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Gaiman’s Fortunate Men: A Humanizing Tale of Time Well Spent
The words of John Donne’s Death be not Proud are Neil Gaiman’s badge of honor. “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful for thou art not so,” the emboldened meter… [more]
1986: Will Eisner on Old Age (Part 1)
Towards the end of The Hunger Dogs, Jack Kirby, a longtime veteran creator of comics, turned his attention to the oldest members of his cast: the evil Darkseid, who is finally toppled from power, and… [more]
You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby: On What Made Doctor Strange Unique (The Penultimate Part)
Why would the Ancient One wait until after Strange had confronted Dormammu before rewarding his triumphant student with “new powers”? Perhaps the physical and magical enfeeblement caused by the Dreaded One’s spell had left the… [more]
The Other Egg of the Phoenix: Understanding the 50th Issue of Sandman
Neil Gaiman is one of the most renowned living comic book writers, and one of the most popular authors currently working. He is best known for his long lasting Vertigo series, Sandman, but he has… [more]
“Still Waters”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issue #38
Swamp Thing #38 “Still Waters” Cover date: July 1985. Author: Alan Moore. Artists: Stan Woch and John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.
Father, Son; Mentor, Student; Friends: On Doctor Strange & the Ancient One (Part 10)
It was the unprecedented degree of conflict, of course, which marked out the earliest Marvel superhero comics from their characteristically more polite, repressed competitors. No-one had ever produced the likes of Fantastic Four #1 before,… [more]
On Invasion #3: “World Without Heroes”
We previously introduced Invasion and discussed its first and second issues. Today, we conclude our look at Invasion with issue #2. Invasion #3 begins with this same explosion, revealed to be a “gene bomb” released… [more]
Sandman #1-8: Preambles and Introductions, Full of Sound and Fury
Paul Levitz once said Sandman is about storytelling, and the point by which it vacillates between mere tales and pithy sayings to the grand myth it is today. DC is full of heroes, truth be… [more]
Jim Valentino’s Shadowhawk: Year One
At the time of Image Comics’ inception, Jim Valentino openly admitted to being the least known founder. Valentino stated in the first edition of the trade paperback of Shadowhawk vol. 1 that “I was pretty… [more]
Who’s the Superhero, Who’s the Supporting Player? On Doctor Strange & the Ancient One (Part 9)
In the years since Ditko and Lee stepped away from writing Doctor Strange, the Ancient One tended to be characterized in terms of, at best, his moral authority and, at worst, his physical decrepitude. Yet… [more]
On Invasion #2: “Battleground Earth”
We previously introduced Invasion and discussed its first issue. Today, we continue with issue #2. By the time Invasion #2 (titled “Battleground Earth”) begins, Superman has successfully negotiated a 24-hour cease-fire with the Dominators. Many… [more]
Gotta Loeb Batman: Batman and Synergy in Hush
Jeph Loeb is the quintessential Batman writer, and one is not bereft of evidence for such a claim. His two most recognized works, Batman: The Long Halloween, and the anticipated sequel, Batman: Dark Victory, embodied… [more]
“Growth Patterns”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issue #37
Swamp Thing #37 “Growth Patterns” Cover date: June 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Rick Veitch & John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.
On the Ancient One, Earth’s Greatest Super-Hero (Part 8)
Steve Ditko was often displeased with Stan Lee’s interpretation of his plots during the last few years in particular of their collaboration. Sadly, there seems to be no way of telling how the artist felt… [more]
On Invasion #1: “The Alien Alliance”
We previously introduced Invasion. Today, we look at the first issue in more detail. None of this is to say that the mini-series isn’t also a lot of fun. As previously stated, the first issue… [more]
The Walking Lonely Hearts: Looking at Relationships in The Walking Dead Compendium One
In the last few years, a massive trend that has infected the current pop culture is the Zombie Apocalypse.
The Aquaman Environment Factor
It has been a good few years for Aquaman. Ever since 2009, he has been treated like one of the most intimidating badasses in the DC Universe, reinvigorating his comic book reputation. While being penned… [more]
On the Coyly Affectionate Doctor Strange (Part 7)
It took almost two years of monthly adventures before Strange finally realized how tremendously fond he was of Clea. As if the relief of finally rescuing her from Dormammu’s banishment had cut through the magician’s… [more]
On Invasion, Written by Keith Giffen and Bill Mantlo
Published in late 1988 as a three-issue monthly crossover mini-series, the central premise of Invasion (titled Invasion!, with an exclamation mark, on the cover) was simple: aliens invade the Earth. The series was plotted by Keith… [more]
“The Nukeface Papers”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issues #35 and #36
Swamp Thing #35 “The Nukeface Papers Part One” Cover date: April 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.
On the Romantically Disengaged Doctor Strange (Part 6)
As with friendship, so with romance. Love, or at least lovelornness, tended to ground Marvel’s superheroes in a version of mundane reality that reflected the world-view of young boys just learning to recognise both longing… [more]
On DC One Million, by Grant Morrison and Val Semeiks (Part 3)
In which we continue our discussion of DC One Million, begun here and continued here. Above Earth, Green Lantern has joined the heroes fighting a losing battle against Solaris. Solaris isn’t prepared for Green Lantern’s ring, and… [more]
Changing Attitudes to Comics in the Classroom
There is no shortage of curriculum experts who have weighed in on the growing impact of comics in the K-12 classroom.
Sharpening the Image: Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood, the Man and the Comic that Started It All (Part 4)
Part Four: Final Thoughts