Blue Beetle Companion
Who was the Blue Beetle? Matthew Moyer finds that the back story for this overlooked superhero contains more mystery and intrigue than Charles Foster Kane’s. Rosebud? Scarab?
Who was the Blue Beetle? Matthew Moyer finds that the back story for this overlooked superhero contains more mystery and intrigue than Charles Foster Kane’s. Rosebud? Scarab?
The talent of comics artist Kevin Maguire is nothing to bwa-ha-ha about. Shaun Corley gives us the rundown on the latest edition of the Modern Masters series, which runs down Maguire’s career.
Somewhere between comic fandom and pop culture research lives this exhaustive (but not exhausting) look at the first superhero club, the Justice Society of America. Matthew Moyer ponders the membership.
Some may claim that Wieringo’s induction as a “modern master” may be premature. Matthew Moyer disagrees, and he’ll wave this book in your face to prove it.
Only Braniac could keep tally on all the twists, turns, allies and villains that Superman has encountered in this half-century of comic history. Make that Braniac and the people behind this tome, as Matthew Moyer discovers.
The Big Green Issue is out, and from Matthew Moyer’s description, if you don’t have this you should be a bit verdant with envy for those who do.
It’s just a comic, right? Wrong. Matthew Moyer examines this anthology from the celebrated fanzine Alter Ego, full of comics passion, knowledge and treasures.
It’s easy to appreciate a comic artist’s craft. But what goes on behind the scenes? How does a Great One get to be… well, Great? Matthew Moyer gets the scoop on Walter Simonson in the latest installment of TwoMorrow’s Modern Masters series.
Everyone has lots to say about John Byrne. Matthew Moyer examines this collection of interviews and art that let the man and his work speak for himself.
After trolling through Comic Book Nerd’s first issue, Matthew Moyer has only one thing to say: “Worst Comic Book Parody ever”. Or was that best?
What’s missing in superhero comics of today? Mark Evanier has an idea or two, and Ben Varkentine thinks he’s dead-on, in this book about heroes (fictional and real) and Madmen.
The medium is the message, but what of the media? Ben Varkentine investigates.
Jack Kirby was the creator or co-creator of almost every Marvel Comics super-hero and villain you ever heard of, including The Fantastic Four, Magneto, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom. Ben Varkentine says this book may not be the place to start for newcomers, but fans will have a picnic.
Wallace Wood was, unquestionably, one of the worldÃs greatest cartoonists. His work ranged from parody to mainstream superheroes to the undergrounds and was loved by his colleagues and fans alike. Yet this could not erase the rough edges of his life. Ben Varkentine takes a new look at an old favorite.
Artist and editor Dick Giordano headed DC Comics’ editorial department through the ’80s. By a strange coincidence, that happens to have been the decade of Ben Varkentine’s “golden age” as a fan, so he’s here to get filled in on all the details.
Ben Varkentine returns to the mysterious plane of Mark Evanier’s marvelous Point Of View with a review of the writer’s new essay collection, Wertham Was Right! And it’s a gas…
Ben Varkentine introduces you to Mark Evanier’s unique and interesting “Point Of View” with a review of the writer’s new essay collection, Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life.
Concert addict Jeremy Glazier talked with A.J. Croce near the beginning of his year-long Croce Plays Croce tour about embracing his father’s music and his own while honoring both their familial bond and shared influences.
For Lily and Generoso, 2023 was a fantastic year at the cinema! They select and review their ten favorite films, six supplemental features, and one extraordinary repertory release seen at microcinemas, archives, and festivals.
The hidden gem of the French New Wave, Le Combat Dans L’île gets a lovely Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
This fall, Ani DiFranco brought new Righteous Babe labelmate Kristen Ford to Iowa City, where Jeremy Glazier enjoyed an incredible evening of artistry.
This week Christopher Long grabs a bag of bargain vinyl from a flea market in Mount Dora, Florida — including You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, the classic 1979 LP from Ian Hunter.
Bob Pomeroy gets into four Radio Rarities from producer Zev Feldman for Record Store Day with great jazz recordings from Wes Montgomery, Les McCann, Cal Tjader, and Ahmad Jamal.
Bob Pomeroy digs into Un “Sung Stories” (1986, Liberation Hall), Blasters’ frontman Phil Alvin’s American Roots collaboration with Sun Ra and his Arkestra, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and New Orleans saxman Lee Allen.
Roi J. Tamkin reviews A Darker Shade of Noir, fifteen new stories from women writers completely familiar with the horrors of owning a body in a patriarchal society, edited by Joyce Carol Oates.
Mandatory: The Best of The Blasters (Liberation Hall). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
Feeling funky this week, Christopher Long gets his groove on while discovering a well-cared-for used vinyl copy of one of his all-time R&B faves: Ice Cream Castle, the classic 1984 LP from The Time, for just a couple of bucks.
During AFI Fest 2023, Lily and Generoso interviewed director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, whose impressive debut feature, City of Wind, carefully examines the juxtaposition between the identity of place and tradition against the powers of modernity in contemporary Mongolia.