Marvel’s been getting some press lately for their upcoming MS. MARVEL series, which will recycle Carol Danvers’ former nom du voyage for a new character a teenage Muslim girl, now that Carol Danvers has taken over the “Captain Marvel” name. While my only real opinion on the MS. MARVEL news at this point is “I […]
It still kind of amazes me what Marvel Studios has accomplished, and a little moreso with each new Marvel film that arrives at the cineplex. Never the most approachable or relatable comic-book superhero, and certainly not the most popular, Thor has kind of hovered near the A-list of Marvel’s roster of superheroes, usually either at […]
The news began to circulate late Sunday night, that legendary comic-book artist Nick Cardy was ailing, and the outlook wasn’t good. And within a matter of hours, we’d all gotten the word: Nick was dead at the age of 93. And while it’s sad to see him go, it’s at least comforting to look back […]
For Those Who Came In Late: When we left off our discussion of Marvel’s original anti-hero the Sub-Mariner, he had just come back in a big, big way during the Silver Age: For one final example of Lee’s use of Namor as the anti-hero, check out this appearance in INCREDIBLE HULK #118 (August 1969), in […]
With the return of superheroes to Marvel Comics’ publishing plate in 1961, Marvel Editor Stan Lee found himself with an unexpected success on his hands in the burgeoning hit series THE FANTASTIC FOUR. While the initial conceit had been to do a superhero book that wasn’t like superhero books, without costumes and secret identities, Lee […]
Life can be random. It can be capricious. And sometimes it’s just not fair. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the instances where it’s so unfair it’s downright cruel. When I was a kid reading comics, I always read the credit boxes to see who was writing and drawing the comics. But one […]
Had a nice flashback to my childhood this weekend, when I was handed a relic from the 1970s: my old, beat-up copy of THE SUPER DICTIONARY. Published in 1978, THE SUPER DICTIONARY was a first- through third-grade-level dictionary, lavishly illustrated with art clipped and repurposed from decades of DC Comics. While the front and back […]
So. That happened. In these days of massively interconnected social media, it’s always enjoyable to watch the entire Internet completely melt down over something, and I can’t remember one that burned as quickly and as hot as last week when the news broke that Ben Affleck would be taking over the role of Batman in […]
Over the years I’ve written several times in this space about Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ infamous graphic novel THE KILLING JOKE, and about my ambivalence toward it. Back in 2003, I had this to say: But DC wasn’t finished darkening up the Batman character. In the graphic novel BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, by writer […]
One of the most frequently asked questions I get around these parts is just how comics are created, and specifically, how I write my scripts. Even more specifically, I often get requests to see one of my scripts. Since I’m currently in production on DOCTOR WHO: PRISONERS OF TIME #10, collaborating with my longtime partner-in-crime […]
You would think it’d be easy for a superhero to look good. Throw together a cape, some boots, a mask and a snazzy chest emblem and you’re in business, right? Not so fast — as some unfortunate fashion choices over the years have shown, it can be a lot trickier than it appears. Come with […]
Whether it’s the Batmobile, the Invisible Jet or the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty, everyone love’s a superhero car. But what exactly makes a superhero’s car cool? And even worse, what doesn’t? This week, we’ll be taking a look at a few of the high points, and most likely a lot more of the low points, […]
In the immortal words of Roger Murtaugh,”I’m getting too old for this shit.” Currently recovering from the 5-day geek marathon that is the San Diego Comic-Con, which means it’s time for our annual tradition: the Comic-Con Photo Essay! The crowds were as big as ever this year, with the difficulty in getting tickets seemingly not […]
