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Greg Carpenter
Greg Carpenter is a writer, teacher, and recovering coffee addict. He is the author of The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comic Book Writer. In addition to producing a weekly column for Sequart for almost two years, he has also written for RogerEbert.com and PopMatters. He has published essays on a variety of writers and artists including Moore, Gaiman, Morrison, Jerry Robinson, August Wilson, and Tennessee Williams, and he has taught a wide variety of classes, including Comics, Shakespeare, Modern American Literature, and Screenwriting/Playwriting. He currently teaches at a university in Nashville.
BOOKS AND MOVIES BY GREG CARPENTER
 The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comic Book Writer (author) |
MAGAZINE CONTENT BY GREG CARPENTER (97 TOTAL)
A Birthday Card for a Friend
One of my childhood friends turns 80 today. Perhaps he’s your friend too. [more]
Awkward Encounters of the Conventional Kind: Nashville Comic Con Notebook
Conventions always have their ups and downs, but I felt like I had bungled every part of this one, and it was still only Friday night. [more]
The Fundamental Things Apply: A Brief Meditation on Reading Jack Kirby in 2017
In times of stress, many of us look to the arts to help fill our emotional wells after they’ve gone dry. And right now, for me, Jack Kirby is like some kind of magical mountain spring. [more]
“Welcome to My House … And leave something of the happiness you bring”: Orson Welles’s Dracula
The other day I saw an amusing social media post from Stephen Bissette, the legendary Swamp Thing penciller. He was mocking a recent online article that promised a list of 11 little known horror films… [more]
Wizard World Comic Con–Nashville Notebook: Day Two
I just got insulted by Howard Chaykin. That’s like the comic book world’s equivalent of getting roasted by Don Rickles. [more]
Wizard World Comic Con—Nashville Notebook: Day One
Howard Chaykin may have sounded like he was auditioning for Glengarry Glen Ross, but his was the most enjoyable panel I’ve attended in three years of convention-going. [more]
Tiptoeing Through the Tulips with Neil Gaiman
While some of the points Gaiman makes in his “Tulip Speech” are less relevant than they were in the early ‘90s, his overall prescription for saving the industry is as simple and true today as ever. [more]
“Shambling After the Mad Ones”: Bob Dylan, Alan Moore, and Jack Kerouac
A couple of weeks ago, I broke down and got a copy of Bob Dylan’s 1970 album, Self Portrait. For many fans, this album represents the low point in Dylan’s discography. Throughout most of the… [more]
The Sky is Not Falling: Steven Spielberg and the Death of the Superhero Movie
In a recent interview with the Associated Press to promote his upcoming Cold War thriller, Bridge of Spies, director Steven Spielberg said that the superhero move would eventually “go the way of the Western.” He… [more]
The Nostalgia Test: Re-examining Denny O’Neil, Denys Cowan, and Rick Magyar’s The Question
The Question strove for subtext—it was more about Vic’s spiritual journey than whether he could defeat a villain or escape a burning building. [more]
Why Brando Matters: Listen to Me Marlon and the Search for Authenticity
Picasso had to paint. Miles had to play. Einstein had to theorize. And Brando had to act. But the art of acting was to expose falseness, to open it up and examine it in a never-ending search for authenticity. [more]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Part 3: The Guy Ritchie Affair
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been writing about The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a high-concept spy show that briefly became a pop culture sensation in the mid-‘60s. The show lasted for only 3 ½… [more]
The Audacity of Hope, Geek Culture, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Part 2
A week ago I went to see the new Mission Impossible. While waiting for it to start, I was a bit amused to see trailers for two upcoming movies—The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the latest… [more]
The Audacity of Hope, Geek Culture, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Part 1
When Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” she clearly didn’t anticipate geek culture. For despite popular stereotypes, one of the most dominant characteristics of many in the geek community is a deep… [more]
Outdoor Basketball Goals, Ant-Man, and Twinkies: Ambivalence at the Multiplex
When we first decided to buy a house, I had one requirement. I wanted a basketball goal. It’s not that I was a serious basketball player or anything, but having an outdoor goal seemed necessary—like… [more]
Mythology, Aunt May, and Fairy Tales: A Monday Morning Mosaic
How does the collective comics community respond to the news that an Oscar-winning and highly respected actress might participate in the next Spider-Man movie? Why, with weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, of course. [more]
Ode to Dejection: On Children’s Animation, Art Films, and Pixar’s Inside Out
One of the unexpected side effects of having children is that you wind up watching a lot of kids’ entertainment. For some, this might sound like a nightmare, but it’s not always bad. Sure, you… [more]
Look Away, Dixie Land: Reflections on Life in the South, Racist Iconography, and Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing
When I was very young, my family used to make an annual summer trip to Dogpatch, U.S.A. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains near Harrison, Arkansas, Dogpatch was a small amusement park inspired by Al Capp’s… [more]
The Golden Age of American Film Criticism, Part 2
That generation of film critics became my unofficial college professors. If you needed me in those days, you could usually find me in the basement of the university library, sprawled on the dusty concrete floor reading old movie reviews. [more]
Roger Ebert and the Golden Age of American Film Criticism, Part 1
Roger Ebert loved his hometown, his college, his newspaper, his friends, his lovers, and his travels. Like most great writers, he doesn’t explain so much as he inspires. [more]
“If it Ain’t Broke …”: Revisionist Missteps in Batman: Earth One
Three weeks ago, while discussing the Superman: Earth One series of graphic novels, I mentioned in passing that I “didn’t care” for the Earth One Batman series. Now as far as Internet critiques go, saying… [more]
Kingpin, Kubrick, and Conan: A Vincent D’Onofrio Triptych
Vincent D’Onofrio. It’s a name I’ve known for years, but until now I’ve never really paid much attention. That’s about to change. As you may have already guessed, I’ve been watching Netflix’s Daredevil, where D’Onofrio… [more]
Bonnie and Clyde … and The Cat in the Hat?
