Tuesday, August 23 2011
An American in Svartelfheim
Like the journeys to Europe of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Richard Feynman, Invincible Iron Man scribe Matt Fraction offers a meditation the encounter between democratic values and the aristoi.
Thursday, July 7 2011
Bendis & Maleev Reclaim the Hidden Tensions in ‘Moon Knight’
It's been a rough road to define a workable character arc for the Moon Knight character. The new creative team might just be the equal of the estimable run by crime writer Charlie Huston. That is, if writer Brian Michael Bendis has truly returned to top form.
Monday, June 6 2011
Once More, With Feeling: Stan Lee’s Soldier Zero #8
The real question for Soldier Zero, flagship title of industry legend Stan Lee's new line of comicbook heroes, is not whether the character can compete with Lee's classic Marvel creations like Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man, but how.
Thursday, April 14 2011
Six Reasons Why Joss Whedon Is the Perfect Director for ‘The Avengers’
It was announced last year that Joss Whedon would direct the most ambitious superhero movie ever, teaming Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all in one enormous film. Matthew Hurd thinks Whedon was the perfect choice.
Wednesday, June 30 2010
Who Is Henry Pym, and Why Are They Saying Such Terrible Things About Him?
Dan Slott has redeemed the founding Avenger and leader of the "Mighty" team, deftly and expertly removing him from the ghetto of mischaracterized misanthropic anti-heroes just in time for the Heroic Age.
Thursday, May 6 2010
Does the Suit Make the Iron Man, or Vice-versa?
Tony Stark has a big personality that far outsizes his Iron Man 2 suit of armor, but sometimes our movie men are "made" by their suits.
Tuesday, July 28 2009
Secret Identity Crisis by Matthew J. Costello
In a move fairly common to comics scholarship, Costello at times overstates the case for superhero comics as a product of their times rather than a product of a particular individual’s creative choices.
Tuesday, January 27 2009
Superheroes Versus Comics
There can be no doubt that the summer of 2008 stands as a high-water mark for superheroes. But in the wake of a superhero renaissance and the growing cultural legitimacy of the genre, the question must be posed: Has the superhero genre evolved beyond the comics medium?
Friday, January 16 2009
The New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008
Unlike previous years, where classics came crawling out of the celluloid woodwork with regular reckless abandon, 2008 was more calm… and considered. That's not to say that choosing 30 top titles was hard. The difficulty in placing them in some manner of rank order suggests the actual depth of quality involved.
