Dead of Night featuring Man-Thing #1 is an entertaining mix of Marvel horror with late night horror anthology schlock that tells a solid horror story that's still not afraid to poke fun at itself.
Read MoreJonny Quest #13 by Messner-Loebs, Infantino, Kubert, and Pinaha is an enjoyable ghost story utilizing key elements of the cartoon's characters and story elements.
Read MoreBatman: Legends of the Dark Knight #54 is one of the high points in the first five years of this classic series, when pretty much everything in the series was a high point.
Read MoreHellblazer #27 is an important rumination on the human condition, using a creeping cold killer as a stand-in for the loneliness that can enter our lives and leave us hollow.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — This past Saturday was this year's celebration of “Batman Day” and it had me thinking of combining my current search through some favorite European comics and Batman. Somewhat surprisingly, given the sheer number of Batman interpretations across the decades in the North American market, there isn't a huge selection of foreign language originals, but what is out there is very well done. Batman: The Dark Prince Charming was technically published simultaneously in English and French (and Dutch, I think) by DC Comics and Dargaud, but it's one of the few out there in association with a European publisher. It's also good, so you needn't worry that being originally published by a European publisher was my only criteria.
Read MoreThe Incal’s ideas and presentation still feel contemporary, they still feel relevant, and you can see their influence across science fiction and beyond.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — On 22 September 2019, all of the clocks stopped at 13:13 PM UTC. They restarted again exactly 3 hours later. This was the first time the world experienced these odd time problems collectively, but a number of other oddities occurred on the days surrounding the clocks stopping including the disappearance of the space shuttle, Atlantis, its reappearance two days later, along with the arrival of a number of other vessels that had been believed missing, sunk, or destroyed much earlier. Like the Titanic. This is the central setting for the science fiction thriller series that begins in Promethee – Volume 1: Atlantis by Christophe Bec, Sébastien Gérard, and Studio Charon, translated into English by Edward Gauvin.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — This past Friday was the 103rd anniversary of Jack Kirby's birth. It should go without saying that he's one of the titans of the comics industry, responsible for creating or co-creating so many of our cherished comics characters and frameworks for the Big Two publishers like The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, The Avengers, Captain America, The Demon, The Fourth World, Kamandi, OMAC, and The Hulk. Even Kirby's less commercially successful efforts, like say The Sandman or The Eternals, show a seemingly limitless breadth and scope of imagination. He left a legacy that is practically unmatched and neither the Marvel nor the DC universes would be the same without him.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — As we travel further down that dusty western trail, we realize that it's becoming less and less a trail well-travelled, maybe not even a path now, and we're getting tangled up in a messy bramble growing out of what looks to be a swamp. The horses don't much like it, but you notice that one of them is now skeletal and the other appears to be speaking an indigenous language no one thought was extant. We've strained far from the westerns of old and are back in one of my favorite realms, the weird western. And to another modern masterpiece, The Sixth Gun from Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — One of the best, if not the best, pure western comics this side of the classics was DC's second volume of Jonah Hex that ran from 2006 until 2011. It ran for 70 issues, as well as an original graphic novel, No Way Back. Penned by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with regular artists like Luke Ross, Jordi Bernet, and Phil Noto, and guest artists like JH Williams III, Fiona Staples, Eduardo Risso, and legends like Dick Giordano, Paul Gulacy, and Jonah Hex's co-creator Tony DeZuniga, the series was a pretty heavy-hitter for quality content right out of the box.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — I'm continuing my trip through some of my favorite westerns and western-tinged tales across the years in honor of the release of Pulp, this week spotlighting another book from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (with colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser), Fatale. This series is one of the ones that felt like Brubaker and Phillips were specifically writing it for me, delving into a world of Lovecraftian horror and crime noir that seemed note perfect, resulting in a tone that seemed right out of a Dennis Wheatley novel. Fatale #13 came smack dab in the middle of a loosely connected arc where we were witnessing the lives of a number of “femme fatales” across history, including our protagonist, Josephine's, early history.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — I've mentioned before my love of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, spotlighting a number of different works falling into those genres, but I've neglected to focus on another genre that I love that tends to be overlooked. In honour of the release of Pulp, I wanted to start on some of my favourite westerns and stories that incorporate western conventions to show something new. I tend towards the weird westerns, but there's something existentially fulfilling about the barren expanse, where hard, driven individuals have to eke out an existence on the frontier against regular threat of lawlessness. Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears by Garth Ennis, Clayton Crain, and Joe Caramagna straddles that divide between straight-up western and supernatural thriller built on a superhero legacy.