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Sex Criminals #9: The Tale of Dr. Cocaine
I may have gotten a few things wrong about Sex Criminals, after initially getting them right. When I first started reviewing this book, I was drawn to how the characters shared their back stories, how… [more]
Too Little Too Late: Thoughts on True Detective
The way the show incorporated meta moments was key to understanding the ending. True Detective displayed an undeniable desire to poke and prod at the edge of the frame containing it. [more]
The Super-Heroics of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, Part 6
The Tragic Villains of Miller and Moore Moore and Miller’s approach to writing is always comparable and yet vastly different. Miller is hard-boiled crime writer and Moore delves deep into culture and vast concepts with… [more]
Screw the Star Wars Trailer
I like Star Wars. Swear to god. I really like Star Wars. I know it’s bad for me. I know that it’s not really worth the love. I really do. But I like it. I… [more]
Kevin Smith & Joe Quesada’s Daredevil: The Comic that Saved Marvel
Joe Quesada is the savior of Marvel. Simply put, without Joe Quesada coming in the late ‘90s to create Marvel Knights, Marvel Comics would be a defunct company. While many editorial decisions made by Quesada… [more]
She Makes Comics is Out!
Sequart Organization and Respect! Films are proud to announce the release of their latest documentary, She Makes Comics, a film spanning the history of women in comics as creators, fans, and everything in between. The… [more]
A Defence of Star Trek The Motion Picture
I don’t like to rank art, instinctively. This isn’t a sport, and it’s not about ringing all the bells and checking off all the boxes. So, when people ask me to rank the Star Trek… [more]
Race, Racism, and Italian-American Crimefighters, Part 1: Columbo, the Untouchables, and Joe Pistone
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]
Unashamed: In Which Concluding Remarks are Made and a Book is Announced, Shameless? The Superhero Tales of Mark Millar
I hate to break a promise, even if it’s made to no-one but myself. Yet things have changed since I typed “to be continued” at the foot of the last section of Shameless? to be… [more]
Colloquium #11: Kill Things for a Living — Kurtis J. Wiebe on Rat Queens
Markisan interviews Kurtis J. Wiebe on Rat Queens. Kurtis talks about how the series breaks down social barriers, whether or not there will be lineup changes, goblin punk bands, and where the Rat Queens would… [more]
Sensual Female Guardian Angels: Luc Besson’s Early Films, Part 1
In traditional Roman Catholic doctrine, God is represented as a masculine Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) that leaves little room for a feminized vision of either the Creator God or… [more]
A Brilliant Black Comedy: World’s Greatest Dad
An amazingly disturbing, pitch-black comedy starring Robin Williams. If you like your comedy cringe-inducing and horrifyingly bleak this amazing movie is for you. [more]
Writing the Collective Page: Dave Sim, Judenhass, and Tolerating Injustice
When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made… [more]
“A Perfectly Finished Work of Art Right Where I Am Sitting Now.”: Cosmic Trigger -The Play
A fair few of you may not have heard of Robert Anton Wilson. This is tragic. A fair few of you may have heard of people influenced by Robert Anton Wilson. This is not so… [more]
Outside Comic-cons
I have not been going to Comic-Cons for a long time, but I am passionate about comic books. When I first decided to go to my city’s Comiccon (Montréal), I did not really know what… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 8 Review
One of the things that the creative teams of Arrow and The Flash truly excel at is understanding the inherent appeal of superhero stories. The writers on the shows just get why so many people… [more]
The Tribes of Fans: How Tribalism is Pulling Comics in the Wrong Direction
We have reached an interesting (and exciting) point in comics history. For the first time in, well, ever, women are almost neck in neck for comic book readership. This year there was even market research… [more]
I, Claudius: Waiting in the Wings Review
After an extended length episode that introduced us to the Imperial Family, we are treated to Claudius appearing the main storyline as a character. But this time he is portrayed by Ashley Knight, who does… [more]
Sifting Through the Ashes: Analyzing Hellblazer, Part 7
Issue #8 “Intensive Care” Writer: Jamie Delano Art: John Ridgeway Inks: Alfredo Alcala Colors: Lovern Kindzierski Letters: John Costanza Cover: Dave McKean Although the series is still very early on, the characterization of Constantine has… [more]
The Super-Heroics of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, Part 5
Optimism Ultimately, there are two types of stories: tragedies and comedies. There are no inherent requirements for tragedies or comedies. In the days of Shakespeare tragedies ended with death and comedies ended with weddings. But… [more]
The Magnificent Ambersons: The Film That Made Orson Welles Cry
“In those days they had time for everything. Time for sleigh rides…” And so begins, in a haze of warm nostalgia and gentle humour, Orson Welles’ most maddening and controversial film, The Magnificent Ambersons. Viewed… [more]
Review: The Mythology of Grimm: The Fairy Tale and Folklore Roots of the Popular TV Show by Nathan Robert Brown
This work is a must read for any fan of the NBC series Grimm, which recently began fourth season with all the timeliness of a series that started shortly before the bicentennary of the brothers’… [more]
Jorge Borges in Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol #22, A Companion Reader
One final look at the intertextual themes in the first four issues of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol (#19 to #22). [more]