Best Comics of 2020 - #16 to #25 - Zack's Picks

It’s been a long year already somehow, and my own Top Comics of 2020 has been delayed, but today I have my picks for #16 to #25, including Dept. of Truth, Sex Criminals, and more.

Read More

Best Comics of 2020 (So Far): Marvel Comics

By Zack Quaintance — Now that we’re roughly a quarter of the way into 2020, we thought it’d be fun to start taking a look at the best comics of 2020 so far, starting with far and away the most prolific comics publisher — Marvel Comics.  To that end, below you will find a list of the best comics of 2020 from Marvel so far, with extra attention given to whether a series is easy for new or lapsed readers to hop onto, pick-up, or just generally understand.

Read More

Thirsty Thursdays October 2019: Mutants-only FOREVER

By Allison Senecal — Happy Halloween, you all, and welcome back to Thirsty Thursdays, which I think it’s safe to say is among the top monthly looks at thirsty comic book art anywhere on the Internet. Now, you may be wondering…is this column still mutants-only? YES (mostly). But now it’s also a sex and resurrection cult.

Read More

TRADE RATING: Zdarsky, Checchetto’s Dardevil Vol. 1 is ‘unlike anything we’ve seen from this character’

By Hussein Wasiti —  To be frank, I was surprised when Chip Zdarsky was announced late last year as the writer who would take ol’ hornhead in a brand new direction as the writer of Marvel Comics’ Daredevil. Joining him on this book, is artist Marco Checchetto, who made a name for himself with The Punisher and Old Man Hawkeye, both dynamic and action-oriented comics. It all seems like an unlikely creative mashup, but it works beautifully. 

Read More

Thirsty Thursday March 2019: A very thirsty spring season is here

By Allison Senecal — Welcome to a special spring-time edition of Thirsty Thursday! While Marvel has been busy consummating new series announcements and signing Tini Howard exclusive (!!!), I’ve been diligently keeping track of a very intense type of comicbook art. And now, it is my absolute pleasure to share it with all of you!

Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Uncanny X-Men #14 - My only complaint is that Karma didn’t make this panel, because otherwise *chef kiss*. THE GANG’S ALL HERE. And Havok is the Summers brother with the best hair. Don’t @ me.

Read More

Happy Birthday, Daredevil

Daredevil, the rare character who gained powers after deciding to perform a heroic act.

Daredevil, the rare character who gained powers after deciding to perform a heroic act.

By Andrew Scott — What makes a hero? It’s a simple question with a complex string of not-so-simple answers. If one’s actions are what determines one’s character, though—as F. Scott Fitzgerald posited— then how can we best understand true heroism within the confines of the superhero genre?

The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and even Captain America were just in the right place at the right time (or wrong place/wrong time, depending on your perspective). Reed Richards and crew were, let’s face it, kind of dumb to fly into space only to be belted with cosmic rays. Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider during a school trip. Captain America just happened to be rejected as 4F while an Army scientist with kooky ideas was nearby and recruited him into the secret Super Soldier program.

“Matthew Murdock was a hero before he gained his superpowers…”

“Matthew Murdock was a hero before he gained his superpowers…”

The Flash? Freak accident. Superman? Sure, his Kansas family raised him right, but the power of our yellow sun pulses within every one of his Kyptonian cells, whether he likes it or not. Batman’s parents were killed, and his actions are informed by that tragedy, but it’s still something that happened to him.

Mutants are, like Lady Gaga, just born that way. They have no choice. All of those gods and goddesses—well, divinity has its privileges, I guess. And forget anyone who possesses some kind of object that grants them special powers, whether it's an amulet, a ring, whatever.

But Daredevil? Matthew Murdock was a hero before he gained his superpowers because he chose to perform a heroic act. He pushed a blind man out of the way of an oncoming vehicle that was carrying radioactive material. The toxic goo blinded him and enhanced his other senses. But his actions made him a hero first.

Happy birthday, Daredevil.

Check out Andrew Scott’s recent interview with artist Peter Krause, and check back to the site Wednesday for a review of this week’s new Daredevil #1.

Andrew Scott is the author of Naked Summer: Stories. He has written for dozens of outlets. He lives in Indianapolis. You can find him on Twitter: @_AndrewScott.