Tag Archives: donny cates

I’ve been talking comics all weekend … so why should the rest of the week be any different? I just finished moderating panels at Fan Expo Canada this weekend, and my particular vantage point gives me a lot of insight into the way that comic creators not only regard their …

You know, this is the not just the season for giving, but it’s the season for planning. I mean, at this time of the year, you put together lists, make appointments, arrange to see friends and family – it’s all one huge sequence of elaborate planning. So, of course, that’s …

Let’s face it: it’s not like we lead second lives, have secret identities or are the heroes in some grand adventure. But in comics, we can. Reading comics allows us the vicarious, albeit brief thrill of borrowing those features and losing ourselves in a fantasy with values that speak to …

The absence of a strong central authority in a given situation makes for chaos. Now, I’m not an advocate for absolute despotism, but I do recognize that there has to be structure in all things for them to run smoothly, and comic stories are no exception to this rule. The …

Opposition in all things is not only an axiomatic fact of life but it’s a necessity. It’s necessary for our learning, it’s necessary for personal growth but it’s also necessary for a good story. We are living in a time of great opposition these days. By the time this article …

The best thing I get to do in the convention season is sit on panels with some of the creators I write about, and there’s plenty more opportunities coming up. Last week in Boston (at Fan Expo Boston) I hosted a panel of indy creators featuring Andy Belanger, Rob Guillory …

You ever worry about taking the next step? I do. Some times the next stage of your career, your hobby, your whatever is rationally the obvious thing to do. Yet there are issues like: moving out of your comfort zone, the amount of effort involved, or even just downright anxiety …

Any cause worth fighting for is worth reading about. Sometimes you have a cause – a belief in something bigger than yourself. It’s worth a battle even when people tell you to lay down. I’m about causes and about fighting. So that’s my take for this week’s review list. There …

You know, those closest to you can let you down. It’s sad, it’s sometimes painful but it’s also inevitable. Friends, to many folks’ surprise can be jerks. Remember Kitty Pryde’s famous line? That’s a universal experience that writers draw upon. It makes for the most poignant of dramas and the …

We all have expectations. We have expectations of ourselves, our friends and definitely what we want from a comic. Though these are all subjective things, sometimes there are some universal constants that we can all agree upon. So, this week, we’re looking for expectations in the picks for this week. …

It’s important to know who’s there for you, and likewise, to let those people in your lives that you are there for them. Relationships are not only clearly important in life, but they are key in writing a successful comic. The chemistry between characters is of paramount importance in order …

Decisions, decisions decisions. This week’s comic list includes titles that are about looking back with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and examining the nature of the decision-making in the story. There’s nothing like the tangy flavour of regret to make a story palatable, is there? But choices are integral to …

It’s a Battle Royale between the two titans of comic publishing in this round-up. This week’s list is comprised exclusively of titles from DC and Marvel – well, with some collaboration from Dark Horse Comics. It may seem predictable but if you look at the top ten leading titles for …

The greatest lies are the ones we want to believe. That’s what fiction is: a carefully crafted exercise in willing deception. It takes a great deal of skill to entertain us with tales of make-believe and more effort than one would be willing to admit. A common misperception is that …

When thinking of the dominant theme in the selection of comics for this week’s round-up, I am reminded of how solitary the act of reading comics is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m lamenting my lot to read every publisher’s books on a weekly basis or issuing a call to …