Category Archives: HARDBOILED CRIME

On The Spirit’s title pages – part 1

Posted on April 16, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

At its best, Will Eisner’s post-World War II work on the noir comedy series The Spirt gave us some of the greatest comics ever – not just groundbreaking stuff at the time, but a string of truly ingenious approaches to … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Classic hardboiled crime novels

Posted on March 9, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

If, like me, you dig pretty much everything noirish (even if it’s a highly derivative mash-up of familiar tropes, a weirdly pretentious cheapie about an incompetent hitman, a sleazy erotic thriller with contradictory gender politics, or a mystical, sluggishly paced … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on The Shadow Strikes!

Posted on July 28, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

The mid-to-late ‘80s were the true golden age of comic books. For a few years, the industry was set on trying out all kinds of ideas and outright bombarding readers with one memorable comic after another, featuring both new and … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Greyshirt

Posted on July 21, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last posts, you know that this month I’ve been discussing eccentric vigilante comics. Hence Greyshirt. I have little doubt that the seeds for Greyshirt grew from Alan Moore’s contributions to The Spirit: The New Adventures, in … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Foolkiller

Posted on July 14, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

As I explained last week, this month is all about vigilantes operating outside of Gotham City. Last July, I addressed obvious series about street justice like The Punisher and Vigilante, but this time around I’m focusing on more off-kilter comics. … Continue reading →

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10 times the Punisher made love, not war

Posted on June 8, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

I finished watching the second season of Daredevil last night. I thought the first one was good (if overpraised), but this one is much stronger. Although outstandingly well-acted and full of neat visual touches, the previous season wasn’t very dynamic… … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on The Punisher MAX

Posted on July 30, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

What if The Punisher comics were much darker, more gruesomely violent, and aimed at a mature audience? That’s the premise of The Punisher MAX, Garth Ennis’ grim reimagining of Frank Castle’s war on crime. If Garth Ennis’ previous work with … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Vigilante

Posted on July 21, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

Vigilante #8 Vigilante was a train wreck of a comic – a baffling, mesmerizing, kamikaze train wreck of a comic. Published between 1983 and 1988, this was DC’s answer to the Punisher, only grittier and more depressing, spiraling as it … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on The Punisher – part 2

Posted on July 14, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

The thing about the Punisher is that he’s a fairly one-dimensional character, so every so often the folks at Marvel come up with a desperate attempt to make things more interesting. And while they may not always succeed from a … Continue reading →

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