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Tag Archives: noir
Spotlight on Denny O’Neil’s and Mike Kaluta’s The Shadow
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
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The looks of Vicki Vale
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
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2018’s book of the year
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
Spotlight on Polar
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
Anatomy of Batman #372 and Detective Comics #539
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
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Spy comics: revisiting the Cold War
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
Classic hardboiled crime novels
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
Between Gotham City and Casablanca
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
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5 R-rated superhero comics
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
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