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Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 11 – “Miri”
The most significant event in “Miri”, the twelfth episode of Star Trek – halfway through the first season – was the arrival, behind-the-scenes, of a new producer named Gene L. Coon. Whenever the production and… [more]
The Family and Identity in Bash Back
In Part I of this article, we examined some of the possible origins, influences, resonances and echoes behind Issue #0 of Lawrence Gullo, Fyodor Pavlov, and Kelsey Hercs’ Bash Back: A Story of the Queer… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 10 – “Dagger of the Mind”
“Dagger of the Mind” (which aired almost exactly 50 years ago, on November 3, 1966) is one of a few episodes of the original Star Trek to deal with psychology. Obviously, Gene Roddenberry had a… [more]
Not By Something as Accidental as Blood – Bash Back
It’s funny what you can find hidden right in plain sight. Sometimes you know it’s there, but you just don’t know where to look. Perhaps you’ve seen it in other forms, in various other permutations.… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 9 – “What are Little Girls Made Of?”
Robert Bloch, who wrote the script for “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” was a big fan of HP Lovecraft. That’s probably the key to understanding what makes this peculiar episode of Star Trek interesting.… [more]
A Journey Through Alan Moore’s Jerusalem: Work in Progress
This is an experiment, you understand. I haven’t written for Sequart in quite some time and in addition to other articles I want to write, I’ve decided I wanted to try something I haven’t really… [more]
Design Sense: Steve Ditko’s “Jack” is an Ace Compared to Marvel’s
Few images are as iconic in Western culture as the grinning gourds that populate our harvest festivals. Initially, such sturdy fruits made practical lanterns. The artistry of carving faces, and weaving religious and secular folklore… [more]
Why Daughters of Darkness is the Classic You Should be Watching this Halloween
With Halloween coming up, the need to compile a list of horror films to watch increases, so consider this my modest proposal for a film you may not be familiar with. True horror aficionados may… [more]
Star Trek Re-watch, Episode 8 – “Balance of Terror”
“Balance of Terror” is one of those Star Trek episodes that fans often rank as one of the best of the original series, and deservedly so. It’s suspenseful, exciting, intelligent sci-fi action, essentially an extended… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 7 – “Charlie X”
“Charlie X”, like many of the early episodes of Star Trek, has a strong science fiction idea at its core, but stumbles a bit with the execution, producing an episode that’s intriguing but sometimes feels… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 6 – “The Naked Time”
By any measure, “The Naked Time” is a strange episode of television. The crew of the Enterprise is infected with some sort of virus that causes their emotions to become completely unblocked and they give… [more]
Stranger Things: Nostalgia, Loss of Innocence, and Parental Anxieties
Please note: This discussion of Stranger Things includes spoilers for the series. Stranger Things struck a chord with Netflix viewers immediately. My own experience with the show was slightly delayed—having young children will do that… [more]
“…And Providence Hesitates On The Very Cusp Of Another World Than This.” Rejection, Resolution and Revelation in Providence #9
“This stone, once exposed, exerted upon Blake an almost alarming fascination. He could scarcely tear his eyes from it, and as he looked at its glistening surfaces he almost fancied it was transparent, with half-formed… [more]
Neil Gaiman Defines the Spawnverse: Writers Writing Spawn, Part 2
Neil Gaiman decided to write an issue of Spawn. This single issue created plot-threads, new characters and a legal battle that none could ever believe. [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 5 – “The Man Trap”
“The Man Trap” first aired fifty years ago tonight, and what a strange episode it is to launch what has become one of popular culture’s signposts: Star Trek. Viewed as part of our Star Trek… [more]
Kevin Smith Shakes Off the Critics of Yoga Hosers
Kevin Smith’s new film Yoga Hosers was given a limited release this past weekend (alas, it’s still not playing here in Vancouver), and so far the film is most notable for the singularly vitriolic reviews… [more]
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Hobos and Tramps, Cross-eyed Mosquitoes and Bowlegged Ants…” Loving That Joker… But Which One?
I love The Joker. However I’m not oblivious to how problematic that kind of admiration can be. Recently I have had cause to reflect on this even more. Particularly in light of two things. The… [more]
Silver Streak: When Wilder Met Pryor
The recent passing of Gene Wilder left a lot of people reeling, having lost yet another inspirational figure from our collective youth and popular culture experience. Wilder was a gentle, kind man by all accounts… [more]
“Skyscrapers and Democratic Institutions”: Trauma and Politics in Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers
15 years ago, the United States were attacked by al-Qaeda on a day that would have a lasting political, economical, and cultural impact on America and arguably the rest of the world. More than any… [more]
Blue Beetle and the Last Days of the Bronze Age
Discussions of DC Comics in the 1980s tend to focus on works like The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and Crisis on Infinite Earths. That’s fitting, because all of these were game changers for the industry,… [more]
I’m Just a Kid from the Lower East Side Brooklyn: Steve Rogers’s Shifting Working Class Background
Today Steve Rogers is branded as “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” His class and geography marks him as much as his old-fashioned ideals and morals do. He is a man of the people, but… [more]
Mr Clarke from Stranger Things: The Importance of Experts
The pop cultural touchstone of the moment (or, at least, one of them) is the Netflix series Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers and currently drawing the appreciative fascination of the world. With its… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 70
Issue #83 “The End of Rake at the Gates of Hell” Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Steve Dillon; Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Clem Robins; Editor: Stuart Moore; Assistant Editor: Julie Rottenberg; Cover: Glenn Fabry; Endings are… [more]
Congratulations to the 2016 Eisner Award Winners
Our series on the Eisner Awards was never meant to be predictive of who would win — quite the contrary, we were only trying to profile some of the nominated titles, because they’re all worth… [more]
The Great Lost Commentary Track for Chasing Amy
[Warning: the following article contains strong language. Some would call it “mature content”, but to be frank, there’s nothing mature about it. Read at your own risk.] Over a decade ago, when Kevin Smith was… [more]