Articles

Analytic articles, whether historical or literary, scholarly or popular. Views expressed are not necessarily those of Sequart.

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On Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s Captain America (1941)

1-2-3-4! Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s “The Case of the Hollow Men” is punk super-heroics.

The Fever of Urbicande, Chapter 4 Concludes

We’ve previously looked at The Fever of Urbicande‘s prologue (and some of its implications), as well as chapters one, two, three (in two parts), and most of four (parts one, two, and three). We now conclude our… [more]

Meet the Magus, Part 3: The Deep Green, Jack of the Green, and the Swamp Thing

Ten years before Alan Moore informed friends and family that he would be pursuing the path of a practicing magician, he began working for the megalithic American comics company DC on the production of The… [more]

On Green Arrow, by Mike W. Barr and Trevor Von Eeden (1983)

Any amount of risible super-pirate Cap’n Lash is far, far too much, and there are five pages and more of the wretched character in writer Mike W. Barr and artist Trevor Von Eeden’s 1983 mini-series… [more]

More The Fever of Urbicande, Chapter 4

We’ve previously looked at The Fever of Urbicande‘s prologue (and some of its implications), as well as chapters one, two, three (in two parts), and most of four (in two parts). We now continue our look… [more]

Grant Morrison’s Day-Glo Years: Kill Your Boyfriend

NOTE: Rather than start chronologically in the early ’90s, I chose to begin my exploration of Grant’s Day-Glo Years with a work that best exemplifies the themes, motifs, and energy of that era of his career

A Ghost Dressed in Weeds: Unearthing Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing

Alan Moore began his career as a minor cartoonist working for his local newspaper and U.K. music magazines, producing humour strips like Maxwell the Magic Cat, Roscoe Moscow, and The Stars My Degradation.

On Charley’s War, by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun (1979-80)

You have to be careful what chapter of Charley’s War you pick to introduce yourself to the strip. It’s all too easy to stumble upon a three- or four-page episode that, at first, seems to… [more]

The Fever of Urbicande, Chapter 4 (Cont.)

We’ve previously looked at The Fever of Urbicande‘s prologue (and some of its implications), as well as chapters one, two, three (in two parts), and the beginning of four. Although it’s been a while, we… [more]

My Introduction to Manga, Part 2: A Mechanical Emerson for the Future in Urasawa’s Pluto

In 1942, Isaac Asimov introduced the world to the three laws of robotics and, in doing so, set the stage that later science fiction writers interested in writing about robots would have to cross.

Meet the Magus, Part 2: The Universal Dance in Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s Snakes and Ladders

When we discuss the relationship between Alan Moore’s artistic works and magic, clearly marked boundaries become, instead, borderlands of relationship.

On Planetary #3, by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday

“After this, there’s nothing,” explains the ghost of the murdered Hong Kong cop. There is, he assures Planetary’s “mystery archaeologists,” no afterlife awaiting them, or indeed anyone else, when death arrives. Something has brought the… [more]

Miracleman, Chapter 6 Concludes

We’ve previously begun discussion of chapter six of Alan Moore’s Miracleman and continued through page five. We now conclude discussion of this pivotal chapter.

Grant Morrison: The Day-Glo Years

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years writing about Grant Morrison, talking about Grant Morrison, and making a film about Grant Morrison, and it’s now time to continue that work with… [more]

My Introduction to Manga, Part 1: Suppli Takes on Batman and Loses. By a Landslide.

Like many Western comic fans of a certain age (which will go unmentioned), I have had little exposure to manga and anime.

Miracleman, Chapter 6: “Investigation” and “Deduction”

We’ve previously begun discussion of chapter six of Alan Moore’s Miracleman and gotten through page three. We now continue discussion of this pivotal chapter.

Kafka and The Bunny Suicides

During the last week of December, savvy shoppers are aware of the 50% discount on new calendars for the upcoming year.

Meet the Magus, Part 1: The Birth Caul

Allow me to introduce you to a man you may have met before through his writing, art, or interviews.

On Adventure Comics #332, by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte (1965)

The received wisdom has it that the future world of the Legion Of Super-Heroes was originally an inspiringly optimistic, comfortingly cosy, super-scientific utopia.

Miracleman, Chapter 6, Page 3: “Reflections” of Kid Miracleman

We’ve previously begun discussion of chapter six of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, which originally appeared in the classic British magazine Warrior. We continue that discussion today.

Black Hole… Where Everyone is Welcome!

Charles Burns’s Black Hole starts off like so many other bildungsroman stories before it: girl and boy meet, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy experience sex together for the first time, girl discovers… [more]

Deconstructing Batman & Robin: A Game of Villainy, Part 7

I’m sitting at a little coffee shop in Springfield, Missouri, called the Brown Egg with my comics spread out on the table. As the waitress delivers my pancakes, she remarks, “That looks really cool,” as… [more]

On Boys’ Ranch #1-3, by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon (1950)

In his Art of the Comic Book, R. C. Harvey offers Boys’ Ranch as an example of Jack Kirby having elevated comics into an “art form.”

Miracleman, Chapter 6: “Secret Identity”

Having introduced Miracleman and discussed chapters one, two, three, four, and five, as well as the interlude “The Yesterday Gambit,” we now turn to chapter six of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, which originally appeared in the classic… [more]

Deconstructing Batman & Robin: A Game of Villainy, Part 6

While R.I.P. could be argued to be a game of chess between Batman and Dr. Hurt, the game of dominoes is at the forefront of Batman & Robin.