Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

A couple of classic science fiction novels

Posted on May 7, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

We are living in sci-fi times – not in the sense that what we are living is fictional, but in the sense that lately reality has been enacting so many tropes of science fiction that it feels like we have … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged books without pictures, H.G. Wells, horror, Left Hand of Darkness, politics, science fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin, War of the Worlds | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (4 May 2020)

Posted on May 4, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Your weekly reminder that comics can be awesome, Weird War Tales edition…

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged covers, horror, Luis Dominguez, Nick Cardy, Weird War Tales, World War II | Leave a comment

On Batman’s title (and logo) pages

Posted on April 30, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been spotlighting one of the trademarks of The Spirit, namely the way Will Eisner and later creators kept adjusting that series’ logo to fit the title pages, ingeniously inserting new designs into each … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Ben Oda, Bob Brown, Bob Kane, Ernie Chua, Irv Novick, J.H. Williams III, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz, Kelley Jones, Ken Lopez, Norm Breyfogle, Pat Brosseau, Todd Klein, Walt Simonson | 1 Comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (27 April 2020)

Posted on April 27, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Your grindhouse reminder that comics can be awesome…

Posted in AWESOME COVERS | Tagged Bitch Planet, covers, Fatale, Francesco Francavilla, Frank Miller, Glenn Fabry, Grindhouse, Preacher, Sean Phillips, Sin City, Valentine de Landro | Leave a comment

On The Spirit’s title pages – part 2

Posted on April 23, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

The Spirit (v2) #3 I tend to be quite distrustful of attempts to update Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Because most creators cannot begin to match Eisner’s experimentalism, the appeal ends up being little more than the curious, nostalgic exercise of … Continue reading →

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged Alan Moore, Aluir Amancio, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob Q, Dan Schkade, Daniel Torres, Daniel Vozzo, Darwyn Cooke, David Hine, Francesco Francavilla, Fred van Lente, Gail Simone, Hilary Barta, horror, J. Bone, Jared Fletcher, Jeph Loeb, John Paul Leon, Mark Evanier, Mark Schultz, Mark Waid, Matt Wagner, Moritat, noir, Paul Smith, Phil Hester, Rob Leigh, Sergio Aragonés, The Spirit, Will Eisner | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (20 April 2020)

Posted on April 20, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

This week, a reminder that Batman comics (and their spin-offs) can look awesome…

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Allen Passalaqua, covers, Ernie Chua, Frank Quitely, J.H. Williams III, Kelley Jones, Michelle Madsen, Mikel Janín, Tatjana Wood, Vince Colletta | Leave a comment

On The Spirit’s title pages – part 1

Posted on April 16, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

At its best, Will Eisner’s post-World War II work on the noir comedy series The Spirt gave us some of the greatest comics ever – not just groundbreaking stuff at the time, but a string of truly ingenious approaches to … Continue reading →

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged Al Wenzel, Jim Dixon, noir, The Spirit, Will Eisner | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (13 April 2020)

Posted on April 13, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

As it often happens in scary times, the horror genre provides both a perversely comforting, vaccine-like sedative against overwhelming anxiety and useful metaphors to consider the wider processes at play. So here is your spooky reminder that comics can be … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Chamber of Chills, covers, Eerie, Frank Frazetta, horror, House of Mystery, Jack Adler, Johnny Craig, Lee Elias, Lou Morales, Neal Adams, The Thing, Vault of Horror, Warren Kremer | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Injection

Posted on April 9, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Between the dystopic aesthetics of armed forces sealing people in their homes while drones patrol the empty streets, the apocalyptic vibe of the world stopping over a contagious invisible menace (not to mention the sheer death toll), the process of … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Declan Shalvey, horror, Injection, James Bond, Jordie Bellaire, science fiction, Warren Ellis | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (6 April 2020)

Posted on April 6, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Things are looking grim out there. At times like these, when I need some distraction and cheering up, nothing beats the classics, by which I mean watching the Golden Age Dynamic Duo kick butts and take names… With that in … Continue reading →

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Bob Kane, Charles Paris, covers, Dick Sprang, Jack Burnley, Jerry Robinson, Jim Mooney, Win Mortimer | Leave a comment