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Magazine Archives for:
2014
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The Tribes of Fans: How Tribalism is Pulling Comics in the Wrong Direction
We have reached an interesting (and exciting) point in comics history. For the first time in, well, ever, women are almost neck in neck for comic book readership. This year there was even market research… [more]
I, Claudius: Waiting in the Wings Review
After an extended length episode that introduced us to the Imperial Family, we are treated to Claudius appearing the main storyline as a character. But this time he is portrayed by Ashley Knight, who does… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 7
Issue #8 “Intensive Care” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: John Ridgeway Inks: Alfredo Alcala Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: John Costanza Cover: Dave McKean Although the series is still very early on, the characterization of Constantine has… [more]
The Super-Heroics of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, Part 5
Optimism Ultimately, there are two types of stories: tragedies and comedies. There are no inherent requirements for tragedies or comedies. In the days of Shakespeare tragedies ended with death and comedies ended with weddings. But… [more]
The Magnificent Ambersons: The Film That Made Orson Welles Cry
“In those days they had time for everything. Time for sleigh rides…” And so begins, in a haze of warm nostalgia and gentle humour, Orson Welles’ most maddening and controversial film, The Magnificent Ambersons. Viewed… [more]
Review: The Mythology of Grimm: The Fairy Tale and Folklore Roots of the Popular TV Show by Nathan Robert Brown
This work is a must read for any fan of the NBC series Grimm, which recently began fourth season with all the timeliness of a series that started shortly before the bicentennary of the brothers’… [more]
Jorge Borges in Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol #22, A Companion Reader
One final look at the intertextual themes in the first four issues of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol (#19 to #22). [more]
“The Characters Remain Unaware of My Scrutiny, but Their Thoughts are Transparent”: The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1
Whether he explicitly stated it or not Pax Americana is to be Grant Morrison’s Watchmen Redux. Of course it is so much more than this as well. During the initial drafting of this article Pax… [more]
Smorgasbord #7: Rats, Ducks, and Angry Birds
In this episode, Shawn and Tom cover a rather large bunch of news including Roc Upchurch’s removal from Rat Queens, the new Howard the Duck title (and whether or not Steve Gerber is spinning in his grave),… [more]
Grant Morrison, Watchmen, and the Art of the Polemic
In order to criticize a movie, you have to make another movie. —Jean-Luc Godard A few years ago I stopped reading monthly comic books. It wasn’t an ideological decision—just a reader’s. Most of the comics… [more]
Twisted Dark #1: A Long Days Journey Into Personal Hells
Twisted Dark is a haunting collection of 12 stories, all with a spin on darker subjects. No super powers. No aliens. No trans-dimensional beings. Neil Gibson and the artists (each story has a different artist)… [more]
Review: OUTRÉ #3 – Xenophobia
Recently, I finished a new indie anthology called Outre. This anthology is unique in structure as it doesn’t focus on genre, but on theme. The issue I read was #3 and its theme was xenophobia.… [more]
Our Feature Presentation: How Superhero Films Have Changed Trailers
What’s the perfect kind of pleasure? Oscar Wilde quipped that a cigarette is most exquisite due to its leaving one unsatisfied afterwards. The having of it immediately leads to wanting another. Now Hollywood has taken… [more]
John Scalzi’s Lock In: Fifty Pounds of Story in a Twenty-Pound Sack
Lock In, the new science fiction novel by Hugo winner John Scalzi, boasts the density of a red dwarf. It’s a hardboiled detective novel, and a surprisingly plausible “future history,” and an exploration of identity… [more]
Is It Time To Retire The Concept Of “Spoiler”?
As part of my continuing series addressing important questions in modern geek culture, this time I’m going to discuss the concept of the “spoiler”. There’s a rumour, or at least a legend, that Herman Mankiewicz,… [more]
I, Claudius: A Touch of Murder Review
In the early half of the Twentieth Century Robert Graves was translating Suetonius masterpiece The Twelve Caesars to English. As he was translating the life of Claudius, he felt that there was far more to… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 6
Issue #7 “Ghosts in the Machine” Writter: Jamie Delano Artist: John Ridgeway, Brett Ewins and Jim McCarthy Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski Letterer:Todd Klein At this point in Hellblazer, the series has featured many things associated with… [more]
Why I Am Thankful: How Sequart Has Changed My Life
I’ve played a large role in discouraging personal writing in posts on Sequart in the past months, only because how we feel and who we are intrudes on objective analysis of a text or work.… [more]
Giving Thanks
I’m not one for turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. I’m more a vindaloo guy. But I like the ritual of giving thanks. And on this Thanksgiving, I’d like most of all to thank you, Sequart’s… [more]
The Super-Heroics of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, Part 4
Late ‘90s to ‘00s Superhero Work In the middle of the 1990s Alan Moore did something that confounded everyone, he agreed to work with Rob Liefeld. Liefeld was a bold creator and entrepreneur and his… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 7 Review
This week’s installment of Arrow goes all in on the series’ romantic couplings and complications and it’s readily apparent from the word go that this is not particularly fruitful ground for the show. Many of… [more]
Oh, My Aching Cranium!: Jack Kirby’s OMAC Deconstructed And Reconstructed, Part Nine
Immortality. It’s the big enchilada, isn’t it? The whole ball of wax. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The one thing that will probably be forever out of our grasp. And… [more]
Greenpoint of View: A Top-Notch Autobiographical Comic
One of the most interesting genres within the diverse world of comics is the autobiographical comic. Pioneered by the legendary Harvey Pekar and others, these comics are a fascinating application of the comics medium to… [more]
True Detective and Breaking the Hard-Boiled Code
Of all the genres used in True Detective, hard boiled detective fiction is the most easily recognizable. Detectives Marty Hart and Rust Cohle have front row seats to the graphic violence and systemic corruption in… [more]