It’s funny what can happen to your mind when you’re bored. Recently, I saw a play at a local children’s theater and I had every reason to believe the play would be great. It’s a… [more]
Flying Cars, Graphic Novels, and Superman Earth One
When it comes to predicting the future of the publishing industry, there are two types of people—those who have no idea what is going to happen and those who pretend like they do. Given the… [more]
Superhero Movies and the Curse of Familiarity: The Age of Ultron
The art of adaptation as well as the challenge of sequels is to allow the audience to experience things in new ways—strange ways—in order to destabilize us. [more]
Frank Miller, Bernie Krigstein, and “The Master Race”
As many of you probably know, last Friday DC Comics announced plans to publish a new sequel to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. While details were sketchy, it was clear that Miller would be… [more]
We Don’t Want What We Want: Thoughts on Superman and Movie Trailers
When I sit down to read a comic or watch a movie, I don’t know specifically what I want. And I think that’s a good thing. [more]
“It’s Not a Game!”: Sam Peckinpah’s The Westerner
You remember that amazing TV show that got cancelled after just a few episodes? The one from the respected TV writer who then went on to become a famous filmmaker? The show was sort of… [more]
Jane Austen, Art, and Women in Comics: A Conversation with Janet K. Lee
Do I have to drink hot tea in order to talk about Jane Austen? That’s the question that kept running through my head as I made my way to Sip Café in East Nashville. I… [more]
Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee: Davy Crockett and the Early American Superhero
A century before the Shadow, the Phantom, and Superman, the Crockett Almanacs had turned Davy Crockett into one of the first American superheroes. [more]
The Literary Art of Stephen King: “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away”
In this story, King is elevating an entire medium of expression that almost no one takes seriously, even though in many ways it has a purity that most of the finer arts lack. [more]
Tracing Some of the Roots in Scott McCloud’s The Sculptor, Part 2
[A quick word of caution. What follows is an analysis of some of the literary antecedents for The Sculptor. As such, spoilers abound. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!] If you read last week’s column,… [more]
Tracing Some of the Roots of Scott McCloud’s The Sculptor, Part 1
In the midst of this very Postmodern setting, The Sculptor winds up echoing some very old legends with roots tracing back through 19th century Germany, 16th century England, and 1st century Rome. [more]
In Search of the Early Leonard Nimoy: Kid Monk Baroni, The Balcony, and Deathwatch
Like the rest of the world that could only see him as the logical Mr. Spock, I had typecast him, but in my case I had done so in a way that was doubly wrong. Not only had I misread Spock, but I had misread Nimoy as well. [more]
On Internet Outrage and Choosing Not to “Bite the Hook”
Last Monday, The Guardian published a piece on contemporary comics that asked the question, “When did the comic-book universe become so banal?” It was written by an art critic and former comic book reader who… [more]
Too Late Blues: Cassavetes, Darin, and Changing Masculinities
Last year I enjoyed writing about a relatively obscure jazz film, All Night Long, so I was excited a couple of weeks ago when I discovered another interesting one of the same genre. Too Late… [more]
“We Will Not and Cannot be Patient”: On John Lewis’s March: Book Two
If I had to pick one moment from the second volume of John Lewis’s March to explain what makes it so special, I know what I would choose. It happens at almost exactly the halfway… [more]
The Sixty-Seven Million Dollar Man*: (*Adjusted for Medical Inflation)
“It feels like a Six Million Dollar Man night tonight! Who’s with me?” Those were the words that escaped my lips last Tuesday evening. I still don’t know where they came from. It wasn’t anything… [more]
Too Big to Forfeit: Deflategate, The Goon, and the Business of Football
It’s Super Bowl Week at Sequart, so you know what that means! What’s that you say? You think it probably means nothing? Just the usual assortment of insightful articles about comic books and movies and… [more]
Tired, Weak, and Worn: Humanizing Martin Luther King in Selma
I was standing at a urinal when the man next to me suddenly blurted out, “You just saw Selma?” “Um … yeah,” was all I managed to stammer in response. I figure the world is… [more]
The Amazing Adventures of “Stan” and “Jack”: Michael Chabon’s “Citizen Conn”
A couple of years ago, Michael Chabon gave a reading at our local library. He was promoting a new novel, Telegraph Avenue, and the auditorium was packed. Given my academic background, I’ve had to attend… [more]
Superheroes in the Autopsy Room or: How a TV Star Tried to Save my Life
As I write this week’s column, it’s New Year’s Day—that one magical holiday when most of us sit around following a week of indulgences and resolve to do all manner of great things. It’s one… [more]
Quintessential Superman: Tom De Haven’s It’s Superman!
