ON COMICS CHARACTERS
ON SCI-FI FRANCHISES
ON GRANT MORRISON
ON TV AND MOVIES
OTHER BOOKS
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Magazine Archives for:
August 2011
Another Reality: The Spatial Imperative, Part 2
Two weeks ago, I discussed the importance of space in storytelling, and the power of two-point perspective. I left you all with the notion that two-point perspective, while powerful, was not really the whole story —… [more]
Diagram for Delinquents Update #14: Amounting to No(Some)thing
1. I have another entry to present this week for the Diagram for Delinquents promo card contest. This entry harkens back to an earlier blog update wherein I discussed the use of psychiatric tests by Wertham… [more]
The Walls of Samaris: A Classic French Comic You Probably Haven’t Read
Many fans of The Obscure Cities (which I introduced here) will tell you that the first volume, The Walls of Samaris, first collected in 1983, represents a freshman effort, despite the acclaim it’s won.
O Captain, My Captain (Part 1)
Captain America and Superman are pretty much universally recognized as the superheroes who best exemplify the values of justice and freedom that have been held up as our nation’s greatest achievements and still elusive goals since… [more]
On Feeling Compelled to Boycott Greg Land’s Uncanny X-Men
I can’t do it, I just can’t. It doesn’t matter how much I admire Kieron Gillen as a writer, and admire him I most certainly do. He’s undoubtedly one of the best half-dozen writers currently at… [more]
Vulnerable, Disabled Children: Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, and Inspirational Super-Heroes
The Joker laughs manically as he holds Batman, supposedly dead. Despite the large amount of blood on the weapon and on Batman, this isn’t even the shocking part.
Why Continuity Matters
Continuity. The word alone strikes terror into the hearts of editors everywhere. When you disregard it, people will want it back. When you keep it, new readers complain it’s too much to ask of them.
Mark Millar’s The Ultimates, Part 2: Something More Traditional
After the first six issues of Millar’s The Ultimates had established the team as a group of celebrity soldiers with little ethical or moral backbone (except for Thor who is considered insane by the others),… [more]
The Future of a Re-Fusion
Not long ago, I saw a post on the the Comics Beat by former Comics Journal contributor Robert Boyd remarking upon the virtual separation of the world of “mainstream comics” and “artcomics.” Boyd didn’t comment… [more]
Sex and “The Man who Has Everything”
Long before Alan Moore delved into literary pornography with Lost Girls, he was infusing his work with a broad understanding of human sexuality as natural. And this wasn’t limited to auteur projects like Lost Girls… [more]