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Magazine Archives for:
February 2017
Wrestling With the Cycle: Not All Men and “He” in Matt Fraction and Christian Ward’s ODY-C
In Part I of this article, “Not All-Men: On the Subject of “He” in Matt Fraction and Christian Ward’s ODY-C,” we looked at the presence and purpose of men and male characters in an almost… [more]
Remembering Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton was one of those actors who was universally loved. Always a welcome presence in any film (or, indeed, TV show), a reliable character actor with strength, vulnerability and charm, but what made him… [more]
Not All-Men: On the Subject of “He” in Matt Fraction and Christian Ward’s ODY-C
When I last wrote on Matt Fraction and Christian Ward’s ODY-C in my article She Made Them in Their Image, I was attempting to focus on the Sebex – the third sex created in a… [more]
The Belfry: A Nightmare Comic
Sometimes it’s interesting to read a comic that isn’t part of world-building or creating a complex, multi-layered world. To be sure: such complex comics are very welcome, and Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko’s Invisible Republic… [more]
Traversing the Plateau of Leng: To Read is to Be Read in Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows’ Providence
“So much of this is made of books, this Commonplace book….” – Robert Black, Commonplace Book, June 5th, 1919, Providence #1, p. 32 This article is strange for a few reasons. First off, it’s about… [more]
Riverdale’s Rips off Twin Peaks (Badly) and Normalizes Rapey Plotline
There’s a lot wrong with CW’s latest show, Riverdale. Let’s put aside the crazy clown red hair and pale faces of the murder victim Jason Blossom and Archie. Or the obvious invocations of past popular… [more]
Steven Universe: What is The Answer?
It’s funny how something called “The Answer” are two artistic and emotional pathways that ultimately lead to the same place. Then again, perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is quite fitting. In… [more]
Kevin Smith’s Clerks III and Mallrats 2 Shelved – New Jay and Silent Bob Film Planned
Sometimes it’s interesting to learn about the limits of a creative person’s power, even over their own creations. We all know that George Lucas doesn’t own Star Wars anymore, for example, and technically, Disney can… [more]
Spotlight on Steve Gerber’s The Son of Satan
Marvel Comics in the 1970s were, to put it mildly, weird. Now, I mean that as a compliment. The dizzying array of subgenres that the publisher expanded into during the decade is impressive. Explosive creativity on… [more]
Hidden Figures: An Old-Fashioned Feel-Good Movie that Teaches
Hidden Figures is a harmless, old-fashioned all-ages family movie, that teaches an important historical lesson, but it’s light on its feet, entertaining and never feels like a slog. Quite the contrary: this is a very… [more]
Mad Love Meet Love is Love
A little while ago, I had the excuse to revisit the 1988 comics anthology AARGH! Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia in light of more recent political events. In my article AARGH! RESIST! A Retrospective and… [more]
Emil Ferris on Her Career and Her Graphic Novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters
Emil Ferris is an artist and lifelong fan of monsters. After honing her skills at the Art Institute of Chicago, she began professionally producing art, animation, and comics influenced by monsters and her city, Chicago.… [more]
Celebrate Smodcast’s 10th Birthday with the Saga of Emo Kev
Every now and then, an artist happens onto that happy accident of inspiration, industry and style and creates something absolutely perfect. I’m sure when Kevin Smith started recording his “Smodcast” podcasts ten years ago today,… [more]
Until the End of the World – A Guide to Garth Ennis’s Comics: Hard Men with Big Guns
Talking about Garth Ennis’ comics means talking about war. Whether he’s writing about telepathic contract killers or monumentally depraved superheroes, odds of encountering a story arc set during World War II or the Vietnam War… [more]
Happy Birthday Image Comics
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of one of the strongest and most creative comics publishers, Image Comics. Founded by and for comics creators, Image was established as a home for creators… [more]
Smorgasbord #58: G.I. Jem
Shawn and Tom feel cautiously optimistic about future movies and comics as they discuss the second Logan trailer, the teaser for Powerless, an animated Spider-Man, and a metric ton of comics coming in April. On… [more]