5.0
On the production of the Watchmen game material at the same time as the comics were being produced – as well as the content. 5 out of 5
Five stories including one curiosity, a round robin work by several authors of note of the period in The Challenge From Beyond. Here the work that the title is drawn from, a great Conan story, is to be found in the middle. Beyond The Black River : The Grisly Horror – Robert E. Howard Beyond [...]
Five stories including one curiosity, a round robin work by several authors of note of the period in The Challenge From Beyond. Here the work that the title is drawn from, a great Conan story, is to be found in the middle. Beyond The Black River : The Grisly Horror – Robert E. Howard Beyond [...]
Giving the bad guys the “Delenn”. 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Jenny Sparks: Laying Down the Law – Bryan Hitch
An acution for :- “A Working Script from “Rio Bravo.” Warner Bros., 1959. Yellow covers, screen play by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett, dated “February 26, 1958,” marked “Final,” 122 pages, every single page folded in half by Wayne (except the last three) as was his habit with scripts he used on set, not annotated. [...]
Continue reading about A Working Script from Rio Bravo – Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman
“Re: The Strangest Numbers in String Theory The article was intriguing, but John Huerta’s thesis with all the details looked a bit scary, or at least the kind of thing I’d need to spend six months on to really understand. Here’s a naive question. The article seemed to imply that you might be able to [...]
Continue reading about Re: The Strangest Numbers in String Theory – Greg Egan
5 out of 5
This collection includes :- Butch Cassidy Rides Again The Million Dollar Game The Vampire of Malvescu Willie and Modesty are taking the outlaw trail. There’ an actual Cassidy re-enactment going on in town, but not with live ammo – so it is surprising when someone gets shot, especially with a rifle. Add a spunky girl [...]
Continue reading about Modesty Blaise – 20 Million Dollar Game
“Average prices of the Top 300 comic books offered each month by Diamond Comic Distributors, 1995-present” 5 out of 5 http://www.comichron.com/vitalstatistics/coverpricesbymonth.html
Continue reading about Monthly Comic Book Cover Prices – John Jackson Miller
“Median cover prices of all comics offered in the United States by All Publishers, and by specific ones, from 1961 to present” 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Median Comic Book Cover Prices by Year – John Jackson Miller
Pretty much a perfect biography. While Finn is obviously a writer that has a great affection for his subject it doesn’t mean he sugar coats it, either. I have zero interest in early Texas history for example, but that part of the book was good, too, when he was setting the scene for Howard’s life. [...]
Continue reading about Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard – Mark Finn
5 out of 5
Land on this – be a rock star. 5 out of 5
Brand new, it seems :- http://twitter.com/aquilarift 5 out of 5
“The ultimate statement about Gene is that Stan never once asked him to draw like Jack. Think back to the mid-1960s, when Marvel Comics first expanded beyond the house that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko built upon the foundation of the Fantastic Four, Hulk and Spider-Man. Of all the eventual hall-of-famers who joined [...]
5 out of 5
“Gene Colan was also at work in the Atlas/Timely Bullpen (and at DC), busily turning out Westerns, romance, war, or crime stories, as well as an occasional gothic thriller. Years later, once The Marvel Age picked up steam, the creature books had evolved into showcases for Lee’s particular brand of superhero, and Colan immersed himself [...]
Continue reading about The Comics Journal Interview – Gene Colan
Something slightly different. Having done the work to look at pricing by publisher : – Comixology Digital Comics and pricing – An Analysis I thought I would post this as of today, as it might be handy rather than paging through piles of Flash. It is usually only stuff I have read etc that I [...]
Ok, that’s fucking awesome. 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Devil Dinosaur: Agent of Shield 1 – Sean McFarland
“The Subs are joined by former Legion writer Tom Bierbaum in a lengthy discussion about the 5 Year Later run. Also, DC Relaunch Legion news, as well as some talk about some of the other relaunch titles.” 5 out of 5 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/losp140/losp140.mp3
Continue reading about Legion of Substitute Podcasters – Episode 140 5 Years Later with Tom Bierbaum
“”Tuning in to the same channel”: Leigh Brackett and director Howard Hawks at work on Rio Bravo(Photo: Museum of Modern Art) I don’t like to say this, because it sounds presumptuous, but Hawks and I kind of tuned in on the same channel with regard to the characters, and I think this is probably one [...]
