Magazine
Habibi: Open Dialogues with Difficult Literature
My first impression upon picking up my copy of Craig Thompson’s latest work, Habibi, was one of both excitement and trepidation.
Deconstructing Batman and Robin: Damian’s Transformation (Part 3)
While Damian’s name can be interpreted as “to tame,” it can also be interpreted as “to conquer,” which seems to be Talia’s reasoning for his name when she says in issue #7, “Damian will stride… [more]
The Year in Comics, Week Eight: Steve Gerber & Gene Colan’s The Night After You Save The Universe?
Violence is generally presented as a solution to problems in comics, because, being the illustrated form they are, they tend to over-simply, reduce everything to its most basic.
“The Yesterday Gambit,” Part 1
We began discussion of “The Yesterday Gambit” last time, having previously introduced Miracleman and discussed its first, second, and third chapters. We now turn to the story of Alan Moore’s “The Yesterday Gambit,” from Warrior #4.
Marvel’s Spirit of Vengeance
A few days ago I donated some money to Gary Friedrich, the co-creator of Ghost Rider, one of Marvel Entertainment’s most popular properties.
Consumption Junction
“Human activity is not entirely reducible to processes of production and conservation, and consumption must be divided into two distinct parts.
Deconstructing Batman and Robin: Damian’s Transformation (Part 2)
While Dick Grayson’s growth as Batman is certainly one way of interpreting Batman and Robin, one shouldn’t forget the “Robin” part of the title.
The Year in Comics, Week Seven: Mister Wonderful by Daniel Clowes
Please be warned; this second Valentine’s Day piece contains very significant spoilers!
“The Yesterday Gambit” (A Miracleman Interlude)
We’ve introduced Miracleman and discussed its first, second, and third chapters. We now turn to the famous “The Yesterday Gambit,” from Warrior #4.
Realism and the Art of Action
Sequential art is a purely visual medium, one that relies on the combination of words and pictures in order to give the illusion of animation and sound.
Meeting with Bosses Old and New
[Marshall] Field asked, “What do you want?” [Milton] Caniff didn’t even have to hesitate. “I told him full ownership [of Steve Canyon] and full editorial control.” – “Setting the Stage,” by Chris Jenson in Steve… [more]
Deconstructing Batman and Robin: Damian’s Transformation (Part 1)
The very idea of Batman having a son was criticized before Damian ever made his first appearance.
The Year in Comics, Week Six: On Bill Finger & Wayne Boring’s The Girl In Superman’s Past
It’s hard to tell at first from looking that the Clark Kent of 1959’s The Girl In Superman’s Past is desperately in love.
Miracleman, Chapter 3 Concludes
We’ve introduced Miracleman and discussed its first and second chapters, plus most of the third (part one, part two). We now conclude our look at this third chapter of Alan Moore and Garry Leach’s Miracleman… [more]
When Adrian Veidt Owns Shakespeare: Why I’m Against Before Watchmen
DC Comics recently officially announced that it would be reviving the characters from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s revered graphic novel, Watchmen, for a slew of prequel spin-off comics. In my opinion, these prequels are… [more]
Why Batman Isn’t a Wingnut
Recently, a friend of mine clicked on a Batman-related TV show clip that found its way to the front page of Reddit.
The Power Ring and the Comic Book (Part 4)
In part 1 of this series I wrote: When DC Comics issued their refurbished versions of such characters as the Flash and Green Lantern, the heroes still fought assorted “done-in-one-story” menaces while the narratives remained… [more]
Deconstructing Batman and Robin: The Grayson Foils, Part 3
The first six issues of Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin expertly put Dick Grayson in a position that readers weren’t used to seeing him in – one of vulnerability.
The Year in Comics, Week Five: Crime Does Not Pay
Some of it is still shocking.
Miracleman, Chapter 3: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”
We’ve introduced Miracleman and discussed its first and second episodes, plus the first page of chapter three. We now continue our look at that third chapter of Alan Moore and Garry Leach’s Miracleman stories, which… [more]
Two Books About Grant Morrison Now on Kindle
Sequart Research & Literacy Organization’s celebrated Grant Morrison: The Early Years and Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles are both now available on Kindle.
On Breast-Feeding and Boobery
I know that in my column here, which is unofficially titled “Living Fiction,” I usually adopt the hippy dippy angle of “comics are more real than we think” or whatever and apply it to whatever… [more]
Rethinking “Modern Era Comic Books Aren’t Bad… They’re Just Not Worth the Money”
In the Spring 2010 newsletter of the Comic Book Collector’s Association, I wrote an article called “Modern Era Comic Books Aren’t Bad…They’re Just Not Worth the Money.[1]”
Deconstructing Batman and Robin : The Grayson Foils, Part 2
There is no one who could make a better foil for Dick Grayson than Jason Todd.
The Year in Comics, Week Four: On Garth Ennis & Gary Erskine’s Archangel
There’s such an obvious distinction to be made between the two, but there’s a lot of folks who consistently fail to do so.
