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The Flash Season 1 Episode 18 Review
Some spinoffs attempt to distance themselves from their parent shows as quickly as possible or only start airing after the parent show has concluded, naturally separating themselves from the show that helped create them. The… [more]
“Text Is Vulnerable To Criticism.”:The Multiversity: Ultra Comics #1
Well. Here we are. The penultimate issue of the Multiversity event. If we are to take anything away from this issue it is the realization that, contrary to my initial impressions and predictions, the greater… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 18 Review
Arrow is a dark show. It started as a fairly obvious riff on the Christopher Nolan school of superheroes, and while it has since developed its own unique identity, that dour outlook persists. That’s part… [more]
Notes on Casanova: Acedia #1-2
This year I wrote a book, published by Sequart, called The Future of Comics, The Future of Men: Matt Fraction’s Casanova. That book argues that Fraction’s science-fiction spy series offers both a critique of capitalism,… [more]
How Movies Stereotype and Demonize College Professors
British and American films about college professors tend to depict them stereotypically—as atheistic alcoholic egomaniacs with social anxiety disorder and an uncontrollable desire to have sex with their students. Independent American films such as Smart… [more]
The Good and Bad of Diversity in Comics
Diversity has always been a problem in comics. In the early days, minorities were nigh invisible, and women were usually relegated to romantic interests/damsels in distress. In the modern era, however, DC and Marvel have… [more]
Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee: Davy Crockett and the Early American Superhero
A century before the Shadow, the Phantom, and Superman, the Crockett Almanacs had turned Davy Crockett into one of the first American superheroes. [more]
Will Brooker on the Similarities Between My So-Called Secret Identity and the New Batgirl
Dr. Will Brooker has published studies of comics and pop culture since his Batman Unmasked in 2001. In 2013, he launched the comic book My So-Called Secret Identity, which he writes. The series, illustrated by… [more]
Capital Thoughts: All-New Captain America #4
In what is now a common trope, Sam Wilson, aka, the All-New Captain America, is getting his ass kicked, this time by Armadillo, a third-rate villain who first appeared in Cap #308 (August, 1985; Gruenwald/Neary/… [more]
Michel Fiffe’s Copra: The Most Well-Known Secret in Comics
Copra is the most well-known secret in comics. Everyone seems to know its name, one repeatedly shouted from digital rooftops in choruses of “all hail!” by ardent fans and critics alike, and it’s a roar… [more]
Superhero Fever Strikes India: Maharakshak Aryan on Zee TV
You can hardly swing an unconscious henchman without hitting a superhero in American popular culture these days. Solo and in teams, superheroes dominate our comics and movies; they’re making rapid inroads on television too, on… [more]
Rat Queens Returns!
We should probably play a bit of catch-up for this new issue of Rat Queens. After all, issue #8 ended on a cliffhanger (as did issue #7) but that was back in October. Now, here… [more]
Better Call Saul vs “Slippin’ Jimmy”
Here we are, back in the world of Better Call Saul, where the themes of ethics and fraternal loyalty are firmly in the foreground. We learn a little more about Chuck’s specific medical condition, and… [more]
The Frank Miller & Alan Moore Adaptations
As we near the climax of comparing Miller and Moore it’s worth talking about the adaptations. Is there any good adaptation of Alan Moore’s work? Is there a bad adaptation of Miller’s work? [more]
The Marx Brothers as Guardian Angels of Young Lovers in Jeopardy–Part 1
Harpo! When did you seem like an angel the last time? And played the grey harp of gold? -Jack Kerouac, ”To Harpo Marx” Are the Marx Brothers believable guardian angels? It may be difficult to… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 14 Review
Episodes that delve into the past are a dangerous business. They tread the same fraught ground that prequels tread, trying to find enough compelling, new story to justify an examination of a time that the… [more]
On Internet Outrage and Choosing Not to “Bite the Hook”
Last Monday, The Guardian published a piece on contemporary comics that asked the question, “When did the comic-book universe become so banal?” It was written by an art critic and former comic book reader who… [more]
The Flash Season 1 Episode 14 Review
If there’s one thing you can say for The Flash, it’s not scared to swing big. The first season is just past the halfway mark and the series is already delving into time travel, nuclear… [more]
A Facebook Conversation About Pulp Fiction
I’m a Facebook addict, but it is a nice place to live when not visiting the material realm because I have cool friends. I know a lot of people who don’t like Facebook because their… [more]
Amazon Did Not Kill the Comic Shop (or, How My Daughter Saved the Shop)
On the eve of this year’s annual ComicPro Meeting, an international meet-up of the best and brightest brick-and-mortar comic book retailers, I am happy to announce that Amazon did not kill the comic shop. In… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 13 Review
There are some obvious flaws with “Canaries.” Thankfully, a good portion of those flaws show up early and then fade away before too long. Most of the issues arise from story lines and scenes where… [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]