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“The Evil was the Act of Violence…”: Shameless? Part 15
Continued from last week. Millar’s preference for deconstructing genre can at times make for routine and predictable comic books. For those who’d prefer more of close observation, ambition and innovation, and less of the bare bones… [more]
Zack Snyder’s Revisionist The Man of Steel
The Man of Steel is very much Zack Snyder’s. But that doesn’t mean what we thought it did. (As usual, here there be spoilers.) Prior to the film’s release, super-hero fans had a lot of… [more]
Is Superman Still Relevant in a Postmodern World?
Superman. The name alone conjures up images of capes flapping in the skies over thriving metropolises, walls exploding as a rock-hard fist punches through them, and criminals quaking in fear before a hulking mountain of… [more]
Deconstructing the Deconstructions: Hyper Drama and Realism in Superman: Secret Identity
Part of the essence of the superhero genre lies in hyperbole; by this I mean to say that in a superhero “story” (here referring to the output of Marvel, DC and they many succors and… [more]
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #6
The Anti-Superman Army that was teased at the end of the previous issue appears at the beginning of this issue. It appears that the Dealmaker from the first issue (who has popped up a few… [more]
Sequart’s Next Documentary Film Subject is Neil Gaiman!
Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, in conjunction with Respect! Films, is honored and proud to announce that author Neil Gaiman will be the next subject in its expanding line of comics-centric documentaries.
The Continuity Pages Return
The Continuity Pages is a massive project that seeks to organize comics according to continuity, rather than simply by title and number. This especially has advantages in the current era, with its plethora of mini-series,… [more]
The Last Days of Superman
Superman might be the world’s most popular superhero. He’s also among the most difficult to write. Through the years we’ve seen Superman travel through time, endure the heat of the sun, and perform so many… [more]
Jesus Christ Superman
The irony of Superman in the age of Postmodernism is that our world has no need for saviors. Often I find myself in the middle of arguments where I defend Superman to my peers as… [more]
5 Things I Hope Man of Steel Takes from Superman: Birthright
Zack Snyder’s new Superman reboot flick, Man of Steel, is a mere two weeks away at this point, and here in New York City, us city folk have been treated to a new Gillette promotional… [more]
1986: D.P.7 — Group Therapy for Superhumans
In 1986, twenty-five years after the publication of Fantastic Four #1, which launched the modern Marvel Universe, Marvel editor in chief Jim Shooter introduced a new fictional reality in Marvel Comics, the New Universe. This… [more]
Superman’s Rejection of American Exceptionalism
In February of 1940, Superman ended World War II and prevented the future Cold War altogether through flying around the world by capturing both Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin and delivering them to international authorities… [more]
“The Flat Earth Was Round”: Shameless? Part 14
Continued from last week. Where religion’s concerned, there’s nothing but Catholicism to be seen in The Saviour. Not only is there no mention of any other form of Christianity, but there’s not a hint of… [more]
On “How Superman Would Win the War”
One of the best Superman stories – and probably one of the most important super-hero stories ever told – is also one of the shortest. What’s more, the story didn’t appear in a Superman comic;… [more]
It’s Superman Week at Sequart!
With Man of Steel debuting later this week, Sequart is proud to announce Superman Week, debuting tomorrow — Monday, 10 June. Superman Week is our third themed week, following on the success of last month’s Star… [more]
When the Present Makes Contact with the Past: Comic Adaptations and Translations of Medieval and Early Modern Sources
In past papers at the Plymouth State University Medieval & Renaissance Forum, I have advocated for the use of comics in the classroom in spite of the fact that this is a relatively modern and… [more]
The Hero Moral Code
For more than 50 years, Spider-Man has abided by one of the comic book world’s most famous mantras, “with great power comes great responsibility.” This saying was born from the moment when Spider-Man, aka his… [more]
Introducing Steve Bissette’s Tyrant: The Letter Pages
Steve Bissette’s Tyrant should have been a classic. His phenomenal art, solid writing and fascinating concept might well have led to what comic critics would have cited as essential reading. Circumstances, however, prevented this. The… [more]
“Revelations”: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing #46
Swamp Thing #46 “Revelations” Cover date: March 1986. Writer: Alan Moore. Artists: Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Colorist: Tatjana Wood. Letters: John Costanza. Editor: Karen Berger. As noted on the cover of this issue, the… [more]
Absolutely Puerile?: Shameless? Part 13
Continued. But more than anything else, Millar’s depiction of a demon-dominated Catholic Church was a playful, and often deliberately silly, reflection of his personal experiences and tastes. Few comic book writers have ever focused upon… [more]
Miracleman, Chapter 9: The Mentality of Big Ben
We’ve begun discussing chapter nine of Alan Moore’s Miracleman (parts 1, 2, and 3), illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of that chapter.
Two Reviews of The Devil is in the Details
Two reviews of Sequart’s The Devil is in the Details: Examining Matt Murdock and Daredevil describe the volume’s strengths and weaknesses. A review by Gereg Jones Muller calls the book “fascinating” and contains this passage:… [more]
Review of Nightly News
When I was in college, I was a big Warren Ellis fan and my favorite comic was his Vertigo series, Transmetropolitan. That comic made me want to become a journalist. The story’s main character, Spider… [more]
Humanity, Heroism, and Action: Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #5
Smack in the middle of the first story arc, the narrative shifts to the past for a tale about the rocket that brought baby Kal-El to Earth. Morrison promised in the supplemental material to issue… [more]
Imperialistic Themes in the Galactus Triology
The first appearance of the cosmic entity Galactus in Fantastic Four #48 in 1966 is marked by a simple, yet ominous declaration: “This planet [Earth] shall sustain me until it has been drained of all… [more]