Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

Essential Batman stories every fan should read – part 1

Posted on September 20, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

A while ago, reader Dave Shevlin wrote to me about his latest project of picking somewhere around 30 or so of his favorite Bat-centric tales for an imaginary deluxe volume and challenged me to do the same. The idea would … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Al Milgrom, Ben Oda, Bill Finger, Bob Brown, Bob Kane, Charles Paris, Denny O'Neil, Dick Giordano, Frank Miller, Glynis Wein, Ira Schnapp, Irv Novick, Jean Izzo, Jerry Serpe, John Costanza, John Workman, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley, Marshall Rogers, Milt Snappin, Neal Adams, Ray Holloway, Sheldon Moldoff, Stan Kaye, Stan Starkman, Steve Englehart, Terry Austin, Walt Simonson | Leave a comment

50 glass-shattering entrances

Posted on September 14, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Tomorrow is Gotham Calling’s fourth anniversary. I usually mark these occasions with a compilation of kicks in the head (accompanied by exciting, onomatopoeic sound effects). However, this year I’ve decided to celebrate another longstanding tradition of Batman comics, namely the … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF BATMAN COMICS | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (September)

Posted on September 6, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Your Steptember reminder that comics can be awesome… Habibi The Invisibles (v2) #21 Mesmo Delivery NEXT: Batman breaks the glass ceiling.

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO AWESOMENESS | Tagged Chris Weston, Craig Thompson, Daniel Vozzo, Habibi, Invisibles, Marcus Penna, Mesmo Delivery, Rafael Grampá, Ray Kryssing | Leave a comment

Taking a break… (August 2018)

Posted on August 17, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Batman: Black and White #1

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Tagged Moebius | Leave a comment

On Mission: Impossible, the film series

Posted on August 14, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

The last post was all about my love for the classic Mission: Impossible TV series. But what about the recent movie franchise? Well, that’s a whole other beast. Sure, there are superficial connections, the most obvious ones being the catchy … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged espionage, Mission Impossible, movies | Leave a comment

On Mission: Impossible, the original TV series

Posted on August 11, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

After a whole month looking at spy fiction, it’s only fair I give you my take on the latest summer blockbuster, the spy thriller Mission: Impossible – Fallout. I’ll do that in the next post, though. First, some words about … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Cold War, espionage, Mission Impossible, movies, politics | Leave a comment

Batman vs robot dinosaurs

Posted on August 6, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Gotham Knights #32 With Jurassic World having become one of the highest grossing movie franchises of recent years, I kept waiting for the inevitable article pointing out that, if you’re into this sort of material, there is a much more satisfying … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged 2000AD, Bill Finger, Bob Wiacek, Burnley, Charles Paris, David V. Reed, David Vern, dinosaurs, Graham Nolan, Jerry Serpe, Julie Schwartz, Julius Schwartz, Mike Grell, Pat Mills, Paul Cooper, Sheldon Moldoff, Silver Age | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (August)

Posted on August 2, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Your monthly reminder that comics can be awesome… Aetheric Mechanics Captain America #106 East of West #5

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO AWESOMENESS | Tagged Aetheric Mechanics, Captain America, Chris Dreier, East of West, Frank Giacoia, Frank Martin, Gianluca Pagliarani, Jack Kirby, Nick Dragotta, Rus Wooton, Sam Rosen, science fiction, Stan Lee, Tom Mullin | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Polar

Posted on July 30, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

July is the month of spy comics at Gotham Calling. This year, I’ve discussed the black & white indie series Queen & Country and the over-the-top early adventures of the one-eyed super-spy Nick Fury. Today, I’m looking at a more … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Cold War, espionage, noir, Polar, Victor Santos | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Jimmy’s Bastards

Posted on July 24, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

In the fourth week of this year’s Gotham Calling spy month, we’re looking at Jimmy’s Bastards, a recently completed mini-series about a thinly-veiled version of James Bond, called Jimmy Regent (because Bond and Regent are both London tube stations, get … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Dave Gibbons, espionage, Garth Ennis, James Bond, Jimmy's Bastards, John Kalisz, Mark Millar, movies, politics, Rob Steen, Russ Braun | 1 Comment