Magazine Archives for:
February 2015
Sex and Rotten Tomatoes: On The Counselor
So every single person on this planet of earth hated Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy’s The Counselor. The thing is they’re all just completely wrong. This movie is great and horribly underrated. [more]
A George R.R. Martin Drinking Game: Featuring Game of Thrones (HBO) and A Song of Ice and Fire (Books)
“Stephen King loves using ‘dime-sized’ as a descriptor,” Amy said. “’Dime-sized droplets of blood’ or ‘dime-sized holes in the wall’ or whatever. Everything is ‘dime-sized’ with him.” “Does that annoy you?” I asked. I had… [more]
Smorgasbord #12: The Fish People Messed with our Sound
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor horrible recording equipment (sorry folks, this episode might prove a bit echo-y) will stop Shawn and Tom from talking about comics. In this episode, we talk at length… [more]
DC is Re-Branding (or De-Branding) Its Universe. So What?
Note: This is a “companion editorial”—of sorts—to the “Marvel Is Rebooting Its Universe. So What?” piece I wrote for Sequat on Wednesday, January 21st. Apparently there’s something of a PR war going on between the… [more]
American Sniper is Bad for America
In recent weeks, the culture of uncritical patriotism has returned to the news with the release of the film American Sniper. Chris Kyle’s case, and that of his supporters, involves a certain level of wrapping… [more]
Too Late Blues: Cassavetes, Darin, and Changing Masculinities
Last year I enjoyed writing about a relatively obscure jazz film, All Night Long, so I was excited a couple of weeks ago when I discovered another interesting one of the same genre. Too Late… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 13 Review
There are some obvious flaws with “Canaries.” Thankfully, a good portion of those flaws show up early and then fade away before too long. Most of the issues arise from story lines and scenes where… [more]
MORAV: The Future of Robot Warfare According to Fon Davis
MORAV is an indie comic (and soon-to-be live-action series) that mashes giant robots with modern warfare to deliver an action-packed but surprisingly deep product. Behind-the-scenes is the behind-the-scenes man himself – Fon Davis, a miniatures designer who has worked on “The Matrix,” “Star Wars,” “Interstellar,” and other monumental films. [more]
Better Call Saul Grows and Deepens in Episode 2
The second episode of Better Call Saul had some of the pacing problems that were an issue in the season premiere, but still manages to carve out a unique path through the world of Breaking… [more]
Dead Cousins: On Menace II Society
“Now O-Dog was the craziest nigga alive. America’s nightmare. Young, black, and didn’t give a fuck.” [more]
Chan-Wook Park Does Vampires: Thirst
Thirst is wonderful director Chan-Wook Park’s vampire movie. It’s a fascinating project filled with symbolism and gore. [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 17
Issue #19 “The Broken Man” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: Mark Buckingham, Alfredo Alcala Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: Elitta Fell Cover: Dave McKean Due to the length of The Fear Machine, 9 consecutive issues, much of… [more]
About Face: Character and Portrayal in Snyder’s Batman
DC’s decision to essentially relaunch and, therefore, reboot its output three years ago met with as much praise as it did criticism. Despite proceeding in the wake of Grant Morrison’s seven year labyrinthine run, one… [more]
Colloquium #12: Robot Parts — Brian Clevinger on Atomic Robo
Markisan interviews Brian Clevinger on Atomic Robo! Brian talks writing historical adventures, translating Atomic Robo into an RPG game, the origin of Dr. Dinosaur, and why a robot needs pants for every adventure. (1:24:56) You… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 Review
After last week’s episode pulled most of the disparate pieces of Arrow’s third season into a more cohesive whole, this week’s installment takes advantage of that newfound clarity to plunge ahead, turning out an action… [more]
“…Of Past Times and Beginnings. Before The Before.”: The Multiversity Guidebook #1 Maps and Legends
One of the things that appeals to me most about comics is the breadth, depth and scope of their world building. Their longevity far outweighing that of say even the most consistently broadcast of television… [more]
Better Call Saul Opens Strong
“Spinoff!” Is there any word more thrilling to the human soul? Hi, I’ m Troy McClure.” -Troy McClure “Quality TV”, as we call the sorts of shows being produced today for binge consumption, hasn’t really… [more]
“We Will Not and Cannot be Patient”: On John Lewis’s March: Book Two
If I had to pick one moment from the second volume of John Lewis’s March to explain what makes it so special, I know what I would choose. It happens at almost exactly the halfway… [more]
The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love Review
Prior to writing this review, I had only listened to one song by the Decemberists. It was a low-key, rustic sort of folk ballad, with a music video that featured a bunch of aging hipsters… [more]
Capital Thoughts: All-New Captain America #3
As much as I find Remender’s recent storylines to be thought-provoking, Sam Wilson’s backstory is one long cliché: inner city youth, a community ravaged by drugs, his parents die; Sam then raises his siblings and… [more]
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, This Probably Would’ve Been Better: A Review of Aaron and Cassaday’s Star Wars #1
Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday has perhaps one of the best openings to a Star Wars comic ever. From that perfect blue font with those familiar opening words to the double-page… [more]
Grant Morrison’s Nameless #1
When a story, in any medium, is told using the “language of dreams,” that’s usually a signal for the author to take his or her hands off the narrative wheel and let the story spin… [more]
Elbow Spikes and Atlantis: Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
Gamera gets gritty. And it is good. Surprisingly good. [more]