I was in a theater conservatory program in college. One day I was moving into a dorm in New York City’s East Village. A few days later I trekked across town to my first day of training in a nondescript second floor studio space amongst the warehouses and unmarked nightclubs of Chelsea’s meatpacking district. Our syllabus had the sorts of classes you’d expect from an acting school; Script Analysis, Movement, Voice, Speech, Performance Technique, but there was one class listed that I could not figure out: Repetition. [Read more…] about Critics of Vision: Parenthood, Humanity & The Repetition Game in “Vision”
Reviews
Just Imagine… Stan Lee Creating The DC Universe, Vol. 2
When one thinks back on early aughts comic book curiosities, one prominent entry on the list might be Stan Lee’s Just Imagine… universe, in which he (and many, many artists) created a reimagining of the DC Universe by feeding Lee a basic premise and letting him go his own weird direction with the idea.
This shaky groundwork did not make for an especially groundbreaking series, and the issues have seldom been referenced since, with a few exceptions (every wild idea at DC comes back in a Grant Morrison comic at some point). Still, most things Lee was ever even remotely involved in are being recollected today, and so we’ve got a two-part trade that collects these wacky, wacky stories. We’re talking about the second volume of Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe here. [Read more…] about Just Imagine… Stan Lee Creating The DC Universe, Vol. 2
The Compassionate Brutality of “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth”
In the aftermath of a fiery apocalypse, humanity clings to life with little hope of a future. And into this world awakens Diana of Themyscira. But what can Diana save when so little of the world she loves remains? And what will become of Wonder Woman when she learns the truth of what happened centuries ago?
Daniel Warren Johnson’s 4-issue miniseries “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth” was published in 2020 under DC Comics’ Black Label imprint and follows Princess Diana, who has suddenly woken up in a post-apocalyptic earth. The causes of Earth’s destruction are vague, but centuries earlier the planet was scorched and now a small band of survivors fights to stay alive in a barren wasteland overrun by grotesque monsters known as the haedra. The fight to save what’s left of humankind will reveal what caused this apocalypse and challenge Wonder Woman’s values of love and compassion in a brutal, hopeless world. [Read more…] about The Compassionate Brutality of “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth”
How to (Re)Read the Hickman Era of X-Men: House of X #1 Pt. 2
HOX 1: The House That Xavier Built—the second half
Note: Because this is a double-size premier issue, our re-read of it is broken into two segments.
Related:
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The Old 52: DC’s New 52 10 Years Later – The Launch & What We Can Learn
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s been nearly 10 years since the New 52. DC’s messed around with their continuity some more, between Rebirth and Metal and Doomsday Clock, but everything’s even more convoluted now than it’s ever been before. And ultimately, that’s okay. In around a month, DC will be relaunching their line again with their new Infinite Frontier line, spinning out of a 2-month linewide initiative called Future State. But the real question we’re asking – okay, the real question I’m asking – is whether or not DC has actually learned from the lessons of the New 52. What makes this relaunch any more likely to succeed? [Read more…] about The Old 52: DC’s New 52 10 Years Later – The Launch & What We Can Learn