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column praising Michael Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony. Near the end of that column, I called the Grammy-winning piece one of “the quintessential creative works” about Superman, listing it alongside… [more]
Subversive Season’s Greetings: Tim Burton’s Christmas Trilogy
One of my favorite Christmas songs is the opening track on Elvis Presley’s first holiday album. The album itself was a largely traditional collection of songs—“O Little Town of Bethlehem” and such—but Elvis insisted that… [more]
Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts: The Longest Jazz Solo in History
The panel opens on a barren sidewalk. Two unnamed children, a boy and a girl, sit on some steps, leading to another, equally barren sidewalk. There are no trees, no buildings, no animals, no cars… [more]
Writing the Collective Page: Dave Sim, Judenhass, and Tolerating Injustice
When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made… [more]
Grant Morrison, Watchmen, and the Art of the Polemic
In order to criticize a movie, you have to make another movie. —Jean-Luc Godard A few years ago I stopped reading monthly comic books. It wasn’t an ideological decision—just a reader’s. Most of the comics… [more]
Confessions of a Paranoid Humanities Scholar: On Big Hero 6 and Interstellar
A couple of weeks ago I parked next to an SUV covered in decals all warning about the coming “zombie apocalypse.” I chuckled, largely because I’ve never had a moment’s worry about zombies. But there… [more]
Superman Goes to the Symphony: Michael Daugherty’s The Metropolis Symphony
One of the old adages about writing says that you should write the thing that scares you—so here goes. For this week’s column, I want to take a look at a piece of classical music. … [more]
The Original Science-Fiction Hero, Part 2: Buck Rogers and the Art of the Reboot
In last week’s column, I wrote about the original novella from Amazing Stories that first introduced Buck Rogers. This week I want to look at two recent attempts to reboot the character. Whenever I talk… [more]
The Original Science Fiction Hero, Part 1: Buck Rogers, Philip Francis Nowlan, and Armageddon 2419
When I heard that Sequart was celebrating science fiction this week, I knew pretty quickly what I wanted to write about. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by iconic characters from pop… [more]
The Strange Case of Dr. Pretentious and Mr. Clown
I’ve always loved Halloween. It’s one of the few holidays that is fun and festive but requires no travel and only nominal shopping. When it’s done right, it’s a wonderful excuse to dress up, eat… [more]
How to Talk Like a Smart Person in 6 Easy Steps: Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom
Last year, while re-reading Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles, I was amused by the references to “smart drinks,” a popular ‘90s fad of high-powered, supplement-infused juices said to stimulate brain activity. While I never tried one… [more]
Obsession and Superhero Movies: Scenes from a Comics Convention, Part 2
If you read last week’s column, you know that I recently attended the second annual Nashville Comic Con. This week, I’d like to talk about one of the panels that made a particular impression on… [more]
The Shatner News No One Covered: Scenes from a Comics Convention, Part 1
Recently, Denise Dorman, the wife of the great Star Wars artist, Dave Dorman, posted a blog where she described the financial difficulties faced by many of the comics creators who attend conventions. Hers was a… [more]
Delivering the 20th Century, Part 3: Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell
In re-reading From Hell, it’s hard not to marvel at the liberation Alan Moore seems to be enjoying. Despite the brilliance of his earlier superhero and horror stories, there was often still a sense of… [more]
Delivering the 20th Century, Part 2: Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell
Last week’s column looked at the origins of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell. This week it’s time to dive into some of the highlights from the first half of the book. The Prologue,… [more]
Delivering the Twentieth Century, Part 1: Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell
If you’re like me, you’ve read with interest the recent news stories about a man named Russell Edwards who claims to have finally and definitively solved the mystery of Jack the Ripper. Much like the… [more]
From the Steranko Files: The Hunt for Red Tide
