Bookshop Evans and Holmon, cofounders of the website Black Nerd Problems, bring their pop culture criticism to this wide-ranging, compulsively readable debut collection. Touching on such topics as the hidden depths of boxing-inspired anime Hajime no Ippo, the irony of Hamiltonâs steep ticket prices, and Game of Thronesâs one Black character, Evans and Holman are often hilarious ( The Lion Kingâs âSimba... is straight up landfill. Trash. Rubbageâ) and always original. In addition to straightforward essays, some entries come in the form of high-octane, joyful dialogue between the authors, as in âTwo Dope Boys and anâOh My God, the Flash Got Fucked Up!â for example, in which the authors discuss the Flash: âI ainât ever seen a hero get their body Earthâd like that since Supermanâs funeral.â The most gripping essays use cultural events as an entry point to discuss larger topics: Evansâs âThe Sobering Reality of Actual Black Nerd Problemsâ poignantly uses a local comics convention to open a conversation about the ongoing violence against and oppression of Black people, and âGo On: An Evergreen Comedic Series That Helped Me Navigate Lossâ sees Holmon processing the grief of his motherâs death with the help of a short-lived NBC sitcom. This hugely entertaining, eminently thoughtful collection is a master class in how powerfulâand funâcultural criticism can be.