Previously, in COMICS 101: When last we met, we had begun our discussion of DC Comics’ own King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman. After a somewhat low-key start as a response to Timely’s Sub-Mariner, the character got a new lease on life after moving to a backup spot in ADVENTURE COMICS, where Arthur’s backstory was […]
Sometimes, success is all about being in the right place in the right time. Take for example, the characters most people consider DC Comics’s “Big Five,” thanks mostly to decades of TV animation reinforcement. You got your Superman. Biggest gun in the arsenal, of course he makes the cut. Batman and Robin. Probably the most […]
A knock-knocking on my door the day after Christmas led me to discover an unexpected package, containing a complete set of the new JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED SERIES action figures from DC Collectibles. For those of you not in the know, this set, in scale with the previously released and much lauded BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES […]
A few years ago when it was first announced that Jason Momoa had been cast as Aquaman for BATMAN VS SUPERMAN and the first photos were released, it’s safe to say I was unimpressed. And that’s putting it mildly. The hair, the tattoos, the chain mail – I had no interest in what I derisively […]
Every year, the Christmas tree would be different. One year, it would be the classic red and silver glass spheres. The next, scores of wooden ornaments, lovingly accumulated over decades. The next, dozens and dozens of crystal bells, painstakingly hand-stitched together for months in advance of the big debut. And every year, it would be […]
My family was never particularly religious. I don’t ever remember a time we all went to a church. There were various books of worship in the house, but it was always left up to us if we wanted to read them. But we loved Christmas. In the days leading up to Christmas, the gifts would […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, we know Christmas is still weeks away, but if Disneyland can have Christmas decorations up until January, than why can’t we start a little early? And let’s celebrate by running one of my favorite COMICS 101 columns of all time, a Column from Christmas Past from 2003. After all, to quote Crow […]
“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!” Charles Dickens, A CHRISTMAS CAROL When I was growing up, ours wasn’t a particularly spiritual house. Morals, yes. Ethics, absolutely. But there […]
For Those Who Came In Late: We’ve been exploring the history of the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis-helmed iteration of the JUSTICE LEAGUE, most remembered for its wacky hijinks and razor-sharp dialogue, despite the fact that there was a fair amount of drama and characterization being offered in those pages. And as comics readers of the time […]
Maybe I’m just getting sentimental in my old age, but I do have a soft spot for Thanksgiving. However, comics and Thanksgiving don’t really cross paths all that often, with one glaring exception: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! As far back as 1940 there’s been the occasional bit of superhero visibility at the parade, thanks […]
It was 1995. I had just moved to Southern California after college and it was my first San Diego Comic-Con. And for the first time, I was in line to meet Stan Lee. Comic-Con wasn’t the total madhouse that it is today, so it was conceivable to just go to the Marvel booth, wait in […]
Previously, in Comics 101: When last we convened, we’d been in the midst of a discussion of the Keith Giffen /J.M. DeMatteis era of DC’s JUSTICE LEAGUE series, a run that smartly combined action with some of the sharpest wit mainstream comics had seen. About a year and a half into the series, it was […]
It is with great sadness and dismay that I report that longtime Blastoff contributing writer D Jason Cooper has passed away. Jason started writing for us in October of 2012, and contributed faithfully and well ever since, producing over 68 columns in the past six years. Jason was a talented writer with a deep and […]
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