http://sequart.org advancing comics as art Sat, 18 May 2013 16:45:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://sequart.org/magazine/20122/of-cats-and-lizards-an-interview-with-jason-brubaker%e2%80%94creator-of-remind/ http://sequart.org/magazine/20122/of-cats-and-lizards-an-interview-with-jason-brubaker%e2%80%94creator-of-remind/#comments Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:00:23 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=20122 Comixology has defined part of its business model by giving away first issues of on-going series and samples of other comics as a means of catching reader’s attention and hooking their interest for the long-term.… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/20122/of-cats-and-lizards-an-interview-with-jason-brubaker%e2%80%94creator-of-remind/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/19328/what-makes-for-a-great-joker-story-in-defense-of-batman-17/ http://sequart.org/magazine/19328/what-makes-for-a-great-joker-story-in-defense-of-batman-17/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:00:21 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=19328 Recently, I wrote a review on Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman #17—the much-anticipated finale for the “Death of the Family” story arc, and I gave it a solid “10.” (I’ll spare the details as… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/19328/what-makes-for-a-great-joker-story-in-defense-of-batman-17/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/18855/interview-with-andrew-goletz-from-gray-havens-comics-you-are-not-alone-anthology/ http://sequart.org/magazine/18855/interview-with-andrew-goletz-from-gray-havens-comics-you-are-not-alone-anthology/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:00:55 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=18855 Gray Haven Comics is an independent comic publisher making a name for itself with its on-going anthology, The Gathering.  Recently, publisher Andrew Goletz began mobilizing fellow comics creators—both pros and up-and-coming writers and artists—to contribute… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/18855/interview-with-andrew-goletz-from-gray-havens-comics-you-are-not-alone-anthology/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/18417/jim-valentino-shadowhawk-year-one/ http://sequart.org/magazine/18417/jim-valentino-shadowhawk-year-one/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:00:20 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=18417 At the time of Image Comics’ inception, Jim Valentino openly admitted to being the least known founder.  Valentino stated in the first edition of the trade paperback of Shadowhawk vol. 1 that “I was pretty… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/18417/jim-valentino-shadowhawk-year-one/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/18651/a-review-of-darkness-outside-of-the-night/ http://sequart.org/magazine/18651/a-review-of-darkness-outside-of-the-night/#comments Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:00:52 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=18651 I am fortunate to have enjoyed the opportunity to write for Sequart over the past year and a half.  From one-shot reviews, articles and editorials, to beginning to write selections for my serialized critical book,… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/18651/a-review-of-darkness-outside-of-the-night/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/18477/a-review-of-star-wars-1-in-the-shadow-of-yavin/ http://sequart.org/magazine/18477/a-review-of-star-wars-1-in-the-shadow-of-yavin/#comments Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:00:42 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=18477 Script: Brian Wood. Art: Carlos D’Anda. Colors: Gabe Eltaeb. Lettering: Michael Heisler. Cover Art: Alex Ross. Brian Wood is a creator who, over the past few years, has built an impressive resume working in the realm of both creator-owned… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/18477/a-review-of-star-wars-1-in-the-shadow-of-yavin/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/17336/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-4/ http://sequart.org/magazine/17336/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-4/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:00:47 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=17336 Part Four: Final Thoughts Youngblood delivered a hyper-realistic experience of explosions and Adonis and Venus like superhumans in extreme conditions making use of extreme powers. Unfortunately, the super-team failed to deliver a truly super-heroic experience.… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/17336/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-4/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/17335/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-3/ http://sequart.org/magazine/17335/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-3/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:00:17 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=17335 Part Three: When Pictures Aren’t Worth a Thousand Words Originally, I intended to split my focus on the interior art from the storyline itself. When considering the nature of the medium and the relationship of… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/17335/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefelds-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-3/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/15371/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-2/ http://sequart.org/magazine/15371/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-2/#comments Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:00:10 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=15371 While one certainly should not judge a book by its cover, applying this adage to the cover of a comic book can be problematic. For many readers, it is the cover art that captures the… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/15371/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-2/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/15349/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-1/ http://sequart.org/magazine/15349/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-1/#comments Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:00:17 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=15349 By many accounts, it was Rob Liefield who initiated talks about forming Image Comics and encouraged other rock star artists of the late 1980s and early 1990s into breaking away from the mainstream to form… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/15349/sharpening-the-image-rob-liefield%e2%80%99s-youngblood-the-man-and-the-comic-that-started-it-all-part-1/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/14935/sharpening-the-image-introduction/ http://sequart.org/magazine/14935/sharpening-the-image-introduction/#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:00:56 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=14935 Comic readers from Gen X and (older members of) Gen Y remember 1992 as a sort of zeitgeist for comics.  