Reviews

Reviews of comic books, graphic novels, books on comics, and other comic-related media.

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Review of Nightly News

When I was in college, I was a big Warren Ellis fan and my favorite comic was his Vertigo series, Transmetropolitan. That comic made me want to become a journalist. The story’s main character, Spider… [more]

On Alex Raymond & Don Moore’s “Flash Gordon: On the Planet of Mongo”

It would be far easier to discuss those relatively few aspects of sci-fantastical fiction which haven’t been in any way influenced by Alex Raymond and Don Moore’s Flash Gordon. Even those genre creators who reject… [more]

The Best of All of Us: “Doctor Who: Death to the Doctor,” by Jonathan Morris and Roger Langridge

In which the blogger hopes that folks might stick around while he discusses a thoroughly fine and not unimportant story which many of you probably haven’t read, but which you really might want to, regardless… [more]

Star Trek into Darkness Hostile to Star Trek, Intelligence

Before we continue, I need to issue the obligatory spoiler warning. In order to really get at what’s going on in this film, I’ll have to talk about its plot. So if you haven’t seen… [more]

John Harrison is the New Joker

I just got back from watching the brand new installment of J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the Star Trek film franchise, Star Trek into Darkness. Without going into a full-scale review, I would say that this… [more]

On Star Trek: Countdown and Necessary Movie Tie-Ins

I’m not really one for movie tie-in comics because the whole idea just seems so superfluous to me. Artists on these comics are in an awkward position where they are either criticized for not making… [more]

Why Iron Man 3 is the Best Iron Man Film to Date

Iron Man 3 might not be an Avengers-like, nonstop action fest. But it’s the best of the three Iron Man films. In fact, it’s the only one that really understands the character.

On Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2: What Tony Stark Once Suffered to Learn, Tony Stark Soon Forgot

Everyone’s at least something of a villain in Iron Man 2, except for some of our superhero’s friends and those thoroughly unaccountable Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and yet one of the very worst of the bad… [more]

Vaughn and Martin Unleash The Private Eye

A few weeks ago I talked a little bit about the new book that Brian K. Vaughan is working on, Saga, a planetary romance that he co-created with the brilliant Fiona Staples. Saga was one… [more]

How Far is Too Far?: Excessive Violence in Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

For centuries, writers all over the world have seen the word censorship as a dirty word. And rightly so. No self-respecting writer wants his/her intellectual property to be covered up as though it wasn’t good… [more]

Humbled – A Building Stories Non-Review

Let me be frank – this is not a review of Building Stories (Published by Pantheon Books, 2012) by Chris Ware (Published by Mr. and Ms. Ware, 1967). Nor is this an attempt at analysis,… [more]

On My So-Called Secret Identity

My So-Called Secret Identity: not just principled, smart and promising, but repeatedly downright enjoyable. Every story contains any number of manifestos. The less a comic’s creators focus on a precise expression of their own beliefs,… [more]

Demo Volume 1 Review

The first volume of Demo was an impulse buy for me. I knew nothing about it, although the cover image of a red and pink punk rock couple lost in a sea of dour, grey… [more]

The Way We Write – A Review

The Way We Write by Rachael Smith centers on the actual band Her Name is Calla from England.  Unfamiliar with the music, I researched the band and found the music to be dense, atmospheric, and… [more]

On the Limits of Adaptation or What Can We Get Out of The Dark Knight Returns Movie?

The year 2012 brought with it something Batman fans, and comics fans in general, have been expecting for years; a large production from distinguished creators starring some well-beloved actors. I am talking, of course, about… [more]

That Cowardly and Superstitious Batman, That Heartlessly Persecuted Joker: On Batman #17

Well, why doesn’t the Batman simply kill the Joker? You’d think the answer would be obvious. Yet fans the blogosphere over appear quite flummoxed, if not dangerously apoplectic, about the matter. The Joker can’t be… [more]

Marvel Now-ish

One of the good things to come of Marvel Comics frankly insane shipping schedule in their latest relaunch scheme is that it allows the poor sideline commenter the chance to quickly appreciate the general trend… [more]

Mike’s Favorite Comics of 2012 (Part 3)

We’re now up to the third and final title in my list of Favorite Comics of 2012. It’s a title that first caught my eye early last year when a promotional image for the comic… [more]

Hawkeye: A Journey into the Comics Fourth Dimension

Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Matt Hollingsworth’s Hawkeye, the first issue of which hit the shelves in August of 2012 and has, since, gone through five more issues and a number of printings, is a masterful… [more]

The Sword in the Stone Hand: The Arthurian Trends in Hellboy

In the literary arena, there are several myths that comic books pull from to feed their storylines. Often times, they come from Greek and Roman mythology, others come from the supernatural sources such as Bram… [more]

A Review of Darkness Outside of the Night

I am fortunate to have enjoyed the opportunity to write for Sequart over the past year and a half.  From one-shot reviews, articles and editorials, to beginning to write selections for my serialized critical book,… [more]

Looking into the Black Hole

Imagine being a teenager in the 1970s. It was a decade of absenteeism; latchkey kids, apathy toward drug use, and a blind eye to unsafe sex.

Some Like It Azathoth: A Review of Deadbeats

Many readers seem to miss the humor in H.P. Lovecraft. Writers Chad Fifer and Chris Lackey are not among them. These hosts of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast have been finding the humor and the… [more]

Picture Worth a Thousand Words: Prophet’s Emphasis on Visual Storytelling

With the end of year, “Best of” lists are a common sight, and Prophet by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis, and Farel Dalrymple seems to be on every one of them.

Tale of Sand: The Legacy of Jim Henson in the Graphic Medium

Jim Henson’s love for visual media has touched the hearts of millions, over successive generations in American television and mixed media.