Continue reading about Leigh Brackett and Howard Hawks at work on Rio Bravo
Not very many comics (or any other reading material at all) are worth getting in the hardback variety, but if any comics are, the Great Darkness saga is one of them. You get 13 issues here, too, not just the main saga, with the lead-in issues, some aftermatch and a few extras at the end [...]
Continue reading about Legion of Super-Heroes – The Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition
From the Best of Leigh Brackett. 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Leigh Brackett’s Mars Maps – Leigh Brackett
From the Best of Leigh Brackett. 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Leigh Brackett’s Mars Maps – Leigh Brackett
The old fashioned roll a d6 variety. 5 out of 5 http://roborange.posterous.com/legion-of-super-heroes-timeline
Continue reading about Legion History the Board Game – Rob Orange
This is genius. 5 out of 5
Continue reading about Usagi Yojimbo and Beasts of Burden – Caanan Grall
An extensive and great interview, at length, conducted by Gary Groth “It’s accurate enough to refer to Jack Kirby as an American original, but it’s hard to know where to place the emphasis — on American or original. He’s certainly both, in spades. Renowned as one of the handful of true artistic giants in the [...]
“Elasti-Girl had kicked the door open for women heroes to be treated as equals at DC, and with second wave feminism well under way, and a decade of sexual revolution behind them, it’s no surprise that the 1970s saw more female characters than ever appearing in mainstream comics. However, Woman’s Lib still wasn’t taken very [...]
Continue reading about Women in Comics: Red Sonja and Power Girl – A New Hope? – Laura Sneddon
Or Beaklops and Wolvernimal 5 out of 5
“When I look at what comics I want to read, I take story and art into consideration first, which is common enough. But I also make an effort to check out female writers and artists who are often tucked away and less well stocked, as well as reading titles with strong female characters that I [...]
Continue reading about Women In Comics: An Overview – Laura Sneddon
“Wonder Woman is often thought of as the first woman superhero, the first female to carry her own title in comics, and all in all, the first lady of sequential art. I wouldn’t dare argue with the latter, but she was neither the first female hero or title bearer: a number of important woman preceded [...]
There is a nice tribute to the recently deparated O’Donnell in this book, including Walter Simonson and Greg Rucka and Mike Gold. They recount a comic convention story some decades back where everyone was asked who was the best comic writer and everyone said ‘Roy Thomas’. Except Chris Claremont, who said Peter O’Donnell. Everyone then [...]
“BLACK Caviar confirmed her standing as the best sprinter in the world with her BTC Cup win at Doomben this afternoon. In a replica of her last-start TJ Smith Stakes victory at Randwick, Black Caviar had to call on all of her brilliance to overhaul Hay List in the 1200m Group I sprint.” 5 out [...]
5 out of 5
Seiun award nomination, 2011. 5 out of 5 http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4122
Seiun award nomination, 2011. 5 out of 5 http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4122
“Image really isn’t about limiting creators’ options. That’s why we don’t have exclusives. We’re not trying to tie anyone down so they can’t get off the plantation, and make no mistake, the shackles may be solid gold, but there’s only so much freedom in that kind of arrangement. What we’ve got here… Obviously, there are [...]
Continue reading about Publisher Of Image Comics : The Interview – Eric Stephenson
5 out of 5
“Bios and Timeline Quality Comics: Golden Age Heroes and Heroines 101″ 5 out of 5 http://www.fanzing.com/mag/fanzing23/feature3.shtml
Continue reading about The Freedom Fighters – David R. Black
” The Freedom Fighters are not actually the heroes of the same names who appeared in 1940′s Quality Comics, but virtual duplicates of those heroes, originally native to Earth-2. Their emigration to Earth-X is detailed in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #33 and 50 and their appearance here takes place after their teamup with the Justice League and [...]
