“I Don’t Like Anything That’s Contrived- I Conceive, They Contrive. OK?”- Another Look at Jack Kirby’s “Infamous” 1989 TCJ Interview

Far be it from me, the most refreshing of comic critics, to simply beat the same old mash all the time, especially when this particular interview has been discussed and covered more academically than I’m about to do. That being said, some minor instances nudged me towards thinking about this oft-cited interview with Jack Kirby […]

“It Became Increasingly Stylish to Bash Stan…”- What Critics of Stan Lee Should Actually STOP Doing in Order to Be Successful

Stan Lee. The Myth. “The Man”. The legend. And one that is, apparently, bashed. The term ‘Stan Bashers’ refers to the sort of Lee critic that has become a sort of subculture within comics history nerdom, with those for and against the career and deeds of the man born Stanley Martin Lieber over a century […]

Conservative Snowflakes & Liberal Know-It-Alls Both Get It Wrong: The REAL Reason For The “Controversial” Silver Surfer Casting

This’ll be a short one friends, as I’ve got all sorts of irons in the proverbial fire with the ongoing (and growing) pushback towards Roy Thomas and John Cimino’s villainy, as well as work on an article which proves conclusively just how fraudulent and inept the collected “comics journalism” community is. In fact, this is […]

“Just Too Damn Sensitive For Their Own Good…” How The Politics Of Roy Thomas Influenced His Dismissive Attitude & Shit Writing

Believe it or don’t, I’d much rather keep this site apolitical. It’s only that bringing up someone’s political beliefs- which of course they are entitled to- must today be brought up in a larger context, insomuch as it pertains to their public statements and creative work and how that creative work may or may not […]

“He Looked A Lot Like The Old One…” The Second Life & Grand Delusion of Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas is ubiquitous, seemingly everywhere and far more visible in the world of comics than he has been in decades, partially due to the rise of general interest in the Marvel Universe itself and partially due to the machinations of his omnipresent manager, John Cimino. Thomas’s presence and billing as Stan Lee’s protege and […]

“Look, Stan’s relationship to the truth is very interesting…” Evaluating the Exhausting ‘Stan Lee: A Marvelous Life’

Among the various comments I’ve seen regarding Four Color Sinners, one stood out to me, and its content was not surprising: when our article about POW! Entertainment’s many failed ventures were shared to someone’s Facebook page, a guy remarked- without reading, natch– that this was the product of a “Stan hater.” This is to be […]

“The Narrative Wouldn’t Exist Without Him As a Foil”- Thoughts on Martin Goodman

Think about how you know him. He’s subtly omnipresent to the point of existing in our collective unconsciousness the way founding fathers or historical figures are- he’s John Wilkes Booth, existing to be the assassin in Abraham Lincoln’s story. He’s Herbert Morrison, necessary to breathlessly describe the Hindenburg Disaster, so that it better becomes a […]

“…and pulled down fistfulls of the national zeitgeist.” Reviewing the gruesome ‘Stan Lee: the Man Behind Marvel’

Start a pot of tea because this is going to be a lengthy one, covering the 2017 pre-death Stan biography “Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel” by one Bob Batchelor. Apparently, it comes in multiple editions, (there’s a young readers adaption of the same book, not pictured) with what I presume is the latest update […]

De Facto Protege: The Changing Continuity of Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas- repped by his omnipresent manager John Cimino- admittedly falls into the “doesn’t need an introduction” category, such has his long tenure been in the world of comics these past six decades. What is generally glossed over and seldom explored however is his changing timeline, the alternate realities of his career, his blatant retcons […]

“And using it to further a White Man’s story is so f**king awful…” Thoughts on those who forget the past

This past May, the comic reading community once again had reason to be upset when Marvel decided to kill the popular Kamala Khan incarnation of Ms. Marvel in, curiously, the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. While no longtime reader of comic books expects the beloved Ms. Khan to stay dead, especially in lieu of that character […]