Tag Archives: World War II

Spotlight on The Unknown Soldier, 1970-1974

There is a whole branch of spy fiction focusing on World War II going back to the time of the conflict itself. In cinema, the British kicked things off with thrillers such as Night Train to Munich and Contraband. Hollywood … Continue reading

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Batman’s animated team-ups

I wish I had something more original to say about the latest hit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I’m with the crowd: Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is a masterpiece. Building on utopic alternate history to respond to Afro-pessimism, the … Continue reading

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Comics for Tarantino fans – part 2

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are more comic suggestions for fans of Quentin Tarantino’s films:         After the subdued crime drama Jackie Brown, Tarantino abandoned all pretenses of realism and embarked on … Continue reading

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adolf Hitler in Batman comics

Comics love (to hate) Adolf Hitler. It’s not just Superman and Captain America – pretty much all the main superheroes have come across the Führer in one way or another. Hell, you don’t even have to be in the top-tier… … Continue reading

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spotlight on The Punisher MAX

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

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Batman comics and World War II

          Although nowadays movies set in World War II have become mostly synonymous with tearjerker melodramas or grim military epics, this wasn’t always the case. The gravitas of that conflict and the overwhelming consensus about who the heroes and villains … Continue reading

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gerry Conway’s marvelized Batman

After being largely ignored for a long time, Gerry Conway’s Batman run in the early 1980s has been the object of well-deserved rediscovery in recent years (not least because of the haunting pencils by Don Newton and Gene Colan). These … Continue reading

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Top 20 stories of The Spirit, by Will Eisner

To celebrate Will Eisner week, today Gotham Calling pays homage to The Spirit, Eisner’s crime series from the 1940/50s whose legacy has been echoing around Batman comics ever since. Cue moody saxophone. The thing about The Spirit is that the … Continue reading

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Batman and fascism

Some people apply the label ‘fascist’ to a specific early 20th century ideology, and perhaps to some later derivative political projects. Others use the term more loosely, applying it to people who come across as authoritarian, unapologetically violent, and/or intolerant … Continue reading

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment