In recent memory, perhaps no film in the second iteration of Marvel’s film universe has pleased so many in the same way Guardians of the Galaxy has. For months before it was released, the internet had decided it was going to be “THE END FOR MARVEL” and that putting their money into a heavily armed…
The Comics Classroom: By the Book
Author’s Note Hey, everyone! It feels like it has been forever since I was last able to touch base with you all and to explore the comic medium. I’d like to say this has been because I have been spending all summer working on some super-awesome projects (well, okay, part of that is why I…
The Comics Classroom Presents BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM
We interrupt the regularly scheduled column on “Women in Comics” to bring you something new and exciting! This week marks the one year anniversary of The Comics Classroom and, as such, we should do something new. If there is any one aspect that might best represent the idea of scholarship, it is collaboration. The sharing,…
The Comics Classroom: Women of Comics, Part 1
It is common for modern-day comic readers to look on the current (2014) comic environment with a mix of regret and hope where the topic ‘women in comics’ are concerned. On one hand, the tropes of certain kinds of female characters (that being busty, leggy, doe-eyed, damsels) still exists within the comics community at large.…
The Comics Classroom: Champions of the Gods, Part 2
My previous article talked (at some length) about surface issues relating to spiritualism and myth regarding the Japanese manga/anime icon, Sailor Moon. While it is true that many times East versus West articles set up opposing systems for comparison, I hope to not imply that one of my favorite comic super heroines is, in fact,…
The Comics Classroom: Champions of the Gods, Part 1
Preface Much of my knowledge on this particular subject began when I was lucky enough to have heard voice-actor/mythology scholar Crispin Freeman perform his Anime Mythology talk entitled ‘Mystics, Priestesses & Warrior Women’. If you in the Los Angeles area and can make one of his mythology panels, do it. Crispin’s mythology website can be…
The Comics Classroom: Prologue of Bronze
Welcome to the ‘prologue’ entry for the Age of Bronze project I will be posting on over the next year. I am excited to begin this huge project and to share not only my love of Greek-themed comics with you, but also an in-depth analysis of the same stories (Homer’s coverage of the Trojan War…
The Comics Classroom: Letter Number Deux
Greetings, Readers! So … it has been a while. When I started writing The Comics Classroom back in 2013 (well … late-2013), I initially had one idea – combine the power of the graphic novel with education. What did that mean? How was I going to accomplish it? I had some tentative ideas and, so…
THE COMICS CLASSROOM: The Foundation of Heroes, Part 3
In this series, we have examined the tragic pasts of heroes and the heroes who struggle with emotional complexities. While the emotional state of heroes, but sometimes heroics are more than that. Sometimes heroes are defined by the gifts and favors granted to them by forces divine or foreign. Heroes having access to extraordinary objects…
THE COMICS CLASSROOM: The Foundation of Heroes, Part 2
In the previous article in this series, the first trait of what made up the primordial foundation for a hero was the notion of tragedy. For many heroes, the heroic path starts with a loss, disaster, or event that causes them great grief. This grief is commonly transformed within the hero into a kind of…