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Magazine
Dead Cousins: On Menace II Society
“Now O-Dog was the craziest nigga alive. America’s nightmare. Young, black, and didn’t give a fuck.” [more]
Chan-Wook Park Does Vampires: Thirst
Thirst is wonderful director Chan-Wook Park’s vampire movie. It’s a fascinating project filled with symbolism and gore. [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 17
Issue #19 “The Broken Man” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: Mark Buckingham, Alfredo Alcala Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: Elitta Fell Cover: Dave McKean Due to the length of The Fear Machine, 9 consecutive issues, much of… [more]
About Face: Character and Portrayal in Snyder’s Batman
DC’s decision to essentially relaunch and, therefore, reboot its output three years ago met with as much praise as it did criticism. Despite proceeding in the wake of Grant Morrison’s seven year labyrinthine run, one… [more]
Colloquium #12: Robot Parts — Brian Clevinger on Atomic Robo
Markisan interviews Brian Clevinger on Atomic Robo! Brian talks writing historical adventures, translating Atomic Robo into an RPG game, the origin of Dr. Dinosaur, and why a robot needs pants for every adventure. (1:24:56) You… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 Review
After last week’s episode pulled most of the disparate pieces of Arrow’s third season into a more cohesive whole, this week’s installment takes advantage of that newfound clarity to plunge ahead, turning out an action… [more]
“…Of Past Times and Beginnings. Before The Before.”: The Multiversity Guidebook #1 Maps and Legends
One of the things that appeals to me most about comics is the breadth, depth and scope of their world building. Their longevity far outweighing that of say even the most consistently broadcast of television… [more]
Better Call Saul Opens Strong
“Spinoff!” Is there any word more thrilling to the human soul? Hi, I’ m Troy McClure.” -Troy McClure “Quality TV”, as we call the sorts of shows being produced today for binge consumption, hasn’t really… [more]
“We Will Not and Cannot be Patient”: On John Lewis’s March: Book Two
If I had to pick one moment from the second volume of John Lewis’s March to explain what makes it so special, I know what I would choose. It happens at almost exactly the halfway… [more]
The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love Review
Prior to writing this review, I had only listened to one song by the Decemberists. It was a low-key, rustic sort of folk ballad, with a music video that featured a bunch of aging hipsters… [more]
Capital Thoughts: All-New Captain America #3
As much as I find Remender’s recent storylines to be thought-provoking, Sam Wilson’s backstory is one long cliché: inner city youth, a community ravaged by drugs, his parents die; Sam then raises his siblings and… [more]
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, This Probably Would’ve Been Better: A Review of Aaron and Cassaday’s Star Wars #1
Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday has perhaps one of the best openings to a Star Wars comic ever. From that perfect blue font with those familiar opening words to the double-page… [more]
Grant Morrison’s Nameless #1
When a story, in any medium, is told using the “language of dreams,” that’s usually a signal for the author to take his or her hands off the narrative wheel and let the story spin… [more]
Elbow Spikes and Atlantis: Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
Gamera gets gritty. And it is good. Surprisingly good. [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 16
Issue #18 “Hate Mail and Love Letters” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: Mark Buckingham, Alfredo Alcala Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: Elitta Fell Cover: Dave McKean As stated previously, The Fear Machine’s main focus is on dichotomies.… [more]
Harvey Pekar Tells the Michael Malice Story in Ego and Hubris
I’ve never read a comic book quite like Ego and Hubris: The Michael Malice Story. Like so much of Harvey Pekar’s work, it’s deceptively intellectual material presented in an underground comix style (art by Gary… [more]
Will Fame Spoil Stanley Kubrick?: On Seeing the Kubrick Exhibit
Southern: You have won ‘unreserved critical praise for a least three of your pictures. At 33 you have already directed one of the biggest pictures ever made. Will success spoil Stanley Kubrick? Kubrick: Fifth Amendment. [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 11 Review
“Midnight City” looks like the episode where all of the third season’s various parts finally snap into place. Arrow’s been plagued this year by a myriad of plots that have never cohered, and while many… [more]
Greetings, Starfighter: A Tribute and a Drinking Game
The Last Starfighter was released in the summer of 1984, which back then meant that in the winter of 1985, it was making the rounds on home video. It seemed like everyone I knew that… [more]
Bobcat Does Bigfoot: Willow Creek
Some preamble on Bobcat Goldthwait. I first heard of Bobcat when I read Filmcrithulk’s review of God Bless America. I quietly filed the director and his films away for later exploration. Then somewhere in there,… [more]
Gotham Academy Midterm Report Card
Will Brooker: Gotham Academy got off to a good start, immediately making friends and mixing well. As a fresh new face in the DC Universe, it arrived in October with its big sister title, Batgirl… [more]
Sex Criminals #10: Come Together
As I have probably mentioned before in discussing Sex Criminals, it’s not really about sex. Of, of course there’s a lot of sex in the comic, and that’s a major plot point, and it’s dealt… [more]