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When the Present Makes Contact with the Past: Comic Adaptations and Translations of Medieval and Early Modern Sources
In past papers at the Plymouth State University Medieval & Renaissance Forum, I have advocated for the use of comics in the classroom in spite of the fact that this is a relatively modern and… [more]
The Hero Moral Code
For more than 50 years, Spider-Man has abided by one of the comic book world’s most famous mantras, “with great power comes great responsibility.” This saying was born from the moment when Spider-Man, aka his… [more]
Introducing Steve Bissette’s Tyrant: The Letter Pages
Steve Bissette’s Tyrant should have been a classic. His phenomenal art, solid writing and fascinating concept might well have led to what comic critics would have cited as essential reading. Circumstances, however, prevented this. The… [more]
“Revelations”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing #46
Swamp Thing #46 “Revelations” Cover date: March 1986. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letters: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger. As noted on the cover of this issue, the… [more]
Absolutely Puerile?: Shameless? Part 13
Continued. But more than anything else, Millar’s depiction of a demon-dominated Catholic Church was a playful, and often deliberately silly, reflection of his personal experiences and tastes. Few comic book writers have ever focused upon… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 9: The Mentality of Big Ben
We’ve begun discussing chapter nine of Alan Moore’s Miracleman (parts 1, 2, and 3), illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of that chapter.
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #5
Smack in the middle of the first story arc, the narrative shifts to the past for a tale about the rocket that brought baby Kal-El to Earth. Morrison promised in the supplemental material to issue… [more]
Imperialistic Themes in the Galactus Triology
The first appearance of the cosmic entity Galactus in Fantastic Four #48 in 1966 is marked by a simple, yet ominous declaration: “This planet [Earth] shall sustain me until it has been drained of all… [more]
1986: The British Invasion, Part 3: Neil Gaiman & Swamp Thing
One of the most important effects that Alan Moore had on the history of comics was triggering the entrance of Neil Gaiman into the medium. Gaiman had given up reading comics when he was sixteen… [more]
On Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition, by Pat Mills & Kevin O’Neill
There’s no better advert for the costumed crimefighter comic than Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s Marshal Law. Acclaimed for its superhero-loathing vitriol, it’s also the proof of how malleable and vital the genre can be. In… [more]
Jack Kirby Vs. Arthur C. Clarke: A Tale of Two 2001 Continuations
Having introduced Jack Kirby’s 2001, looked at his adaptation of the film, and looked at the first few issues of his continuation, let’s look at his continuation of that film — and how it contrasts… [more]
The Optimism of Colonel Daniel Dare (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from earlier today. Hampson released more than just a little of that accumulated despair and tension as Eagle moved into its second calender-month of publication.With a modest smile and the characteristic arcing of a… [more]
Anxiety & Optimism in Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare
There are very dark things going on here. From the perspective of 2012, it can be hard to grasp just how challengingly bleak the set-up of the first month of Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare was.… [more]
Cosmic Existentialism in Jim Starlin’s Warlock
In the 1970s, a brash set of Marvel writers and artists set out to transform the “House of Ideas” from a factory of radioactive superheroes to a new era of “cosmic” consciousness. These creators took… [more]
Doctor Who as Warden in the 50th Anniversary “Prisoners of Time” Series
IDW’s comic series “Prisoners of Time”, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Doctor, is a twelve-parter devised with an overarching plot to hold the tales of each respective regeneration of the Doctor in tandem. Meanwhile,… [more]
On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation (Part 2)
Continuing an examination of Jack Kirby’s adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey begun here. Kirby’s more successful at other points in this chapter, and he seems to thrive on the conflict in this section of… [more]
A Galaxy Far, Far Away Gets a Little Closer: On Brian Wood’s Star Wars
Brian Wood isn’t the obvious choice for writer of an ongoing Star Wars comic. Wood’s a great writer, and his comics have successfully played in quite a few diverse worlds, but he’s also a very… [more]
Tag and Bink are Relevant: Comics and the Theater of the Absurd
Star Wars is not without its faults. Though being a noteworthy entry into the expanding universe of modern science fiction, continuity problems continue to manifest themselves today, as hosts of underground creatures, confined to their… [more]
On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation
Introduced yesterday. Before Jack Kirby continued the story of 2001, he adapted the film into a 70-page comic. Although the comic adapts the film — it uses Jupiter, for example, whereas the novel used Saturn… [more]
Wrestling Robots and Philosophical Musings: Examining Pluto
Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto is a damn good comic. If there’s only one thing you get from this article, it should be a burning desire to purchase and read Pluto. Naoki Urasawa is one of the… [more]
“A Sharp Fox, the Ultimate Huckster”: Shameless? Part 12
Continued from last week. “Half the country, and by that I mean living north of the M25, were victims of Thatcher’s modernisation program. My Dad lost his job when I was 15 and never worked… [more]
On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is surely one of the strangest sci-fi franchise comics ever published. For one thing, the comic appeared in 1976, eight years after the 1968 film debuted. Most other sci-fi… [more]
The NASA Symbol and Warren Ellis & Colleen Doran’s Orbiter
Warren Ellis isn’t a prophet. Sure, 10 years ago, Ellis and Colleen Doran’s Orbiter was released and it begins with the horrific image of a shanty town built around the ruins of the Kennedy Space… [more]