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“We Go Bigger”: Diving into Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers
Jonathan Hickman’s run on the Avengers picks up just after Brian Michael Bendis’s eight-year run on the title came to an end. Bendis’s time on the title was a veritable event generating machine, beginning with… [more]
There is Punk and Heart in How To Talk To Girls At Parties
I’d read Neil Gaiman’s short story “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” a long time ago now, back in 2006 when it had been published in Fragile Things. It’s hard for me to remember… [more]
Jason Aaron & Steve Dillon’s PunisherMAX: Kingpin Becomes Walter White
Though many fans will rightfully clamor for Ennis’ Punisher, Aaron & Dillon’s 22-issue run on the Punisher is the greatest Punisher story ever told. Beginning with Wilson Fisk rising in the criminal world. [more]
Curtain Call: On The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and LoEG: The Tempest #1
So here we are. The last League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Not the latest, the last. If one believes the hype, this will be the final comic book published by either Moore or O’Neill – making… [more]
Hellboy Omnibus
The new collection initiative from Dark Horse is, potentially, a chance to give us a fresh outlook on Hellboy – already one of the most reprinted and talked-about comics of the last twenty-five years. The… [more]
Instinct War: Sigmund Freud, Thanos, and the Theory of Drives in Infinity Gauntlet
Thanos is often considered a Darkseid knockoff but perhaps his connection to Sigmund Freud contains some redeeming qualities. [more]
Ridley Scott’s Alien: The Horror of the Unknown
In honor of “Alien Day” a look back on the sci-fi horror classic that introduced the world to the most iconic movie monster of the 20th Century. [more]
Alan Moore’s Marvelman, Part 2: Welcome to the Real World
What if Marvelman woke up in the real world? That was the simple and enticing high-concept that Alan Moore wished to explore when he began to write his graphic novel Marvelman. In the hands of a great writer something as simple as “Superman landing in the Soviet Union” can be developed into something profound and thought-provoking. On the surface, Moore’s premise can sound simple and a desire to bring more realism into the superhero genre. [more]
Alan Moore’s Marvelman, Part 1: From the Ashes of Obscurity…
Alan Moore brought new life to one of the most unoriginal superheroes. See how Alan Moore utilized Marvelman to explore and critique the Golden Age of Comics. [more]
Politics, Power, and the Black Panther: A Commentary
Much has been said about the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther. As of this writing— and the film has yet to play a full week—it has already grossed nearly $1 billion, and global box office… [more]
Academics on Disney Buying Fox
As of now, there are currently six major film studios: Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Fox Entertainment Group, Sony Pictures, and Paramount Motion Pictures Group. These studios form the “Big Six” and are… [more]
When I Found “The Heart’s Way” In the World of Two Moons
Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest is a comics series that has been around for forty years. Soon, this ongoing story about the World of Two Moons and its denizens will be coming to an end… [more]
The Tao of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison
I have something of a fascination for the recurring manufactured drama between comic/occult/visionary writers Alan Moore & Grant Morrison. Often times billed as an epic magickal war, w/ thematic shades of Aleister Crowley vs. William Butler… [more]
Larry Nevin Should Never Have Been Taken Seriously, or Why the Super Sons Matter
DC One Million and Batman Beyond along with many other examples suggest that the concept of legacy characters and superhero parenthood can work. Yes, this ages the characters, but we have been stuck in the… [more]
Adam West Joins Bruce Lee and Van Williams in Heaven
Adam West, star of the 1960s Batman TV series, passed away in 2017. He will no doubt be warmly welcomed into heaven by former co-stars Bruce Lee and Van Williams. The three, along with the… [more]
Fear on The Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes does not belong in the same category as Saw or Friday the 13th. It is not a horror movie. That being said, the Planet of the Apes franchise preys on our… [more]
Nietzsche in 40,000 Years, Part Three: Chaos
The Imperium foils and fails the Nietzschean criterion, but perhaps the Forces of Chaos offer the will to power? [more]
The Orville Is Everything I Love About Star Trek
I’ve been a Star Trek fan for as long as I can remember, and The Orville is absolutely the Star Trek show I’ve been waiting for. Relaxed, self-aware, smart and open-minded, The Orville succeeds so… [more]
The Commercials of the Star Wars Holiday Special
I come not to praise the Star Wars Holiday Special, nor to bury it. You can find that elsewhere on the world wide web (Much more of the latter than the former, of course- it… [more]
The First of Many: A Critical and Cultural Investigation into the New Star Wars Trilogy and What it Can Teach Us about Long-Awaited Sequels
I purchased my tickets for The Last Jedi literally two months in advance and I was still only able to get a Saturday showing, with seats in the back row. Not a bad result, and… [more]
New Frontiers and Bleak Futures: The Parallel Premieres of The Orville and Star Trek: Discovery
This fall season saw the premiere of both The Orville and Star Trek: Discovery, and with both set in space, invoking nostalgia, and claiming classic Star Trek as a foundation/inspiration, it’s hard not to make… [more]
Nietzsche in 40,000 Years, Part Two: Imperium
The Imperium of Warhammer 40,000 is a Nietzschean dream… and nightmare. This article includes an exploration of the Emperor as an Übermensch. [more]
Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5: Remarkably Similar — Or Similarly Remarkable?
During the past two decades, fans of Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have noted many similarities between the popular science-fiction franchises. Such comparisons were inevitable, given the controversy involving the two series’ genesis. It… [more]