When I started reading the Avengers I didn’t mean to constantly compare them to the Justice League, but I couldn’t help myself. It was another team of superheroes banding together fighting off villains, and it was only natural for me to mentally set them against each other. I’m not weighing super powers either; it doesn’t […]
Author Archive | Amy Ratcliffe
My Favorite Nicknames of the Silver Age
I can’t lie. One of the aspects of Silver Age DC books that makes me the happiest is the nicknames given to the heroes and villains. Though the writers didn’t mind repetition in the storytelling, it was apparently boring to just say the superhero or villain’s name over and over. Thusly, inventive (ish) nicknames were […]
Just how many Earths do you need
Before I dived into stories about the Justice League I had heard briefly of multiple Earths, infinite Earths, whatever Earths. I’m far from a lazy reader, but it all sounded too convoluted to be true. Not that I doubted the person who told me about them, but it bordered on ridiculous. Once I read more […]
The Scarlet Speedster
Only in the Silver Age does this panel make total sense: A Super Gorilla with deadly thought waves. Yep. Almost as good is the pirate torpedo. I’m not kidding. And that one was a cover (oh man, I wonder if that issue can be found for a reasonable price. I might need it). Flash is cheeky from the […]
Why Does It Have To Be Yellow?!
We’ve established that I like silliness and to just have fun reading comics, right? However. Silver Age Green Lantern takes the word goofy to a whole other level. I can get behind ridiculous villains, and I have no problem with a power ring that can do anything the user wills it to do. Well, almost. […]
Superheroic Fun in the Fifties
My week has been vastly improved by reading Superman In The Fifties and Batman In the Fifties for the first time. Though I haven’t read much Superman before (just some of the new 52 Action Comics), my past experience with Batman is that it’s not always a happy ride. Okay, that it’s rarely a happy […]
Tell Me a Story
Tell me a story about pirates or gladiators or war. I want to hear about damsels in distress and adventure in the Old West and perhaps a jungle expedition on the side. Back in the 50s, I could have found all of these tales under one title: EC Comics. The short sequential stories had pizzazz […]
The Glamorous and The Grisly
EC Comics were released in a different era. You can flip the page and go from slinky dresses to swank mansions and fancy décor to splattered blood and diced body parts. My stack of comics today is sadly lacking in this area. Few characters dress with such Madmen-esque style in the modern day of jeans […]
Give Everyone EC Comics
We all know people who haven’t read any comics. For some it’s a willful, snobby refusal to read books full of pictures. If you have the will to try to get those people to see the light, you’re a better (and more patient) person than me. A lot of people just don’t know where to […]
Horror Comes With a Lot of Exclamation Points
Confession: I’m a wimp. I avoid most horror movies and slashers and Stephen King books like the plague. For whatever reason, I scare easily. I carry whatever I’ve seen or read with me, and next thing you know, I’m insisting more lights be left on at night. I don’t enjoy the sensation of being frightened. […]
Daredevil’s Enemies
Like any superhero, Daredevil has faced down a number of foes. In his beginning days, he often fought a different villain in every issue. He borrowed more than a few from Spider-Man; Doc Ock, Electro, and Mysterio all make appearances. And let’s be honest, some of his enemies have been a little laughable (well, at […]
Daredevil: Yellow
Daredevil: Yellow hit me hard. It was a sweet love letter and nice way to revisit the origin story. The art by Tim Sale particularly made me sit up and take notice. The city was textured in a way I haven’t seen other artists do, and Daredevil looked acrobatic and incredibly graceful. I stared at […]
It’s Dangerous to Date Matt Murdock
Matt Murdock isn’t afraid to show his feelings. Well, except for the whole “I love Karen, but I don’t want to tell her how I feel and I’d rather just keep wondering if she feels the same way” bit from the beginning issues. So perhaps he’s a bit angst-ridden, but he’s hardly devoid of feeling. […]