Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

Gotham Calling’s 120 Cold War movies – part 4

Posted on October 26, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

It’s time for another installment of Gotham Calling’s journey through Cold War cinema! Mixing classics with lesser-known gems, the selection below oscillates between the Cold War’s domestic, geopolitical, and fully global stakes, as the conflict’s effects are shown threatening both … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (23 October 2023)

Posted on October 23, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

The past weeks were spent watching war crimes and an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, counting down to further escalation. I’ve been feeding the blog with posts I had written in advance, mostly as a way to take brief breaks away from … Continue reading →

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A couple of very fun sci-fi books

Posted on October 18, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

The early Cold War era was a time not just of great sci-fi cinema, but also of awesome sci-fi literature… and, contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t all doom and gloom either. Here are a couple of books, by two … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (16 October 2023)

Posted on October 16, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Today’s reminder that comic books can be awesome is a tribute to Mike and Laura Allred, who have perfected a mix of pop art and superheroes in their Madman comics:

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Gotham Calling’s 120 Cold War movies – part 3

Posted on October 12, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Welcome back to Gotham Calling’s ongoing list of notable films that gave an audiovisual expression to the Cold War (previous installments here and here). This time around, many of my choices are less explicit, as by the mid-1950s sci-fi horror … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (9 October 2023)

Posted on October 9, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

As the world spirals further into a hellhole of wars, refugees, and climate disasters, I take small pleasures where I can find them… This week’s reminder that comics can be awesome is yet another tribute to Jack Kirby, who spent … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of Batman #167

Posted on October 5, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Batman comics have borrowed and blended different storytelling traditions from the get-go, but never was this more apparent than in the Silver Age, when writers constantly pillaged all sorts of books, films, and trends for inspiration (as opposed to more … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (2 October 2023)

Posted on October 2, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

October’s first reminder that comic books can be awesome is a tribute to the voluptuous femmes fatales who were all over the covers of Golden Age comics:

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Gotham Calling’s 120 Cold War movies – part 2

Posted on September 28, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

The second post in this 12-part series about Cold War cinema focuses on the early 1950s, when the conflict reached its first peak, in Europe as well as in Asia. The films below are all profoundly shaped by the booming … Continue reading →

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COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (25 September 2023)

Posted on September 25, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Just a reminder that comic books’ sound effects can be awesome: Copra #3

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