thesis about modern journalism.
Phil: I’m only one episode into The Paper as of this writing, but I did watch all of The Office. The only thing I really wanted going into this loose spin-off was a series that could stand on its own apart for its tangential connection to its parent series. And thankfully, it seems like The Paper is delivering just that.
The pilot begins with some references to characters, company, and locations from The Office. But that was honestly the least interesting part of the episode. Thankfully, it quickly transitions to introducing its own delightful cast. Esmeralda and Ned are the major standouts from the first episode, delivering fantastic comedy on the former’s part (the Ben Affleck tipping his driver joke had me on the floor) and some great pathos on the latter’s part.
Funnily enough, The Paper reminds me a little more of Parks & Recreation than it does The Office in tone from its premiere. The “heart” of the series seems to be the pride that Ned and Mare take in true journalism. This feels very akin to Leslie Knope’s dedication to government service. It’s a heartwarming throughline that makes me eager to continue the series.
Comics
Let's discuss some comics we've enjoyed recently!
As usual, we’ll spotlight an Indie Book, a DC/Marvel book, a Webcomic, and a Live Kickstarter book!
Indie Comic: Spectators (Image Comics)
Kat: At the height of comic Substacks, Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon launched a 200+ paged epic about how society views violence and sex from the point of view of the afterlife. Now, Image Comics has published a compact hardcover edition for retailers and Wednesday Warriors to enjoy.
As a HUGE Brian K. Vaughan fan, I picked up the physical version of the book to get the full effect of how the digital comic would translate to print, and I was really impressed by the delivery. In the digital version of the book there were large pages to showcase the book’s gruesome violence, while the physical version shrunk these moments into panels to make the storytelling just as seamless.
It was a nice breath of fresh air to see a “shorter” story from Vaughan (shorter still being 200+ pages). It makes the themes more succinct, but because of its release I do miss the way character moments have the chance to shine in single issue releases like Paper Girls, Runaways, and Saga.
If you’ve never read Vaughan in your life, I’m not sure Spectacles is the best fit for your first foray, but it’s a good installment to his library for readers who are already fans of his work.
DC Comic: Green Lantern Corps
Kat: Before Geoff Johns wrote Green Lantern, Hal Jordan was a B-List hero at best, but his run made Green Lantern comics an EVENT. And a decade later, Jeremy Adams and co. is bringing the same flare to the character as the Green Lantern flagship directly ties into its sister series - Green Lantern Corps.
Green Lantern Corps has a great mixture of both character work from Green Lantern heroes that normally don’t get as much panel time as Teen Lantern and Baz, all while tying into the bigger mythology with the continuation of the Sorrow Lantern’s saga. It makes Green Lantern’s world feel larger, even revisiting lanterns outside of their corps. If you like interconnected storytelling, Green Lantern Corps is the companion series to grab.
Webcomic: UNVEILING YOU
“Stephanie and Tania are polar opposites: one is a student who earned a scholarship through hard work, while the other is the school's queen bee who’s always had it all. But when the popular girl wishes she could be more than just another pretty face, things take an unexpected turn…pulling Stephanie into a twist of fate neither of them saw coming.”
Phil: This week, we thought it would be fun to check out the “Most Feels” Genre Winner of the Webtoon Webcomic Legends 2025 Contest. A school-set romantic drama that follows third-year student and rich queen bee Tania Belleau and her rivalry with first year scholarship student Stephanie Martini.
There’s a lot building in the background of this comic. Class dynamics are being explored as Stephanie faces opposition to being the first scholarship student admitted to Brimstone Academy. The school paper is finally gaining traction as Stephanie joins their ranks. And the story that’s got everyone’s attention? A mysterious boy has been spotted in the girls’ dorm.
The webcomic is still early in its run, but I appreciate the measured pace it takes in introducing us to the world and characters. The mystery of the boy in the dorms is slowly unraveling — showing Tania to be related in a pretty monumental way. Time will tell how the queer themes implicit to this story are tackled as they play out. But in the meantime, I’m enjoying the characters — both main and supporting — and am excited to see how things shake out.
Kickstarter: Scott Snyder Presents: The CloakRoom 1-5
“An anthology of short comics by the students of Scott Snyder filled with 50 pages of surprising, sometimes dark, and sometimes very funny, genre-spanning and genre-bending stories".”
Phil: Tales from the CloakRoom first burst onto the Kickstarter scene back in early 2024 and has now become one of the most consistent anthologies on the platform. A collection of various stories from students of Scott Snyder’s writing class/workshop, CloakRoom is five issues, almost 500 pages, and an Eisner Nomination deep into its run — showing no signs of slowing down!
We always love seeing the creativity and variety in each installment of CloakRoom. There’s such freedom to an anthology that can span multiple different genres and topics, tied together by the tutelage of the creators rather than by one specific anthology topic.
In addition to the anthology’s (many) own merits, we have two personal reasons that we love Tales from the CloakRoom.
Firstly, this volume of the anthology features a story we really love from Aaron Cohen called “Spelling Bee”. This short was actually pitched to our Witch Horror anthology earlier this year. And while we couldn’t fit the short into that (very crowded) anthology, we truly loved the story and are so glad to see it find a home in another anthology!
And secondly, CloakRoom editor Jerry Carita recently did such a lovely write-up about Lifeline Comics over on his Substack. We’re truly humbled by his words and it makes us even happier to have already been supporting his anthology!
Back “Tales from the CloakRoom” here!
In Closing…
Thanks so much for reading! We hope you enjoyed the first part of our Top 20 movies list. We’ll be back with Part 2 in mid-to-late October, so stay tuned for our Top 10s!
If you haven’t already, we hope you’ll consider following the Pre-Launch Pages for The Comic Shop: The Comic Anthology and Mob Princess #1 - NYCC 2025 Variants.
Subscribe above for biweekly updates on our future projects!
Buy Lifeline Comics on our Website!
Next Kickstarters:
The Comic Shop: The Comic Anthology (Launches 9/22)
Mob Princess #1 - NYCC 2025 Exclusive Variants (Launches 9/29)
Next Cons/Events: New York Comic Con
Freaky Friday forever!