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Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Dr. Light in Teen Titans
Identity Crisis left Dr. Light remembering what he was once capable of and thinking how next to act. In the wake of that mini-series, DC sought to turn Dr. Light into a major villain
Years of Desperate Struggle
The comic book business is a royal pain in the ass. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a tough row to hoe, and anyone who writes or draws comics for a living… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Adam Strange: Planet Heist” Concludes
Having examined the history of Adam Strange and the first half of his 2004-2005 mini-series, we now turn to the second half of that series, which leads into The Rann-Thanagar War.
DC’s Impact Imprint: A Look Back
The idea was for DC Comics to launch an entire new set of books aimed toward younger readers. The launch of these books would cross over from comic shops to the mainstream and try to… [more]
An Introduction to Akira
Akira is seen by the manga/anime community as the “beginner’s manga/anime.” That is to say, if you like this series, you’ll probably like manga/anime, and vice versa. While this is may seem derogative of Katsuhiro Otomo’s… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Adam Strange: Planet Heist”
We’ve previously covered the history of Adam Strange, up until the 2004-2005 mini-series Adam Strange, which led into The Rann-Thanagar War. Now, it’s time to address that mini-series…
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: A Brief History of Adam Strange
It’s hard to claim that Adam Strange has a particularly glorious history, but he remains one of the DC’s most beloved science fiction characters.
Comics in Other Media
Superheroes have been in our language for years. Nearly every American, somewhere along the line, has been exposed to superheroes or comic books either directly or peripherally. In the least, we all certainly could name… [more]
Anniversary Blues
Up and down this year. We commemorated some anniversaries, added some others. Among the first, notably the publication of Einstein’s Specific at its centennial and Hiroshima + Nagasaki at their 60th. And among the second,… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Tie-Ins to The OMAC Project #6
We’ve already seen that, chronologically, Superman #220 occurs during The OMAC Project #6. But a number of other comics also tied into The OMAC Project #6.
Did the Dark Knight Strike Again? Frank Miller’s New Digital Reality
The longevity of comics depends on the effort to give them relevance and context in history. The medium’s survival relies on its connection with its contemporaries.
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: The Rann-Thanagar War Concludes
Earlier, we looked at The Rann-Thanagar War #1-4. We now return to that series to cover its conclusion.
The Valiant Tangent — Magnus Robot Fighter #1-4 (Steel Nation, Part 1 of 2)
Welcome back to The Valiant Tangent, a column whose goal it is to chronicle the stories and characters of Valiant Comics and the things that made them not only cool, but some of the greatest… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Crisis of Conscience” Epilogue
Adventures of Superman #644 offers an epilogue to “Crisis of Conscience,” which also ties to other narrative threads and leads into Infinite Crisis #1.
Mike Mackey on Liberality for All
Mike Mackey is the creator of Liberality for All, the first issue of which recently saw publication from ACC Studios. Billed as “the World’s First Conservative Comic Book,” the series takes place 20 years after 9/11.… [more]
Art Thibert and Rich Birdsall on Chrono Mechanics Silver
Almost a year ago, we interviewed Art Thibert about his graphic novel Chrono Mechanics (co-written with Rich Birdsall). The book detailed the first adventure for a group of four very different characters (human and otherwise), brought… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Crisis of Conscience”
“Crisis of Conscience,” running in JLA from #115 to #119, was promoted as bridging the gap between Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis.
The Valiant Tangent — Solar: Man of the Atom #0
Welcome to The Valiant Tangent, a column whose goal it is to chronicle the stories and characters of Valiant Comics, and the things that made them not only cool, but some of the greatest of… [more]
Dino of Two Worlds: Dean Haspiel’s Action Autobiography
One of the weirdest comics experiences I’ve ever had was reading Jack Kirby’s “Street Code”, an autobiographical tale of his past that was reprinted in the intriguing STREETWISE collection a few years ago. Kirby wrote… [more]
Modernism and the Birth of the American Super-Hero
The idea of the modern American super-hero is an abstract and nebulous concept.
Sleeping with the Enemy
I’m not a nice girl. I don’t have a conscience. I’ve even been told I don’t have a soul. I’m a cheater. Yeah, I said it. And I don’t care. When I was younger, I… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: “Sacrifice” Aftermath
In the month after the historic “Sacrifice” storyline, three of the four titles that participated in that storyline offered stories dealing with the aftermath of “Sacrifice.”
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: The OMAC Project Concludes
The OMAC Project #3 ended with Maxwell Lord surprisingly speaking to a seemingly hypnotized Superman. “Sacrifice,” which that issue noted would continue directly from OMAC #3,
The Valiant Tangent
Welcome to the first installment of The Valiant Tangent, a series of articles whose goal it is to chronicle some of the stories and characters from Valiant Comics, and the things that made them not… [more]
Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: Identity Crisis Epilogue
Having mentioned how well Rucka foreshadowed Wonder Woman’s murder of Maxwell Lord, it’s worth looking at exactly how Rucka accomplished this in the pages of Adventures of Superman.