What do I love about Captain America? For one, he is a moral compass whose virtue extends beyond the confines of his book. Like all boy scout heroes, one can usually find their way if they’re willing to ask themselves, “What would Steve Rogers do?” It may seem a little naïve and childish, but having […]
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 […]
So. We lost the great Denny O’Neil this week. I don’t know what i can add to the conversation that’s already out there about what a amazing writer and editor he was, and how much he contributed to comics as an industry and the culture as a whole. People who knew him better have already […]
To paraphrase the great George Carlin, all your house really is, is just a place to put your stuff. And since superheroes usually have some pretty cool stuff, and lots of it, their hangouts tend to be pretty sweet as well. But not always; for every Batcave or Fortress of Solitude, there’s a Hydrobase or […]
One of my favorite things about the San Diego Comic-Con is the “accidental discovery.” Sure, there are always plenty of things I’m looking for at the show, but oftentimes even better than that is the stuff I stumble across by accident, through sheer blind stinking luck. Such was the case a few years back when […]
So, for reasons I won’t get into here, I wound up watching the 1987 cinematic stinkeroo SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE over the weekend, for the first time since I saw it in the theatre upon its original theatrical release 33 years ago. And I have to admit: I didn’t hate it. I mean, […]
With the Justice Society about to make their full-time TV debut on CW’s STARGIRL, it felt like a good time to look back at a favorite JSA tale I was happy to see re-released. I may have said it before in these pages, but one of the things I miss most about today’s DC […]
By Scott Tipton With all of us having nothing but time on our hands as we Shelter in Place, I just can’t resist the chance to go back and look at our discussion from July 2005 (just as the Tim Story-directed version was hitting theatres), of the first time someone brought the Fantastic Four to […]
Like the rest of you, your humble professor has been locked down here at COMICS 101 HQ for the past six weeks or so. I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so while I am housebound, I don’t have as much free time to contend with as so many others who […]
I’ve been doing this internet nonsense where I get online every week and babble about comic books and movies and whatever else crosses my mind for so long now that it just feels instinctive. This is what I do every week for Wednesdays. And then something happens that takes your legs out from under you, […]
Even as the San Diego Comic-Con becomes more and more of a pop-culture/movie-and -TV/ glitzy Hollywood event with each passing year, I always make sure to attend a few of the strictly comics-focused panels, just to keep alive that spirit of what I originally fell in love with about Comic-Con. A few years back, one […]
I could use a little cheering up around this time, so I’m rerunning one of my favorite columns. Hopefully it brings a smile to your face too.. Originally published June 8, 2005. As the superhero movies come and go faster and faster these days, your humble professor gets the same question over and over, with […]
In 1940, Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson decided to add a new character to their already popular BATMAN feature in DETECTIVE COMICS, one that would alter the character forever, and fundamentally change the nature of the series: Robin, the Boy Wonder. Robin would go on to change the very face of comics, with […]
