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Magazine
Descender #16: A Real Killer
All of the characters in Descender (with the possible exception of the TIMs) have an undercurrent of rage and confusion. Their world changed so dramatically, and so quickly, with the Harvester attack that it re-drew… [more]
Why Daughters of Darkness is the Classic You Should be Watching this Halloween
With Halloween coming up, the need to compile a list of horror films to watch increases, so consider this my modest proposal for a film you may not be familiar with. True horror aficionados may… [more]
Sinner Man: Lawrence Block’s Long Lost Novel is Back in Print
Lawrence Block’s Sinner Man was originally published under a pseudonym, nearly fifty years ago. This month, Hard Case Crime is bringing the book back into print under Block’s own name. The story behind the book’s disappearance… [more]
Star Trek Re-watch, Episode 8 – “Balance of Terror”
“Balance of Terror” is one of those Star Trek episodes that fans often rank as one of the best of the original series, and deservedly so. It’s suspenseful, exciting, intelligent sci-fi action, essentially an extended… [more]
Rob Salkowitz on His Book, Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, and the State of the Comic Convention Industry
Rob Salkowitz is a leading expert on the comic book industry and entertainment in general. Salkowitz regularly writes for Forbes (his profile is here) and ICv2 (you can find these articles here). After learning about… [more]
Yoga Hosers: A Kevin Smith Film, Through-and-Through
It’s difficult to review a movie like Yoga Hosers. It’s so deliberately made for a specific group of people who are immersed in jokes and references from the podcasts of Kevin Smith that one wonders… [more]
Manifest Destiny #24: Making Camp
The latest Manifest Destiny brings the “Sasquatch” story arc to an end in fairly spectacular fashion. These story arcs function quite a bit like seasons of television, and Chris Dingess has fashioned a whopper of… [more]
Smorgasbord #52: Barbarians at the Gate
After a short vacation, Shawn & Tom return to discuss the post-NYCC news avalanche, including creators behaving badly, the un-shocking return of old comics imprints, new publishers making big steps, and the casting announcement that… [more]
Berlanti Drops the Ball on CW-DC Universe
I have reviewed CW’s DC superhero shows since Arrow first appeared. Despite its rocky first half season, I had high hopes that it would find its footing in the second half of its freshman year… [more]
Christopher Guest’s Mascots Delivers to the Fans
Christopher Guest movies are endearing because they’re about people who are this close to stardom, but there’s a narrow and deep chasm between them and their dreams. Even Spinal Tap (which of course was not… [more]
The New Rogue One Trailer Shows Us the New… And the Old
The new trailer for Rogue One has the distinction of explaining the film’s title (unsurprisingly it’s a callsign), and it also reveals something of the film’s plot. The character played by Felicity Jones, named Jyn… [more]
Reborn, from Mark Millar and Greg Capullo Makes Its Debut
The long-awaited collaboration between Mark Millar and Greg Capullo is now here in the form of Reborn, which debuts today. The book is certainly blessed with a deep bench of talent (Jonathan Glapion is the… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 7 – “Charlie X”
“Charlie X”, like many of the early episodes of Star Trek, has a strong science fiction idea at its core, but stumbles a bit with the execution, producing an episode that’s intriguing but sometimes feels… [more]
Sequart Releases The Best There is at What He Does: Examining Chris Claremont’s X-Men
Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of The Best There is at What He Does: Examining Chris Claremont’s X-Men, by Jason Powell. The X-Men franchise is a sprawling comic-book mythology, to which hundreds… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 6 – “The Naked Time”
By any measure, “The Naked Time” is a strange episode of television. The crew of the Enterprise is infected with some sort of virus that causes their emotions to become completely unblocked and they give… [more]
Lake of Fire #2: Heroes
Lake of Fire, by Nathan Fairbairn and Matt Smith, seems to be mixing what we would expect from a “crusaders vs aliens” storyline (lots of fights, strange eruptions from wounds) with a fairly robust and… [more]
Descender #15: Effie
Descender’s”singularity” series continues in issue #15, with a new and interesting twist: a love story. But there’s nothing sentimental or false about this particular love story; it recounts a tragic, wise and emotionally realistic relationship… [more]
Raiders! Tells the Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
Like many kids who grew up in the 1980s, including me, Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos liked to create little movies in their backyards with their parents’ video cameras. (Mine was a Star Trek pastiche… [more]
For the Love of Spock: An Imperfect Portrait of a Fascinating Man
Adam Nimoy’s long-awaited documentary about his father, For the Love of Spock, is now playing in selected theatres and is available for streaming purchase on several services, after a storied build-up and crowdfunding campaign. Conceived… [more]
Stranger Things: Nostalgia, Loss of Innocence, and Parental Anxieties
Please note: This discussion of Stranger Things includes spoilers for the series. Stranger Things struck a chord with Netflix viewers immediately. My own experience with the show was slightly delayed—having young children will do that… [more]
Invisible Republic Begins a New Arc in Issue #11
The new story arc of Invisible Republic, which begins here in issue #11, is a bit of a departure from previous issues and arcs in this compelling and complex science fiction drama. Readers will remember… [more]
“…And Providence Hesitates On The Very Cusp Of Another World Than This.” Rejection, Resolution and Revelation in Providence #9
“This stone, once exposed, exerted upon Blake an almost alarming fascination. He could scarcely tear his eyes from it, and as he looked at its glistening surfaces he almost fancied it was transparent, with half-formed… [more]
Smorgasbord #51: Goodbye, Northampton’s Rose
Shawn and Tom consider the legacy of Alan Moore as he prepares to leave comics forever(?); Shawn sings the praises of Outhouser Jude Terror for speaking truth to power; nobody puts Valiant in the corner… [more]
Manifest Destiny #23: Tales of Captain Helm
It’s become apparent that the Captain Helm story in the pages of Manifest Destiny serves, at least in part, the same function that Tales of the Black Freighter did in Watchmen. This is emphatically a… [more]
The Great Lost Commentary Track for Chasing Amy
[Warning: the following article contains strong language. Some would call it “mature content”, but to be frank, there’s nothing mature about it. Read at your own risk.] Over a decade ago, when Kevin Smith was… [more]