Tag Archives: marvel comics

Kinda exploring the notion of belief this week. It doesn’t have to be religious or some sort of codified system of precepts, but just a sense of what is right, wrong and what is important to us in this world. Super-heroes and comic characters are so clear in what they …

To review a story, you have to completely accept it. You have to throw yourself into the tale and if it’s good, you come out of it with a feeling of satisfaction. If you didn’t get that feeling after reading it, then there’s something wrong with it. That’s part of what makes …

We like continuity; I think it’s a natural state of humanity. But I think humanity also thrives on adaptation, which is an essential to survival. Sometimes, it’s good to change; not just out of a natural need to get along with folks, but because it’s an essential survival skill. So, …

Plain and simple: the future concerns me. That’s the theme for this week as we enter into the first golden week of summer vacation for many students in North America. School is seen as a trial for many kids, instead of the privilege it is viewed as in other parts …

We believe in the magic of things unseen because too often what we see on a regular basis lets us down. A belief in magic, more than the actual proof of its existence is more important in our lives. It’s the sustaining of belief that carries us through the hard …

Why are there so many bad people in the world? Or, maybe the question should be: why are there so many bad people doing bad things to people who don’t deserve the trouble? I may be naïve, but I think the most poignant stories are the ones about the righteous …

There are terrible things that happen in the world but there are also terrible people who make these things happen. It’s the terrible people we should concern ourselves more. When events occur by themselves, there is no-one to blame. But people who set these events in motion need to concern …

You know, when I talked to him last, Tom King told me that “he just wanted people to know how much he loved the comics medium”. I love the medium too. But I’ve been thinking about that conversation and it’s made me wonder, as a man leaving his forties, why …

Rules are important in any situation. As an avid game player, I cling to rules to understand context, themes and most importantly, strategy. But there are the unwritten, unspoken rules that pop up in every situation that throw us for a loop. I’m talking about values, or house factors which …

Whatever happened to the simple pursuit of crafting a good story? For that matter, whatever happened to stories having simple endings? In my book, it’s enough for good to triumph over evil and for some reason, that’s just not the expectation any more. I love to be surprised by a complex …

At what point in a story does an adventurer know fear? If it’s Conan the Barbarian we’re talking about, Jason Aaron certainly knows that moment … but would it make him less of a poignant character if he told us when it was? In Part Six of The Life and …

Sorry this is so late. Lots of loose ends to tie up that got in the way this week. Taking care of loose ends is a driving force in people’s lives, so, as in life, we see this element of effective storytelling in occur in comics. … Well-written comics, that …

I just did an interview with the propmaster of Star Trek: Discovery for another website today. What I got from that interview was the importance of a love of details. Props are important in conveying ambience and mood, and that’s why details are so important. We’re looking at detailed craftsmanship …

The theme for this week is unlikely allies. Life takes you in weird directions sometimes and this week, we’re looking at the weird directions that some of our favourite comic heroes are sent. DC Comics Batman #69 We’re finally seeing the picture of Batman’s state of being coming together with …

The greatest adventure is life. We are the heroes of our own adventures and super-heroes, by contrast, are just people with extraordinary gifts and in unusual circumstances. How they make sense of the decisions in their lives is very much like the same way we do, just magnified larger for …