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Magazine Archives for:
2016
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Word on a Wing: Claremont’s Samurai Detective Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing, the samurai detective who formed one half of the investigative agency Nightwing Restorations Ltd. with Misty Knight, is a complex and vastly underrated character. Created in 1974 by Doug Moench and Larry Hama… [more]
“The Universe Doesn’t Care. This Is Not Punishment, But Rather It Is Appreciation…” Celebration, Commiseration and Concern in Providence #10
“I will tell the audient void. . . . I do not recall distinctly when it began, but it was months ago. The general tension was horrible. To a season of political and social upheaval… [more]
Until the End of the World – A Guide to Garth Ennis’s Comics: Introduction
Comics criticism has a Garth Ennis problem. Despite a considerable body of work spanning almost three decades which shows little sign of stopping – at the time of writing, he’s currently working on two monthly… [more]
Smorgasbord #54: World War Jude
Shawn and Tom dive headfirst into news with the very amusing Bleeding Cool Civil War (not to be confused with the thoroughly unamusing Civil War II or the actual political landscape), Marvel’s latest attempt to… [more]
A Journey Through Alan Moore’s Jerusalem: A Host of Angles
You know there’s going to be a story when you’re told, flat out, that the protagonist is going to go insane. I feel like for every detail I catch in my reading of Jerusalem, there… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 11 – “Miri”
The most significant event in “Miri”, the twelfth episode of Star Trek – halfway through the first season – was the arrival, behind-the-scenes, of a new producer named Gene L. Coon. Whenever the production and… [more]
The Family and Identity in Bash Back
In Part I of this article, we examined some of the possible origins, influences, resonances and echoes behind Issue #0 of Lawrence Gullo, Fyodor Pavlov, and Kelsey Hercs’ Bash Back: A Story of the Queer… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 10 – “Dagger of the Mind”
“Dagger of the Mind” (which aired almost exactly 50 years ago, on November 3, 1966) is one of a few episodes of the original Star Trek to deal with psychology. Obviously, Gene Roddenberry had a… [more]
Not By Something as Accidental as Blood – Bash Back
It’s funny what you can find hidden right in plain sight. Sometimes you know it’s there, but you just don’t know where to look. Perhaps you’ve seen it in other forms, in various other permutations.… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 9 – “What are Little Girls Made Of?”
Robert Bloch, who wrote the script for “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” was a big fan of HP Lovecraft. That’s probably the key to understanding what makes this peculiar episode of Star Trek interesting.… [more]
Smorgasbord #53: We’re With Her
Having officially broken DC’s numbering system, Tom and Shawn celebrate by taking a contemplative look at Edison Rex, a harsh look at Marvel’s failure with Chelsea Cain, a confused look at the Logan trailer, an… [more]
A Journey Through Alan Moore’s Jerusalem: Work in Progress
This is an experiment, you understand. I haven’t written for Sequart in quite some time and in addition to other articles I want to write, I’ve decided I wanted to try something I haven’t really… [more]
The British Invasion in Current Previews Catalog
If you like to make all of your hard-copy purchases through your Local Comics Shop, and you want The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comic Book Writer… [more]
Southern Bastards #15: The Taste of Ribs and Defeat
Here we are again in the steaming tribal vendetta-filled world of Southern Bastards. Craw County continues, here in issue #15, to be a community that measures is worth based on the standing of its high… [more]
Design Sense: Steve Ditko’s “Jack” is an Ace Compared to Marvel’s
Few images are as iconic in Western culture as the grinning gourds that populate our harvest festivals. Initially, such sturdy fruits made practical lanterns. The artistry of carving faces, and weaving religious and secular folklore… [more]
Lake of Fire #3: Oaths
The situation faced by the crusaders in Lake of Fire is becoming increasingly desperate in issue #3. Theo has been badly wounded, the Keep is surrounded by aliens intent on getting in, the people are… [more]
Descender #16: A Real Killer
All of the characters in Descender (with the possible exception of the TIMs) have an undercurrent of rage and confusion. Their world changed so dramatically, and so quickly, with the Harvester attack that it re-drew… [more]
Why Daughters of Darkness is the Classic You Should be Watching this Halloween
With Halloween coming up, the need to compile a list of horror films to watch increases, so consider this my modest proposal for a film you may not be familiar with. True horror aficionados may… [more]
Sinner Man: Lawrence Block’s Long Lost Novel is Back in Print
Lawrence Block’s Sinner Man was originally published under a pseudonym, nearly fifty years ago. This month, Hard Case Crime is bringing the book back into print under Block’s own name. The story behind the book’s disappearance… [more]
Star Trek Re-watch, Episode 8 – “Balance of Terror”
“Balance of Terror” is one of those Star Trek episodes that fans often rank as one of the best of the original series, and deservedly so. It’s suspenseful, exciting, intelligent sci-fi action, essentially an extended… [more]
Rob Salkowitz on His Book, Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, and the State of the Comic Convention Industry
Rob Salkowitz is a leading expert on the comic book industry and entertainment in general. Salkowitz regularly writes for Forbes (his profile is here) and ICv2 (you can find these articles here). After learning about… [more]
Yoga Hosers: A Kevin Smith Film, Through-and-Through
It’s difficult to review a movie like Yoga Hosers. It’s so deliberately made for a specific group of people who are immersed in jokes and references from the podcasts of Kevin Smith that one wonders… [more]
Manifest Destiny #24: Making Camp
The latest Manifest Destiny brings the “Sasquatch” story arc to an end in fairly spectacular fashion. These story arcs function quite a bit like seasons of television, and Chris Dingess has fashioned a whopper of… [more]
Smorgasbord #52: Barbarians at the Gate
After a short vacation, Shawn & Tom return to discuss the post-NYCC news avalanche, including creators behaving badly, the un-shocking return of old comics imprints, new publishers making big steps, and the casting announcement that… [more]
Berlanti Drops the Ball on CW-DC Universe
I have reviewed CW’s DC superhero shows since Arrow first appeared. Despite its rocky first half season, I had high hopes that it would find its footing in the second half of its freshman year… [more]