Change was in the air in all strata of the field: DC Comics not only… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/14935/sharpening-the-image-introduction/feed/ 3 http://sequart.org/magazine/13845/a-peek-behind-the-curtain-into-north-korea-with-guy-delisle-in-pyongyang/ http://sequart.org/magazine/13845/a-peek-behind-the-curtain-into-north-korea-with-guy-delisle-in-pyongyang/#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:00:11 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=13845 Guy Delisle’s travelogue, Pyongyang, takes readers on a journey to a country that has been closed off to the West for years, and instead of dispelling fears of a fascist nation oppressing its people in… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/13845/a-peek-behind-the-curtain-into-north-korea-with-guy-delisle-in-pyongyang/feed/ 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/13273/comics-as-catharsis-alison-bechdel%e2%80%99s-fun-home/ http://sequart.org/magazine/13273/comics-as-catharsis-alison-bechdel%e2%80%99s-fun-home/#comments Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:00:39 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=13273 Comic literature is truly an exciting field, as it expands its canon to include more than the super-hero genre that got things started in the 1930s and ’40s. Today, creators are taking advantage of this… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/13273/comics-as-catharsis-alison-bechdel%e2%80%99s-fun-home/feed/ 4 http://sequart.org/magazine/12109/mazzuchellis-asterios-polyp-and-the-fine-line/ http://sequart.org/magazine/12109/mazzuchellis-asterios-polyp-and-the-fine-line/#comments Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:00:38 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=12109 Have you read David Mazzuchelli’s Asterios Polyp? If not, you should. This graphic novel exemplifies the type of comic that makes excellent use of its visual components and economic use of language to provide a powerful, valuable… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/12109/mazzuchellis-asterios-polyp-and-the-fine-line/feed/ 8 http://sequart.org/magazine/12101/my-introduction-to-manga-part-2-a-mechanical-emerson-for-the-future-in-urasawa%e2%80%99s-pluto/ http://sequart.org/magazine/12101/my-introduction-to-manga-part-2-a-mechanical-emerson-for-the-future-in-urasawa%e2%80%99s-pluto/#comments Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:00:12 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=12101 In 1942, Isaac Asimov introduced the world to the three laws of robotics and, in doing so, set the stage that later science fiction writers interested in writing about robots would have to cross. Ten… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/12101/my-introduction-to-manga-part-2-a-mechanical-emerson-for-the-future-in-urasawa%e2%80%99s-pluto/feed/ 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/11480/my-introduction-to-manga-part-1-suppli-takes-on-batman-and-loses-by-a-landslide/ http://sequart.org/magazine/11480/my-introduction-to-manga-part-1-suppli-takes-on-batman-and-loses-by-a-landslide/#comments Wed, 30 May 2012 11:00:38 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=11480 Like many Western comic fans of a certain age (which will go unmentioned), I have had little exposure to manga and anime. In fact, my only experience with anything related to the subject would have… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/11480/my-introduction-to-manga-part-1-suppli-takes-on-batman-and-loses-by-a-landslide/feed/ 6 http://sequart.org/magazine/11465/kafka-and-the-bunny-suicides/ http://sequart.org/magazine/11465/kafka-and-the-bunny-suicides/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 11:00:39 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=11465 During the last week of December, savvy shoppers are aware of the 50% discount on new calendars for the upcoming year. It is with this in mind that I accompany my wife to the mall… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/11465/kafka-and-the-bunny-suicides/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/11474/black-hole%e2%80%a6where-everyone-is-welcome/ http://sequart.org/magazine/11474/black-hole%e2%80%a6where-everyone-is-welcome/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 11:00:34 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=11474 Charles Burns’s Black Hole starts off like so many other bildungsroman stories before it: girl and boy meet, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy experience sex together for the first time, girl discovers… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/11474/black-hole%e2%80%a6where-everyone-is-welcome/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/10653/the-anxiety-of-influence-and-failed-sequels-frank-miller-and-the-dark-knight-strikes-again/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10653/the-anxiety-of-influence-and-failed-sequels-frank-miller-and-the-dark-knight-strikes-again/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:52 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10653 “I mean the criticism teaches not a language of criticism […] but a language in which poetry already is written, the language of influence, of the dialectic…” (Bloom 25). In his controversial work, The Anxiety… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10653/the-anxiety-of-influence-and-failed-sequels-frank-miller-and-the-dark-knight-strikes-again/feed/ 4 http://sequart.org/magazine/10652/the-difficulties-of-being-%e2%80%9cjust%e2%80%9d-good-and-bad-in-comics-of-the-new-millennium/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10652/the-difficulties-of-being-%e2%80%9cjust%e2%80%9d-good-and-bad-in-comics-of-the-new-millennium/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:51 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10652 In 1974, Frank Castle—also known as The Punisher—made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #129, and the comics world was introduced to what would become one of the most popular anti-heroes—though he certainly was not the… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10652/the-difficulties-of-being-%e2%80%9cjust%e2%80%9d-good-and-bad-in-comics-of-the-new-millennium/feed/ 