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A Review of Star Wars #1, “In the Shadow of Yavin”
Script: Brian Wood. Art: Carlos D’Anda. Colors: Gabe Eltaeb. Lettering: Michael Heisler. Cover Art: Alex Ross. Brian Wood is a creator who, over the past few years, has built an impressive resume working in the realm of both creator-owned… [more]
Archer and Armstrong Review
While all of Valiant’s comics are wonderful and imaginative stories, within their central premise there is a small piece that seems like it came from somewhere else.
The Girl Who Was Let Down: Examining Volume I of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Graphic Novel Adaptation
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has become a very recognized international brand. It started when a Swedish journalist Stieg Larsson wrote a few manuscripts that he intended to get published. It’s said that he… [more]
Why I’m Down on Moffat
I love Doctor Who, but I’ve soured on Steven Moffat. I really didn’t want to write this, because I’ve really enjoyed Moffat’s Doctor Who. But I’ve long had deep reservations about it. I’ve kept these thoughts to myself,… [more]
On The Phoenix: The Weekly Story Comic
The Phoenix is so purposefully targeted at such a specific audience that it can be hard for the rest of us to remember that it exists.
On Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe
Sean Howe begins his history of Marvel Comics in 1961 with publisher Martin Goodman ordering Stan Lee to produce a knock-off of rival DC’s new and successful Justice League of America.
On The James Bond Omnibus Volume 004, by Jim Lawrence and Yaroslav Horak
Did we really used to take this pretty much for granted? In what was considered a respectable, family newspaper? It seems absurd now.
The New 52: A Year in Review
When I opened Action Comics #1 and saw Superman, I was stunned.
On Goliath by Tom Gauld
We all know how the story ends, of course, and as soon as Tom Gauld introduces us to his own take on the Philistine giant, we can guess much of what the route to his… [more]
The Trouble With a Mask
“The trouble with a mask is it never changes.” – Charles Bukowski
On Best of Enemies by Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B.
There are all too few moments when it’s as easy to adore Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B’s Best Of Enemies as it is to admire it.
Happy! #1 Review — with Exclusive Content
Much has already said about the new series Happy! by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. It’s a bit removed from Morrison’s recent comic work, coming off as far darker and sinister than his Action Comics… [more]
Dredd as Violent Morality Play
Dredd is a far better, smarter, and well-made film than anyone had a right to respect. It gets nearly everything right. It’s visually beautiful, even when disgusting. It’s entertaining. But it’s also disturbing and thought-provoking.… [more]
On Rorschach #1
In which the blogger attempts to review Rorschach #1, despite the experience proving a thoroughly enervating one. Visitors should be aware that what follows contains spoilers and, uniquely for this article, a moment or two… [more]
No One Cared About Me Until I Put on a Mask
The Dark Knight Rises is not the conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy that we deserve, but it is the one that we need right now.
On Larry Gonick’s The Cartoon History of the Universe (1978)
Human beings don’t arrive on the planet Earth until its opening chapter is very nearly over. Yet every single panel of the first book of Larry Gonick’s The Cartoon History of the Universe contains something… [more]
Why The Dark Knight Rises Fails
Let me start by saying that I’m glad if you like The Dark Knight Rises. I wanted to. I wrote a book about Batman Begins. I love The Dark Knight, and its ending makes me… [more]
Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man is a Reboot with Legs, Just Not All Eight
Several comments on Slashfilm’s review of The Amazing Spider-Man stated that, while Marc Webb’s Spider-Man is fine, the Sam Raimi films were infallible.
Mazzuchelli’s Asterios Polyp and the Fine Line
Have you read David Mazzuchelli’s Asterios Polyp? If not, you should. This graphic novel exemplifies the type of comic that makes excellent use of its visual components and economic use of language
On Spandex: Fast and Hard by Martin Eden
If 2012′s sales figures are to be trusted, today’s hardcore super-hero fans are predominantly reactionary creatures.
The Avengers Versus the Space Lizard Conspiracy
May 4th was Avengers day here in the states, and I actually managed to see the film three times in the first 24 hours of its release.
On The Zaucer of Zilk, by Al Ewing and Brendan McCarthy
NB: The Zaucer of Zilk is currently being serialised in 2000AD, so please be aware of oncoming spoilers as well as the likelihood that most if not all of my presumptions are entirely misplaced.
Justice League #1-6 Review: Not the Back-Ups, Not All the Filler Art or Teases for Future Storylines
Team books were always a challenge in the old days.
On The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln, by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud’s The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln reads as if it had been pieced together by a team of expert comic-book historians from a great mass of often incomplete and even contradictory notes, sketches,… [more]