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X-Men Franchise: A Spoiled Opportunity? Part 2
The two films that birthed the popularity of modern superhero films were Spider-Man and X-Men[i]. The two films were massive successes and demonstrated that there was interest in superhero films. The two films also were… [more]
IDW Publishing Acquires Top Shelf
Big news in the business side of comics: IDW has acquired Top Shelf Productions. Based in Georgia, this relatively small comics label has been responsible for some of the classiest and most high-quality releases in… [more]
Sharks, Superheroes, and the End of the Showa Era
In which I review two Gamera movies, involving underwater fire breathing, superheroes, Star Destroyers, and more! [more]
Top 10 Films of 2014
2014 was a very good year for film, featuring an impressive balance of quality blockbusters and indie marvels. I saw a lot of movies this year, but of course I didn’t see every single one.… [more]
Illustrator Fran Krause Shows Us Our Fears
We’re all afraid of something, and we can gussy it up however we want with the most intelligent and elaborate horror movies or books out there, but ultimately our fears seem to come down to… [more]
Where True Detective Meets Community: Character Based Meta Examinations
True Detective was an amazing show. Brilliantly thematically driven, fabulously shot, and incredibly acted. It was filled with top-of-the-line craft across the board. There’s so much to learn from that show, but one of the… [more]
Frank Miller’s Daredevil Saga, Part 1: Introduction
Introduction Few writer/artists have been able to leave such an impact on a character that it has forever transformed comics after. Frank Miller was able to breathe life and vitality to characters that had been… [more]
The Fountain Comic Book: Many Roads to the Same Summit
The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky’s heartfelt sci fi masterwork, had a difficult road to the screen. This story is fairly well known: by 2002, he had written and designed the film, hired actors and started building… [more]
Why Does it Hurt So Much: The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
“These bats are bred for one thing only. . . WAR.” [more]
Superheroes in the Autopsy Room or: How a TV Star Tried to Save my Life
As I write this week’s column, it’s New Year’s Day—that one magical holiday when most of us sit around following a week of indulgences and resolve to do all manner of great things. It’s one… [more]
Comics Were Everywhere in 2014… Just Think of What 2015 Can Bring
Comics were everywhere in 2014, and not just from my perspective. Check your Facebook page, or Twitter feed, and if you’re anything like me you’ll see at least one (probably three) Cyanide and Happiness, for… [more]
“What Happened To Happy Endings?”: The Multiversity: New Thunderworld Adventures #1
Forgive me if I start by stating the obvious, but there something quite archetypal and mythic about Captain Marvel. Obviously because his powers derive from some pretty mythic figures themselves. Add to this a halcyon… [more]
Rah, Rah, Rasputin
Ah, Rasputin. One of history’s great rock stars. And like a great rock star, he died before his time, leaving behind him enough blank spaces in his biography, with enough rumour and mythology, to attract… [more]
Furries are Fellow Fans and Attacking Them Isn’t Funny
Recently, there was what appears to be a chlorine gas attack at Midwest FurFest in a Chicago suburb. Press reaction has ranged from just barely neutral to outright mocking, as in the case of Mika… [more]
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Review
As Billy Boyd solemnly sings at the credits, this is Peter Jackson’s long goodbye to Middle-Earth. It has been an incredible journey, and sadly this chapter is not the best endpoint for this series. To… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 11
Hellblazer Annual #1 “The Bloody Saint” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: Bryan Talbot Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: Todd Klein Cover: Kent Williams Life has a sense of never really turning out exactly as we would like… [more]
X-Men Franchise: A Spoiled Opportunity? Part 1
Logan: This is what you guys wear? Scott: Well what would you prefer, yellow spandex? In acknowledgment to fan outrage of the change of costumes in the first X-Men film, the screenwriters included a line… [more]
The Interview Review
Despite all attempts by the North Korean government to suppress Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s film, The Interview is available to the general public. Not only that, but I was privileged enough to see the… [more]
Breaking the Silence: How Comics Visualize Sound
Of all the elements defining comics, the most paradoxical is that it is a silent medium that nonetheless has sound represented. Comics are in the peculiar position of needing to imply sounds through images, making… [more]
Manifest Destiny: My Comic of the Year
As I’ve written, I’m not a fan of lists or of ranking art in general, although of course I do acknowledge that there’s bad stuff and good stuff, and some great stuff. But beyond those… [more]
Race, Racism, and Italian-American Crimefighters – Part 4: The Punisher, Immigrants, and the Middle-Class Squeeze
This article appeared originally in the anthology Pimps, Wimps, Studs, Thugs, and Gentlemen (2009), edited by Elwood Watson. I’m reprinting it here because I believe it has things to say about Italian-Americans, law enforcement, and… [more]
Oh, My Aching Cranium!: Jack Kirby’s OMAC Deconstructed And Reconstructed, Part Eleven
Jack Kirby created many – some would even argue most – of the iconic villains in comic book history. The list of Kirby rogues is a long and distinguished one, a veritable “Bad Guy Hall… [more]
Smorgasbord #9: The Smorgies Awards 2014
Per podcasting law, the end of each and every year requires an awards show of some sort, so here it is: The Smorgies 2014! (Yes, we’re doing an annual after only 8 episodes that ran… [more]
Quintessential Superman: Tom De Haven’s It’s Superman!
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column praising Michael Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony. Near the end of that column, I called the Grammy-winning piece one of “the quintessential creative works” about Superman, listing it alongside… [more]
Foxcatcher
The thing about Foxcatcher is that it isn’t really a sports movie, even though it features sports. (Whiplash, on the other hand, has all the hallmarks of that genre, even though it was about music.)… [more]