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Vampires Never Stay Dead: Dark Shadows Found A Second Life in Comic Strips
In April 2024, Hermes Press reissued the Dark Shadows newspaper strip that ran from March 1971-March 1972. Gerard J. Waggett provides a remembrance of that series. Three weeks before ABC dropped the Gothic soap opera… [more]
“The Old Bonds Between Man and Nature Have Been Broken”: Environmentalism, Mysticism, and Folk Horror in The Knights of Pendragon, Part 3
Although Gawain is victorious in it, Thomas’s vision also implies his own defeat at Captain Britain’s hands: after Gawain has killed Lancelot, he lifts the visor of his helmet to see the face of the… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 12
The Mighty Thor #273: The newsman, Harris Hobbs, tells Thor he is going to film a television special about the Norse gods on location – in Asgard. Thor suggests such a request is not his… [more]
“The Old Bonds Between Man and Nature Have Been Broken”: Environmentalism, Mysticism, and Folk Horror in The Knights of Pendragon, Part 2
The presence of UNIT analogues W.H.O. in a rural location, investigating an anomaly connected to the land, brings to mind the folk horror-themed episodes of Doctor Who referred to by Scovell and mentioned above; however,… [more]
A Joke Stretched to Its Limits
The Brave and the Bold #111 (“Death Has the Last Laugh”) proclaimed itself “the strangest team-up in history,” pairing Batman with his arch-enemy, the Joker. The two join forces to capture a gangster who has… [more]
“The Old Bonds Between Man and Nature Have Been Broken”: Environmentalism, Mysticism, and Folk Horror in The Knights of Pendragon, Part 1
Although the title of the Marvel UK comic book series The Knights of Pendragon (1990-1993; Pendragon hereafter) refers to a group of superheroes, the main protagonist of its first six issues (July-Dec, 1990) is very… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 11
The Mighty Thor #272: Thor flies over New York City, enjoying the freedom of a beautiful day on Earth, but still he spots some real trouble: a bully is beating up a kid in front… [more]
Storytelling in Criminal: The Dead and the Dying
The Dead and the Dying, written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips, is the third volume of Criminal, and it marks the point where the series really hit its stride. This is where… [more]
Panther Beat: The Use of Beat Panels in Priest’s Black Panther
From literally beginning to end, Christopher Priest’s Black Panther made use of so-called ‘beat panels’ for comedic effect. Although Priest had incorporated beat panels into his repertoire prior to Black Panther, and would continue to… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 10
The Mighty Thor #271: Thor – with other members of the Avengers – calls on Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which stood for the rather awkward “Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division;” were there other Divisions?).… [more]
Monster Mash: Saga of the Swamp Thing and Monster Tropes, Part 2
When Nature Attacks! Having achieved his goal of joining with the Green, Woodrue quickly begins his attack on the human race. Woodrue starts small but his escalation is devastating. The killing of a group of… [more]
Monster Mash: Saga of the Swamp Thing and Monster Tropes, Part 1
Joining the Monster Squad Monsters enter our lives at an early age. We are told stories about the things that dwell in the shadows and the corners of our minds. The creatures that we –… [more]
Proper Pronouns: How Wonder Woman Slipped Sexual Slavery, Sadism, and Homosexuality Past the Comics Code Authority
The last few years have taught us the importance the LGBTQ+ community places upon personal pronouns. In 1969, Wonder Woman writer / penciller / editor Mike Sekowsky understood the value of pronouns when it came… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 9
The Mighty Thor #270: Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst, engages Thor in battle and prevents him from retrieving his hammer. Conveniently though, before Thor can change back into Don Blake, Blastaar throws him into an alley.… [more]
Dracula, for the Mature Reader: How Marvel Built a ‘70s Horror Book Around a Victorian-Era Monster, Part 2
On the 50th Anniversary of Tomb of Dracula, Gerard Waggett concludes his look back at the book, warts and all. [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 8
The Mighty Thor #269: The splash page shows Thor reading a newspaper at a New York City newsstand. As a crowd gathers, he gets pressured into signing autographs. Telling his fans he has duties to… [more]
Dracula, for the Mature Reader: How Marvel Built a ‘70s Horror Book Around a Victorian-Era Monster, Part 1
On the 50th Anniversary of Tomb of Dracula, Gerard Waggett takes a look back at the book, warts and all. [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 7
The Mighty Thor #268: Damocles escaped from Thor, but events take place leading Thor right back to him. To begin this issue, the police contact Dr. Blake and ask him to contact Thor. Being one… [more]
Vehicular Violence, the Lawmaster, and Judge Dredd
The character of Judge Dredd that appears in the 1995 adaptation from director Danny Cannon and starring Sylvester Stallone, then later in the more faithful 2012 film with Karl Urban, is based on a British… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 6
The Mighty Thor #267: After an epic battle with the Destroyer, Asgard needs major reconstruction. Balder takes charge and repairs are happening swiftly. Odin banishes an unrepentant Loki to Midgard (Earth) in the form of… [more]
Thor ’77-’78: On the Never-Ending Road to Ragnarok, Part 5
The Mighty Thor #266: Neither Thor nor Sif realize Balder’s life force is powering the Destroyer, so they don’t understand why Karnilla has ended her attack on him. Thor continues the fight alone, but Sif… [more]
Black Lions and Black Panthers: Wakanda as a Representation of Ethiopia
Wakanda is not a true African nation but it can certainly be compared to many African countries. As a fictional nation whose relationship with the real Africa has always been nebulous (to the extent that… [more]