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Magazine
Eight Thoughts on Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3 #1-2
The right-wing media went apeshit over Peter Parker being replaced by Miles Morales, based on a single seven-page sequence (really its own short story) in Ultimate Fallout #4. Lots of people were perfectly prepared to… [more]
Diagram for Delinquents Update #20: The Countenance is the Portrait of the Soul
Yes, yes, yes. It has been a while since the last update. So here’s an explanation: For the last month I have been working on a play and I will be for the next two… [more]
Warren Ellis to Participate in Q&A before U.K. Premiere of Captured Ghosts
On Saturday, 12 November, Warren Ellis will appear at the U.K. premiere of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, our feature-length documentary film about his work and its vision of the future. He will also participate in a conversation… [more]
Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts to Make Its World Premiere at Napa Valley Film Festival
Our documentary film Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts will make its world premiere on Friday, 11 November as an official selection at the inaugural Napa Valley Film Festival, alongside the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and gala screenings of Alexander Payne’s The… [more]
Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts Postcards
Promotional postcards have been created for the upcoming theatrical debut of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, and we thought we’d share them with you. The front features a distorted image of Warren Ellis, along with the… [more]
Back to Basics: Deathstroke and the Unintentional Satire
Satires can often times be complicated affairs. Every nuance and hiccup is pondered for its dual meanings. But not all satires are like carnival mirrors, some are accidental and in a manner more revealing than… [more]
Her Name was Jezebel
After finishing Batman R.I.P., many complained that the reveal of Jezebel Jet as a member of the Black Glove was completely obvious – that it was not the shocking plot twist Morrison had promised them in the beginning.
Whatever Happened to the Big Red Cheese, Part 2: The Name of Vlarem
The motif of the power of names was established from the very beginning of Captain Marvel’s history, but it would take another 40 years for the Wizard Shazam to be developed beyond the all-knowing God… [more]
“Ladies and Gentlemen, on the Guitar… Superman!”
The Last Son of Krypton, looking a little less brawny than I imagined him to be and with less than enough hair to pull off a spit curl, took center stage while his superfriends disappeared… [more]
How Could They Do That?: Understanding Scott Lobdell and the New Comics Criticism
I’m quite certain writer Scott Lobdell, writer of Red Hood and the Outlaws, didn’t intend to make Starfire in any way diminishing of women. I know this because it’s leaked that DC was concerned, prior… [more]
On Hickman and Ribic’s The Ultimates #1: Yet More Stories for Boys
On the evidence of Messrs. Hickman and Ribic’s The Ultimates #1, the fundamental concerns of feminism haven’t yet become a matter of public concern and debate on Earth 1610, or (it needs to be said) in… [more]
On Legion Lost #1, by Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods
Even putting the context of DC’s “New 52″ initiative aside, it’s difficult to imagine a situation in which Legion Lost might qualify as even a barely-adequate comic. For it’s such an awkwardly and unhelpfully written book… [more]
Something to Dream About: Jason’s The Living and the Dead
Somewhere in your comic shop there is a small section left orphaned. It sits alone, dying like the character Cerebus was fated to: unloved, unmourned and alone. This is the section that is often scary… [more]
Seeing through Spectacles
Julian Darius’s essay Hollow Spectacle cites a current DC comic for its overuse of meaningless spectacular scenes, such as a scene in the recent Justice League #1, in which Green Lantern uses his power ring… [more]
Captured Ghosts Advance Screening During NYCC
Sequart and Respect! Films are proud to announce a special New York Comic Con screening of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts at the downtown theater Cinema Village (22 E. 12th St. NYC 10003, ph# 212.924.3363) on Friday, 14 October, at… [more]
Whatever Happened to the Big Red Cheese, Part 1: The Naming Curse
Night in the city. “Papers!” a boy calls out into the storm ravaged night.
The Right Number – Rules, Structure, and Rhythm
Earlier this month, I had a look at Scott McCloud’s The Right Number, an experimental web-comic with a unique format based on digital technology. The zooming format and the forward reading convention were both novel… [more]
Sexism, Sexuality, and the DC Relaunch
Last week’s DC relaunch offerings didn’t prompt much serious debate over which title was the best, but they launched a flurry of reactions against their portrayal of women. But first, a warning: my goal here… [more]
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]
Through a Siege Perilous: Rebooting the X-Men, Again
Much like any super-hero team around for 50 years, you eventually run out of stories to tell. Especially with a property like the X-Men, you can only tell the persecution story so many years before… [more]
Man of Steel, Woman of Legs
Given how often Superman and Batman have been paired into dualisms ranging from “day and night” to “Apollo and Dionysus,” it’s surprising that in the second week of DC’s “new 52” they paired the Grant… [more]
The Curious Case of Hyper-Criticism
Let’s talk about who we are as fans for a moment, shall we?
Put Your Money Where Your Panel Is: On Action Comics #1
Action Comics #1 is a simple story with a simple premise – introduce the character Superman, make the readers care about him, and put him in a dangerous test to set up for the next… [more]
Superman Returns Prequel #4: Lois Lane
Five years ago, around the release of Superman Returns, I began a look at its four-part prequel mini-series, examining how it changed Richard Donner’s original films and what it revealed about Superman’s five years of… [more]