Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

New Gotham Calling Manifesto

Posted on September 23, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

With over eight decades of material to delve into, the world of Batman comics is a gift that keeps on giving. From vampire film stars to old-school cops putting up with costumed crooks, from idiosyncratic creators to interesting artistic choices, … Continue reading →

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Yep, it’s another 50 kicks in the head

Posted on September 16, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Yesterday was Gotham Calling’s fifth anniversary. I tend to celebrate these by paying tribute to Batman’s longstanding tradition of noisily kicking his opponents in the head (and mostly having a pretty good time doing it), a tradition that often involves … Continue reading →

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Alternative Batmen

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

          The Dark Knight and his supporting cast have become so deeply familiar to comic book readers – and to consumers of pop culture in general – that sometimes the mere gesture of recontextualizing their imagery is enough to generate … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (September 2019)

Posted on September 5, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Just in case you were wondering if comics can be awesome… The Shadow: In the Coils of Leviathan #4 Magnus: Robot Fighter (v5) #8 James Bond: The Body #3

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Taking a break… (August 2019)

Posted on August 13, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

The Batman Adventures #1

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10 luscious Poison Ivy covers

Posted on August 9, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

An extreme embodiment of the femme fatale trope (because her kisses make her literally irresistible and she uses her manipulative powers to commit crimes), Poison Ivy may feel like a somewhat outdated and problematic character in light of current gender … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (August 2019)

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

Your August reminder that comics can be awesome… GrimJack #67 Spawn #6 Ivar, Timewalker #9

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Spotlight on Fury: Peacemaker

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

We kicked off this year’s Spy Fiction Month with a comic set in World War II and we’ll finish with one as well. Like I mentioned last week, in 2001 Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson reinvented Marvel’s war-hero-turned-super-spy Nick Fury … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Fury MAX

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

Way before Samuel L. Jackson embodied the role, Colonel Nick Fury was already a household name for Marvel fans, having starred in a string of seminal psychedelic spy comics by Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko back in the 1960s… Strange … Continue reading →

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A couple of excellent spy novels

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

Shifting gears for a bit, today let’s talk about a couple of cool books without drawings that came out almost a decade ago… OUR KIND OF TRAITOR (John le Carré, 2010) “At seven o’clock of a Caribbean morning, on the … Continue reading →

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