Tag Archives: politics

Another 12 cool sci-fi short stories

Posted on July 15, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This year there was no entry into Gotham Calling’s winter tradition of spotlighting sci-fi war comics. I’ll compensate with yet another list of short stories that similarly treat science fiction, not so much as a challenging, head-scratching experience, but as … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Al Feldstein, Alan Moore, Bernie Krigstein, Bill Gaines, Christian Gossett, Cold War, David Lloyd, Del Close, Dezi Sienty, Edmond Hamilton, Epic Illustrated, Frank Frazetta, Gardner Fox, Geoff Johns, Harvey Kurtzman, Howard Nostrand, Jack Potter, Jerry Grandenetti, Jim Wroten, Joe Giella, John Higgins, John Ostrander, Jordie Bellaire, Lee Mars, Marie Severin, Martin DeMuth, Metal Hurlant, Mystery in Space, Nat Barnett, noir, politics, science fiction, Sid Greene, Snakebite, Steve Craddock, Strange Adventures, The Spirit, Time Warp, Tom Fowler, Tom King, Wasteland, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, Will Eisner, Witches Tales | Leave a comment

Gotham City’s sex workers – part 2

Posted on July 1, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you read last week’s post (or just this post’s title, really), you know I’ve been looking at some of the many, many depictions of sex workers in Batman comics. This week, let’s focus on the sinuous paths of two … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Catwoman, Darwyn Cooke, Doug Moench, Ed Brubaker, Frank Miller, Holly Robinson, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Mindy Newell, politics, sex workers | Leave a comment

Gotham City’s sex workers – part 1

Posted on June 24, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

Detective Comics #464 While City on a Hill has been doing its damned finest to emulate The Wire (albeit in Boston), in recent years the show that came the closest to recapturing that kind of TV magic was The Deuce, … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alan Davis, Batman's personality, Catwoman, David Mazzucchelli, Frank Miller, Gotham City, J.J. Birch, Jason Todd, Jim Starlin, Mike W. Barr, Mindy Newell, politics, sex workers | Leave a comment

A couple of mind-bending novels

Posted on June 17, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

It’s been a while since I’ve discussed books without pictures in this blog… And since the world seems to be struggling to return to a form of normality these days, let’s have a look at a couple of remarkable novels … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Angela Carter, books without pictures, China Miéville, Cold War, politics, science fiction, The City & The City, The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman, The War of Dreams | Leave a comment

Another Watchmen sequel

Posted on June 10, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

The main reason The Ludocrats was Gotham Calling’s 2020 Book of the Year is that, by the time I did the list, I hadn’t yet read Portrait of a Drunk (a nihilistic piece of ribaldry that lives up to Seinfeld’s motto: … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged 300, Alan Moore, Alex Ross, Caspar Wijngaard, Damon Lindelof, Dave Gibbons, Eddie Campbell, Frank Miller, From Hell, Geoff Johns, Godland, Grant Morrison, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Joe Casey, Jonathan Lau, Jordie Bellaire, Kieron Gillen, Lynn Varley, Mary Safro, Pete Morisi, Peter Cannon, politics, Ryan Kelly, Simon Bowland, Steve Darnall, Thunderbolt, Tom Scioli, Ultimates, Vinicius Andrade, Warren Ellis, Watchmen | Leave a comment

Collected war comics

Posted on June 3, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

The folks at Dead Reckoning sent a copy of Garth Ennis’ and Carlos Ezquerra’s The Tankies for me to review, so I figured it would be fun to put the book into context by discussing it together with other collections … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Alan Hebden, Alex Toth, Battle, Battlefields, Cam Kennedy, Carlos Ezquerra, Charles Biro, Cold War, Dave Berg, espionage, Fighting Mann, Frontline Combat, Garth Ennis, Gene Colan, Harvey Kurtzman, Hector Ezquerra, Joe Kubert, John Severin, Johnny Craig, Marie Severin, Mike Western, politics, R.C. Harvey, Reed Crandall, Ric Estrada, Russ Heath, The Tankies, Tony Avina, Two-Fisted Tales, Vietnam, War Dog, World War II | Leave a comment

Batman movies without Batman – part 2

Posted on April 28, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you’ve read last week’s post, you know I’ve been listing films that somehow feel like Batman movies, even though the Caped Crusader is nowhere to be found… Knives Out Many classic Batman comics used to be about fun mysteries … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Chuck Dixon, horror, movies, politics, science fiction, Sheldon Moldoff | Leave a comment

Spotlight on The Unknown Soldier, 1980-1982

Posted on April 15, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This is the final installment in my overview of Bob Haney’s neglected run on The Unknown Soldier, which ended with a bang. By 1980, this World War II-set comic had turned into a fairly mechanic, well-oiled enterprise. Haney churned out … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Adolf Hitler, Bob Haney, Bob LeRose, Dick Ayers, Elizabeth Breitweiser, espionage, Garth Ennis, Gerry Talaoc, Jerry Serpe, Joe Kubert, Len Wein, Mike W. Barr, Paul Levitz, politics, Rick Veitch, Steve Epting, Unknown Soldier, World War II | Leave a comment

2020’s books of the year: honorable mentions – part 4

Posted on March 25, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you read last weeks’ posts, you know what’s going on. Here is a final batch of 2020 comics worth tracking down… WAR ON TERROR: GODKILLERS Collecting a five-issue mini-series, Godkillers has the kind of ridiculous and ultimately tasteless … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged Al Ewing, Godkillers, Hernan Cabrera, horror, John Allison, Laura Allred, Maan House, Mariasara Miotti, Mark Russell, Mark Sable, Max Sarin, Mike Allred, politics, science fiction, Simone Di Meo, Stephen Byrne, War on Terror, We Only Find Them When They're Dead, Whitney Cogar, Wicked Things, Wonder Twins, X-Ray Robot | Leave a comment

2020’s books of the year: honorable mentions – part 3

Posted on March 18, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you read last weeks’ posts, you know what’s going on. Here are another five comics that came out in 2020 and feature neat takes on adventure, crime, horror, espionage, mystery, war, science fiction, and/or the occasional hero with bizarre … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged Adam Strange, Alessandro Miracolo, Bob Q, Bryce Ingman, Chelsea Cain, Clayton Cowles, Cold War, Conan, Craig Rousseau, Elise McCall, Evan Shaner, Fran Strukan, Garth Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Jason Aaron, Jim Rugg, Joe Caramagna, John Layman, Lia Miternique, Mark Russell, Mitch Gerads, Octobriana, politics, Punisher, Rachelle Rosenberg, Red Sonja, science fiction, Spy Island, Stella Greenvoss, Strange Adventures, sword & sorcery, Tom King | Leave a comment