Continue reading about Freedom Fighters Index Earth 1 – Dark Mark
“Or – “The Kind Of Heroism That Doesn’t Require Super-Powers.” During the 5o years of Legion operations, many heroes have come and gone, and a great many of them have had limited tenures with the team…Â But it should be noted that one of the least tenured Legionnaires, the boy called Ferro Lad, even to [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Magno – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “The Kind Of Heroism That Doesn’t Require Super-Powers.” During the 5o years of Legion operations, many heroes have come and gone, and a great many of them have had limited tenures with the team…Â But it should be noted that one of the least tenured Legionnaires, the boy called Ferro Lad, even to [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Magno – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “An Old Tradition With A Brand New Face. Well, Actually… NO Face.” The Legion of Super-Heroes has, through the years, defied the archetypes of superhumans, redefining powers that we’d already seen in new ways. During the early 60′s, when Sue Storm was a preening airhead with an astronaut’s wife’s haircut, Saturn Girl was [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Shikari – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “An Old Tradition With A Brand New Face. Well, Actually… NO Face.” The Legion of Super-Heroes has, through the years, defied the archetypes of superhumans, redefining powers that we’d already seen in new ways. During the early 60′s, when Sue Storm was a preening airhead with an astronaut’s wife’s haircut, Saturn Girl was [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Shikari – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Robot ROLL CALL!“ The concept of “the bright and shiny future” is the key behind the popularity of the Legion over the years, but what that future entails has changed with each decade. What started as a bunch of squeaky-clean teens in an upturned rocket ship had to evolve with the changing times, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Gear – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Robot ROLL CALL!“ The concept of “the bright and shiny future” is the key behind the popularity of the Legion over the years, but what that future entails has changed with each decade. What started as a bunch of squeaky-clean teens in an upturned rocket ship had to evolve with the changing times, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Gear – Matthew Peterson
Brief blurbs, covers and creators mentioned here. 5 out of 5 http://www.studiosanning.shawbiz.ca/legion_of_super-heroes/chronology/index.htm
Continue reading about Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes Chronology
Brief blurbs, covers and creators mentioned here. 5 out of 5 http://www.studiosanning.shawbiz.ca/legion_of_super-heroes/chronology/index.htm
Continue reading about Tals of the Legion of Super-Heroes Chronology
“Or – “Not Nearly As Innocent As She Looks…” The post-Five-Year-Gap stories of the Volume Four Legion get, I think, short shrift in LSH history, for a lot of reasons. It was really the first proto-reboot of the title, pushing the team forward in time, forcing us to learn, issue by issue, what had happened [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Kono – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “The Path To Heroism Is Seldom Easily Traversed…” One of the great joys of the Legion of Super-Heroes has been the vast array of heroes to choose from. Don’t like planet-juggling mighty men? Maybe you can find the love for Phantom Girl, or Invisible Kid. Looking for somebody more cerebral? Try Brainiac 5 [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Wave – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Eight Heroes Are Better Than None…” In recent weeks, we’ve been examining those heroes who joined the Legion in it’s second major incarnation, after harassment from a corrupt Earthgov (undermined by Dominator spies) drove the team to disband for over three years. The team was eventually brought back together by the murder of [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: The Five-Year-Gap Legionnaires – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Eight Heroes Are Better Than None…” In recent weeks, we’ve been examining those heroes who joined the Legion in it’s second major incarnation, after harassment from a corrupt Earthgov (undermined by Dominator spies) drove the team to disband for over three years. The team was eventually brought back together by the murder of [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: The Five-Year-Gap Legionnaires – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Boys Of An Unusually Superhuman Nature…” During the Hero History Project, I have taken a few liberties here and there in the manner and tone in which I convey the life and times of the various Legionnaires. One of the most controversial has been my use of the name Tom Welling to refer [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: The Last Son(s) Of Krypton – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “What’s REALLY In A Name?” If you were to go to the dentist, open the door, and find a nameplate that reads “Dr. Hiram Rippedflesh, DDS,” you might consider postponing that appointment, right? And, say,  if the first officers to respond to your call for help were Sergeant Lunatic and Detective Disemboweler, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Computo – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Boys Of An Unusually Superhuman Nature…” During the Hero History Project, I have taken a few liberties here and there in the manner and tone in which I convey the life and times of the various Legionnaires. One of the most controversial has been my use of the name Tom Welling to refer [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: