Scarred by SuperFriends
Friends, I wasn’t always the superhero-loving comics reader you see before you. I underwent a tribulation, a trial of faith, wandering in a wilderness without capes. My resistance to superheros and the...
View ArticleElementary
“We have in our police reports realism pushed to its extreme limits, and yet the result is, it must be confessed, neither fascinating nor artistic.”—Arthur Conan Doyle, “A Case of Identity.” When I...
View ArticleSummer Fun Time Reading ’11
It’s summer time and instead of beer bottles exploding out of coolers in a shower of refreshing ice, bikini-clad hotties and fireworks as we know it should be, everything is wilting and perhaps even...
View ArticleThe Secret History of the Skeleton Suit (in Japan)
I appreciate Lord Death Man’s flair, his élan, panache, the way he daringly wears brown leather gloves, belt and boots with his high-contrast black and white skeleton suit—and makes it work. Of the...
View ArticleTerror of Monkeys vs. Robots
Manipulated by mad scientists, humiliated for humanity’s pleasure, will robots and apes tire of making our cars, vacuuming our floors, fighting our wars, washing our cats and smoking our cigarettes?...
View Article10 Comics I Liked in 2011
It’s the beginning of January, cold and dark where I am. The critics are all putting out their best of year lists, and maybe you’re looking for something to read. So here’s my entry into annual lists:...
View ArticleMaurice Sendak and the Strange Wild Things of My Childhood
“The magic of childhood is the strangeness of childhood, the uniqueness that makes us see things that other people don’t see.” “I’m just clearing the decks for a simple death. You’re done with your...
View ArticleBatman vs. The French Revolution
“A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know the world hasn’t ended.” “The mask is to show that Batman...
View ArticleThe Amazing Screw-On Head and Hellboy, Unfairly Compared
Really, I am trying to be good, but I’m not sure I can help it. Last month, DVD’s for The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006) and Hellboy: Sword of Storms (2006) were released on the same day. That should...
View ArticleFollowing How Your Dreams Make You Want To Be
I’m going to talk a bit about Adventure Time, but I want to tell a story first. When my nephew was a toddler, he liked to play princesses with his mother and me. Usually, we were all beautiful...
View ArticleThe Shrieking Horror of Castle Lemongrab
“Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own mode, but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me...
View ArticleFrozen: Jane Austen Meets The Snow Queen
My mom raised me with three things: Feminism; “You don’t have to like your sister, but you can’t hit her”; and a dislike of Disney. Writing them down now, I […]
View ArticleFun! Charm! Thrilling Adventure!
The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a beacon in a grittily realistic, grimdark pop culture landscape, one guiding lost souls to fun, charm and adventure. And I’m glad to see The […]
View Article4DK’s Monthly Movie Shout Down: The Fury of the Silver Fox!
Fellow M.O.S.S. Agent Todd from Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill! has started the 4DK Monthly Movie Shout Down, in which he selects a movie to share with the public and […]
View ArticleBlurry Images Coming Clear: Hong Kong Cinema, Censorship and Me
Every April, we like to switch things up at the Gutter, with the editors writing about something outside their domains. This week, Comics Editor Carol writes about subtitles, censorship and […]
View ArticleSummer Fun Time Reading ’14
Summer is almost here, and I can’t tell you how glad I am. So smear yourself up with sunscreen and bug repellent, find your kickiest sandals, put the finishing touches […]
View ArticleStale Candy, Punk Rock, Failure, Assimilation and Punisher: War Zone
Last summer, the repairman who came to patch my kitchen ceiling, discovered I read comics and then kept asking me about different blockbuster superhero movies and shows. And I’d keep […]
View ArticleSavage Snippets of Solomon Kane II
POSTED: September 16, 2009 20:26 | By: Carol Borden You knew Solomon Kane was a puritan, but did you know he’s English? Robert E. Howard makes sure we all know […]
View ArticleThe Return of Ken’ichi Matsuyama (and Some Asskickery)
POSTED: September 17, 2009 12:56 | By: Carol Borden Ken’ichi Matsuyama’s back at the festival starring in another live-action manga adaption. Last year, Matsuyama starred in one of my favorite […]
View ArticleFly, Darna, Fly!
Last February, Todd Stadtman and Tars Tarkas invited me on the Infernal Brains podcast to discuss space ladies with them. We covered a lot of films, but I didn’t get […]
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