I picked up the latest issue of Avengers expecting more of the great Johnathan Hickman writing I’d come to love and expect, only to be surprised and a bit disappointed, with a different writer. Instead of advancing Hickman’s beautiful, high minded story, the book took a diversion into a character I’m not all that interested in to begin with. Continue reading
Filed under Comic Reviews, Comics, Saturday Reviews
What I like to refer to as the duality of characters, in which long standing characters are often defined in two very different, and in some instances opposite, manners has existed in comics for many decades. It’s still the same character and yet they can be very different. So what’s the deal?
The most well known example of this is Batman. Most comic fans, and in fact many non-comic fans will recognize “The Dark Knight” and “The Caped Crusader” as nicknames for Batman. Not only are these nicknames, but they have become a large part of the Batman mythos. Most people will associate the Caped Crusader with the old Adam West 1966 Batman television show. The show was definitely about Batman, but it was campy, goofy and generally light hearted fun. Since then, the Caped Crusader has come to represent the kinder, gentler Batman who carries shark repellent on his utility belt. The Dark Knight on the other hand, lives up to his name. In my lifetime this has been exemplified by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises), but this version of Batman is closest to the original. Until the Comics Code, Batman had a decidedly dark and gritty feel to it, taking much from its Depression era roots. This Batman is far more aggressive and is willing to go to much greater lengths if it enables him to take down the villain. Continue reading
Filed under Andrew Hales, Comics
In which Andrew and Tracy discuss their favorite origin stories, and what makes a good origin story. Origin stories aren’t limited to comic books, and we’ve got some good ones to talk about. Also, there is some random bantering back and forth. Tracy accidentally spoils Game of Thrones Season 4, and Andrew promises to edit it out. We wrap up by telling Therefore I Geek’s own origin story, in celebration of our first anniversary.
Podcast Links:
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
Filed under Podcast
On this episode Tracy got the opportunity to sit down and chat with Pete Newcomb of Borderless Comics. Pete is a fascinating storyteller, and the tale of how he became a comic book store owner is unique and very interesting. Besides sharing his personal journey, Pete also provided some insight into the workings of a comic book store. Borderless is unusual in that it is a read store–meaning that the owners encourage customers to read comics in the store. If you think this sounds like an insane idea, you’re not alone, but Pete has some compelling reasons for believing that this is a solid business model.
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Therefore I Geek 