The Last Son(s) Of Krypton – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “What’s REALLY In A Name?” If you were to go to the dentist, open the door, and find a nameplate that reads “Dr. Hiram Rippedflesh, DDS,” you might consider postponing that appointment, right? And, say,  if the first officers to respond to your call for help were Sergeant Lunatic and Detective Disemboweler, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Computo – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Magic And The Legion. Two Great Tastes That Taste WEIRD Together…” Throughout the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, many of their members have gotten their powers from experimentation run wild (Sun Boy, Wildfire, Quislet, and even the Ranzz twins, in a way) whereas others have gained their powers from simple genetics (Dawnstar, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Dragonmage – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Magic And The Legion. Two Great Tastes That Taste WEIRD Together…” Throughout the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, many of their members have gotten their powers from experimentation run wild (Sun Boy, Wildfire, Quislet, and even the Ranzz twins, in a way) whereas others have gained their powers from simple genetics (Dawnstar, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Dragonmage – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “In Small Things, We Reveal Ourselves As We Truly Are…” One of the things for which the 30th Century has never lacked is strong female characters. From the steely nature of Legion founder Saturn Girl, to the tenacity of Dream Girl, to the self-determination of Dawnstar and beyond, the females of the LSH [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Shrinking Violet – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Finally, We Find Out What The Deal Is With “That Little Spaceship Guy!” The Legion of Super-Heroes, throughout the decades, has taken influence from a lot of sources, and often those influences have had as much in common with Star Trek and it’s ilk as it has had with the Justice League or [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Quislet – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “The Brains Of The Outfit…” So, last week (theoretically) we looked at the emotional center of the founding Legionnaires, this time around we look at the woman whose strength of will in many ways defined the team. She is one of the strongest characters in the Legion (perhaps one of the strongest in [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Saturn Girl – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Living Proof That Some Questions DO NOT Need To Be Asked.  Ever…” One of the side-effects of writing a series in the future is having to fake it. Legion writers not only have to come up with a decent superhero plot; not only have to utilize 16 to 25 superheroes with varying [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Tyroc – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Living Proof That The Powers Do Not Always Make The Hero…” In a very real way, to study the history of today’s subject is to study the history of the Legion itself. Initially a smiling young teen with what I’ll charitably call “limited” superhuman abilities, she was at the center of one of [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel – Matthew Peterson
“In the early 1980′s, Marvel Comics began printing up their “Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe,” an in-depth, encyclopedic examination of events, people and places in Marvel history. DC soon followed suit with their “Who’s Who In The DC Universe,” which took a different tack, essentially covering the high points of a character’s publishing history, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Chemical King – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “The Thirst For Power Isn’t Always A Selfish Endeavor…” Even when you take into account the length and breadth of my comic knowledge, and my love of the Legion, there’s inevitably going to be somebody who is my least favorite. (My Top Ten fave-raves? 1) Blok. 2) Matter-Eater Lad. 3) Bouncing Boy. 4) [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Kinetix – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “When The Girl Next Door Comes From Another Dimension…” In our Hero Histories to date, we’ve seen martyrs and martinets, rockmen and rubber boys, 12th level geniuses and 20th century rejects, but today’s Hero History subject is one of the most relatable of the various Legionnaires throughout the years. Her story is very [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Phantom Girl – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “If You Had Powder Blue Skin, You’d Probably Show Off Too…” Talok VIII is an anomaly in the worlds of the Legion. It’s a hidden, backwater world of swords and sorcery, the kind of place that Red Sonja or Claw the Unconquered wouldn’t feel at all out of place, and it’s favorite daughter [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Shadow Lass – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “With Great Power Comes Great Angsty Melodrama… Â And Excess Radiation.” The Legion of Super-Heroes has been through many incarnations, but one of my personal favorites came in the early 1970′s when the team underwent it’s first major membership changes since the days of Adventure Comics. Â With members like Bouncing Boy, Duo [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Wildfire – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Further Adventures In A World Without Tom Welling…” Today’s Hero History marks a watershed in our examination of the history of the Legion. For the first time, we’re actually going to be looking at THREE different women, bound by a common origin and name, but who are NOT precisely the same character. Previous [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Andromeda – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Some Are Born To A Legacy, Some Have Their Legacy Thrust Upon Them…” Last time ’round, we looked at a hero who was a literal younger brother of one of the founding Legionnaires. This week, we look at a metaphorical brother of one of the earliest Legionnaires. Lyle Norg’s death stands among the [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Invisible Kid II – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “They Also Serve Those Who Mostly Stand And Snark…” The REAL trick of writing these Hero Histories is finding my inner fanboy for each and every lad, lass, kid and queen of the Legion, from their flight-belt heydey, through the salad days of the 70s & 80′s, through Giffen’s blotches, Lightle’s mullets, the [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Gates – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “What A Difference A Few Decades Make…” If you’re a regular reader of our Hero Histories, you’ve probably gleaned that the team’s adventures have been somewhat unorthodox for a comic super-group. The Legion has been up and down the popularity charts, have run the gamut from super-silly to ultra-serious tales, and have dealt [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: The Honorary Legionnaires – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “More Than Just The Kid Brother…” One of the things that really sets the Legion of Super-Heroes apart from other books, historically speaking, was the fact that the characters were allowed to age. As the teens of the Legion grew up, they paired off, married, reproduced, and had lives. Unlike most comic characters, [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Magnetic Kid – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Feeling The Love For The Post-Reboot Squad…” There are a couple of reasons that I chose to go with this particular Legionnaire. Â The first is a sense of innate laziness, in that her history isn’t nearly as long as some of the other candidates (Brainiac 5, notably.) Â The second is that, [...]
“Or – “A Bright Enough Light Can Hide The Shadows Within…” The study of the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes inevitably leads to the study of many unusual superhero archetypes and attitudes. Whereas most teams consist of six or seven clearly defined characters, a group the size of the Legion has room for Wildfire’s [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Sun Boy – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Turn And Face The Strange Ch-Ch-Changes…” One of the pitfalls of a team the size of the Legion is that certain characters tend to fall between the cracks. Â Sure, we know all about guys like Mon-El, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and even Andromeda, but the backstories of others (say, Star Boy, Sun [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Element Lad – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Making The World Safe For Skin-Tight Red Hotpants… Thank Rao!” In the 70 years since the advent of Superman, there have been a great many superheroes, with varying raisons d’etre. Some came to cash in on trends, some to break new ground, some to irritate, some to ingratiate, and some to infiltrate. But [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Supergirl – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Bruce Banner Malibu Barbie, Anyone?” Astute Spoilerites may have noticed that at the very bottom of each Hero History, tucked under the seemingly endless links, there’s a coming attraction for the next episode. It’s my old-school television roots showing… In any case, the last Hero History promised a little bit a Tinya in [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Monstress – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “A Heart Of Iron, With A Face Even His Mother Didn’t Love.” The kids of the Legion are a pretty diverse lot, spanning the galaxy as well as a spectrum of skin tones. Â Some are made of energy, others made of stone, and at least one seemed to be made of nothing [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Ferro Lad – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “In The 30th Century, Big Man On Campus Takes On A New, Very Literal Meaning.” The Legion of Super-Heroes has room for many different kinds of hero. Some, like Sun Boy, Wildfire, Tom Welling and Ultra Boy seek out the spotlight. Others, like Blok, The White Witch, Star Boy, Tellus and others prefer [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Colossal Boy – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “The Man To Whom James Howlett Should Be Paying Royalties…” One of the most common reasons I’ve heard for not reading the Legion (after “Too Many Members!” and “Too Much Continuity!”) is the assertion that their future is too bright and shiny, and all the various Lads and Kids and Lasses too well-adjusted [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Timber Wolf – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “Han Solo With Superhuman Strength…” In his brilliant series “I Should Write The Legion,” Christopher Bird pointed out the inherent awesomeness of today’s entrant, the local Rimborian boy who made good. Â He’s a rogue who went straight, the Legion’s most street-smart member, and although he may not be a Rhodes Scholar, he’s [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Ultra Boy – Matthew Peterson
“Or – “How To Really Make An Impact As A Legionnaire…” As I may have mentioned before, the early days of the Legion of Super-Heroes are a continuity cop’s nightmare, with strange developments galore as the team cameoed their way across the Superman universe, rolling through the accumulated lore of their parent title on their [...]
Continue reading about Hero History: Bouncing Boy – Matthew Peterson
