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Steven Blackburn-

Steven Blackburn

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Author Details

Steven Blackburn brings more than 10 years of journalism and marketing experience to Screen Rant. Steven has a Master's in Writing, Rhetoric, and Media Arts from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Email: steven.screenrant@gmail.com. He also exclusively writes about romance and non-action/adventure anime on Medium: 
https://medium.com/@steven.wyman.blackburn.

Industry Focus

Steven writes mainly about anime/manga. For manga, he covers Black Clover, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Super, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Dandadan, Chainsaw Man, Undead Unluck, and Choujin X. He also writes about Sonic the Hedgehog, including Archie Comics and IDW Publishing. He occasionally covers Star Wars, Star Trek: TNG, and is anxiously awaiting the return of Transformers: Beast Wars.

Favorite Media

In anime/manga, Steven's current preference is romance series, specifically shoujo and josei. Action/adventure shounen with heavy romance are appreciated as well, including Sword Art Online, Black Clover, and Chainsaw Man. His all-time favorite manga/anime, interestingly enough, is Berserk. In the Sonic franchise, Steven has been a self-professed "Archie Boy," growing up with Archie's Sonic series and preferring the world with the Freedom Fighters over the Resistance/Restoration. But he's recently come to appreciate IDW's Sonic series, specifically with the start of the Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome miniseries and the main continuity's Sonic #50 onward.

Latest Articles

The main adventurer and Asuna in Sword Art Online.  1
Sword Art Online Leaving Aincrad Saved Kirito And Asuna's Relationship

Sword Art Online leaving its first MMORPG world, Aincrad, for ALfheim was the logical step for the story and it improved the series.

Engage Kiss anime key visual 1
Demon Hunting Anime Series Proves How Romance Can Improve Action Shonen

Engage Kiss might be about demon hunting, but what truly captivates viewers is the romance and how well the anime depicts it.

Black Clover Cast, including Asta & Julius, gathered together in front of purple and brown background 1
Black Clover Isn't Just Underappreciated, It's One of the Generation's Best Shonen

Black Clover flies under the radar in the anime and manga community, but it's actually one of the most important of today's shonen.

Domestic Girlfriend key anime visual depicting the main protagonist having his face and mouth covered by two girls. 1
Romance Anime Tests Crunchyroll's Limits With Comically Inappropriate Premise

Domestic Girlfriend has quickly grown infamous due to its inappropriate premise, leading many to wonder – at a glance – why its on Crunchyroll.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie anime key image focusing on the lead protagonist, her love interest, and their in-game personas. 1
Intricate Romance Anime Was Cut Short For a Tragic Real-World Reason

Recovery of an MMO Junkie accomplishes more in 10 episodes than most multi-season romance anime do, and it could have done so much more, too.

Black Clover color spread in Jump GIGA 1
Black Clover's Big Return Finally Shows the Black Bulls' Huge Powerup

Jump GIGA resumes Black Clover's story that initially began in Shonen Jump with a massive battle that showcases the best version of the Black Bulls.

Sword Art Online Alicitization anime key visual 1
Sword Art Online's Final War Proves How Moving Past Aincrad Improved the Series

Although many think Sword Art Online should've remained in Aincrad, Underworld's final war proves that the move was the best thing for the franchise.

Sonic and Badniks 1
Two Ridiculous Sonic Foes Step Up to Take Eggman's Place (& Fail Miserably)

The last two Badniks that fans would ever expect to be the center of anything in IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog series are the main villains in Winter Jam.

Feature Image: Comic book Darth Vader (left) in front of a still from Phantom Menace featuring young Anakin 1
The Phantom Menace's Most Controversial Anakin Story Just Saved Vader's Life

Darth Vader couldn't have achieved what he does against the ancient artificial intelligence known as Scourge without The Phantom Menace's retcon.

Everyone Is From Another World, Except Me! official full color art featuring the protagonist and isekai'd main characters. 1
Hilarious Isekai Satire is a Must Read For Any Fan of the Genre

Everyone Is From Another World, Except Me!? sounds like a fresh take on isekai but it also adds a humorous, satirical swipe at the genre.

Behind The Battle Of The Hero And The Demon King's manga key visual 1
Offbeat Isekai Twists So Many Tropes It Feels Completely Different

Behind The Battle Of The Hero And The Demon King shares traits with the villainess isekai genre – but pushes its themes to their limits.

The Magician Who Rose From Failure manga banner featuring the three key main characters in the series. 1
Isekai Meets Old-School Shonen is Exciting New Series

Imagine an isekai series where the hero shares similarities to shonen protagonists like Naruto – that's the manga The Magician Who Rose From Failure.

Leave Me Alone – I Want to Enjoy Cheat Life with My Familiar manga artwork featuring the lead protagonist and her familiar, a wolf. 1
Underrated Isekai Series Uses Cuteness to Hide How Unsettling it Really Is

Leave Me Alone – I Want to Enjoy Cheat Life with My Familiar is similar to series like I Shall Survive Using Potions! but it's somehow sinister.

Color spread in I Got Reincarnated as a Cat, but Since I’m Bored, I Play VRMMOs With Gamer Girls 1
An Isekai With an Isekai: New Manga Pushes Isekai to Its Breaking Point in the Best Way

I Got Reincarnated as a Cat, but Since I’m Bored, I Play VRMMOs With Gamer Girls is everything this new manga's title promises and so much more.

 The Villainess Who Can Read Minds Is Playing With Her Puppy-Like Prince Today Too opening color spread 1
New Villainess Isekai Sets Itself Apart From the Competition With One Captivating Twist

The Villainess Who Can Read Minds Is Playing With Her Puppy-Like Prince Today Too has everything many manga readers want, but they're not even needed.

Naofumi and Bjorn both started with shields 1
New Gaming Manhwa Mocks One of Isekai's Most Controversial Series

The manhwa Surviving The Game As A Barbarian is obviously poking fun at the Rising of the Shield Hero's focus on shields in the best possible way.

Sonic on the cover of Winter Jam 1
Sonic's Speed & Attitude Will Always Work Against Him, & His New Special Proves It

How the Winter Jam one-shot portrays Sonic the Hedgehog is unlike IDW's other 2023 seasonal-themed specials or even the main continuity.

I Stole The Heroine's First Love's three main characters featured together in a collage 1
New Romance Manhwa Has a Fun Twist That Makes it Isekai's Opposite

I Stole The Heroine's First Love feels like a regular gaming isekai, but there's one major thing that's missing – the hero doesn't get transported.

Firefighter Daigo_ Rescuer in Orange key visual featuring three of the main characters fighting a fire. 1
Glorious Rivalry Anime Has an Unexpectedly Realistic Twist That Makes It a Must Watch

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange borrows how rivalries are presented in Berserk and Gungrave, but it takes place in the real world with no powers.

Samurai in Another World volume 2 cover art featuring lead character wearing a red kimono. 1
Samurai Isekai Series Mixes Manga's Most Popular Genres To Explosive Effect

Isekai fans who are looking for something formulaic won't get that with Samurai in Another World, but it still scratches that itch more than others.

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