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Editorials
David Mack’s Echo, the Blueprint for the 21st-Century Individual
Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind is a “meditation on the state of our souls, particularly those of the young and their education” (Bloom 19).
The Elements of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman may be recognizable and a positive female role-model, but ultimately, the average person knows nothing about her. David E. Kelley hopes to change that.
Moms in Ovens: Why Comic Books Hate Parents
You’ve witnessed this origin story a million times and across all mediums; protagonist seems to have potential, but it’s the death of a parental figure that spurs protagonist to becoming the hero that he /… [more]
Chief Concerns
Back in October 2010, Scipio of the Absorbascon wrote an impassioned salute to the character Niles Caulder (a.k.a. “The Chief”) of the 1960s comic Doom Patrol by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani. As a longtime… [more]
The Magic Behind Batman, Inc.
When Grant Morrison announced his next major arc within the Batman universe, some readers were confused as to why Morrison would have Batman create a corporation of crime fighters. I had known about Batman, Inc.… [more]
The God of Preacher
The Christians I dissociate myself from are the ones usually found in films like Saved! or in comics like American Virgin: generally linked with sexism, homophobia, racism, fundamentalism, and conservative political views.
Comics, Continuity, and Complexity
Recently, I caught up on Warren Ellis’s Nextwave and Geoff Johns’s recent Green Lantern run through Blackest Night. The two works are polar opposites in terms of approaches to comics; one a continuity-laden, multi-year saga… [more]
On Digital Comics and the Need for Marketing
Recently, Ron Marz started a bi-weekly column over at Comic Book Resources titled “Shelf Life,” and his December 30th column got people talking.
From the Deck of the Black Freighter
My wife outright refuses to read the Black Freighter portions of Watchmen. Every time I press her on the issue, she complains, “They’re boring! I don’t want to read about pirates!”
Why the World Needs a Superman
A professor at my school has started buying comics for his son, and he asked me to suggest some titles. He had purchased a few issues of Morrison’s Batman and a few of Levitz’s new Legion… [more]
All-Stars: How does the Miller / Lee Batman stack up to the Morrison / Quitely Superman?
Once upon a time, Tim Callahan and Chad Nevett completely disagreed about some comics. This is that time. Tim Callahan: So All-Star Superman #12 finally came out, and I wrote about the whole series at… [more]
Holy Hollywood, Batman!
Earlier this summer, Christian Bale, hands down the greatest actor to ever dress up in pointy ears and mutter “I’m Batman,” professed to a reporter that he would quit the series if Batman’s pixie-ish sidekick… [more]
How I Learned to Love the Legion
This is a few days old, but Timothy Callahan opens his most recent column, “When Worlds Collide” over at CBR, with a reference to me. Which puts me one step closer to world domination.
Grant Morrison: From the Asylum to the Star
Grant Morrison has been one of the three most influential writers working in mainstream comics over the last 20 years (the other two being Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman).
Amy Racecar and the Question of Gender: Women in Action-Based Comics
I was having a lot of difficulty in trying to write my first article about such a prickly subject as women and their perception and relation to sequential art, comics and graphic novels specifically.
A Taste for the Theatrical
As the world thaws from the shock of actor Heath Ledger’s sudden passing, I am inspired to take a closer look into the Frankenstein’s monster that he had spent the last few months of his… [more]
Fight the Comic Aristocracy
A few years ago I worked on a graphic book with author Thom Hartmann, titled We the People, that focuses on the pervasive influence that mega-corporations have on American government. While drawing it, I began… [more]
Tact is for the Weak #48 by Brian Graiser 9 Nov 2007
Welcome, fans, to another installment of Tact is for the Weak, the article that has yet to receive a well-deserved Peabody Award! Perhaps you’ve noticed my conspicuous absence from these hallowed halls; I’m sorry to… [more]
Ordering Tips
I have been a busy store owner these last few months, with summer being one of our busiest times of year. Now things have settled down slightly so I have found the time to think… [more]
Wealth and Fame, He’s Ignored…
Peter Parker was a nerdy kid from Queens who was constantly picked on by the jocks at his high school. Girls didn’t like him, and he didn’t really have any friends. He was a social… [more]
A Writer’s Response to WizardWorld Philadelphia 2007
This past weekend, many comic writers, artists, and fans of all ages, sizes, genders, and race (I believe I saw some Klingons and some Skrulls) made their way to Philadelphia for the city’s annual WizardWorld… [more]
Spider-Sense Tingling
It’s a small buzzing in the base of the skull that warns Peter Parker of danger yet to happen — Spider-Man’s spider-sense, originally discovered by the Chameleon as he was sending a message to Spider-Man… [more]
Turning Points
These last couple of years we have seen a revolution of sorts in both mainstream companies. Bigger stories, with more continuity, are the order of the day, and long year-spanning stories, which involve every player… [more]
American Thesis #5: The Revisionary Superhero and a New Breed of Comics
After the industry’s expansion, through the use of direct distribution, comic books matured into a more intelligent and enjoyable entertainment. As readership of independent and underground comics increased, new characters emerged with dark and complicated… [more]
Diggin’ Up Gold! #3 — Original Comic Shops
The Original Comic Shop Today’s comic fans hear the term comic shop and it could only mean one thing; your local comic book and hobby specialty store. So when reading the title “The Original Comic… [more]