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A Fan’s Perspective: San Diego Comic Con 2006
In the mid 90s, I vowed never to return to the San Diego Comic Con because of the hours of waiting in line in the heat and the crowds. I decided to go this year… [more]
New(ish) Comics from Old Favorites, Part 3: I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN
Ellen Forney is a hard cartoonist to pin down. Her work is charming and disarming, but isn’t easy to categorize. Her first collection of strips, MONKEY FOOD, compiled her “I Was Seven in ’75″ strips.… [more]
The Sequart Detective: A Matter of Justice, Part 2
My name is unimportant. What’s important is…I’m a detective. WARNING: Not only does this article contain spoilers for the Justice issues reviewed, it attempts to deduce the plots and mysteries of future issues as well.… [more]
New(ish) Comics from Old Favorites, Part 2: 40 Hour Man
How do you measure someone’s worth? In a society where one’s career is supposed to define one’s self, what does this mean for the millions who work minimum-wage, soul-crushing jobs? Even for those who work… [more]
Reviews from the Hold Box
Welcome back to Reviews from the Hold Box. Each week, I look at what was in my hold box at my local comics shop. Good or bad, I’ll let you know what I thought of… [more]
Comic Sense #2: The Art of Structure, Part I: Composition
Welcome back to the article dedicated to enriching the world of comic books and graphic novels for new readers. This article will deal with an exploration of story structure. As the topic itself is vast… [more]
New Earth (or, If I Could Give the World a Makeover…)
Settle down, class; it’s time for another dose of Tact is for the Weak, the column that tested positive- for the truth (and herpes simplex A)! There comes a point in every man’s (and self-realized,… [more]
Ultimate Spider-Man: Power and Responsibility: Part 2
Ultimate Spider-Man #2-7 The second issue is titled “Growing Pains”. It could have been called “The Longest Day” and fit just as well. It starts off with Peter in class. Coming down with the shakes,… [more]
You Can’t Go Back Again
An unfortunate trend seems to have taken hold at Marvel Comics, which has slowly convinced me to give up reading my favorite super-heroes.
Stormwatch, Part 1: Issues #1-3
This article will look at the first story arc of Jim Lee’s Stormwatch, giving details on the story and introducing the characters. Stormwatch is a United Nations peacekeeping team based on the satellite station Skywatch,… [more]
New(ish) Comics from Old Favorites, Part 1: The Squirrel Mother
The prevailing trend in comics these days is releasing graphic novels. Of course, that is still a painstaking, laborious process that can take years for an artist to complete. Even if a creator is consumed… [more]
PARTY! (or, A Dignified Retrospective)
Welcome, all you vagrants, to a very special edition of Tact is for the Weak, the article that is still waiting for a motherf**king title graphic! For most people, turning 21 means one of two… [more]
American Thesis #2: What are Comics?
It is easier to see how comics are related to their readers when the many different terms are understood. Defining comics is the first step. Several industry professionals offer their opinions of what the word… [more]
The Peter David Factor: Part 2
This issue (X-Factor #71, Oct.1991) entitled “Cutting the Mustard”, introduces the new X-Factor team as well as the new creative team. As I mentioned in my last column, the fact that a new team of… [more]
Reintroducing: Sovereign Seven #1
Sovereign Seven #1 DC Comics July 1995 By Chris Claremont & Dwayne Turner “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…” (38 Pages) First off, I should admit something: I go back and forth between thinking… [more]
Superman Returns Prequel #2: Ma Kent
Previously, I introduced the Superman Returns prequel comics and examined the first issue in some detail, paying particular attention to how it changed things from Donner’s 1978 original. This time, we’ll continue on to the second… [more]
The Valiant Tangent — X-O Manowar #1-4 (Retribution, Part 4)
Welcome back to The Valiant Tangent, the articles whose goal it is to chronicle some of the stories and characters of Valiant Comics and the things that made them not only cool, but some of… [more]
Bandes Dessinées : The Rear Guard
As the art critic Clement Greenberg wrote in 1939, “where there is an avant-garde, generally we also find a rear guard.” He also noted that while the avant-garde is the focus of much attention, the… [more]
Comic Book Retailing Part 3: Do Your Research
Two weeks ago I explained what I think are the basics of business ownership: taking some basic business/entrepreneurship classes, understanding ethical business practices, and understanding the personal and financial demands. Now, I will get into… [more]
Comics in, of, and about Other Media
A few years back, the Comics Journal published a list of the top 100 English-language comics of the 20th century. That list produced a lot of controversy because a number of the works included didn’t… [more]
The Valiant Comics F.A.Q.
I am a rabid comic book fan and I’m not ashamed to say it. (Thank you, Hollywood.) One of the things comic book fans are often asked to do is recommend comics, and when I… [more]
In the Beginning… #2
It’s Miller Time In the last few years, Hollywood has been comic book crazy. You can’t visit your local multiplex without coming across a comic book flick or two, as well as posters and trailers… [more]
The Superman Returns Prequel Comics
In a major coup for the publisher, DC Comics announced in early 2006 that it would, in June 2006, be publishing a four-issue mini-series prequel to the then-upcoming Superman Returns.
Draft Dodging (or, All You Need is Guy Gardner)
Well well, look who’s come crawling back! That’s okay, I forgive you; welcome to the latest chapter of Tact is for the Weak, the article that can eat 34 hotdogs in five minutes! For months,… [more]