4 http://sequart.org/magazine/10651/jimmy-corrigan-and-smartest-deconstruction-of-the-superhero-in-the-world/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10651/jimmy-corrigan-and-smartest-deconstruction-of-the-superhero-in-the-world/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:39 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10651 When dealing with 20th-century novels, James Joyce’s Ulysses is arguably the most significant work in terms of its influence on writers who would follow in the modern and postmodern traditions. In like fashion, Chris Ware’s… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10651/jimmy-corrigan-and-smartest-deconstruction-of-the-superhero-in-the-world/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/10630/the-adventures-of-tintin-in-critical-controversy/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10630/the-adventures-of-tintin-in-critical-controversy/#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:00:07 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10630 It is commonly held that the United States helped create the comics art and literary genre; however, what is often overlooked is the significant comics community thriving in Europe during these early years, particularly in… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10630/the-adventures-of-tintin-in-critical-controversy/feed/ 5 http://sequart.org/magazine/10625/life-on-another-planet-because-the-options-here-dont-look-great/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10625/life-on-another-planet-because-the-options-here-dont-look-great/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:00:45 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10625 The notion of discovering intelligent life on another planet and discovering new worlds in space might initially seem to be an exciting field of exploration rife with optimism. However, Will Eisner’s Life on Another Planet… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10625/life-on-another-planet-because-the-options-here-dont-look-great/feed/ 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/10619/grant-morrison%e2%80%99s-all-star-superman-science-fiction-or-science-fiction-appropriated/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10619/grant-morrison%e2%80%99s-all-star-superman-science-fiction-or-science-fiction-appropriated/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10619 Like traditional literature, graphic novels and comics approach the science fiction genre in a variety of different ways, and this should come as no surprise given the various approaches to sequential art in the United… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10619/grant-morrison%e2%80%99s-all-star-superman-science-fiction-or-science-fiction-appropriated/feed/ 6 http://sequart.org/magazine/10081/habibi-open-dialogues-with-difficult-literature/ http://sequart.org/magazine/10081/habibi-open-dialogues-with-difficult-literature/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:00:52 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=10081 My first impression upon picking up my copy of Craig Thompson’s latest work, Habibi, was one of both excitement and trepidation. My previous experience with Thompson was his multi-award winning graphic novel, Blankets. Like so… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/10081/habibi-open-dialogues-with-difficult-literature/feed/ 5 http://sequart.org/magazine/9272/rethinking-modern-era-comic-books-aren%e2%80%99t-bad-they%e2%80%99re-just-not-worth-the-money/ http://sequart.org/magazine/9272/rethinking-modern-era-comic-books-aren%e2%80%99t-bad-they%e2%80%99re-just-not-worth-the-money/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:25 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=9272 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]” There were two primary critiques that I leveled… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/9272/rethinking-modern-era-comic-books-aren%e2%80%99t-bad-they%e2%80%99re-just-not-worth-the-money/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/6901/comics-journalism-learning-about-current-events-through-funny-books/ http://sequart.org/magazine/6901/comics-journalism-learning-about-current-events-through-funny-books/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:00:53 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=6901 It’s an exciting time to work in the field of comics today, even for those us—the comics critics and scholars—who possess far less artistic ability to create captivating images or weave spellbinding tales. As an… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/6901/comics-journalism-learning-about-current-events-through-funny-books/feed/ 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/6519/why-i-believe-in-comics/ http://sequart.org/magazine/6519/why-i-believe-in-comics/#comments Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:00:59 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=6519 On NPR, there is a program called This I Believe… where respondents briefly explain their particular belief about a certain topic in around 500 or so words. Some individuals focus on their belief in the… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/6519/why-i-believe-in-comics/feed/ 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/4175/part-two-fresh-off-the-boat-stories-of-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/ http://sequart.org/magazine/4175/part-two-fresh-off-the-boat-stories-of-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:00:02 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=4175 While Anya’s Ghost subtly weaves the theme of the “FOB” and the struggle with Americanization into its story of coming of age and the supernatural, Gene Luen Yang’s award-winning American Born Chinese takes direct aim… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/4175/part-two-fresh-off-the-boat-stories-of-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/feed/ 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/4168/part-one-fresh-off-the-boat-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/ http://sequart.org/magazine/4168/part-one-fresh-off-the-boat-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:00:39 +0000 Forrest Helvie http://sequart.org/?p=4168 One concept that often shows up in multiethnic literature is the “FOB”— Fresh Off the Boat—immigrant. This concept shows up either directly or indirectly in a variety of multiethnic sources and appears to be an… [more]]]> http://sequart.org/magazine/4168/part-one-fresh-off-the-boat-the-americanization-process-in-anya%e2%80%99s-ghost-and-american-born-chinese/feed/ 0