ON COMICS CHARACTERS
ON SCI-FI FRANCHISES
ON GRANT MORRISON
ON TV AND MOVIES
OTHER BOOKS
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Magazine
Preacher: “All in the Family”
Ah, finally we come to the first ‘big’ storyline explored in Preacher: Jesse’s childhood. The arc that stands up and bellows “This title isn’t just tits and innards! Close, but not quite!” Let’s synopsise this… [more]
Week 24: Web of 52
I’d like to take this moment to say that Skeets has quite a lot on Brian Graiser, including a army of cyborgs and pirates. Loose Ends Dr. Ralph – Kicking ass in (in his best… [more]
Here Comes the Son (or, Super-Baby-Daddy Drama)
Oyez, oyez, dear readers, and welcome to the court of Tact is for the Weak, the column with the honorable Brian Graiser presiding all UP in that grill! Recently, writer Grant Morrison whipped up a… [more]
Comic Book Retailing Part 6: Marketing
Of all the things I’ve shared with you so far on opening and running your own comic book store, this might be one of the most important. Advertising and marketing are the main tools for… [more]
Best Behavior: SPX 2006
Introduction I’ve written extensively about the MOCCA festival for this website, but the event that truly changed the course of how I think about comics was the Small Press Expo, or SPX. It opened my… [more]
Comic Sense #4: The Art of Structure, Part III: Artwork
Welcome back to Comic Sense. The third in our discussion of story structure, this piece takes a look at the role of the artist in the creation of a comic book story. Comic books are… [more]
Infinite Retcons (or, How I Spent My Last $25)
Good evening, ladies and worms, and welcome to Tact is for the Weak, the article that will soon be available in variant hardcover edition for a mere $55! Last week, DC Comics published its hardcover… [more]
Week 23: The Most Greaterest Column Ever!
The writer of this column recognizes his right to freedom of speech when speaking about that horrible bastard Supernova and all of his possible indentities, including Brian Graiser. Speaking of which look what Mr. Graiser… [more]
Life In Regression: Dash Shaw’s The Mother’s Mouth
Dash Shaw is one of my favorite artists, hands-down. Readers of this column may recall my review of his previous collection of stories, GODDESS HEAD. Many of the same themes are explored in his newest… [more]
The Good, the Bad, and the Fugly: Comic Books and Duality
We have explored costumed comic book heroes and villains, dancing out the eternal ballet of good versus evil. Their world is black and white. Batman will forever be at odds with the Joker, the pendulum… [more]
Stormwatch, Part 3: Issues #6-7
This article examines issues #6-7 of Stormwatch, complete with costume redesigns and an introduction to the island nation of Gamorra, which will play a major part in upcoming Wildstorm titles. As well as all that,… [more]
Artists to Seek out at SPX 2006
The Small Press Expo (SPX) is coming up this Friday and Saturday, October 13th-14th, in Bethesda, MD. It’s still the pre-eminent smallpress/indy/alternative/etc. comics festival, and this year it’s in a new location. Happily, the new… [more]
Mini-Comics Round-Up
Ah, the variety of mini comics I receive. I generally like to review comics that I can compare and contrast in some meaningful way, but these three comics couldn’t be any more different. Liz Baillie’s… [more]
In the Beginning… #4
Whether it is uninviting and difficult or fascinating and exciting is a matter of opinion, but it is undeniable that at the moment the DC Universe is a confusing place to newcomers. In all probability,… [more]
Week 22: STUFF!!
This week’s edition of Who are the 52? is brought to you by the letter P and viewers like you. Especially the ones who send me stuff like the following: (The following excerpts are unedited… [more]
Art + Comics = Arf!
This is a golden age for publications about comics and their history. There are more reprints of classic comics (and in better formats) than ever before. There’s a broad range of books and magazines focusing… [more]
Strange Territory: Joe Daly’s Scrublands
It’s hard to pin down Joe Daly’s influences and hence what sort of comic SCRUBLANDS is. The book notes his strong influence by American underground artists like R.Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, S.Clay Wilson and others. While… [more]
Week 21: Writer’s Block
And so the plot thickens…. “No, curse you, Turturro (if that is, in fact, your real name!), for trying to foil my plot! Yes, I’ll admit it to you (and you alone): I am, in… [more]
Wacking It (or, 52 Pick-Up)
Welcome, True Believers, to Tact is for the Weak, the column that would defect to a rival website in a heartbeat if Julian Darius wasn’t holding my family hostage… As the more internet-savvy of you… [more]
The Sequart Detective: A Matter of Justice, Part 5
Analysis #5: Reviewing the first two-thirds of Justice #3. My name is unimportant. What’s important is…I’m a detective. WARNING: Not only does this article contain spoilers for the Justice issues reviewed, it attempts to deduce… [more]
Pulp Politics: Alixopulos’ Mine Tonight
Those that follow the mini comics scene will observe that geography plays a large part in forming artist support groups. These groups provide encouragement and critique for young artists and play a part in their… [more]
Art Comics For Beginners: The Best American Comics 2006
As anyone who’s read my articles on MOME and HOTWIRE will quickly realize, I have a particular interest in comics anthologies and the effect they can have on comics in general. While there are many… [more]
25th Issue Spectacular! (or, What the Hell, It’s a Party!)
Greetings, fans, and welcome to Tact is for the Weak, the article that doesn’t know the meaning of the word “moderation” (or “restraining order”). I usually don’t admit to many mistakes (because, let’s face it,… [more]
20th WEEK SPECIAL
A notice from the edit- writer…. “Ah my special surprise that I’ve been planning since last week… wha? Graiser is doing the same thing?! Curse you Superno- I mean Graaaaaiser!…wait a minute….I smell a theory… [more]
Week 20: Bald Moon Rising
This week’s column is brought to you by the letter B for BALD and by Brian Michael Bendis. Basically, I’m updating one of my favorite theories I’ve written so far. The 52 List -Pg.1 Batcave… [more]