This 1994 Valiant-on-Valiant documentary has a number of joys to offer and a lot of information. One such piece is a fairly large nugget: that 1994 was “the year of The Visitor.”
Great Power Verbs Great Responsibility
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,…
My First Comic: It Started with Spider-Man
Like so many, my first comic was Archie. Readily available on the shelves of supermarket aisles next to the gum and tabloid magazines, waiting for me to browse through it as I waited for the long line to tick down to our turn at the register. I don’t remember specific stories, but I have vague,…
The Many Ages of American Comics
Recently, I saw someone on Twitter talking about classic Golden and Silver Age Iron Man stories. I just about leapt out of my skin. I didn’t want to be that person, but it really bugged me. Why, you ask? Because Iron Man didn’t exist in the Golden Age. In fact, almost all the iconic Marvel…
A Study in Familiarity: Venom #1
Venom #1 DONNY CATES (WRITER), RYAN STEGMAN (ARTIST), JP MAYER (INKER), FRANK MARTIN (COLORIST), VC’S CLAYTON COWLES (LETTERER) MARVEL COMICS MAY 9, 2018 Ever since their official premiere in The Amazing Spider-Man #300, Venom has been a curious staple in the arachnid-themed rogues’ gallery. The dynamic duo of alien symbiote and human host has festered…
The Wedding Issue: April Fool’s Edition
Aside from “Who would win in a fight?”, no debate gets comic fans more heated than the question of whether or not superheroes should marry. In this mini-feature, former Bride Rebecca Henely-Weiss and Bride-to-Be Kayleigh Hearn take a trip down memory lane to the most significant times comic companies took the plunge and got their…
Women Making Comics: Jennifer Johnson on Creativity, Crafting Representation and Her Very First Comic (EXCLUSIVE)
When Black Mask Studios released Kwanza Osajyefo, Tim Smith 3, Jamal Igle, and Khary Randolph’s Black, they unleashed a political comics force on the often homogeneous landscape of our local comic shop. The book imagined a world where only Black people have superpowers, introducing a network of corrupt officials and shady government agents desperate to…
Go Ahead, Skip the Origin Stories
Action Comics #1 gets Superman’s origin story and “a scientific explanation of Clark Kent’s amazing strength” out of the way on the very first page, and the rest of the issue is devoted to his activities as a grown-up “champion of the the oppressed.” Though obviously his childhood with the Kents, and his infancy on…
5 Creepy Christmas Comic Book Covers
In the word’s of everyone’s favorite British beard-rock band Wizard, “It’s CHRIIIISSTTTMMASSS!!” Which means that it’s the perfect time to look at some weird old comics, and say, “What the fuck were they thinking?” So stuff your stockings full of these seriously strange Christmas covers from the big two, and then remember that whatever you’re…
7 Horrible Superhero Gifts for Your Arch Nemesis
As the holiday season creeps closer, we’re inundated with shining, glittering things trying to tempt us away from our money. But for every incredible fun gift idea we see, there are at least 100 awful things that no one would (or sometimes should!) ever want. So I collected together seven of the worst possible comic…
Reel Geek Girl On Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming Jon Watts (dir), Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, and Jon Favreau, with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. July 2017 PG-13 Spider-Man: Homecoming marks the first film co-created by Sony and Marvel together to bring the character (who has thus far appeared in his own unconnected separate universe in five other films) to…
The Wedding Issue: Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker
Aside from “Who would win in a fight?” nothing gets comic fans more heated than the question of whether or not superheroes should marry. In this mini-feature, recent Bride Rebecca Henely-Weiss and her Maid of Honor Kayleigh Hearn take a trip down memory lane to the most significant times comic companies took the plunge and…