Comic books as media today would not raise much attention if they featured heavy use of violence or representations of vigilantes who take the law into their own hands. On the contrary, the media now is deeply absorbed into the popular canon of the US. “The comic book, whether in the form of a collectible […]
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Category: Comic Book Culture
Excavating Indiana Jones. Essays on the Films and Franchise by Randy Laist (ed.) (2021)
The stories of the fictional archaeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr. drew millions to the movie theaters, as his tales, for one reason or another, satisfied a number of interests altogether. Such as 1930s style heroic high-paced action, stereotypical enemies, mysterious riddles, occult worship, exotic settings, and the unique chance to witness the […]
The History of EC Comics by Grant Geissman (2020)
The history of the most influential comic book publishers will list two large companies still in business today. They are DC Comics and Marvel. The third important publisher, unique in its own way, very modern, daring and at times famous for using outrageous covers, was EC Comics. In EC’s early years, then still going by […]
Secondary Superheroes of Golden Age Comics by Lou Mougin (2020)
Even with comic book superheroes, there have been the fortunate ones, the famous gang, and then, the “others,” in this case describing the many clones or rather, imitators of the likes of Superman or Bat-Man (as he originally was named in the golden age). As it should be clear that in the Golden Age of […]
Robots in American Popular Culture by Steve Carper (2019)
The idea of building, commanding and using artificial creatures, based on mechanical components that would assist mankind doing anything from work, transportation or pleasure goes back to very early stories of creation such as the Gilgamesh epic. And mythology from ancient Greece and other regions. That idea also demonstrates man’s wish to become the creator […]
The World of DC Comics by Andrew J. Friedenthal (2019)
When it comes to highly influential and important comic book big players, two names will be mentioned at once: DC Comics and Marvel Comics. While both have left their mark on the history (and the turnover) of the industry, DC Comics can be also credited with refining a giant imaginary world in which superheroes such […]
Superhero Thought Experiments: Comic Book Philosophy by C. Gavaler and N. Goldberg (2019)
The main thesis of this book will be of interest to both philosophers and comic book fans, as strange as it may sound at first. In an unusual effort, thought experiments done by philosophers (ancient and recent), and the stories behind many superhero comics are evaluated, and their many similarities revealed. As both groups play […]
Winsor McCay. The Complete Little Nemo 1910–1927 by Alexander Braun (ed.) (2019)
If there ever was something close to psychedelic art, or representations and imaginations of a surreal and subconscious reality before the drug-induced states that became popular in art and fiction of the 1960s, then comic artist, cartoon producer and visual pioneer Winsor McCay (1869–1934) was the one who provided it. Starting in 1905. He was […]
The Great Monster Magazines. A Critical Study of the Black and White Publications … by Robert Cotter
“Monster and horror movies and stories of all types …. once were hard to come by. For a time, vampires and werewolves were taboo in comic books.” Author Robert Cotter here explains the long journey of the monster magazine and the story of its fandom over the decades in this noteworthy book. While the so […]