Tag Archives: noir

The looks of Vicki Vale

Posted on March 28, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Among the fascinating things about Batman comics is the fact that, because they have been going on for eight decades, you get to trace social and aesthetic evolutions on all sorts of fronts. One of those fronts is the … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alex Sinclair, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Bob LeRose, Carl Potts, Charles Paris, Chuck Patton, Dick Sprang, Don Newton, Doug Moench, Fabien Nicieza, Frank Miller, Gene Colan, Gerry Conway, Jim Aparo, Jim Lee, Julie Schwartz, Julius Schwartz, Klaus Janson, Lew Schwartz, noir, Norm Breyfogle, Paul Gulacy, Rick Hoberg, Scott Snyder, Scott Williams, Sheldon Moldoff, Steve Bove, Tom Grindenberg, Tom Mandrake, Vicki Vale | Leave a comment

2018’s book of the year

Posted on December 26, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

This is the time of the year when bloggers share their best-of-the-year lists. I don’t usually play along because I mostly read old stuff and don’t have enough of a grip on current publications to make any authoritative claim about … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged Al Feldstein, Bernard Krigstein, Bernie Krigstein, Bill Gaines, Cold War, Greg Sadowski, horror, Nick Drnaso, noir, Otto Binder, politics, Ray Bradbury, science fiction | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Polar

Posted on July 30, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

July is the month of spy comics at Gotham Calling. This year, I’ve discussed the black & white indie series Queen & Country and the over-the-top early adventures of the one-eyed super-spy Nick Fury. Today, I’m looking at a more … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Cold War, espionage, noir, Polar, Victor Santos | Leave a comment

Anatomy of Batman #372 and Detective Comics #539

Posted on June 19, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Back when I discussed Doug Moench’s 1980s Batman run, I singled out as its most striking features Moench’s literary emphasis on symbolism, characterization, politics, and intertextuality. This week, I’ll zoom in on one story in particular which powerfully combines all … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alfredo Alcala, Bob Smith, boxing, Don Newton, Doug Moench, noir, politics | Leave a comment

Spy comics: revisiting the Cold War

Posted on July 6, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Every once in a while, I like to shift gears and spotlight comics or films set outside Gotham City. Once a year, I take this one step further and devote a whole month to non-Batman comics. This time around, I … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Alex de Campi, Antony Johnston, Blond, Cold War, Ed Brubaker, Elizabeth Breitweiser, espionage, Greg Rucka, Jean-Christophe Thibert, noir, politics, Sam Hart, Steve Epting, Steven Perkins, The Coldest City, Tony Parker, Velvet | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged books without pictures, noir | Leave a comment

Between Gotham City and Casablanca

Posted on February 7, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

I’m pretty sure I’m not breaking any new ground by stating that Casablanca is one of the most enjoyable films ever made. This 1942 classic about heartbreak and antifascism in a French colony bursting with contraband and political intrigue manages … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Al Vey, Bill Pearson, Casablanca, Chuck Dixon, Don Newton, espionage, Graham Nolan, Greg Rosewall, Howard Porter, Julianna Ferriter, Kelley Puckett, Mark Stegbauer, Martin Pasko, Mike Parobeck, movies, noir, Paul Kupperberg, Rick Burchett, Rick Magyar, Rick Taylor, Scott Hanna, Steve Erwin, Tatjana Wood, Tod Smith, Tom Yeates, World War II | Leave a comment

5 R-rated superhero comics

Posted on September 22, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

So yeah, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There is something puzzling in almost every scene of this film. Why did Bruce’s employees wait for his phone call before evacuating a building that was obviously about to be crushed? Why … Continue reading →

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged Alan Moore, Alias, Brian Michael Bendis, Carrie Strachan, Cold War, Colin Wilson, David Mack, Davide Gianfelice, Ed Brubaker, espionage, Francesco Mortarino, Frank Miller, Frank Quitely, Jessica Jones, Juan Jose Ryp, Jupiter's Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Mark Bagley, Mark Millar, Michael Gaydos, Michah Ian Wright, movies, No Hero, noir, politics, science fiction, Sean Phillips, Sleeper, Stormwatch Team Achilles, Tony Avina, Warren Ellis, Wilfredo Torres, Zack Snyder | Leave a comment

Collections of Batman stories – part 2

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

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are another five compilations of Batman stories worth seeking out: TALES OF THE DEMON (1991) Tales of the Demon collects the first handful of stories Denny O’Neil wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Alan Davis, Alan Grant, Bob Brown, Darwyn Cooke, Denny O'Neil, Don Newton, horror, Irv Novick, Jim Aparo, Jo Duffy, John Wagner, Kieron Dwyer, Max Allan Collins, Michael Golden, Mike W. Barr, Neal Adams, noir, Norm Breyfogle, Peter Milligan, Robert Greenberger, Tom Mandrake | Leave a comment