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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]

Review: A Cultural History of the Punisher

Kent Worcester’s A Cultural History of the Punisher (2023, Intellect Books) was an interesting book to review, seeing as I am thanked in the preface as a “friend and scholar.” I’ll cop to being a… [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]

Sequart Releases Waxing and Waning: Essays on Moon Knight

Sequart is proud to announce the publication of Waxing and Waning: Essays on Moon Knight, edited by Scott Weatherly. Since Moon Knight first appeared as a villain in 1975, he’s spent the decades shifting and… [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]

Sequart Releases Unauthorized Offworld Activation: Exploring the Stargate Franchise

Sequart is proud to announce the publication of Unauthorized Offworld Activation: Exploring the Stargate Franchise, edited by Rich Handley and Joseph Dilworth, Jr. In 1928, an archeological dig in Giza, Egypt, unearthed a giant ring and… [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]

Sequart Releases Why Do We Fall?: Examining Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy

Sequart is proud to announce the publication of Why Do We Fall?: Examining Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, by David Hernando. The Dark Knight Trilogy, composed of Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight… [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]

Detective Comics #871: Analyzing an Opening Scene, Part Three

Though all this information can be inferred, what the black pin signifies is not explicitly stated on page one, and so readers are encouraged to turn the page to learn more. Page two is an… [more]