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DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Magazine Archives for:
2013
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Sequart’s Next Documentary Film Subject is Neil Gaiman!
Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, in conjunction with Respect! Films, is honored and proud to announce that author Neil Gaiman will be the next subject in its expanding line of comics-centric documentaries.
The Continuity Pages Return
The Continuity Pages is a massive project that seeks to organize comics according to continuity, rather than simply by title and number. This especially has advantages in the current era, with its plethora of mini-series,… [more]
The Last Days of Superman
Superman might be the world’s most popular superhero. He’s also among the most difficult to write. Through the years we’ve seen Superman travel through time, endure the heat of the sun, and perform so many… [more]
Jesus Christ Superman
The irony of Superman in the age of Postmodernism is that our world has no need for saviors. Often I find myself in the middle of arguments where I defend Superman to my peers as… [more]
5 Things I Hope Man of Steel Takes from Superman: Birthright
Zack Snyder’s new Superman reboot flick, Man of Steel, is a mere two weeks away at this point, and here in New York City, us city folk have been treated to a new Gillette promotional… [more]
1986: D.P.7 — Group Therapy for Superhumans
In 1986, twenty-five years after the publication of Fantastic Four #1, which launched the modern Marvel Universe, Marvel editor in chief Jim Shooter introduced a new fictional reality in Marvel Comics, the New Universe. This… [more]
Superman’s Rejection of American Exceptionalism
In February of 1940, Superman ended World War II and prevented the future Cold War altogether through flying around the world by capturing both Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin and delivering them to international authorities… [more]
“The Flat Earth Was Round”: Shameless? Part 14
Continued from last week. Where religion’s concerned, there’s nothing but Catholicism to be seen in The Saviour. Not only is there no mention of any other form of Christianity, but there’s not a hint of… [more]
On “How Superman Would Win the War”
One of the best Superman stories – and probably one of the most important super-hero stories ever told – is also one of the shortest. What’s more, the story didn’t appear in a Superman comic;… [more]
It’s Superman Week at Sequart!
With Man of Steel debuting later this week, Sequart is proud to announce Superman Week, debuting tomorrow — Monday, 10 June. Superman Week is our third themed week, following on the success of last month’s Star… [more]
When the Present Makes Contact with the Past: Comic Adaptations and Translations of Medieval and Early Modern Sources
In past papers at the Plymouth State University Medieval & Renaissance Forum, I have advocated for the use of comics in the classroom in spite of the fact that this is a relatively modern and… [more]
The Hero Moral Code
For more than 50 years, Spider-Man has abided by one of the comic book world’s most famous mantras, “with great power comes great responsibility.” This saying was born from the moment when Spider-Man, aka his… [more]
Introducing Steve Bissette’s Tyrant: The Letter Pages
Steve Bissette’s Tyrant should have been a classic. His phenomenal art, solid writing and fascinating concept might well have led to what comic critics would have cited as essential reading. Circumstances, however, prevented this. The… [more]
“Revelations”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing #46
Swamp Thing #46 “Revelations” Cover date: March 1986. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letters: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger. As noted on the cover of this issue, the… [more]
Absolutely Puerile?: Shameless? Part 13
Continued. But more than anything else, Millar’s depiction of a demon-dominated Catholic Church was a playful, and often deliberately silly, reflection of his personal experiences and tastes. Few comic book writers have ever focused upon… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 9: The Mentality of Big Ben
We’ve begun discussing chapter nine of Alan Moore’s Miracleman (parts 1, 2, and 3), illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of that chapter.
Two Reviews of The Devil is in the Details
Two reviews of Sequart’s The Devil is in the Details: Examining Matt Murdock and Daredevil describe the volume’s strengths and weaknesses. A review by Gereg Jones Muller calls the book “fascinating” and contains this passage:… [more]
Review of Nightly News
When I was in college, I was a big Warren Ellis fan and my favorite comic was his Vertigo series, Transmetropolitan. That comic made me want to become a journalist. The story’s main character, Spider… [more]
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #5
Smack in the middle of the first story arc, the narrative shifts to the past for a tale about the rocket that brought baby Kal-El to Earth. Morrison promised in the supplemental material to issue… [more]
Imperialistic Themes in the Galactus Triology
The first appearance of the cosmic entity Galactus in Fantastic Four #48 in 1966 is marked by a simple, yet ominous declaration: “This planet [Earth] shall sustain me until it has been drained of all… [more]
1986: The British Invasion, Part 3: Neil Gaiman & Swamp Thing
One of the most important effects that Alan Moore had on the history of comics was triggering the entrance of Neil Gaiman into the medium. Gaiman had given up reading comics when he was sixteen… [more]
On Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition, by Pat Mills & Kevin O’Neill
There’s no better advert for the costumed crimefighter comic than Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s Marshal Law. Acclaimed for its superhero-loathing vitriol, it’s also the proof of how malleable and vital the genre can be. In… [more]
The Other Marvel Cinematic Universe?
With all of the attention paid to the development of the Marvel cinematic universe, it’s worth addressing the other Marvel cinematic universe: the one run by 20th Century-Fox.
On The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made, the Book on Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
It’s been a pleasure to write about Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey here at Sequart, especially as part of its Sci-Fi Week event. It’s also my pleasure to announce that all of this material is… [more]
Where Did All the Science Fiction Go?
In the interest of participating in Sequart’s special look at the genre of science-fiction, I’ve volunteered to devote this column entirely to that genre of storytelling, rather than to the usual 1,500 word ramblings about… [more]