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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]
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]
The Politics of Batman, Part 2: Batman Begins, Feudalism, and Neoconservatism
[Note: The following is reprinted from the book War, Politics and Superheroes] Batman Begins won the support of comic book aficionados across cyberspace as a “traditional” and pitch-perfect portrayal of Batman, while simultaneously providing a… [more]
Did Cinematic Gwen Stacy Have To Die Too?
Let me start by saying I am not a “Spider-Man Guy” and a great deal of my knowledge of the character comes from osmosis (from my college roommate who was a Spidey Guy and from… [more]
Only Humanoid: Cheese, and other forms of Cake
Muse Writer: Denis-Pierre Filippi Art: Terry Dodson I’ve got nothing against cheap entertainment. These works, in whatever medium, are nothing more than bread and circus – exciting violence, loud explosions, shallow humor, and beautiful bodies… [more]
The Third Man: A Near-Perfect Movie
In continuation of our informal Orson Welles series, I think it’s appropriate to give a small nod to The Third Man, a film that became closely associated with him but to which his contribution was… [more]
Brian’s Comic Book Grab Bag: Firestorm Volume 2 #95
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]
“Nobody Actually Believes This Comic is Haunted or Cursed, Right?”: Multiversity #1 and The Past, Present and Future of Grant Morrison’s Grand Narrative
Whenever one reads a Grant Morrison title one ends up contemplating his other works in varying degrees. His separate tenures on a variety of DC titles, alongside his creator owned titles, and even works for… [more]
“Not Walking in Alan Moore’s Footsteps”: The American Superhero Comics of Mark Millar, Part 33
Continued from last week. Of course, there’s no reason why an obvious ending can’t also be a satisfying one. Similarly, a protagonist that seems to lack personality or potency can still be used in a… [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]
X-Men: To the Outback & Beyond… Inferno Finale
Writers: Chris Claremont (X-Men), Louise Simonson (X-Factor) Pencilers: Marc Silvestri (X-Men), Walter Simonson (X-Factor) Inkers: Dan Green/Hilary Barta (X-Men), Al Milgrom (X-Factor) Colorists: Glynis Oliver (X-Men), Tom Vincent (X-Factor) Letters: Tom Orzechowski (X-Men), Joe Rosen… [more]
Oh, My Aching Cranium!: Jack Kirby’s OMAC Deconstructed And Reconstructed, Part Three
It occurs to me that, before we dive too deeply into the contents of the first issue of OMAC, a brief overview of our title character’s “civilian” identity of Buddy Blank might be in order,… [more]
Capital Thoughts: Captain America #23
Issue 23 has more than its fair share of mayhem, so much so that finding a theme to discuss is difficult. Oh, there are plot twists, to be sure: Zola is invading from Dimension Z… [more]
Re-Entering the Garden: Late Mythic Work in Jack Kirby’s Devil Dinosaur
To understand the reverence in which Jack Kirby is held by (much of) the comics culture, one need only look to the title of Mark Evanier’s biography of the artist, Kirby: King of Comics. Or… [more]
Brian’s Comic Book Grab Bag: Justice League America Volume 1 #61
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]