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superhero
The Adventures of Henry Pym (1962 to 1965)
Don’t print the legend. There was no such thing as an archetypal “Marvel superhero” for the first few years following the publication and unexpected success in 1961 of the Fantastic Four. What would in hindsight… [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]
Miracleman, Chapter 7 Concludes
We’ve begun discussing chapter seven (parts one, two, and three) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we conclude our exploration of that chapter. (We’ve previously introduced Miracleman and discussed chapters one, two, three, four, five, and… [more]
“Another Green World”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing, Issue #23
Saga of the Swamp Thing #23: ”Another Green World” Cover date: April 1984. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Steve Bissette and John Totleben. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letterer: John Costanza. Cover: Tom Yeates. Editor: Len Wein.
Miracleman, Chapter 7: The Mike / Liz / Miracleman Love Triangle
We’ve begun discussing chapter seven of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of that chapter. (We’ve previously introduced Miracleman and discussed chapters one, two, three, four, five, and six, plus the… [more]
Roots: Elliot S! Maggin, Alan Moore, Superman & “Last Son Of Krypton”
1. Wherever you look, there he is. And if he isn’t there, well, why not? Because even today in 2010, there’s still something distinctly peculiar about any modern-era superhero comic which appears to bear no… [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.
A Ghost Dressed in Weeds: Unearthing Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing
Alan Moore began his career as a minor cartoonist working for his local newspaper and U.K. music magazines, producing humour strips like Maxwell the Magic Cat, Roscoe Moscow, and The Stars My Degradation.
My Introduction to Manga, Part 1: Suppli Takes on Batman and Loses. By a Landslide.
Like many Western comic fans of a certain age (which will go unmentioned), I have had little exposure to manga and anime.
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.
Soul Silver Surfer
After my recent column about Galactus, I’ve had an urge to rediscover a character that I’ve never really given enough attention to: Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer.
Deconstructing Batman & Robin: A Game of Villainy, Part 7
I’m sitting at a little coffee shop in Springfield, Missouri, called the Brown Egg with my comics spread out on the table. As the waitress delivers my pancakes, she remarks, “That looks really cool,” as… [more]
On Boys’ Ranch #1-3, by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon (1950)
In his Art of the Comic Book, R. C. Harvey offers Boys’ Ranch as an example of Jack Kirby having elevated comics into an “art form.”
Comic Book Dads
Yesterday, my friends Wes and Andrea welcomed into the world their beautiful new daughter, Annabelle Fay. I was there along with members of their family to accompany them on their big day, and even though… [more]
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.
Galactus: Meditations on a World-Eater
The Uncreator. The Universal Endbringer. The Anti-God. Gah. Lak. Tus.
Persepolis & Fun Home: Women and Comic Books in the College Classroom
There’s been a lot of controversy over women’s rights in the United States in the media lately.
Not the Way We Play the Game
I’ve never once criticised the work of another blogger in public, so why start now? Yes, Gene Phillips’s Making a Dirty Breast of the Matter (parts 1 and 2) are appallingly written pieces which express… [more]
Fiction Suit
Alan Moore’s done it. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee did it. Osamu Tezuka did it. Grant Morrison did it so regularly and intently that he gave it a name.
The Anxiety of Influence and Failed Sequels: Frank Miller and The Dark Knight Strikes Again
“I mean the criticism teaches not a language of criticism […] but a language in which poetry already is written, the language of influence, of the dialectic…” (Bloom 25).
Making a Dirty Breast of the Matter, Part 2
I want to focus on one remark made by Kelly Thompson in the essay “No, It’s Not Equal,” regarding the inequitable objectification of male and female characters in superhero comics:
The Difficulties of Being “Just” Good and Bad in Comics of the New Millennium
In 1974, Frank Castle—also known as The Punisher—made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #129, and the comics world was introduced to what would become one of the most popular anti-heroes—though he certainly was not the… [more]
On The Evolutionary War (Marvel Comics, 1988)
Those who choose to see the superhero comic’s decline as a relatively recent occurrence may prefer to keep their preconceptions away from The Evolutionary War, a sequence of often-awkwardly linked stories which were originally strung… [more]
Becoming Alan Moore
1. When did Alan Moore become ALAN MOORE? When did the promising prospect become the master Bardly craftsman? If his work for Marvel UK in the early 1980s is to be trusted, the graduation occurred… [more]
John Carter Vs. Superman
With the recent release of the Disney film John Carter (which may or may not still be in theaters by the time you read this piece, judging by the film’s reviews) it seems pertinent to… [more]