The sun was going down and the shadows from the Venetian blinds made the desk in my office look like it was covered in zebra skin. It had been a long day and my eight… [more]
Prisoner Number Six, Willie the Shake, and All that Jazz
Will you do me a favor? No matter what I write in the next paragraph, I want you to commit, right now, to continue reading this column—no matter what. Do we have a deal? Okay,… [more]
No Country for Old Men: Jack Kirby, The Hunger Dogs, and the Modern Age of Comics
Jack Kirby’s a great artist. He just can’t draw very well. –Anonymous comics fan Okay, so it was me. I’m not proud of it, but that “anonymous” quote was something I actually said a few… [more]
When Vultures Weep: Reflections on Robin Williams and the Alchemy of Joy
I didn’t want to write this column. From the first moment I heard about the death of Robin Williams, it was hard enough just to process the news. Besides, I knew millions of other people… [more]
Marlon Brando and the Problems with Collective Cartooning
In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud defines the act of cartooning as “amplification through simplification.” In other words, a cartoon ignores most of the details, focusing instead on only one or two key components. In the… [more]
A Much Longer Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: On Reading The Star Wars
Star Wars began for me in the toy section of an old five and dime store called TG&Y. It was there I discovered a whole collection of new and unusual looking figures—“dolls” as my Arkansas… [more]
Guarding the Galaxy, Part 2: Cosmic Avengers
One of the papers I usually assign in my composition course is a cultural antecedents essay. The students choose something from popular culture and then examine its relationship to its cultural antecedents. Or, put in… [more]
Completing the Trilogy: Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane
I’ve never been much of a summer person. I can barely swim, don’t really enjoy the beach, and hate hot weather. But something about summer clicked for me this year. Even though we weren’t able… [more]
It’s Pronounced [sin-KEV-ich]
For years I called him Bill “See-EN-key-a-wix.” That is, until somebody told me it was “SINK-a-vich.” Of course that was wrong too, but in a way, that’s as it should be. Most of us don’t… [more]
Guarding the Galaxy from the Discount Bin: Star-Lord: The Special Edition
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m not in love with the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer. I know this puts me in the comic book community’s version of the flat Earth society, but I’m fine with… [more]
Larry Gonick, Thomas Jefferson, and the Fourth of July
The first time I proposed teaching a comics class, someone asked me what I wanted to call it. “Um … Comics? Comic Books? Something like that,” I said, thinking it should’ve been pretty obvious. The… [more]
The Transformed Man: Close Encounters of the Optimal Kind
One day, just another day of organized happiness Like all the others I closed all the doors behind me. –all quotes from William Shatner’s “The Transformed Man,” words by Frank Devenport About a month ago… [more]
A Father’s Day Post-Mortem: Maleficent, Gender, and Fairy Tale Romance
Down with eyes romantic and stupid Down with sighs and down with Cupid Brother, let’s stuff that dove Down with love. –Bobby Darin, “Down With Love” Whenever someone asks me what’s the best part of… [more]
Not Your Father’s Classics Illustrated
“Who’s there?” It’s the opening line of William Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet, and it’s also one of the most important. Like all great opening lines, “Who’s there?” sets the tone for the entire story. … [more]
The Lion, the Witch, and The Art of Neil Gaiman
Does Neil Gaiman ever get into your dreams? I don’t mean literal dreams where you toss and turn in the middle of the night and wake up convinced that the Goodyear Blimp is being piloted… [more]
If a Bell Chimes at Midnight, Does it Make a Sound?: Orson Welles’s Chimes at Midnight
It’s my favorite picture. If I wanted to get into Heaven on the basis of one movie, that’s the one I would offer up. [1] –Orson Welles This week Marvel releases the first collected volume… [more]
Dear X-Men… It’s Not You, It’s Me
I’ve been putting off writing this column for a while now. When I first heard we were doing an X-Men week here at Sequart, I wasn’t too worried. After all, I’ve got a shelf full… [more]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Pop Tragedy or Just Sad?
