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“Terminate This Pregnancy”: The American Superhero Comics of Mark Millar, Part 37
Continued from last week. Millar makes more use of the topic of abortion in Swamp Thing than most superhero writers do in a lifetime. In each case, abortion is used either as a symbol of… [more]
The Last Temptation of Supe: Christian Overtones in “For the Man Who Has Everything”
On those rare occasions when I teach students about superhero comics, one question that always comes up is what defines a “hero”. Is, for example, a hero simply an individual who does heroic things? Or… [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]
“A Narrative Structure in Which Despite a Series of Ridiculous Mishaps, All Goes Well”: On Multiversity: The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1
Nearly a month ago the Multiversity event kicked off in grand fashion. Not long after that I took a lengthy and in depth look at the first issue. With the release of The Society of… [more]
X-Men: To the Outback & Beyond… Dying of the Light
After putting them through the wringer with Inferno, Chris Claremont gave our merry mutants a two issue break filled with shopping and drinking while simultaneously broaching the fallout of the event and introducing Jubilee. Now… [more]
Discovering McGruder’s Black Jesus: “I Gave at the Playground,” Episode 4
Fighting the struggle to unite a broken community in Compton, Black Jesus seems to meet his match in Black Jesus, episode 4 “I Gave at the Playground.” This complicates McGruder’s construction of Jesus more so… [more]
ZomBeing and Nothingness: Part 1
“A Zombie movie that never ends” Like a lot of people, I love reading The Walking Dead and I’m not always sure why. Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Tony Moore’s book is ludicrously successful, not… [more]
Brian’s Comic Book Grab Bag: Shi: Heaven and Earth Volume 1 #4
On Christmas Day 2013, my brother gave me a booster pack of random, non-sequential issues from a variety of popular comic book titles that syndicated in the late eighties to mid nineties. The nineties was… [more]
Oh, My Aching Cranium!: Jack Kirby’s OMAC Deconstructed And Reconstructed, Part Four
“Man, that cover scared the shit out of me when I was a kid!” You have no idea how many times I’ve heard or read various iterations of that same statement made in regards to… [more]
On The Act of Killing
I suspect The Act of Killing is going to be eternally seared into my memory. Anwar Congo’s smiling face isn’t going fade soon. The last article I wrote I included this quote from Russian director… [more]
Overcoming the Status Quo: Wonder Woman, Superheroes, and the American Criminal Justice System (Part 3)
In this three-part series, I explore where superheroes fit into popular conceptions of criminal justice in the United States, and the potential for Wonder Woman to help improve those conceptions. In Part 1, I looked… [more]
“Her Deepest, Hidden Secrets”: The American Superhero Comics of Mark Millar, Part 36
Continued from last week. As so often before, Murder In The Dark saw Millar indulging in two of his greatest fascinations: body horror at the expense of helpless female victims and the tradition and dogma… [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]
What Makes a Great Movie?
Ever wondered how I would define a great movie? No. Um… Maybe give this a read anyways? I explain how I would define a great movie, if you couldn’t guess. [more]
The Politics of Batman, Part 4: Sex, Sexism, and the Dark Knight
[Note: The following is reprinted from the book War, Politics and Superheroes] One of the main problems Batman has had from the outset of his career as Feudal Lord crime fighter is that he cannot… [more]
Laugh it Up: Two Perspectives on Humor in Guardians of the Galaxy
Part I “The next real literary “rebels” in this country might well emerge as some weird bunch of anti-rebels, born oglers who dare somehow to back away from ironic watching, who have the childish gall… [more]
Brian’s Comic Book Grab Bag: Ms. Mystic Deathwatch 2000 Volume 1 #3
This Christmas my brother gave me a booster pack of random, non-sequential issues from a variety of popular comic book titles that syndicated in the late eighties to mid nineties. The nineties was a time… [more]
Overcoming the Status Quo: Wonder Woman, Superheroes, and the American Criminal Justice System (Part 2)
In this three-part series, I explore where superheroes fit into popular conceptions of criminal justice in the United States, and the potential for Wonder Woman to help improve those conceptions. Last week, I looked at… [more]
“Do You Remember Earth Two or Earth X?”: The American Superhero Comics of Mark Millar, Part 35
Continued from last week. Though Millar’s River Run tales are rarely anything other than predictable, they’re also undeniably focused, purposeful and enthusiastically told. Even when he’s sketching out the inevitably baleful career of a psychopathic… [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]
The Politics of Batman, Part 3: Understanding Batman’s Enemies
[Note: The following is reprinted from the book War, Politics and Superheroes] Aside from the fact that they are all, effectively, his “subjects,” Batman’s villains are connected to him in an even more visceral, symbolic way.… [more]
X-Men: To the Outback & Beyond… Inferno Aftermath
The Inferno is over… Secrets have been revealed while the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled. The ultimate fates of both Madelyne Pryor and Nathan Christopher Charles Summers are left to the pages… [more]
Brian’s Comic Book Grab Bag: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Volume 1 #8
This Christmas my brother gave me a booster pack of random, non-sequential issues from a variety of popular comic book titles that syndicated in the late eighties to mid nineties. The nineties was a time… [more]
Overcoming the Status Quo: Wonder Woman, Superheroes, and the American Criminal Justice System
In this three-part series, I explore where superheroes fit into popular conceptions of criminal justice in the United States, and the potential for Wonder Woman to help improve those conceptions. This week, I look at… [more]
“There is Something Wrong with This World”: The American Superhero Comics of Mark Millar, Part 34
Continued from last week. Even when Millar put an appropriately exotic backdrop to use, he frequently neutered its dramatic potential. The desert setting used to conclude the first arc was portrayed in an entirely throwaway… [more]