I have written in the past on topics concerning Japanese intellectual properties that engage with Japanese culture through both high and low forms of art. It is no secret that I love anime and manga, but I have (mostly) targeted some rather ‘safe’ genres such as samurai, giant robots, and transforming female heroines. Heck, I…
The Comics Classroom: GUNDAM: THE ORIGIN and Why Mecha Still Matters
Is there a series of words cooler than “giant robot?” Even to this day, at almost 35 years of age, I can think of few things which make as excited as when I am talking about the mecha genre of manga. While this classification of material crosses over into a lot of areas, particularly TV…
The Comics Classroom: On the Tragic Villainy of BLACK ADAM
What makes a villain transition in your mind’s eye from being good to being iconic? In some ways, the status of being iconic is simply one of textual longevity, i.e. being a character who has remained as part of a mythos despite their flaws, and thus has become enmeshed into the narrative so much that…
MISTER MIRACLE: The Face At The End of This Boom Tube
Trying to talk about Tom King and Mitch Gerad’s work on Mister Miracle feels like being asked to explain the meaning of life. Or, Anti-Life, even. While, sure, there are some examples within the 300 pages of the Mister Miracle trade paperback that supports specific views of what Anti-Life and Life Equations could be, ultimately…
The Comics Classroom: Empathy for the Devil
Back in 2013, I was fortunate enough to have been brought into Comicosity by Aaron Long and Matthew Santori after I pitched an idea to them for this column series. To this day, I am not positive what made Aaron and Matthew take a risk on my writing, but I cannot express how thankful I…
Review: NAOMI #1
NAOMI #1 Written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker Art by Jamal Campbell and Josh Reed Edited by Mike Cotton, Andy Khouri, and Jessica Chen Published by DC Comics/Wonder Comics Release Date: January 22, 2019 DC Comics’ Wonder Comics imprint continues to impress with Naomi #1, a comic which doesn’t explicitly break any…
Review: CONAN THE BARBARIAN #2
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #2 Written by Jason Aaron Art by Mahmud Asrar and Matthew Wilson Edited by Mark Basso Published by Marvel Comics Release Date: January 16, 2019 Jason Aaron’s exploration of Conan, back under the stewardship of Marvel Comics, continues! At first this story might seem like a deviation from the ending of issue…
Review: BLACK WIDOW #1
BLACK WIDOW #1 (of 5) Written by Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska Art by Flaviano, Veronica Gandini, Joe Caramagna Edited by Jake Thomas and Mark Basso Published by Marvel Comics Release Date: January 16, 2019 Characters like Natasha Romanoff, when handled with consideration for her capacities to be balanced between assassin and hero, have real…
Review: GREEN LANTERN #3
GREEN LANTERN #3 Written by Grant Morrison Art by Liam Sharp, Steve Oliff, and Tom Orzechowski Edited by Jessica Chen and Brian Cunningham Published by DC Comics Release Date: January 9, 2019 Expecting Grant Morrison to do anything conventional in a comic at this point in his career would be massive mistake, but even I…
Review: HEROES IN CRISIS #4
HEROES IN CRISIS #4 Written by Tom King Art by Clay Mann, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles Edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittney Holzherr Published by DC Comics Release Date: January 2, 2019 Having previously written one piece on the issue surrounding Poison Ivy and then another issue about the flaws I saw with…