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The world doesn’t make sense until you force it to: Frank Miller Comics Profile & Chronology

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Daredevil run (1979-1993)

Daredevil

Once upon a time, Daredevil was essentially a proxy of Spider-Man. He was a wisecracking acrobat who used his superior reflexes and his radar to beat up bad guys. Instead of being red and blue, Daredevil was just red. Instead of having web shooters, he had a billy club he swung around on. As a guest star on a Spider book, he was great. But as a solo hero, he was dying on the vine. [Read more…] about The world doesn’t make sense until you force it to: Frank Miller Comics Profile & Chronology

SUPERPOWERS REVIEWED: Prophesy — Part 1

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A series in which we attempt to find the single, perfect superpower by reviewing each one on a five-star scale.

This Installment: Prophesy

OPERATIVE DEFINITION:
  1. Receiving information about the future via super- or supranatural means.
  2. Distilling that information down into memetic devices to be carried through the lifespan of a culture.

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Artists Profile: Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido — The Creators of Blacksad

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Origins in Animation

Studio Lápiz Azul

What we know for sure is that the two first met in the animation department of this small, Spanish studio where they worked on licensed projects during the early 1990s. And the concept for Blacksad was hatched in this time. Beyond that, the story gets a little difficult to pin down. Partly this is because of sub-optimal translation work on some of their interviews, but partly it’s because the two are a little cagey about details. (That’s incredibly common when talking about licensed work; non-disclosure contracts can be an absolute nightmare.) [Read more…] about Artists Profile: Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido — The Creators of Blacksad

Best Manga of the Decade

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Grading Criteria

This will work a lot like our “Best Comics of the Decade” list, but with a few notable tweaks.

  • IPs must be brand new to the Japanese and/or American manga markets between the years of 2010-19. This means even though One Piece, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Ultraman all have great new books out, they’re disqualified for being continuing series.
  • The list will be split into two categories: Blockbusters, each of which is so successful as to be a nearly mandatory pick, and Personal Selections, which are smaller books that may have slipped under the radar. This way, everyone gets represented.
  • I’m not going to ask Dave to proof against Japanese titles, so we’ll all just have to accept the anglicized versions.

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How Do You Get Comics Graded and Slabbed?

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Two assumptions before we begin:

  1. These procedures are for assessing moderately valuable comics.
  2. These grades are not being sought for immediate sale. Grading can be a slow process sometimes, so if you’re in need of immediate cash, you may have to go to either a comic shop or an auction house (either of which will sacrifice margins for expediency.)

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