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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]
On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1979
In the last two days, we’ve discussed the seven original Star Trek stories produced by Peter Pan Records in 1975-1976 (parts one and two). Today, we look at the company’s 1979 Star Trek offerings. The… [more]
On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1975-1976 (Batch Two)
Yesterday, we discussed the Star Trek stories produced by Peter Pan Records, including the first three stories. Today, we continue that discussion. “The Time Stealer” “The Time Stealer,” the first track on the second 12″… [more]
On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1975-1976
People who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s will likely remember Peter Pan Records (and its imprint Power Records), which published original audio stories featuring licensed properties during this time. Peter Pan Records actually… [more]
The British Star Trek
While U.S. publisher Gold Key was busy printing Star Trek comic books, Britain had its own Star Trek comics. Comic strips, to be more accurate.
On Gold Key’s Guardian of Forever (in Star Trek Vol. 1 #56)
On Monday, we talked about Gold Key’s Star Trek #1 from 1967, which had the ship exploring the dead Galaxy Alpha, then systematically eradicating the one planet it found with life one it. Oh yeah,… [more]
“Now Everyone Hates Yuppies”: Shameless? Part 11
Continued from last week. There’s a sense in which The Saviour helps establish the limits of deconstruction. For Millar stripped away so many of the genre’s traditions that it ceased to be much of a… [more]
On the Very First Star Trek #1
Star Trek has a long history in comics. In fact, the very first Star Trek comic book began in 1967, at the end of the original series’s very first season. This first series was published… [more]
Neil Gaiman: The Early Years, The Magician’s Choice in The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic was published from 1990-1991, at a time when Sandman was underway and gathering steam but the Vertigo universe was still forming, and demarcations between Vertigo and the DC Universe had not… [more]
God is Dead, Long Live God: On Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s Thor
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Yet his shadow still looms. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? … Is not the greatness of this deed too… [more]
“Ghost Dance”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing #45
Swamp Thing #45 “Ghost Dance” Cover date: February 1986. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stan Woch and Alfredo Alcala. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letters: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger. This haunted house story takes its inspiration from… [more]
A Superhero for the Reader’s Sake: Shameless? Part 10
Continued from last week. But even the most experienced and gifted of writers would struggle to make a success of The Saviour. It was far too ambitious and complex a project. In mixing so many genres,… [more]
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #4
While the first three issues of Grant Morrison’s Action Comics could never match up to the perfection of All-Star Superman, the series had established a slow, methodical unveiling of Superman’s mythology in a way that… [more]
Those that Lead the Blind: Gaiman on Government
Mirrors show us a reflection and repose in stasis. We can reflect upon it, perhaps adjust our appearance to fit our whim, but ultimately the mirror captures more than just personal imagery—it captures our essence.… [more]
1986: The British Invasion, Part 2: Grant Morrison in 1986: Superman & Captain Britain
The last installment examined Grant Morrison’s early, partly comedic Batman prose story, “The Stalking,” which was published in the United Kingdom in 1986. In the 1986 British Superman Annual Grant Morrison did another text story,… [more]