It was in July 1985 that writer Mark Gruenwald took the reins on CAPTAIN AMERICA, beginning a mammoth 106-issue run that would last over 10 years, a remarkable achievement in itself. It’s become popular to dismiss Gruenwald’s version of the character as long-winded and speechifying, but a closer look at the comics reveals that not […]
With great movies like THE WINTER SOLDIER, CIVIL WAR and ENDGAME only days away, it’s easy to forget that Captain America didn’t always mean cinematic quality. Cap was in movie theatres as early as 1944, thanks to the 15-episode Republic Saturday-morning serial CAPTAIN AMERICA. Starring Dick Purcell, the serial pitted a shieldless Captain America (who […]
By 1941, public opinion on whether or not the U.S. should get involved in the fighting in Europe was decidedly mixed. One place that wasn’t quite so conflicted was the comic books, particularly the comics published by Timely. Having already had a taste of success with Carl Burgos’ Human Torch feature and Bill Everett’s Sub-Mariner […]
I love comics. And specifically, I love old comics. And even more specifically, I love old comics I’ve never read before, because you absolutely never know what you’re gonna find. Case in point: this year at the San Diego Comic Con, I found myself trying to put together a full set of Jack Kirby’s 1970s […]
Merriam-Webster hallow verb – hal.low – \ ˈha-(ˌ)lō \ 1. to make holy. 2. to respect greatly. It’s another All Hallows Eve. The city of Angels is buzzing, laughing, honking their horns. They’ve put the finishing touches on their ghosts and ghouls and goblins. No pagans here, folks. Just role-players and revelers, congratulating one another […]
All this month, we’ll be helping Children’s Hospital Los Angeles‘ Make March Matter campaign, which aims to raise over a million dollars in March alone for CHLA through the efforts of its corporate partners, among which we are proud to be numbered. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles sees over 528,000 patient visits annually, and is the […]
By Scott Tipton By 1964, The Marvel Age of Comics was just getting into gear, and Marvel editor Stan Lee was looking for a way to punch up his newest superhero team book, THE AVENGERS. Having already revived Timely’s other Golden Age success, the Sub-Mariner, in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR, it was time for […]
I’ve been a fan of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale as a creative partnership for a very long time, all the way back to their underrated and nearly forgotten DC CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN miniseries of 1991. Any time these two get together for something, you know you’re in for something special, as their various […]
The Marvel Studios movie machine just keeps rolling without a single stumble on the path, as evidenced by CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, an immensely satisfying film that is not only true to its characters and the source material, but turns over the tables on the world-building they’ve so successfully done over the course of […]
As a fan of Ed Brubaker’s take on the Winter Soldier, I was pretty pumped to see where Winter Soldier: The Bitter March, the new series by ongoing Captain America writer Rick Remender and artist Roland Boschi would take the lead character. I don’t tend to read up a lot on plot before jumping into […]
When you take a minute and think about the long history of comics, it’s kind of amazing that we’re still rabidly devouring stories about characters who have existed for several decades. Captain America made his first appearance in 1941, and we’re all losing our minds over the release of a new film starring the superhero […]
There have been about 50 red-white-and-blue superheroes (RWBs). They came thick and fast in World War II, but from the Silver Age on they have mostly been holdovers (Wonder Woman), revivals (Uncle Sam), satires (Fighting American and American Flagg), criticism (The American), or nonentities (Charlton’s Liberty Belle). Yet of all the RWBs, the head […]
Back in 2011, I opened my review of Kenneth Branagh’s THOR with the following: Somewhere in Hollywood, director Joe Johnston has got to be feeling the pressure. With his CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER only two months away from release, the weight of the Mighty Marvel Machine is on his back now not to deliver a […]
