The global box office has long been dominated by Hollywood blockbusters. If you look at one of the past decade’s annual lists of the highest-grossing films, chances are you will be confronted with the continuing adventures of Marvel superheroes, the latest iteration of Star Wars, and other such bankable tentpoles. Things changed in 2020, however:…
Seen But Not Satisfied: The Logic of Prejudice in Shadow and Bone
I didn’t know I was going to fall for Shadow and Bone as hard as I did. The luscious world, the characters, and the mythology all nestled their way into my heart. There was so much to love in the series. And yet, my love was uneasy.
REVIEW: Women in Marvel Films: They Don’t Know Their Value Yet
Women in Marvel Films answers the question “why aren’t there more superheroines on our screens?” Especially when a comics giant like Marvel has successfully churned out so many films featuring male heroes. And when we do get women characters, what kind of role do they play? What agency do they have? Readers aren’t going to…
[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] The Many Ages of DC Comics: A Sequel
Our monthly Patron-exclusive essay series continues. You can read all of these incredible analyses for as little as a dollar a month on our Patreon. Three years ago, I got annoyed on Twitter and wound up writing a long article about the various different “Ages” of American comics. Well, I recently had a conversation with our…
The Use Of Color Theory In The Winx Franchise
Unlike the 2004 cartoon on which it’s based, Fate: The Winx Saga fails to use creative character design and color theory to help tell a story — and that’s a shame.
Monica Rambeau and the Inescapable Orbit of Carol Danvers and Wanda Maximoff
Compared to her comic book counterpart, MCU Monica Rambeau once seemed destined to break out of Carol Danvers’ shadow as her similar path as a hero, only to be relegated yet again to sidekick status — this time prop up Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision.
Aiming for the Proper Target: Kate Bishop, Mia Dearden, and the “Good Girl”
In 2021, Disney+ is slated to debut their Hawkeye series, starring Hailee Steinfeld as the eponymous archer alongside Jeremy Renner (who is also, of course, Hawkeye). The series appears to be loosely based on Matt Fraction and David Aja’s 2012-2015 comic. (Fun fact: in 2014, when I first read that comic, I told my partner…
Teaching Comics with Comics: On Meghan Parker’s Teaching Artfully
I first heard of Teaching Artfully in the second year of my doctoral program. I was just starting to grapple with the idea of drawing my dissertation as a comic and had reached out to Nick Sousanis, the author of Unflattening and the only person who I knew had drawn their dissertation. Nick led…
[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] Star Beasts and Spider-Gods: Doctor Who Comics of the Tom Baker Era
Our monthly Patron-exclusive essay series continues. You can read all of these incredible analyses for as little as a dollar a month on our Patreon. A science fiction series as long-running as Doctor Who could hardly avoid spawning its fair share of comics. By the same token, comics tying in with a science fiction series as…
Smalltown Fears: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Vampire fiction has evolved considerably in the just-over-two centuries since the genre was codified by John Polidori. Each year brings with it a new take on the theme that becomes the latest contender for classic status, and for 2020 that work may well be The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix….
REVIEW: The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook Serves Up Distressingly On-Point, But Hilarious, Political Satire
“What if everything the right thought about the left was real?” That’s the driving premise behind The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook, the latest from The Nib’s own Matt Lubchansky. To be honest, the premise puzzled me a little at first. On the one hand, I’m automatically a bit wary of anything that might end up being…
Should You Tell Their Story: The Old Guard and Cultural Representation
The popularity of The Old Guard’s original run and recent movie inspired an expansion of the comics series. Specifically, a new historical anthology. News of this dropped via Polygon and the series will explore the histories of these long lived heroes. Unfortunately, the portions revealed offer a distasteful appetizer.