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Magazine
On DC One Million, by Grant Morrison and Val Semeiks
DC One Million was published in September 1998 (the month cover-dated Nov 1998) as a weekly four-issue mini-series – or almost weekly, since the JLA tie-in issue effectively served as an issue of the mini-series.… [more]
Sitting Down with Superman: Q&A with the Man of Tomorrow
The world wasn’t ready for Superman. For what could be expected when comics were only budding and bursting from the confines of syndicated sequential art, with their pithy quips and political yarns? Fantastic worlds had… [more]
Controversy Contrivances
I think it is part of human curiosity to be drawn to controversy.
Change or Die: A Farewell to The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man got me in to comics.
Sharpening the Image: Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood, the Man and the Comic that Started It All (Part 3)
Part Three: When Pictures Aren’t Worth a Thousand Words
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange (Part 3)
The Sorcerer’s Code committed Strange to the defense of the Earth, and it obliged him to place the welfare of humanity above that of any alien race.
Secret Wars, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the Development of the Universe-Wide Crossover
While Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC’s first universe-wide crossover, there’s some dispute over whether it was the first in comics. The answer largely depends on one’s definitions. Whatever one thinks about this, one shouldn’t… [more]
Grant Morrison on the 2012 Apocalypse
Well we’re still here. But for quite a while, Grant Morrison was, let’s say, fairly curious to see what was going to happen on December 21st, 2012.
Theology and Bullshit
To be honest, the end of the world has always scared the shit out of me.
Peeking from Behind the Sofa: The 25th Anniversary of Violent Cases
Violent Cases is the greatest comic ever written about an osteopath.
Yellow Capes and Nondescript Domino Masks: Examining the Recently Enhanced Value of the Sidekick
One of the most known comic book conventions is the insertion of a sidekick into the main character’s plot.
“Pog” and “Abandoned House”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Issues #32 and #33
Saga of the Swamp Thing #32 “Pog” Cover date: January 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artist: Shawn McManus. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger.
2000AD, a British Institution: An Interview with Writer Al Ewing and Henry Flint
2000AD artist Henry Flint still recalls the excitement of encountering the first issue of the weekly SF-adventure comic. It was, he says, “nasty, brutal. Parents hated it. The morality of the heroes was questionable. After… [more]
The DC Canon
This is the beginning of a series of articles on classic works of the DC Universe. It is the contention of this series that the DC Universe has been around long enough and has produced… [more]
Bringing Superman Out of the Dark
Last week, I called DC a bunch of tone-deaf morons (or something along those lines) and said that they need to lighten up in their approach to super-hero cinema.
Deconstructing Death and Vigilantism: A Dark Knight Eulogy
Death is not welcomed in DC, but occasionally, and fortunately, an opportunity arises to talk about death and its greater significance in the DC timeline.
Changing of the Spider-Guard
There is a new Spider-Man in town and his name is Peter Parker….wait… If that statement seems a little off to you then you may not have read the shocking conclusion to Amazing Spider-Man #698.
The Older Generation’s Farewell: The Hunger Dogs (Part 4)
As Jack Kirby’s The Hunger Dogs draws to its close, the arcs of two of its major characters, Orion and Esak, are resolved, as shown in the previous installment.
On the Profoundly Rational Doctor Stephen Strange (Part 2)
Having found his way to “India, land of mystic entanglement” in the hope of having the “Ancient One” heal his hands, the still entirely cynical Strange discovered that magic really did exist.
Alan Moore on the Couch
Previously, we’ve discussed and dismissed the charges that Alan Moore or Grant Morrison ripped off anyone in any serious way. We next discussed the timeline of Grant Morrison’s career, including his hiring at DC. We… [more]
No John Blake for Justice League, Please
A few days ago, some friends and I were embroiled in a discussion about the rumors surrounding the new Justice League movie. This is the film that Warner Bros. and DC have been talking about… [more]
Justice and the Hero: Encountering Archetypical Motives in Justice
There is a growing confusion of what to make of the archetypal Hero / Villain dichotomy in the postmodern world.
Everything I Know I Learned from Comics: Some Words of Advice for the Inquisitive Child
I remember the moment I learned who I was as a reader.
Live Chat with Artist JT Waldman at Tufts University
This is the page for the live chat with JT Waldman, artist of Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me, the final graphic novel by autobiographical comics legend Harvey Pekar. The chat was recorded live… [more]
“Down Amongst the Dead Men”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Annual #2
Saga of the Swamp Thing Annual #2 “Down Amongst the Dead Men” 1985. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Steve Bissette & John Totleben. Editor: Karen Berger. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza.