RSS feed for Editorials
ON COMICS CHARACTERS
ON SCI-FI FRANCHISES
ON GRANT MORRISON
ON TV AND MOVIES
OTHER BOOKS
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Editorials
Female Leads in Comics: Don’t Shoot the Messenger
There has been a lot of talk about comics being sexist or DC comics in particular not wanting to hire women and while it can be construed as a problem when DC’s titles went from… [more]
The Curious Case of Hyper-Criticism
Let’s talk about who we are as fans for a moment, shall we?
Clash of the Mythologies
I can appreciate someone like Chris Ware for his artistry, which I think is beautiful, but I think his attitude stinks, it just seems to be the attitude of somebody really privileged, and honestly, try… [more]
The Heroic Struggle of Beta Ray Bill
This is a somewhat informal essay on a character that has fascinated me for a few years, Beta Ray Bill. While it echoes the work of folklorists and the hero narrative (Propp, Campbell, et al),… [more]
Spider Jerusalem and Friedrich Nietzsche
“Spider Jerusalem is like Hunter S. Thompson in the 25th century.” That is how the lead character of Warren Ellis’s Transmetropolitan was first described to me.
Hollow Spectacle (or How Super-Hero Comics Warped My Logic Circuit)
There’s nothing wrong with spectacle. Even, I’d argue, for its own sake. Hell, it used to be its own genre of Hollywood movie (e.g. Cleopatra and more recently Gladiator)! But there’s good and bad spectacle,… [more]
Loud Sounds and Bright Lights: Comic Books and the Addict
I hate the new Justice League. Let me be emphatic on this point: I loathe the new Justice League. I realize to a few this may seem a bit dramatic. After all, isn’t this book exactly what… [more]
Defending Identity Crisis
In the past week, not only has my hero Grant Morrison said some pretty strong opinions over Brad Meltzer’s Identity Crisis, but Newsarama has listed the crossover as being their number 1 moment worth forgetting… [more]
Superman is a Sex-Crazed Nazi!
I’m astounded. We shouldn’t even be having this conversation. Yet here we are. Racist tweets by comic shops, Glenn Beck talking about Spider-Man and the change of traditions, and a “radical” Superman. What the hell… [more]
The Simple, Elegant Way to a DC Cinematic Universe
There’s a simple solution to DC’s motion-picture woes: stop following Marvel’s model. Marvel’s shared cinematic universe only proceeded the way it did due to accidents of history.
I Appreciate Lady Gaga on a Much Deeper Level than You Do
I saw The Matrix long before I ever picked up my very first The Invisibles comic, so as I read the comic, I looked for all of the alleged idea theft that had occurred when… [more]
On Feeling Compelled to Boycott Greg Land’s Uncanny X-Men
I can’t do it, I just can’t. It doesn’t matter how much I admire Kieron Gillen as a writer, and admire him I most certainly do. He’s undoubtedly one of the best half-dozen writers currently at… [more]
Why Continuity Matters
Continuity. The word alone strikes terror into the hearts of editors everywhere. When you disregard it, people will want it back. When you keep it, new readers complain it’s too much to ask of them.
Justice for All
Fourth Age of Comics is an excellent blog site that examines modern comic book storytelling with a particular focus on the types of issues superheroes can effectively be used to address.
Diner Walls and Black Backgrounds: Punisher Max and Extradiegetic Poetics
I have had a few conversations about the work of Garth Ennis over the years, and have concluded that his work (and indeed, he himself) is misinterpreted or misunderstood by the average comic consumer.
Another Reality: The Spatial Imperative, Part 1
Ah, the dreaded cliché super-hero page – well drawn, beautifully rendered, and completely incomprehensible.
Undoing Super-Hero Marriages: The Failure of the Writerly Imagination
With the news that Superman and Lois Lane will no longer be married after DC’s relaunch, super-hero comics have said loudly and clearly: they hate their characters being married because it makes for less drama.
Behind the Mask
At Halloween, superhero costumes are a popular choice for many Trick-or-Treaters. (We had two Iron Men and a Spider-Man come to our door last year.) This is a departure from the original concept behind Halloween… [more]
The Die is Cast: Cyclops Crosses the Rubicon
Cyclops of the X-Men is a wet blanket. He whines about the responsibility he shoulders and is perpetually miserable about the life he is thrust into. His personality is more that of a bad manager… [more]
Heroes Crying at Graveyards: Transforming Killing into Kidnapping in Blackest Night
Death can often be tragic, if not inexplicable. The sixteen year old in peak physical shape who dies of a coronary on the field. A mom crossing the street, struck down by falling debris from… [more]
The Future of Super-Hero Comics
With comic sales on the decline and the DC Relaunch looming on the horizon, the question of “what does the future hold for super-hero comics?” is an incredibly important one to consider. Before we consider… [more]
Canada Hates Comics
Canadian customs officials have charged a U.S. citizen with possession of child pornography based on his possession of manga comics on a digital device. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of one year in prison…… [more]
The Pop Manifesto
It’s not the responsibility of a manifesto to make sense. It’s the job of a manifesto to make it appear that the things which it claims to oppose don’t make sense.
Event Fatigue
If you hate event comics, then you don’t really like comics. There. I said it.
A Letter to the Prospective Comic Fan
Hey prospective comic reader, I know you’re a little apprehensive about where to start when it comes to getting into reading comics, because there are tons of comics out there and you’ve got questions.