The Surrogates is a graphic novel that postulates a world in which we live vicariously through simulacra of ourselves to which we are connected cybernetically. Safe at home, we can work dangerous jobs without fear. A fireman’s surrogate can dash into a flaming building to rescue its inhabitants without any fear of his actual body […]
Category: Comic Books
COMIC BOOKS: J. Michael Straczynski Tackles DC Team Book The Brave and The Bold!
For many comics buffs, the news that the creator of Babylon 5 has taken on a new challenge might be old news. But for readers and filmgoers who connect his name to The Changeling, or the upcoming Ninja Assassin, knowing that Straczynski, who prefers to go by Joe, is writing team-ups in The Brave & […]
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Richard Stark’s The Hunter is Vicious, Violent and Hard!
When Donald E. Westlake created the criminal force of nature he called Parker, he chose to publish it under a pseudonym that was singularly appropriate, Richard Stark. If there’s a single work that could describe Parker, it would be Stark. Richard Stark’s The Hunter is the first book in the series that Westlake wrote, and, […]
Graphic Novels: Angel: Smile Time – Of Puppets and Vampires!
One of the best episodes of television’s Angel was an episode called Smile time – in which Angel became a muppet-like puppet while investigating a children’s show that appeared to be putting children into comas, while sporting Joker-like rictus-grins. Like the best eps of the series, Smile Time combined off-the-wall horror with equally off-the-wall humor. […]
COMIC BOOKS: Astro Boy: The Movie – Osamu Tezuka’s Legendary Creation Soars Again!
Astro Boy is back with a bang in IDW’s adaptation of the forthcoming [October] movie. Distilling the essence of a character that has been a long-running manga; two television series and now “a major motion picture” can’t be easy. After all, there are several decades of Astro Boy material in one form or another. The […]
MOVIES, TELEVISION & COMIC BOOKS: Disney Buys Marvel!
Walt Disney Co. is about to lay out $4 billion to add Marvel Comics to its family – uniting Spider-Man and Mickey Mouse under the same banner. The purpose of the acquisition is to enable Disney to reconnect with the young, male audience it has been losing over the last several years. While the timing […]
GRAPHIC NOVELS: The Spirit of Chuck Jones Lives On In PATH!
Doppler is a bipedal rabbit with the worst luck – and he has two rabbit’s feet! So, there he is, stuck in a pit and about to become a crocidog’s breakfast when out of the sky comes hurtling… an elephant! Sucker lands right on the crocidog! Unfortunately, Doppler’s luck, being what it is, things don’t […]
GRAPHIC NOVELS: CLA$$WAR – Series One: Collected Edition – Conspiracies: Superheroes – Part of the Problem and Part of the Solution!
In CLA$$WAR: The Collected Edition Rob Williams’ spins the tale of superhero patsies helping to prop up a corrupt American government [and the powers behind the scenes] – and one hero, American, who dares to let the country know what’s really going on. It’s a remarkably mature work for a first-time writer [Note: CLA$$WAR was […]
MANGA: Continuing Series: Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 3 and Oishinbo A la Carte: Sake, Ramen & Gyoza
This is the first of an irregular series of reviews that will follow a number of titles through their runs – or at least, as far as the publishers allow. This review will cover two manga that are practically polar opposites: Pluto, Vol. 3 – a series that reworks a classic Astro Boy/Mighty Atom tale […]
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Razorjack: Collected Edition – Watchmen Colorist John Higgins Produces Harrowing Horror Tale!
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Razorjack: Collected Edition – Watchmen Colorist John Higgins Produces Harrowing Horror Tale! John Higgins is best known as the colorist of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons classic graphic novel, Watchmen. With Razorjack, he bounds onto that rarefied level of creativity as writer/creator, artist and colorist. In simple terms, Razorjack is the tale of a […]
GRAPHIC NOVEL: With Century: 1910 Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill Bring The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Into a Frightening New Century!
Following some, yes, extraordinary adventures, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman [still led by Mina Murray – no thanks to Sean Connery…] have moved with the times in this, the first chapter of a six-part graphic novel. Captain Nemo is dying and his rebellious daughter, Janni, has run off to find a life for herself on […]