Tag Archives: mikel janin

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge and mourn the passing of comic artist, Tom Lyle. For me, his Scarlet Spider will always stand out as one of the most recognizable character designs in comic history. Rest in peace, Mr. Lyle, and for your work, we are thankful. The theme …

Here’s a common theme that you might find in comics: being what you are but knowing you aren’t worthy of it. It’s not one that’s restricted to just comic characters however. Many creators feel that way as well as their audience. It’s probably a very common thread that audience, writers …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 think the driving force in a successful story is the amount of curiousity it can inspire in the reader. Comics aren’t an exception to that notion. However, in many respects they have a disadvantage than other media formats. With only 20 to 30 pages per issue, they have a substantially …

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 …

Well, Halloween is once more upon us. It only makes sense that the theme for this week would have to be one that’s inspired by scary stuff and things that “go bump in the night”. Maybe that’s too much of a simplistic theme but the one thing that I’ve discovered …

Hope keeps us going, but it’s a double-edged sword. While the promise of success is a tantalizing reason, it’s also frustrating because what we want, still isn’t guaranteed. I guess that’s a ‘glass-is-half-empty” approach but that’s what I’m working with this week as we go through the list of comic …

It’s getting to the end of the school year. I tell my students that the biggest detriment to a successful year is a negative attitude. But, attitude can be divided into so many different layers that it’s important to recognize them in order to remove them from one’s mindset. There …

It’s a short list this week, which is fitting, given that I’m looking for titles that have straightforward stories. Sometimes, I’m not very sophisticated and sometimes I just want a story that’s got in- your-face attitude. Which makes sense, as this has been a week when everyone has been in …

It’s the little details in life that make for a good day. I mean it. It’s a hard question for some people who feel overwhelmed by the dullness of routine and have lost a sense of excitement because of the predictable nature of their day. These are real issues for …