Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (29 April 2024)

This week, a reminder that comic book covers can be FUN:

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Some thoughts on Alex Garland’s Civil War

Just some loose thoughts on the Civil War film… No, not the MCU one, I’m talking about the one set in a dystopia where secessionist states are fighting against the US president. Matt Zoller Seitz has summed up the initial … Continue reading

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (22 April 2024)

Another reminder that comic book covers can be awesome… and another tribute to renditions of facial acting and the art of the close-up:

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Some thoughts on 21st-century spy shows

Secret agents and international intrigue have really come back with a vengeance in the past decade or so. The War on Terror and, later, the renewed tension between the West and Russia seem to have stimulated the public’s appetite for … Continue reading

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (15 April 2024)

This week, a reminder that X-Men comics can be surprisingly meaningful and morally complex… but also very, very horny. It’s right there on the covers:

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Another damn busy week…

MONDAY Tenses #2 TUESDAY Batman & Robin Adventures #10 WEDNESDAY Batman / Toyman #3 THURSDAY Batman: Black & White (v3) #4 FRIDAY Kings of Fear #1 SATURDAY Batman: Universe #3 SUNDAY Detective Comics #482

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (8 April 2024)

This week’s reminder that comic books can be awesome is yet another tribute to Carmine Infantino’s talent for cover composition:

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Other detectives in Gotham City

Back in January, I wrote about Slam Bradley, one of several detectives who share Gotham with the Dark Knight. I don’t mean police detectives – I’m talking about the many private investigators whose cases have brought them into contact with … Continue reading

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (1 April 2024)

The subgenre of super-spies seems especially suited for comic books, where there are no budget constraints in terms of depicting gonzo gadgets and glamorous globetrotting, so it’s no wonder we’ve gotten such a long history of James Bond comics, not … Continue reading

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Catching up with crime movies

I had a blast putting together Gotham Calling’s list of top Cold War movies, as I got to dig into cinema history and unearth a slew of gems from the mid-to-late 20th century that approached geopolitics through diverse (and sometimes … Continue reading

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