[Author’s note: If you haven’t seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and it feels like your Spidey sense is tingling, it’s probably because you’re about to encounter major spoilers.] I’ll always remember when I went to… [more]
Absolute Editions, 3D Movies, and the Silent War on Democratic Art
Last summer I decided to re-read the entirety of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Even though I’m a big fan, it had been years since I sat down and systematically went through the whole ten-volume series, so… [more]
The Spider-Man Moment
This is not the essay you were supposed to read today. When I first heard that we were having a Spider-Man week at Sequart, I knew pretty quickly what I wanted to write about. While… [more]
“‘Cause It’s Witchcraft, Wicked Witchcraft”: Wicked, Broadway, and Revisionist Super-Heroes
When you write a weekly column, it doesn’t take long before you find yourself talking about something you don’t know anything about. For me, that moment is now, and I just want to get that… [more]
The Politics of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
CHARLIE GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush doctrine? SARAH PALIN: In what respect, Charlie? GIBSON: The Bush — well, what do you — what do you interpret it to be? PALIN: His world view. GIBSON: No,… [more]
Alan Moore, Oscar Zarate, and One Killer of a Graphic Novel
I was reconnecting with some of my former professors at a reception this past weekend when one of them asked what I was working on. I said I had almost finished writing a book about… [more]
Captain America, Alan Moore, Alex Ross, and the Truth
I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. The Captain America film is coming out, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. I just don’t understand Captain… [more]
300 Things I Hate about 300: Rise of an Empire
[NOTE: the following essay contains spoilers. As to whether a film that’s already rotten can be “spoiled” … well, that’s a debate for another time.] You know it’s a bad sign when you only have… [more]
Jeff Smith Delivers the Old Rasl Dasl
One of the running gags I used to enjoy on The Simpsons was the dreaded educational filmstrip. Whenever Bart or Lisa’s class would settle in to watch one of these out-of-date filmstrips, the faded color,… [more]
Understanding Comics on the Wabash Cannonball
I took the last “left” to Clarksville because, contrary to popular belief, there is no train. Driving up the Interstate from Nashville, I wondered idly how many other people had been disappointed to learn that… [more]
To the Heart of Will Eisner
Some of you may remember that back in January, when I first started writing this weekly column, we conducted a poll of Sequart contributors who ranked the greatest works and most important creators in comics… [more]
In Praise of Bad Batman
“Bless me Father Jack, for I have sinned. It’s been . . . well, this is my first confession. Actually, I’m not even Catholic.” Father Jack puffed on a cigar and squinted. “Well, this ain’t… [more]
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: John Lewis’s March
The story begins on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with a long line of marchers in the center of the top panel. They walk two-by-two on the left side of the road, hugging the railing, prepared… [more]
The Foucault Gospel: Grant Morrison, French Philosophy, and One Mangy Coyote
William Shatner has said that one of the secrets to a fulfilling life is learning to say “yes.” Sure, you sometimes make mistakes, but if you say “yes” enough times you wind up recording albums… [more]
The Curious Case of the Omnipresent Consulting Detective, Part 2: An Interview with Leah Moore and John Reppion
You’re in for a special treat this week. In my last column, I talked about the flurry of Sherlock Holmes projects that have appeared over the past five years. This week I wanted to turn our… [more]
The Curious Case of the Omnipresent Consulting Detective, Part 1
He’s one of the most popular characters in literary history, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a time when Sherlock Holmes was more visible than the past five years. Offhand, I can’t think of another… [more]
On Canons, Critics, Consensus, and Comics, Part 3
This week marks the final installment of our search for a comics canon. As I mentioned in the first column, I recently conducted a survey of the people who contribute to Sequart. A total of 25… [more]
On Canons, Critics, Consensus, and Comics, Part 2
As I explained in last week’s column, I recently asked my fellow Sequart contributors to answer the following question: “What are the 10 greatest works in the history of the comics medium, and who are the… [more]
On Canons, Critics, Consensus, and Comics, Part 1
The semester was nearly over. As a class, we had spent nearly four months reading and discussing comics, and now, in the final two weeks of the term, each student was delivering an oral presentation… [more]
Confessions of a Suburban Criminal or: How I Nearly Got Busted and Why I Blame Eric Powell
As I wheeled my Honda minivan into the parking lot of the Kustom Thrills Tattoo Studio, I didn’t realize I had a cop on my tail. I had come for the opening of Eric Powell’s… [more]
Romantic Reflections in “A Glass of Water”: Morrison and McKean Unplugged
When you do research for a book, you often find yourself searching through the more obscure work of a writer or artist, naively hoping that between all the usual awkward experiments and routine exercises in… [more]
Peeking from Behind the Sofa: The 25th Anniversary of Violent Cases
Violent Cases is the greatest comic ever written about an osteopath.