ON COMICS CHARACTERS
ON SCI-FI FRANCHISES
ON GRANT MORRISON
ON TV AND MOVIES
OTHER BOOKS
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Magazine
Manifest Destiny #21: Leadership
One of the many challenges that the historical Lewis and Clark expedition had to surmount was simple hunger. They weren’t as badly off as some, and fared far better than some of the more northern… [more]
The Purge: Election Year and a Reflection of Society
The Purge film dynasty has created a huge following of watchers and viewers because of its presentation of a society where all manner of sin, debauchery, and impulse is disregarded for one government-sanctioned night of… [more]
A Novel Approach to Comic Books
Tokyo-based Australian creator Andrez Bergen has two literary books out this year, on top of a continuing stream of comic titles that he both scripts and often illustrates. What makes the back-to-back novels – Bullet… [more]
Finding Dory: A Textbook Family Movie
I occasionally cry when I watch movies. That’s not unusual; lots of people cry during movies. What I find interesting is the fact that I have never cried during a movie with an MPAA rating… [more]
Smorgasbord #47: Liberty’s Lingerie
This week, Tom and Shawn discuss Frank Cho’s line in the sand, 9-year-olds who love V for Vendetta, Joe Casey’s auto-plagiarism, Justice League finally getting some Action, and October Previews. We also review The Hunt… [more]
Black Road #4: A Walk in the Snow
It’s too easy for us today to slip into a simplistic stereotype of the “dark ages”, or the early medieval period. Barbarians roaming across the countryside, committing unspeakable acts of carnage and pillage, and scared… [more]
When Reach Exceeds Grasp: Fant4stic
We’ve all heard terrible things about this film. Last fall, I decided to investigate further and see if it was the train wreck everyone was claiming. There appears to be plenty of blame to go… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 70
Issue #83 “The End of Rake at the Gates of Hell” Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Steve Dillon; Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Clem Robins; Editor: Stuart Moore; Assistant Editor: Julie Rottenberg; Cover: Glenn Fabry; Endings are… [more]
Star Trek Beyond Expectations
A five year mission may sound easy, but the first thing we’re shown in Star Trek Beyond is how long five years can really be when one has to spend it cooped up with 400… [more]
Congratulations to the 2016 Eisner Award Winners
Our series on the Eisner Awards was never meant to be predictive of who would win — quite the contrary, we were only trying to profile some of the nominated titles, because they’re all worth… [more]
A Hundred Thousand Worlds: Fandom, Friendship, and Love
There are moments in Bob Proehl’s debut novel A Hundred Thousand Worlds that will affect readers even after finishing the book. These are bighearted yet subtle moments that stick with you, like when one of… [more]
Hunger and Longing: Growing Up with Cloak and Dagger
While I can’t remember exactly what happens in this comic book, the cover to Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #95 has long been burned into my memory. It’s cover dated October 1984 and I must have… [more]
Neil Gaiman: Dream Dangerously – An Interview with Patrick Meaney
If you’re reading this, the name ‘Neil Gaiman’ most likely evokes many thought and feelings from you. He may very well be the writer of some of your favorite novels and short stories, the mind… [more]
“Dreams, Writings And Our Outlandish Human Imaginings… They’re At The Very Heart Of It.” – Romantic Reflections On The Written Word In Providence #8
“ A blessed haze lies upon all this region, wherein is held a little more of the sunlight than other places hold, and a little more of the summer’s humming music of birds and bees;… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 69
Issue #82 “Rake at the Gates of Hell: Part Five” Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Steve Dillon; Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Clem Robins; Editor: Stuart Moore; Assistant Editor: Julie Rottenberg; Cover: Glenn Fabry; Throughout their careers… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 4 – “The Enemy Within”
“The Enemy Within” was the fifth episode filmed for Star Trek: The Original Series, and only the third after it was greenlit, but it’s the first Star Trek episode that truly feels like Star Trek.… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 3 – “Mudd’s Women”
“Mudd’s Women” was one of the three original scripts considered by Desilu Productions as a pilot episode for Star Trek, which would have been an interesting choice to say the very least. The first episodes… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 2: “The Corbomite Maneuver”
“The Corbomite Maneuver” does what a television pilot episode should do. It introduces the main characters and their relationships, gives them a threat that’s significant but not world-ending and provides lots of coverage of the… [more]
Smorgasbord #46: A Valiant Effort
Shawn & Tom talk about Valiant’s unexpected takeover of the Harvey Awards, Ron Wimberly vs. Erik Larsen, the latest round of casting news, and the wasted potential of Tom Felton. On the review side, it’s… [more]
Star Trek Re-Watch, Episode 1: “Where No Man Has Gone Before”
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” is an important part of the building blocks of what we now know as Star Trek. Filmed mostly in the summer of 1965, this episode wasn’t aired until over… [more]
The Great Star Trek Re-Watch: An Introduction
The argument hardly needs to be made that Star Trek should appear on the Mount Rushmore of not only science fiction, but world popular culture. Since arriving 50 years ago this year, it has become… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 68
Issue #81 “Rake at the Gates of Hell: Part Four” Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Steve Dillon; Colors: Tom Ziuko; Letters: Clem Robins; Editor: Stuart Moore; Assistant Editor: Julie Rottenberg; Cover: Glenn Fabry; Last we left… [more]
Portraits In Alienated British Youth Circa 1989-90, Part Twenty-Four : All Good Things
The consensus opinion among readers of John Smith and Sean Phillips’ Straitgate appears to be that this was “the story of a mass-shooter,” or words to that effect. But I think that I humbly —… [more]
Portraits In Alienated British Youth Circa 1989-90, Part Twenty-Three : Ka-Pow!
Well — hello again! An observant acquaintance on twitter recently remarked to me that he “hoped I’d get back to (my) ‘Portraits In Alienated British Youth’ series at some point,” and I had to make… [more]
Negative Space Gets a TPB Release This Week
Negative Space, by Ryan K Lindsay and illustrated by Owen Gieni, is one of the more astute and creative explorations of depression ever committed to the page, and this week it’s available from Dark Horse… [more]