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Racial Utopia in X-Men
When he created the X-Men, Charles Xavier’s primary mission, in the short term, was to create a safe haven for mutants. In the long term, his goal was to create a perceived perfect world where… [more]
Alan Moore’s Roscoe Moscow
The edition of Sounds magazine dated 31 March 1979 saw the publication of Alan Moore’s first instalment of Roscoe Moscow in “Who Killed Rock n’ Roll?” Unlike Maxwell the Magic Cat, which is largely composed of self-contained joke strips, Roscoe… [more]
WizardWorld Chicago ’07: How They Made a World
Father’s Day is a sacred date when fathers can suspend their tool belts on racks and kick up their feet. It is a celebration, and a thank you, for all the things our fathers do… [more]
Batman #667: Bringing 1950s Characters into the Present
Eight months ago, in a Wizard Universe article / interview, we read the following words:
The Fate of an Archer!
“Oh, he’s fast, the archer is! Fast hands, fast feet…yes, and a bit angry, too! His is an independent soul—he’s pioneer material, like Wild Bill and Wyatt, he’s not about to be pushed—by anyone!” —Green… [more]
On Dave McKean’s Cages
If he was only ever known for his famous run of 75 cover collages for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Dave McKean would still be an important name in comics. These groundbreaking works introduced McKean’s inventive, mixed-media… [more]
Criminal Motivation
Crime, as simply defined by Wikipedia: 1. An action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally… [more]
The Greatest Villain of All Time
He is portrayed in one form or another in all mythological writing, classic literature, movies, television, and even comic books. He appears in Marvel Comics as Mephisto. He plagues the DC Universe as Lucifer Morningstar.… [more]
Superman Returns Prequel #3: Lex Luthor
How did Lex meet that girl Kitty anyway? Or that widow Gertrude? And what exactly was he up to for five years?
Superman Returns Prequel #2: Ma Kent
Previously, I introduced the Superman Returns prequel comics and examined the first issue in some detail, paying particular attention to how it changed things from Donner’s 1978 original. This time, we’ll continue on to the second… [more]
The Superman Returns Prequel Comics
In a major coup for the publisher, DC Comics announced in early 2006 that it would, in June 2006, be publishing a four-issue mini-series prequel to the then-upcoming Superman Returns.
Introducing Genshiken
Otaku[1] is the Japanese equivalent of “fanboy.” My run-ins with the subject of fanboys in American comics have been limited to short pieces in Evan Dorkin’s Dork, Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier’s perennially funny mini–series Fanboy,… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Firestorm in Space
Besides being featured on a few pages in Infinite Crisis, Donna’s group starred in five issues once they took off into space on New Cronus.
The Other
Spider-Man is Marvel’s greatest icon, its most instantly recognizable contribution to pop culture. Endless merchandise and two blockbuster hit films have brought the company millions upon millions of dollars from this one character since his… [more]
Why Comics Matter
The following video consists of a lecture I delivered on 5 January 2006 at Glen Carbon Centennial Library in Glen Carbon, Illinois. The total runtime is 46 minutes.
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: The Rann / Thanagar War Special
Over the past months, we’ve examined a hell of a lot of Infinite Crisis. In the process, this study has come to exceed 160,000 words! In fact, our coverage of the Rann-Thanagar War alone runs 40,000 words… [more]
Comic Book Films and Visual Style
Abstract This extended essay investigates the visual nature of three popular, recent comic book films. It will determine whether efforts taken by filmmakers to represent the source material onscreen are successful and if they are… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Coalition in Crisis”
With Hawkman #46, which ended with Hawkman and Hawkgirl contacted by Adam Strange, the Hawks’ narrative met up with that of The Rann Thanagar War (a mini-series that had already concluded at that point). The following three… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “PowerTrip”
We’ve previously examined the convoluted history of Power Girl. We now turn to Geoff Johns’s revamping of Power Girl’s origin in the pages of JSA Classified, which in turn led directly into Power Girl’s appearance in Infinite… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: A Brief History of Power Girl
Power Girl, one of the major players in Infinite Crisis, was one of several characters whose history became convoluted in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Hawkman #46
Having just concluded a two-part look at Hawkman’s history, including the storyline ending in Hawkman #45, the last issue before the title began to be affected by Infinite Crisis, we now turn to Hawkman #46, which ties into The… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: A Brief History of Hawkman, Part 2
Having previously examined the history of Hawkman from his Golden Age origins through the new Hawkgirl’s debut in JSA, we now conclude our look at Hawkman, terminating just before The Rann-Thanagar War.
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: A Brief History of Hawkman
Given Hawkman’s role in The Rann-Thanagar War, it’s useful to briefly consider Hawkman’s history and his ties to Thanagar.
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Dr. Light in Teen Titans
Identity Crisis left Dr. Light remembering what he was once capable of and thinking how next to act. In the wake of that mini-series, DC sought to turn Dr. Light into a major villain