Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

Spotlight on Fury: My War Gone By

Posted on November 26, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

2012’s limited series Fury: My War Gone By is the kind of idiosyncratic, fascinating beast you get in the field of comics, bizarrely merging auteurism-ran-loose with a popular corporate franchise in the form of provocative historical fiction. It’s not just … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Cold War, Dave Johnson, espionage, Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov, Kathryn Immonen, Lee Loughridge, Nick Fury, politics, Punisher, Rich Ellis | Leave a comment

Chuck Dixon’s mordant Batman

Posted on November 18, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Last week I mentioned that Chuck Dixon is an old-school pro whose work in Batman comics (especially during his most prolific period, in the 1990s), rather than blow up the status quo, was all about gripping narratives that stayed true … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Chuck Dixon, Cold War, movies, politics | Leave a comment

Chuck Dixon’s grounded Batman

Posted on November 11, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Chuck Dixon has written hundreds of Batman comics. On top of his lengthy run in Detective Comics (1992-1999), he penned his fair share of Catwoman and Legends of the Dark Knight issues, having also pioneered the ongoing series Robin and … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Batman's personality, Chuck Dixon, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, GCPD, Gotham City, Graham Nolan, Paul Gulacy, Scott Beatty, Tom Lyle | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (November 2019)

Posted on November 6, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Your monthly reminder that comics can be awesome… Bloodshot Reborn #14 Astro City: The Dark Age – book four #1 Superman/Batman #69

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO AWESOMENESS | Tagged Alex Sinclair, Ardian Syaf, Astro City, Bloodshot, Brent Anderson, Dave Lanphear, David Baron, John Roshell, Mico Suayan, Ulises Arreola, Vicente Cifuentes | Leave a comment

Brilliant horror short stories

Posted on October 30, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

In theory, horror shouldn’t be an easy fit for stories of ten pages or less. For a narrative to be truly scary or disturbing, the stakes should be painstakingly set up, the atmosphere should breathe, the fearful anticipation should be … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Al Feldstein, Alec Worley, Bernie Krigstein, Bernie Wrightson, Bill Gaines, Bruce Jones, Carl Wessler, Charlotte Jetter, Cold War, Ellie De Ville, Gerry Conway, Harry Harrison, horror, Jim Aparo, Jim Wroten, Joe Orlando, John Albano, Marie Severin, noir, politics, Reed Crandall, Richard Corben, science fiction, Steve Ditko, Steve Gerber, Tom Foster, Vicente Alcazar, Wally Wood, Young Montano | 2 Comments

Spectacular Spectre covers from the Hal Jordan era

Posted on October 24, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

A couple of years ago, I did a post spotlighting covers revolving around the Spectre, one of DC’s most aesthetically remarkable creations. As a character, this mega-powerful spirit of vengeance is not that easy to write, but his spooky looks … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged horror, P. Craig Russell, Ryan Sook, Spectre | Leave a comment

Superhero horror movies

Posted on October 17, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Writing about Todd Phillips’ Joker last week got me thinking about the fact that, by now, taking superhero iconography and filming it like a horror movie has become a proper subgenre onto itself. I’m not just talking about the occasional … Continue reading →

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged Dave McKean, David S. Goyer, Duncan Fegredo, Gene Colan, Grant Morrison, horror, Jae Lee, James O’Barr, Jamie Delano, Marv Wolfman, movies, Neil Gaiman, Peter Milligan, Sam Raimi, Steve Pugh, Tim Burton | Leave a comment

On Todd Phillips’ Joker

Posted on October 11, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

It turns out the most satisfying way to appreciate Todd Phillips’ Joker was to almost forget that it was a Joker movie. Taken as a DCU entry, the project didn’t particularly appeal to me: a Joker origin story (when the … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Alan Moore, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, horror, Jerry Robinson, Joker, movies, politics, Quino | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Denny O’Neil’s and Mike Kaluta’s The Shadow

Posted on October 4, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Like I mentioned in the blog’s latest manifesto, Gotham Calling is no longer focusing primarily on Batman comics, but that doesn’t mean we’re moving too far way… For instance, this week we’ll have a look at another DC comic featuring … Continue reading →

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged Allan Asherman, Anthony Tollin, Denny O'Neil, E.R. Cruz, Frank Robbins, Mike Kaluta, noir, Riley Rossmo, Scott Snyder, Steve Orlando, The Shadow | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (October 2019)

Posted on October 1, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

The Valiant #4 Red Mass for Mars #4 Quantum and Woody Must Die! #4

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO AWESOMENESS | Tagged Dave Lanphear, Dave McCaig, horror, James Asmus, Joe Rivera, Jonathan Hickman, Michael Garland, Paolo Rivera, Quantum and Woody, Red Mass for Mars, Ryan Bodenheim, Steve Lieber, The Valiant | Leave a comment