Essays

About Those J. Scott Campbell X-Men Black Covers – Social Media Discourse in the “Blue Age” of Comics 12
- Essays
- August 17, 2018
A week ago, I was presenting original research at the first annual Comics Studies Society Conference. My paper, “The Blue Age of Comic Books,” was about the digitization of comic books and comic book culture (you can read an early version here). “Blue Age” is a theoretical framework because it draws from my personal experience
READ MORE
Great Power Verbs Great Responsibility 0
- Essays
- August 13, 2018
It is common knowledge that Spider-Man’s heroism is driven by the realization that “with great power comes great responsibility,” but that tagline hasn’t always existed in that form. In the first appearance of Spider-Man in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, the final panel of the story introducing the new superhero is overrun with words. It says,
READ MORE
My First Comic: Enter Sandman 0
- Comics, Essays
- August 3, 2018
Four years ago, everything I knew about comics came from Saturday morning cartoons (X-Men, BTAS, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I honestly didn’t read comics. I knew we had a local comic shop, but had never been there. I really wasn’t all that interested in comics as a storytelling medium.
READ MORE

Marvel Rising: Why Does Marvel Hate New Readers #0 0
- Comics, Essays, Opinion
- August 1, 2018
Back in April, or March, or some time long past, Marvel announced a new series. Marvel Rising is a new “multi-platform franchise,” aimed at young girls, a long-neglected audience, especially in the wake of DC’s smash success with DC Superhero Girls. The project includes a comic series that is focused on two of Marvel’s biggest
READ MORE
My First Comic: Snikt, Bub 1
- Comics, Essays, Opinion
- July 13, 2018
Honestly, comics have been a part of my life for so long that the details on where and when they first came in are fuzzy. They were one of the tools my cousin used to help encourage me to read, so I’m sure that I have a different, literal first, but the first one I
READ MORE
We Attract Our Mirror Image – An Exploration of the Law of Attraction in Anya’s Ghost 5
- Essays
- July 13, 2018
Ghosted Friendships soured. Familial ties broken. Lovers lost. Over and over, people would either slowly fade away or they’d ghost completely. People have walked into my life, stayed for a short while, then vanish just as quickly as they had arrived. He or she ghosted. Why? This was something I always used to ask myself
READ MORE