Our life with Adolf
Oh, Hitler! What would you have thought about how much literary and artistic inspiration your heinous political persona has given the world over the last seventy-odd years? It’s an interesting conundrum to think about how much influence the actions of this failed art student (enveloped in the form of a mad dictator) have had on … Continue reading
Sisters and brothers, wonder girls and boy wonders
It’s probably pretty clear by now that I’ve read more than my share of comic books. I have about fifteen thousand in my personal collection, curated carefully over the last thirty years, not to mention the thousands more I’ve read and subsequently donated to worthy causes. I still pick up an insane number of new … Continue reading
The media is the message
I really had every intention of skipping the presidential debates this year. It’s not as if I am an undecided voter. Far from it, as I consider many of my inherent civil rights to be at risk this year more than in any year past. And it’s not as if I don’t enjoy a good … Continue reading
Say hello to man’s new best friends
I first met Darius as he careened past me in a doorway, attempting to dart down the stairs behind us. It was a bit of a shock, frankly. This was my first visit to a no-kill animal shelter, and wasn’t quite prepared for how overwhelming the experience would be. I’d always wanted a cat of … Continue reading
52/1: The varieties of horror
I’d like to clear up a bit of a myth — you can actually follow either Animal Man or Swamp Thing without reading the other. Writers Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder have clearly spent the first year of the two titles building a common world with a number of common elements and themes, but they … Continue reading
52/1: Myth and wonder, blood and brothers
One year into DC’s reboot of their primary continuity, known as the New 52, Idler comics writer Matt Santori-Griffith and co-editor Gavin Craig are taking stock of some of the high points. This week, they talk about Wonder Woman’s revitalized mythology, and how family seems to be a central concern of the best titles of … Continue reading
52/1: The girl most likely to
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve wanted to write this column since before I had a column to write. And I’ve had butterflies in my stomach about it for almost just as long. Batgirl, and by extension its cowl-bearing character Barbara Gordon, isn’t just my favorite book on the stands. She’s my … Continue reading
52/1: The Bat
One year into DC’s reboot of their primary continuity, known as the New 52, Idler comics writer Matt Santori-Griffith and co-editor Gavin Craig are taking stock of some of the high points. This week, at Gavin’s insistence, they’re starting things off by talking about Batman and Batman and Robin. — Matt: Jumping right in, have … Continue reading
Bogey men
When I was a little kid, probably about six or seven years old, I had this recurring nightmare: A tall thin man would float outside my second floor bedroom window. He was always dressed in a black business suit, and had a gaunt profile with thinning white hair. I could never quite make out his features through the … Continue reading
Hopelessly devoted
Anyone who knows me at all knows I am not particularly musical. It’s not just that I can’t play an instrument or carry much of a tune. I don’t even have much of an ear for music. My iPod, at any given time, has about a dozen songs on it — ones that would make … Continue reading
