RSS feed for Articles
ON COMICS CHARACTERS
ON SCI-FI FRANCHISES
ON GRANT MORRISON
ON TV AND MOVIES
OTHER BOOKS
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Articles
Empire of the Sun: The Golden Age of Islam in Sandman’s “Ramadan”
The previous installments of Distant Mirrors dealt with the cult of government, prospective rulers at the behest of their citizens, blindly careening through history. Caesar Augustus blazed trails, setting into motion the wheels of modern… [more]
Ultimate Spider-Man #5-7 Has an Abrupt Ending, but Transforms Peter Parker into Spider-Man
Unlike the previous four issues which have played extremely fast and loose with Spider-Man’s origin in Amazing Fantasy #15, Ultimate Spider-Man is surprisingly faithful to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s story. The plot is virtually… [more]
“Bog Off Back to Mars”: Shameless? Part 30
Continued from last week. It’s not that Big Dave is without its pleasures, although the vast majority of them are to be found in Steve Parkhouse’s boisterously dynamic artwork. Though even he couldn’t compensate for the… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 10: The Rage of Miracleman
We’ve begun discussing the conclusion of Book One (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of this historic chapter.
Strange and Growing Stranger: The World of Chew
As I finished reading through the recently released seventh volume of Chew (“Bad Apples”, Publisher: Image Comics, Writer: John Layman, Artist: Rob Guillory), I have come to two diametrically opposed conclusions: 1) Chew is, to… [more]
How Comics Work: The Fight Scene, Part 3
Daredevil 25 By Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee (artist), Javier Rodriguez (colourist), et al. This issue requires some context. Up until recently Mark Waid’s series has seemed completely episodic. Just a few issues ago everything… [more]
The Stitching Together of a Mythos: Kris Straub’s Broodhollow Part 3
In Parts I and II, we looked at the influences and aesthetics of Kris Straub’s Broodhollow as well as the stories that led to its creation respectively. But now, we move away from considerations of… [more]
“A Few Sandwiches Short of a Picnic”: Shameless? Part 29
Continued from last week. Given the evidence, it would be hard to argue that much of Millar’s work for 2000AD wasn’t worryingly homophobic. The best that might be said of a number of his scripts is… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 10: The Secret Origin of Miracleman Concludes
We’ve begun discussing the conclusion of Book One (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of this historic chapter.
Right, Wrong, and In Between: The Killing Joke
I don’t believe in right and wrong. That may sound strange, from a Batman fan; especially strange in the context of The Killing Joke, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s prestige-format, psychological and physical showdown between… [more]
The Garden and the Wilderness – Walking Dead #37-48
Since its initial introduction in Walking Dead #13, the prison has represented the ultimate sanctuary for Rick Grimes and his group of zombie apocalypse survivors: a shelter from the flesh-eating terrors of the outside world.… [more]
Solidarity of Identity Founded in Change: “Brief Lives,” Chapter 7-9
The weight and emotional draw of the Brief Lives narrative arc is massive, serving perhaps as the long awaited catharsis for Dream’s inner anguish. Yet it also offers something new, albeit profound: Dream has changed,… [more]
Ultimate Spider-Man #4 Uses Language to Explore Peter Parker and Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man #4 primarily consists of conversations, inner monologues, and characters running away from each other. No one throws a single punch. Some of the events, like Peter’s foray into wrestling and arguments with Uncle… [more]
“He’s Camp as Christmas, but He’s Good as Gold”: Shameless? Part 28
Continued from last week. The debate about the attitudes expressed in Millar’s work towards LGBT issues is hardly a new one. Even as early as 1993, Monaghan’s pseudo-interview with Millar and Morrison in Comic World #18… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 10: The Secret Origin of Big Ben, Part 2
We’ve begun discussing the conclusion of Book One (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of this chapter.
Capital Thoughts: A Column on Captain America
Dear Readers, I’ve been collecting and thinking about Captain America for the better part of 40 years and am delighted to offer this monthly column on his ongoing adventures. For my first piece, I’ll be discussing… [more]
Alan Moore’s Brighter Than You Think
Brighter Than You Think “The mainspring of an individual is his creative Will. This Will is the sum of his tendencies, his destiny, his inner truth.” - John Whiteside Parsons, “Doing Your Will” (July 31,… [more]
How Comics Work: The Fight Scene, Part 2
Wonder Woman 18 By Brian Azzarello (writer) Goran Sudzuka (artist) Cliff Chiang (artist), Tony Akins (layout artist), Dan Green (finishes) Mathew Wilson (colourist) et al. Not to pick on American superhero comics but Wonder Woman seems… [more]
The Stitching Together of a Mythos: Kris Straub’s Broodhollow Part 2
When we last left off in Part I, we were looking at the beginnings of Broodhollow: at its possible horror and comic influences and how its aesthetics is centred around the exploration and fear of… [more]
A Safe Pair of Hands?: Shameless? Part 27
Continued from last week. Millar’s longest running assignment at 2000AD had been Robo-Hunter, for which he wrote several hundred pages between 1991 and 1993. (*1) Created by writer John Wagner and artists Jose Ferrer and Ian… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 10: The Secret Origin of Big Ben
We’ve begun discussing the conclusion of Book One (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of this chapter.
Scott Snyder: Then and Now
I was slow to the Scott Snyder game, I’ll admit it. Back when the hyper popular writer started Batman I was only vaguely aware of his existence. As his run continued I started to read… [more]
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #12
Captain Comet has invaded Superman’s mind and created a false history that secretly reveals Clark’s desires (and also what most fans would probably want from the hero). Ma and Pa Kent wave their son goodbye… [more]
Typically Endless: The Distance Between Gods and Men in “Brief Lives,” Chapters 4-6
Sandman’s Brief Lives follows closely with its former, titular predecessor penned by John Aubrey. His work, which compiles the veritable who’s who of the Western Enlightenment from 17th century Europe, succeeds at creating a window… [more]
Ultimate Spider-Man #2-3 Reveals the Perils of Power without Responsibility
Unlike the first double-sized issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, the second and third issues move at a much slower clip. At the end of Ultimate Spider-Man #2, Norman Osborn tells his scientists that he is testing… [more]