Wolverine first appeared near the end of 1974. Children who read that comic would be past middle age before his background would be fully sketched in (assuming the job’s done). It is easy to forget, now, but originally the Wolverine was a mystery man, even to himself. Neither he nor we knew who he was. […]
Archive | Guest Columns
Green Arrow: The Bronze Age
When they published Superman, the Golden Age began. When they redesigned the Flash and Green Lantern, the Silver Age began. But the Bronze Age is defined by a hash of ideas, a revival of attitudes, and a few assumptions no one wants to talk about. Generally, the Bronze Age is taken as being from 1970 […]
Back Up in the Sky
Hey, there are gonna be some SPOILERS below. I’ll try to keep the major stuff out, but you’ve been warned. Go see this movie, then read the review. Or don’t. I’m a preamble, not a cop. (Community reference) I remember a few years back when a new Superman film came out. Starring […]
Do You Want Extra Superman with That? Part III: Tribute is the Sincerest form of Imitation
Interlopers tried to cut themselves a slice of the profitable Superman pie, but for the most part DC saw them off. DC itself went on to create a universe in which Superman is surrounded by versions of himself. Marvel has had variations on Superman several times: exactly how many times depends on exactly who you […]
Superman For the Animals
One of my favorite things to do at comic book shops or at conventions is to spend time going through the sales boxes. You’ve all seen them. Long boxes stuffed with issues of anything and everything marked down to irresistible prices – sometimes as low as $0.25 each! I’ll admit that I occasionally use the […]
Do You Want Extra Superman with That? Part II: Exploitation Begins at Home
The first DC Superman imitator may have been Hourman (1940), who has the same original powers of Superman, at close to the same level. But when Superman flew, Hourman was kind of left behind. Super strength, speed and durability weren’t enough to keep to the front ranks and they weren’t enough to even be considered […]
Do You Want Extra Superman With That? Part I: The Interlopers
In Crisis on Infinite Earths, they called Kal-L, the Superman of Earth 2, ‘the legend from which all others come.’ It may not be a fact but it covers much of the truth. Superman was not the first costumed or at least distinctively attired crime fighter: the Clock, the Lone Ranger, and others preceded him. […]
Meet the Mandarin
Some comics punch you in the gut. The Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 – Mandarin: The Story of My Life hit me in the stomach and slapped me across the face. The story by Matt Fraction (writer) and Carmine Di Giandomenico (artist) tells a chilling tale. For me, it was my first encounter with the […]
So, You Want to Be an Iron Man Villain?
The best of superheroes have the best villains. If you want to take down the golden avenger, you have to be a cut above average as villains go. So what will it take? Start with actually having something against Iron Man. You’ve got to have a reason to want to face him in particular. […]
This Tony Stark Guy Is Kinda Cool
It’s easy to dislike Tony Stark. He’s rich, brash, and arrogant. He’s an alcoholic and a womanizer. That’s all superficial though. If you dig below the surface, he becomes a more interesting and likable guy. He’s incredibly smart and even if his methods are sometimes questionable, you can see he has good intentions at heart. […]
Thirteen Years Ago
One of my favorite stories in Starman isn’t about Jack Knight. It’s about his father and some of his old friends – Jay Garrick Flash, Alan Scott Green Lantern, Rex Tyler Hourman, and Charles McNider Doctor Mid-Nite. Starman #11: “13 Years Ago: Five Friends” has the ring of older folks telling stories about walking to […]
There Is a City
“There is a city. A glorious and singular place. Old and yet pristine. Ornate and yet streamlined. A metropolis of now and then and never was… And so Opal City stands glorious and singular.” I was hooked on James Robinson’s Starman from the first page. How could I not be with an introduction like this? […]
Let There Be SCIENCE
“Hang on. This is about to get weird.” Close your eyes and imagine yourself falling down a dark and chilly hole in the earth. Strange lights flash off the walls and alien scents fill your nostrils. You open your mouth to scream, but all that emerges is a faint whisper. You’ve tumbled into […]