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On the Entirely Uncomplaining, Yet Distinctly Overworked Doctor Strange (Part 5)
It seems hard not to believe that Strange was deliberately making himself and his mission known to the world in a somewhat indirect and yet undeniably insistent way.
On DC One Million, by Grant Morrison and Val Semeiks (Part 2)
In which we continue our discussion of DC One Million, begun here. As issue #2 opens, the present-day narrative has caught up with the Montevideo explosion. The Justice Legion A, infected with the virus, joins… [more]
“Rite of Spring”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issue #34
Swamp Thing #34 “Rite of Spring” Cover date: March 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange (Part 4)
Even smiling at the literal-mindedness of the West was no little matter in the Marvel books of the period.
On DC One Million, by Grant Morrison and Val Semeiks
DC One Million was published in September 1998 (the month cover-dated Nov 1998) as a weekly four-issue mini-series – or almost weekly, since the JLA tie-in issue effectively served as an issue of the mini-series.… [more]
Sitting Down with Superman: Q&A with the Man of Tomorrow
The world wasn’t ready for Superman. For what could be expected when comics were only budding and bursting from the confines of syndicated sequential art, with their pithy quips and political yarns? Fantastic worlds had… [more]
Sharpening the Image: Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood, the Man and the Comic that Started It All (Part 3)
Part Three: When Pictures Aren’t Worth a Thousand Words
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange (Part 3)
The Sorcerer’s Code committed Strange to the defense of the Earth, and it obliged him to place the welfare of humanity above that of any alien race.
Secret Wars, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the Development of the Universe-Wide Crossover
While Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC’s first universe-wide crossover, there’s some dispute over whether it was the first in comics. The answer largely depends on one’s definitions. Whatever one thinks about this, one shouldn’t… [more]
Peeking from Behind the Sofa: The 25th Anniversary of Violent Cases
Violent Cases is the greatest comic ever written about an osteopath.
Yellow Capes and Nondescript Domino Masks: Examining the Recently Enhanced Value of the Sidekick
One of the most known comic book conventions is the insertion of a sidekick into the main character’s plot.
“Pog” and “Abandoned House”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issues #32 and #33
Saga of the Swamp Thing #32 “Pog” Cover date: January 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artist: Shawn McManus. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger.
The DC Canon
This is the beginning of a series of articles on classic works of the DC Universe. It is the contention of this series that the DC Universe has been around long enough and has produced… [more]
Deconstructing Death and Vigilantism: A Dark Knight Eulogy
Death is not welcomed in DC, but occasionally, and fortunately, an opportunity arises to talk about death and its greater significance in the DC timeline.
The Older Generation’s Farewell: The Hunger Dogs (Part 4)
As Jack Kirby’s The Hunger Dogs draws to its close, the arcs of two of its major characters, Orion and Esak, are resolved, as shown in the previous installment.
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange (Part 2)
Having found his way to “India, land of mystic entanglement” in the hope of having the “Ancient One” heal his hands, the still entirely cynical Strange discovered that magic really did exist.
Alan Moore on the Couch
Previously, we’ve discussed and dismissed the charges that Alan Moore or Grant Morrison ripped off anyone in any serious way. We next discussed the timeline of Grant Morrison’s career, including his hiring at DC. We… [more]
Justice and the Hero: Encountering Archetypical Motives in Justice
There is a growing confusion of what to make of the archetypal Hero / Villain dichotomy in the postmodern world.
“Down Amongst the Dead Men”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Annual #2
Saga of the Swamp Thing Annual #2 “Down Amongst the Dead Men” 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Steve Bissette & John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange
Who’d pitch a character such as Steve Ditko and Stan Lee’s Doctor Strange to one of the Big Two today?
The Moore Narrative of Comics History
Last time, we discussed the anxiety of influence and the silliness of thinking that Moore ripped off Superfolks or that Morrison ripped off Moore. This time, I’d like to look at why these charges persist… [more]
Everything’s (Not) Fine, Honey: Finding Identity in Hard Boiled
In dystopian literature things generally go out with a bang, a revolution, a euthanasia, but not so in Hard Boiled.
Baby Mama Drama: The Feminist Changes in Talia al Ghul
For years, the character of Talia Al Ghul was essentially Batman’s version of a Bond-girl.
Deadpool #1: Escapism for Absurdists
On November 7th, the latest volume in the continuing saga of Marvel’s Merc with the Mouth hit the shelves with “Marvel Now!” Deadpool #1, and the issue is wonderful.
On the Moore / Morrison Feud, Literary Borrowings, and the Anxiety of Influence
It’s long been no secret, to those who paid attention, that Alan Moore and Grant Morrison — arguably the medium’s two most influential writers — don’t get along. But it’s been a slow simmer of… [more]