Taking on the voluntary mission of being the latest — in a long line of authors — to reintroduce a famous superhero team like the X-Men, in my humble opinion, is akin to reinventing the wheel or building a better mousetrap. No matter how good your concept, and no matter how unique your perspective, there…
Paved with Good Intentions: How HEROES IN CRISIS Betrays Trauma Victims
trigger warning: sexual abuse, suicidal ideation I have a right to be angry. Through middle and high school, comics were pretty much the only thing I had to keep me going without having a total breakdown. I mean, of course I had other interests and I still do. I could never survive on comics alone.…
Learning to Love the LEGION: Legion 101
Before we dive into actual Legion of Super-Heroes comics, I think it’d be helpful to do a big, bird’s eye view of what the Legion is, its publication history, and why it can be so intimidating to new readers. Then we’ll cap off with some recommendations for good starting points. What is the Legion of…
Beyond the Batcave: Why DETECTIVE COMICS is Batman’s Life Line
“Beyond The Batcave” does a deep dive into Batman’s universe and examines his actual cowl -— Bruce Wayne — because I love to be realistic about my favorite fiction. One of the most popular publications to date, Detective Comics’ role within the evolution of the American comic book is colossal, yet somehow underrated. This is especially ironic…
Health and Inclusivity: Protecting Ourselves with Garcia and Picolo’s TEEN TITANS: RAVEN
Raven is my favorite DC character, and without her, I likely wouldn’t read comics at all. From her introduction in DC Comics Presents #26, created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, she has shown up in many corners of the DC Universe in many iterations, but each time with a specific essence. After watching Teen…
#MakeComics: Colourist Marissa Louise
How do the pros #MakeComics? We’re here to tell you. Comicosity is picking the brains of a pro who is killing it in the comics industry, and for this round I was lucky enough to talk to Marissa Louise! Marissa is the colourist on, well, tons of comics – including Hex Wives, Fairlady, Doom Patrol/JLA…
MILES MORALES, the Bildungsroman, and the Ethnoracial Pause
After a screening of my doc. Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics at the Durham County Library, a librarian asked: “What comics do a good job representing diversity, especially for young readers?” My reflex answer: “Go to the independents! Begin with those Latinx and African American creators featured in the documentary. Then follow the yellow-bricks to…
Learning to Love the LEGION: Secret Origins
I’d like to start with a confession: Legion of Super-Heroes is the first comic I ever gave up on. It was 2011 and I had only started reading super-hero comics a couple years prior. The first comic I bought in single-issue floppies was Batgirl, and soon I’d expanded out into the rest of the Bat…
2019 So Far … Middle Grade and YA Graphic Novels
It’s 2019 and to say that comics is a perfect industry is … well, yeah I can’t say that. There is a shining light for the future of comics, however … the book market. Original graphic novels from a wide array of publishers are bringing diverse stories and voices to the middle grade and YA…
KIRBYOLOGY!: Two Tales of Cavemen from the Craziest Trading Cards Ever
Some people carry a Bible in their pocket for comfort or as an inefficient bulletproof vest. I carry Jack Kirby: The Unpublished Archives, a 1994 set of trading cards that feature unused Kirby concepts from his time working in animation for Ruby-Spears. To say these concepts all over the map undersells their bonkers quotient by…