‘Mirror’s’ artwork is masterful–gorgeous, evocative, and playful in the form. For it alone is worth buying the issue. Add to that an emotional, compelling story of love, loyalty, and freedom, and ‘Mirror’s’ premiere earns a deserved spot on any discerning comic book reader’s pull list.
Arrow continues its mid-season resurgence with a fantastic, focused episode packed with guest stars.
Whenever an artistic medium dares to cheat on its loyal fanbase by scurrying over to another, anger and thinkpieces likely follow. Technology has amped up an uncanny-valley-sort of realism in video games. Movies have added more CGI to its blockbuster spectacles and animation. Thus, the previously distinct media have drawn blurrier lines with consumers none too pleased.
Daytripper is a story that I cannot do justice to, and must be read. I encourage everyone I meet with an interest in comics to read it, and have purchased it as a gift for many friends and family members.
The second arc of Invincible Iron Man kicks off, and Bendis has switched gears to deliver not a shiny, crystal clear, Dave Marquez drawn adventure of magic and exorcism, but a technology based gripping noir mystery that will only take Iron Man and company into a different genre’s territory with exciting results.
It says a lot that, more than 30 years later, our sci-fi visual language is still so reliant on Alien’s and Aliens’ legacy. There are probably entire articles–maybe entire books?–to be written about the fact that you still can’t tell a “small crew investigates an abandoned spacecraft” story without consciously or unconsciously evoking those decades-old movies.
Even if Raven Pirate Princess #5 is more interested in establishing some of the side characters and general scenario of being on a pirate ship and just living together with lots of people, it’s still a fun read because Whitley’s script has a sense of humor and is relevant to real world issues while not taking you out of its early modern setting thanks to Higgins, Brandt, and Blankenship’s art.
When all is said and done, Bendis, Pichelli, and Ponsor have ushered in another fantastic entry in Miles Morales’ stint as Spider-Man with Spider-Man #1. With a new universe to explore, joining the Avengers, and having the blessing of the label as THE Friendly Neighborhood Spidey, the future for both Miles and this title has never looked better.
Obi-Wan and Anakin #2 Written by Charles Soule Art by Marco Checchetto Colors by Andres Mossa Letters by Joe Caramanga Published by marvel Comics The arbitrary binary is a common trope in science-fiction. Two peoples have hated one another for so long that they have forgotten what caused their discord in the first place. All that remains are arbitrary distinctions, usually …
Kennel Block Blues does an excellent job at parodying prison genre tropes through many of its sequences that perhaps shows how beaten down the genre really is but manages to stay fresh and even off-putting at times within the anthropomorphic world.
Hawkeye vs. Deadpool is a big example of not judging a book by its solicits. What could have easily been a zany cash grab ended up being a well constructed and hilarious story that brings out the best in both the Hawkeyes and Deadpool.
In the world of The Flash, family always comes first.
Art Spiegelman’s talk “What the @#$% Happened to Comics” was filled with insight about the formal qualities of comics, and how different storytelling techniques create different emotions on the comics page.
Joel and Ethan Coen have built a reputation as two of the most visionary and idiosyncratic filmmakers working today. Dabbling in Film Noir to screwball comedy, from off-beat indies to big-budget studio pieces, their films are adored by critics and audiences alike.
“Bizarro” functions well as a standalone episode but it’s still not reflective of the best Supergirl has to offer.
Joel and Ethan Coen, supported by an extraordinarily complex performance from Oscar Isaac in the title role, craft a moving, thoughtful, and, in a peculiar way, stimulating film.
My Dinner with André (1981) has become famous largely due to impressions of the film that are often wildly off base. To many viewers it’s simply that film where two guys spend the whole time just sitting and talking (an impression that led to one of the funniest Simpsons references ever). Something like that might …
There are very serious episodes of The X-Files that involve supposed monsters. This is not one of them, and it succeeds more so than the first two episodes of the season because of a commitment to being entertaining in its own way.
Carol Danvers is not just a fantasy about being powerful–she’s my fantasy that I can be powerful because my desires are powerful. She’s a fantasy that we are strong enough to triumph over our minds and bodies and misfortunes. Strong because of our misfortunes. Strong enough to be the people we choose to be.
ABC’s fantasy-musical-comedy grows leaps and bounds in its unlikely second season.
The X-Files: Season 11 #6 does right by fans. It feels true to the show and advances the characters and elements in interesting and engaging ways. This is a worthy first part to an authentic The X-Files season finale.
The X-Files all but defined the 1990s. As a television show, it was not only a cultural phenomenon for the majority of its run, but it also set a template for the serialized storytelling that is dominating the current landscape. Beyond that, however, it also defined the decade by helping, for good or ill, to crystallize the …
In Cell by Cell, I look deeply into the panels of ‘Bitch Planet’ #6 pages 3-4, appreciating and analyzing the story and artistic composition.