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Magazine Archives for:
December 2015
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Portraits In Alienated British Youth Circa 1989-90, Part Eighteen: What’s To Like?
The image above comes directly from the festering cesspool that swirls in the mind of Dave, the protagonist in John Smith and Sean Phillips’ Straitgate. Okay, sure — if we want to be absolutely technical… [more]
Portraits In Alienated British Youth Circa 1989-90, Part Seventeen: Structure, Format, And Other Boring Details
In the interview with John Smith and Sean Phillips that ran in the UK comic fanzine Speakeasy that we mentioned a couple of segments back, Smith makes a statement that I find somewhat curious: we… [more]
The Influence of Consumerism on Geek Culture
For many, the return of Star Wars (and a good one at that) to the big screen could be likened to the second coming of Christ. The franchise is a cultural phenomenon celebrated around the… [more]
Smorgasbord #33: The Smorgies Award 2015
Join Tom and Shawn and special guest star Maayan Priel (Legend of Fangirls) for the second annual Smorgasbord award show, as we recall the best (and worst) 2015 had to offer… from Best Writer to… [more]
Finance and Comics: Why the World of Trades, Stocks, and Financial Analysis can be a Suitable Genre in Comics
The realm of comics is filled with many genres, with the notables ranging from the traditional superhero, to the macabre-based horror, hard-boiled crime, sensational mysteries, classic sci-fi, fantasy, and the occasional emergence of erotica and… [more]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Powerful Family Drama About Addiction
This article is about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and discusses elements of the plot that could be considered spoilers. Star Wars: The Force Awakens needed to do a specific set of things in order… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 41
Issue #51 “Counting to Ten” Writer: John Smith; Artist: Sean Phillips; Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Gaspar Saladino; Cover: Sean Phillips; As discussed in prior installments of this column, there are many different kinds of horror.… [more]
Erasing Black Panther to Render Him Safe
The Captain America: Civil War trailer has caused a lot of excitement with fans. And certain images have gone onto become instant memes and gifs. Newspapers, reviewers, as well as comic book related journals, have… [more]
Visuals and Styles: The Differences, The Similarities, and The Necessities
There is nothing like opening a fresh comic book and flipping through its glossy pages and seeing artwork that captivates you on several different levels. However, this method is not only captivating because it gives… [more]
The Question of Literature and Why Comic Books Deserve to be Classified as Such
How many books do you read a year? This is a question that is frequently asked by voracious readers whenever they feel the need to see if a person is reading as much as they… [more]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Breaks Box-Office Records
Star Wars: The Force Awakens took in an estimated $238 million domestically in its opening weekend. It’s the biggest opening weekend in history, besting Jurassic World, which set a new opening-weekend record with $208.8 million, earlier… [more]
Take on the Risks: Why a Risk-taking Attitude is Necessary to the Future of Comics
Is it worth the risk? Industry professionals ask themselves this question whenever they are about to embark on a new project. Most of the time it is answered in a variety of ways, with creators… [more]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Awakens and Awakens…
My friend Kellie on Facebook wanted to post something about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but before doing so, she posted this insane spoiler alert: I wanna discuss A Thing about Star Wars. If you’re… [more]
Great Jimmy Corrigan: An Analysis of Comic Book Techniques Featured in the Acclaimed Graphic Novel
It is always comforting when one stumbles upon a comic that is less advertised than those seen at the LCS. It is a time when one purchases a book that’s only source of marketing has… [more]
The Red Wing
Time travel stories can be some of the most enjoyable, as well as some of the most complex science fiction stories. When done well, they’re intricately plotted and deal with a number of complexities that… [more]
Thatcherism in the Space Era (Courtesy of Grant Morrison & Rian Hughes)
“Dare to look to the future”. Because we remember the past and we live in the present, we hold dear the future. We never know what tomorrow might bring and we love dreaming about adventures… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 40
Issue #50 “Remarkable Lives” Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Will Simpson Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Gaspar Saladino; Cover: Tom Canty; The monthly numbering system is perhaps one of comics most notable features. Being that issues are… [more]
Why Didn’t I Love The Martian?
Of all people, I should have loved The Martian. If I were to imagine a Hollywood film perfectly calibrated to my tastes as a) someone with a background in science, b) a gigantic space nerd… [more]
Man in the High Castle and The Flexibility of the Science Fiction Genre
Science fiction is one of those genres everyone thinks they know, but seems to find it difficult to pin down in terms of a definition. It’s such a porous genre, that is, one that can… [more]
On Altered States and the Art of Making a Science Fiction Cult Classic
The science fiction film Altered States bears all the hallmarks of a cult film. For one thing, it’s about outsider topics, like psychedelic mind states, genetic memory, float tanks, and entheogens. For another there’s a… [more]
The Complete D.R. & Quinch: Alan Moore’s Sci-Fi Fun Time
Like many readers who discovered the world of comics in bookstores rather than comic shops, the works of Alan Moore made an immediate impression on me. He’s a comic book rock star and, undeniably, one… [more]
Star Wars: From a Successful Film Franchise to One of the Greatest Hits in Comics
For some reason, I’ve never been a fan of film adaptations, much in the same way that I’m not a fan of videogames turned into comics, or TV series transformed into novels. In my opinion,… [more]
My (Very Brief) History with SF
Speculative Fiction, more commonly referred to as “Science Fiction”, has been described as perhaps the best means of conveying complex ideas. It is a broad genre that was, and for some remains pigeon-holed, like comic… [more]
Sid and Marty Krofft’s Wormholes to Hell
If you’re an American of a certain age, chances are you fondly remember the weird and wonderful worlds dreamed up by Sid and Marty Krofft—especially H. R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, and Land of the Lost. Those… [more]