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — Inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame this past weekend during the SDCC @ Home ceremonies was legendary comics writer and editor, Louise Simonson. Simonson's was one of the voices for mutants and Superman while I was growing up in the '80s and '90s and has lauded runs on Power Pack, New Mutants, X-Factor, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel. She brought an apocalypse to the X-Men and helped kill a man of steel and replace him with a quartet of imposters. Among my favorites of her work is X-Factor #24 with Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek, Petra Scotese, and Joe Rosen.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — The United States lost a civil rights leader and all around political hero in Congressman John Lewis on Friday. He was one of the “Big Six” civil rights leaders who helped change the landscape of America. By all accounts, he was a good man, a kind man, beloved by his colleagues and constituents, who fought tirelessly for equality, equity, and to ensure that every citizen is afforded their human, political, and constitutional rights under U.S. law. All with a humility and determination that is only ever exhibited by the best of us. If anyone can be said to have been righteous, it was John Robert Lewis. To celebrate his life, understand his sacrifices, and gain more knowledge of history, there's his three part autobiography, March, from John Lewis, Andrew Ayden, and Nate Powell.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — After a week of ridiculous heat and humidity where I live, the temperature has finally dropped a bit to more reasonable levels. The humidity is still present, but we're not hitting the mid-40s Celsius. The trade-off, though, is some extreme weather patterns, thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and potential hail. Those last two left me scratching my head, but hey, what makes any sense any more in 2020?
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — It's ridiculously hot here right now. 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), not including the humidity. We've thankfully got air conditioning, but it's little comfort when there are rolling brownouts or you're a little furry beast with no sweat glands. Although muggy humid summers aren't abnormal here, the heights the temperatures are reaching are, especially as they're reaching to higher latitudes. It just brings to mind yet another struggle we have underlying all of the other current problems surrounding us. There are some stories out there promoting current proactive activism, some exploring what's going on while a dramatic change occurs, and others set long after the “apocalypse” hits.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — As Pride Month is coming to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to spotlight an LGBT+ series that probably flew under the radar, Insexts. There hopefully will one day be more of this book, but it was a story about two women trying to navigate the restrictions of society in the tail end of Victorian England. Also transforming into humanoid insects, torrid affairs, and lycanthropy. It began with Insexts #1 from Marguerite Bennett, Ariela Kristantina, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — This week I wanted to continue to focus on important black voices within comics and specifically spotlight the work of C. Spike Trotman. Often times, you'll see a complete confusion within male and white dominated spaces on how to promote intersectionality, inclusivity, and diversity. In my opinion, often because they're looking at it from a perspective to maintain their power. Trotman, however, with her work and publishing company Iron Circus Comics, makes it look easy. Through hard work and dedication, she's managed to develop a sustainable and successful crowd-funded business model that helps serve a diverse range of creators that are often underserved and not represented within many other comics publishers.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — This past Friday, the comics industry learned of the loss of one of its legends in Denny O'Neil. His influence and legacy across the medium is vast, with rightfully lauded work on Batman, The Question, and Green Lantern/Green Arrow. He worked hard, both as a writer and an editor, to elevate the medium, to push progressive ideas, and ensure that the stories could be considered with maturity and depth. He understood well that social issues and politics could be tackled through comics storytelling and helped comics “grow up” in the '70s and '80s. Though often dark and dealing with difficult subject matter, his work was never what you'd consider “grim and gritty” or an adolescent's idea of maturity. He simply wrote great comics, and through editorial, he helped guide, mentor, and influence many of comics' great creators over the past four decades.
Read MoreBy d. emerson eddy — Milestone Media was an important step in the right direction for comics as a whole, with a group of Black creators coming together to carve out a space for their voices and their stories, a space to promote diversity across the medium, utilizing a partnership with a large publisher like DC Comics. I was a bit late to the party, partially because one of the comic shops I regularly frequented then didn't carry any of the line, which I think is fairly telling of a problem in the industry. It wasn't until about a year into the Milestone publishing venture that I read an issue during the crossover with the Superman titles, “Worlds Collide”. I loved it, and I searched out more. Hardware and Icon were my early favorites, but Xombi, Wise Son, and Shadow Cabinet were probably my all time faves. I wanted to spotlight here, though, the book that started it all: Hardware #1, from Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Jimmy Palmiotti, Noelle Giddings, and Janice Chiang.
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