Thursday, May 12 2011
The Crowd Goes Wild: Scott Snyder’s First Six Months on ‘Detective Comics’
Scott Snyder's run on Detective Comics has produced a unique narrative for Dick Grayson who is just stepping into the role of Batman. Grayson, Snyder shows us, is a performer about to get eaten to the city he loves.
Tuesday, May 10 2011
The Philosopher’s Tone: Rereading ‘Last Days’ As a Film
This past Friday saw Radical announce a partnership with IM Global to produce The Last Days of American Crime. What's being offered though is not simply a film, but a wholesale reinvigoration of popular culture.
Monday, May 9 2011
Recess: Lampooning Superheroes in ‘Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors’
Although sharing much in common with Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips' moody Incognito, Gladstone's School for World Conquerors gets behind the mask by lampooning the genre instead.
Thursday, May 5 2011
Remember the Ley Lines That Brought You Here: Ross Richie’s Elric
Elric: The Balance Lost is an easy-to-read introduction for the forthcoming ongoing series. But the heart of this beautiful book is BOOM! Studios CEO Ross Richie's appreciation of Michael Moorcock's timeless character.
Tuesday, May 3 2011
Celebrity and the Post-Modern Irony of ‘Blue Estate’ #2
Most second issues just cement the plot. Like a good mixtape, you want to start off with a bang. The next track has to turn up the heat even more. What better way to bring the heat then turning up the action with hot plot points?
Monday, May 2 2011
Thus to Tyrants: The Struggle for Power on the Planet of the Apes
Like the original movie, Planet of the Apes #1 explores the relationship between apes and humans in the speculative fiction of other apes having ascended the food chain. But at its heart, this is a parable for power corrupting even the ostensibly incorruptible and a humankind that will, never go away.
Thursday, April 28 2011
Strong in the Broken Places: The Hemingway of ‘Ryder on the Storm’
Writer David Hine's deployment of the noir crime thriller genre is so purely expressive that it's easy to miss the hidden depths that elevate Ryder on the Storm to Hemingway levels of storytelling. Download your preview here.
Tuesday, April 26 2011
Pulpy Hollywood Irony: The Delicious Aesthetic of ‘Blue Estate’
Like Pulp Fiction and other tent poles of the neo-noir/pulp genre, Blue Estate features a varied cast that is a veritable feast of post-modern enigmas, but with only the first issue out, it's early days yet.
Monday, April 25 2011
Testing Our Limits: Soldier Zero and the Struggle for Balance
Unlike Charles Xavier, Oracle or Doom Patrol's "The Chief", Stewart Trautmann’s wheelchair is only a part-time gig. The Soldier Zero suit provides him with temporary relief from his paralysis, enabling him to perform extraordinary feats.
Thursday, April 21 2011
Make Them Angels, Or They’ll Be Demons: Preemptive War & ‘Batman and Robin’
Can a comicbook represent the zeitgeist of the political landscape? In clumsily forcing the theme of nature-vs-nurture, Batman And Robin writer Peter J Tomasi ignores his own unconscious wrestlings with Bush Doctrine.
Tuesday, April 19 2011
Broken in Time: What ‘Invincible Iron Man’s’ ‘God Number’ Should Have Been
On the eve of the release of the 'Fix Me' finale, we wonder if the storyline's conclusion will be the act of genius the opening chapter was, of the comparative disappoint of the middle part. But we discover that what's really at stake is the character and not the quality of writer Matt Fraction's genius.
Monday, April 18 2011
Black Out or Fade Away?: It’s Difficult to Die Hard in ‘77
Willis’ portrayal of John MClane helped make him a box-office star and set the bar for action hero stars. Chaykin’s dialogue and Andrade’s renderings of a full-haired Willis is spot-on; so much so that I could hear and see him acting out each panel in my head. But the character just doesn’t seem to qualify for a Year One scenario.
Thursday, April 14 2011
Republication: Radical’s ‘After Dark #3’ and Media-Frenzied Politics
It is easy to get lost in the opulence of After Dark's amazing construction of its sci-fi world. But at its heart, the book holds a vital commentary on the media-frenzied political landscape.
Tuesday, April 12 2011
Happiness Is This Graphic Novel: Charlie Brown and the Human Condition
After literally decades of innovation, Peanuts takes its first step into the graphic novel format. The result, is the Charlie Brown and the Gang we've always deserved.
Monday, April 11 2011
Authentic and Genuine: The Social Rites of Passage in ‘The Li’l Depressed Boy’
Released this Wednesday, Struble & Grace's The Li'l Depressed Boy #3 shows every sign of becoming a modern masterpiece of the social rituals we are all subject to.
Thursday, April 7 2011
A Second Look: The Second Printing of Hellraiser #1
With Hellraiser #1 going into a second printing in less than a week off the back of a social media campaign that has gone viral, we turn our attention to a character that is fast becoming a phenomenon.
Tuesday, April 5 2011
Fair Is Fair: The Redundant and Flawed Narrative of ‘Scarlet’
With the wonder-duo of Bendis scripting and Maleev on artwork Scarlet should be the generationally definitive voice of youth rebellion. But why isn't it?
Monday, April 4 2011
History Ticking Over: A Closer Look at Radical’s ‘Time Bomb’
As a wartime period action book Time Bomb has stiff competition on a number of fronts. But the dream team of scribes Palmiotti and Gray do not fail to deliver.
Thursday, March 31 2011
Virtue Made Visible: The 70 Year Quest to Define Captain America
With issue 616, Marvel editors and creators not only celebrate Captain America's 70th anniversary, but set themselves the generational task of defining the emotional core of the character. Have they finally succeeded at what so few have been able to do?
Tuesday, March 29 2011
Infinite Rebirth: The Duality and Synergy of ‘Captain America’
Captain America #615.1 stands as a singular achievement among Marvel's recent 'point one' stories. Not only does this book provide an excellent jump-on point for new readers, but also unfolds a magnificent character drama.