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Reviews

Darwyn Cooke and the Art of Genre Storytelling

July 15, 2022 by Amandeep Singh Virdi Leave a Comment

One of my silly little “reading goals” for 2022 was revisiting all things Darwyn Cooke – from his early work on Catwoman to the Parker novels late into his career. Cooke is, in my opinion, a giant of the medium. Compared to his peers, he ventured into comics quite late, after spending years as a graphic designer for magazines in Canada and then as a storyboard artist in Los Angeles for various shows of the DCAU. But what that also meant was that he was able to bring in and apply the lessons learnt and experience gained from those industries into his comics. His character design is timeless – look no further than his character sheet for Selina Kyle / Catwoman – and his storytelling is sharp and crisp.

[Read more…] about Darwyn Cooke and the Art of Genre Storytelling

Filed Under: DC Reviews, Featured Tagged With: darwyn cooke, DC Comics

Who Watched the Watchmen? Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan

July 14, 2022 by Sean Dillon Leave a Comment

It is often said that Watchmen is the most influential comic ever to be released. That comics wouldn’t be where they are without it, for good and for ill. But how did we get here, exactly? More to the point, just what influence did Watchmen provide to the larger world of comics? What, ultimately, is the legacy of Watchmen? Who watched the Watchmen?

Icon Description automatically generated

“Poo-tee-weet?” one bird says to Billy Pilgrim. There is a fire. A man is in a box. A man is a giant. A man’s hand is smashing a window. Billy Pilgrim is in a box. A man is in a slaughterhouse. There is a war. The man is torn apart. A man discovers a conspiracy. A man is shot. A man is shaking hands with a friend. A man refuses to save the President. A man is screaming. A man is rebuilding himself. Jon Osterman is in a box. A woman is shot. A man kills the woman he loves. A man does nothing. Mars smiles. A box is glowing. A box is burning. A man swears revenge upon a stranger. A man shoots Billy Pilgrim. Jon Osterman does nothing. A bomb is dropping.

It is all going ghastly. A sun burns electric. Aliens are abducting Billy Pilgrim. Jon Osterman is burnt asunder. Billy Pilgrim steps out of a shrubbery. Jon Osterman reads a newspaper. Billy Pilgrim goes on a radio show. Jon Osterman goes on a talk show. Billy Pilgrim is dead. Jon Osterman leaves. A man is told that the world will end for reasons that could be prevented, but won’t. It has already happened. It is already done. A man claims nothing ever ends. [Read more…] about Who Watched the Watchmen? Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan

Filed Under: DC Reviews, Featured Tagged With: Watchmen, watchmen legacy

Iron Man by Denny O’Neil: Self-Destruction and Rebirth

July 13, 2022 by Doug Smith Leave a Comment

WARNING: References to addiction. If you are struggling with addiction, call the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP.

For generations, superheroes have been held up as an inspirational ideal, symbols of our own ability to transcend our limitations and realize our fullest potential. But for every moment of hope, there is one of doubt; a personal crisis that tears our self-image away and leaves us to face our own inner darkness. For many, this struggle is unending. It may break us. But it also gives us the opportunity to rise up, stronger than ever before.

In 1980, legendary writer Dennis “Denny” O’Neil returned to Marvel comics after a decade of revitalizing characters like Batman and Green Arrow for DC. The author would take on a number of assignments while at Marvel, including work on the Amazing Spider-Man and picking up Frank Miller’s Daredevil, but one of his most impactful works for the company would be his four-year stint on The Invincible Iron Man alongside artist Luke McDonnell. Drawing from his experiences with addiction and recovery, O’Neil’s run would fundamentally transform the armored avenger, having the hero wage his greatest battle yet, and turn his inner resilience into his greatest strength.

[Read more…] about Iron Man by Denny O’Neil: Self-Destruction and Rebirth

Filed Under: Featured, Marvel Reviews Tagged With: Iron Man

A Perfect Spider-Man Story: Unscheduled Stop

July 13, 2022 by Matt Draper Leave a Comment

What makes a perfect Spider-Man story?

There are the epic adventures, the character-redefining runs, and the incredible team-ups that have become permanently intertwined with the character. But some of my all-time favorite Spider-Man comics are single issues or two-issue arcs. Of course, there’s tons of awesome long Spider-Man runs out there, but these little bite-sized Spidey stories often drill down into what makes the character amazing. No need to get bogged down in lore or larger plot points or mysterious villains peeking from the shadows. Instead, we get Peter Parker, his friends, his enemies, or even just an internal struggle given center stage.

There’s classics like “Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut” by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. Silly adventures like “When Cometh The Commuter” by Peter David and Bob McLeod. The mental anguish of “No One Dies” by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. But of all of these, my favorite, and what I think is a truly perfect Spider-Man story, is “Unscheduled Stop.”

[Read more…] about A Perfect Spider-Man Story: Unscheduled Stop

Filed Under: Featured, Marvel Reviews Tagged With: Spider-Man

Sabretooth #3-4 in Review! Laying Down the Gauntlet – Any Takers?

July 9, 2022 by David Bowen Leave a Comment

[covers by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer and Frank Martin Jr.]

Horror novelist Victor LaValle’s 5-issue Sabretooth miniseries continues to be a surprisingly deep meditation on the ruthlessness of the carceral state and character study of not just the title character but the five mutants who are his fellow inmates, four of whom have been generally overlooked (like Nekra) or not well served (Oya); Third Eye, on the other hand, is a fascinating LaValle creation, whose backstory starts to clarify with just a few evocative details in issue #4. I say the quality of this story is surprising, given Sabretooth’s nature as a two-dimensional psycho killer whose history of racialized sexual predation Marvel of course doesn’t really want to deal with. That he is now simply to be depicted as a stone-cold murderer from a childhood of trauma and nothing more problematic, author LaValle is doing top-shelf work that speaks to the modern moment, but in a way that won’t become dated – as it’s only our contemporary culture that’s finally waking up to the crimes of its forebears and the continued structural brutalities the mainstream has largely been blind to or just willfully denied.

This is not your crusty uncle’s ’90s Sabretooth title that’s just about cheap shocks and sex that puts women in the shadow of Marvel’s creepiest yet bizarrely widely beloved sexual predator.

[Read more…] about Sabretooth #3-4 in Review! Laying Down the Gauntlet – Any Takers?

Filed Under: Featured, Marvel Reviews Tagged With: sabretooth

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