Tag Archives: politics

Batman comics and gun control

Posted on February 20, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

The Batman Adventures #28 While gun control has certainly been a running theme in Batman comics throughout the ages, their relationship with this issue is not as straightforward as some seem to think. I don’t mean Batman’s relationship with gun … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Ann Nocenti, Batman's personality, Brian Bolland, Chuck Dixon, Darwyn Cooke, Devin Grayson, Doug Moench, Ed Brubaker, Ethan van Sciver, Frank Miller, Geoff Johns, guns, John Floyd, John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Norm Breyfogle, politics, Roger Robinson, Scott McDaniel, Ty Templeton, Vince Giarrano | Leave a comment

Trashy, thrilling sci-fi war comics

Posted on February 13, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Last month, I wrote about the remarkable ending of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but that was not the only cool sci-fi/fantasy series to wrap up in 2019. Rick Remender’s and Matteo Scalera’s Black Science finished its blustery, dreamlike barrage … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Alan Grant, Alfonso Azpiri, Annie Parkhouse, Ant Wars, Black Science, Bloody Mary, Brian K. Vaughan, Carlos Ezquerra, Cliff Chiang, Cold War, Dean White, Dee Cunniffe, Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Gerry Finley-Day, horror, James Robinson, John Workman, José Luis Ferrer, Lozano, Luis Bermejo, Matt Wagner, Matt Wilson, Matteo Scalera, Moreno Dinisio, Paper Girls, Peña, politics, Rachelle Menashe, Rick Remender, Robocop, science fiction, Steve Oliff, Terminator, Walt Simonson | Leave a comment

On John le Carré’s Circus novels

Posted on January 29, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

I won’t drift too far away and too often, but this year I want to widen the blog’s scope every once in a while. With that in mind, let’s shift gears for a bit and talk about John le Carré’s … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged books without pictures, Cold War, espionage, John le Carré, noir, politics | Leave a comment

Spotlight on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – part 2

Posted on December 26, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. This time around, let’s look at the set of volumes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen dealing with the last hundred-years-or-so, starting with the bleak Century trilogy. Century: 1910 … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Alan Moore, Ben Dimagmaliw, Kevin O'Neill, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, movies, politics, science fiction, World War II | Leave a comment

Spotlight on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – part 1

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

If Master Race and other stories was Gotham Calling’s 2018 book of the year, this time around that questionable honor goes to The Tempest, the collection that marks the ending – twenty years after the first issue came out – … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Alan Moore, Ben Dimagmaliw, Bill Oakley, Cold War, Ian Edginton, Kevin O'Neill, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, politics, science fiction, Todd Klein | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Fury: My War Gone By

Posted on November 26, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

2012’s limited series Fury: My War Gone By is the kind of idiosyncratic, fascinating beast you get in the field of comics, bizarrely merging auteurism-ran-loose with a popular corporate franchise in the form of provocative historical fiction. It’s not just … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Cold War, Dave Johnson, espionage, Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov, Kathryn Immonen, Lee Loughridge, Nick Fury, politics, Punisher, Rich Ellis | Leave a comment

Chuck Dixon’s mordant Batman

Posted on November 18, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Last week I mentioned that Chuck Dixon is an old-school pro whose work in Batman comics (especially during his most prolific period, in the 1990s), rather than blow up the status quo, was all about gripping narratives that stayed true … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Chuck Dixon, Cold War, movies, politics | Leave a comment

Brilliant horror short stories

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

In theory, horror shouldn’t be an easy fit for stories of ten pages or less. For a narrative to be truly scary or disturbing, the stakes should be painstakingly set up, the atmosphere should breathe, the fearful anticipation should be … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Al Feldstein, Alec Worley, Bernie Krigstein, Bernie Wrightson, Bill Gaines, Bruce Jones, Carl Wessler, Charlotte Jetter, Cold War, Ellie De Ville, Gerry Conway, Harry Harrison, horror, Jim Aparo, Jim Wroten, Joe Orlando, John Albano, Marie Severin, noir, politics, Reed Crandall, Richard Corben, science fiction, Steve Ditko, Steve Gerber, Tom Foster, Vicente Alcazar, Wally Wood, Young Montano | 2 Comments

On Todd Phillips’ Joker

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

It turns out the most satisfying way to appreciate Todd Phillips’ Joker was to almost forget that it was a Joker movie. Taken as a DCU entry, the project didn’t particularly appeal to me: a Joker origin story (when the … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Alan Moore, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, horror, Jerry Robinson, Joker, movies, politics, Quino | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Darick Robertson, espionage, Garth Ennis, Jimmy Palmiotti, Nick Fury, politics, Raúl Treviño, Rodney Ramos, World War II | Leave a comment