Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by writer Laurie Halse Anderson, artist Leila del Duca, colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, and letterer Saida Temofonte is a new but not entirely different telling of the story of Diana, Princess of the Amazons, and it is ambitious. This coming-of-age story for the would-be Wonder Woman brings her out of Themyscira and…
The Making of “The Blue Age of Comic Books”
Two years ago, I was presenting original research at the first annual Comics Studies Society conference. A week after that, I wrote my first WWAC article, in which I wrote about the paper I gave, “The Blue Age of Comic Books,” linking to an early version still (and for the foreseeable future) available online. A…
Four-Colour Faves: The Marvelous Ms. Resha Talks Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan was brought to life in 2014 by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie and has claimed many titles since, including a Hugo Award for best graphic story for Ms. Marvel: No Normal. Sales of the first volume of the series topped the…
Outlawed #1: Ballad of a Teenage Superhero
Outlawed #1, by Ewing, Jacinto, and Grundetjern, is an ambitious one-shot, meant to disrupt the status quo of the Marvel Universe. At least, the status quo for teen superheroes: superheroes whose superpowers don’t quite translate to systemic power.
Superman Smashes the Klan Part 3: Superman Finally Smashes the Klan!
Following Superman Smashes the Klan: Part One and Part Two, Part Three delivers on the promise of the series title: Superman, finally, smashes the Klan. With the help of series protagonist Roberta Lee, Superman not only beats up the bad guys but also accepts himself for who he is.
Saladin Ahmed and Sara Alfageeh’s Amulet Offers Hope for Good Comic Book Arab Representation
“In the world of comic books,” wrote Jack Shaheen, “one is about as likely to find a good Arab as the camel is to pass through the eye of a needle.” Instead, they often appeared as some of the stereotypes in television and film that Shaheen would become known for writing about: terrorists, sinister sheikhs,…
Folklords #2 Takes the Easy Road
Folklords #2 follows Ansel, the fantasy comic’s human protagonist, and Archer, his elf friend, as they go out of their village and into the woods in search of the titular Folklords.
Superman Smashes the Klan Part Two Aims for the Heart
Picking up where Superman Smashes the Klan: Part One left off, Part Two doesn’t quite deliver on the series title: while Superman does rough up a couple of Klansmen, he doesn’t yet smash the Klan.
Folklords #1: Fantasy in a Suit and Tie
Folklords #1 Jim Campbell (letterer), Matt Kindt (writer), Chris O’Halloran (colorist), and Matt Smith (artist) BOOM! Studios November 13, 2019 “Once upon a time… / No… Just this one time.” Right from the jump, Folklords sets out to deconstruct the fantasy genre through the story in which its suit-and-tie wearing protagonist, Ansel, is coming of…
Look! Up in the Sky! Superman Smashes the Klan!
Superman Smashes the Klan: Part One Kyle Baker (variant cover artist), Janice Chiang (letterer), Gurihiru (interior and main cover artists), Gene Luen Yang (writer) DC Comics October 16th, 2019 Set in 1946, Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru, and Janice Chiang’s Superman Smashes the Klan is a loose adaptation of the sixteen-episode “Clan of the Fiery Cross”…
Con(ference) Diary: CSS19 Comics/Politics
The Comics Studies Society held its second annual conference at Toronto’s Ryerson University over the last weekend of July. Drawing on the theme, Comics/Politics, CSS19 attendees from around the world participated in a conference that foregrounded Canadian comics scholarship and practice in plenaries featuring Tara Audibert, Cole Pauls, Camille Callison, Jillian Tamaki, and Fiona Smyth.
Not with a Shabang but a Whimper: Ms. Marvel Annual #1
Ms. Marvel Annual #1 Joe Caramagna (lettering), Stefano Caselli and Andres Mossa (cover), Jon Lam (artist), Msassyk (colorist), Magdalene Visaggio (writer) Marvel Comics July 3, 2019 “We’re living like refugees on a planet we barely know!” Super-Skrull shouts this at Ms. Marvel as she embiggens, meeting violence with violence despite just pages before asking for a…