Category Archives: FANTASTIC ADVENTURES

Spotlight on The Adventures of Tintin – part 2

Posted on February 3, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

If you just look at the artwork in The Adventures of Tintin, it’s hard to deny the series’ ethnocentrism, since Hergé’s drawings – as was usual at the time – tap on recognizable stereotypes. If you look closely at the … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Bob de Moor, Cold War, Hergé, movies, politics, science fiction, Tintin | Leave a comment

Spotlight on The Adventures of Tintin – part 1

Posted on January 27, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

Something I would like to do more this year is to write about Eurocomics – especially the old Franco-Belgian bande dessinée albums that were such a huge part of my childhood. Today, let’s have a closer look at just a … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Hergé, politics, science fiction, Tintin, World War II | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (8 November 2021)

Posted on November 8, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This weekend, I too went to see Dune: Part One, Denis Villeneuve’s majestic – if largely monochromatic and, despite the heat, coldly assembled – adaptation of the first half of the first book of Frank Herbert’s heady space opera. Given … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Boy Commandos, Cold War, Dune, horror, Jack Kirby, Louis Cazeneuve, movies, politics, science fiction | Leave a comment

Another 12 cool sci-fi short stories

Posted on July 15, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This year there was no entry into Gotham Calling’s winter tradition of spotlighting sci-fi war comics. I’ll compensate with yet another list of short stories that similarly treat science fiction, not so much as a challenging, head-scratching experience, but as … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Al Feldstein, Alan Moore, Bernie Krigstein, Bill Gaines, Christian Gossett, Cold War, David Lloyd, Del Close, Dezi Sienty, Edmond Hamilton, Epic Illustrated, Frank Frazetta, Gardner Fox, Geoff Johns, Harvey Kurtzman, Howard Nostrand, Jack Potter, Jerry Grandenetti, Jim Wroten, Joe Giella, John Higgins, John Ostrander, Jordie Bellaire, Lee Mars, Marie Severin, Martin DeMuth, Metal Hurlant, Mystery in Space, Nat Barnett, noir, politics, science fiction, Sid Greene, Snakebite, Steve Craddock, Strange Adventures, The Spirit, Time Warp, Tom Fowler, Tom King, Wasteland, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, Will Eisner, Witches Tales | Leave a comment

A couple of mind-bending novels

Posted on June 17, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

It’s been a while since I’ve discussed books without pictures in this blog… And since the world seems to be struggling to return to a form of normality these days, let’s have a look at a couple of remarkable novels … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Angela Carter, books without pictures, China Miéville, Cold War, politics, science fiction, The City & The City, The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman, The War of Dreams | Leave a comment

Anatomy of John Constantine Hellblazer #7-8

Posted on February 18, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

Throughout 2020, two comic book series consistently had a blast translating Brexit-era chauvinism into supernatural horror. One of them was Kieron Gillen’s, Dan Mora’s, and Tamra Bonvillain’s Once & Future, in which the British past – even the imaginary version … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Aaron Campbell, Brian Azzarello, Hellblazer, horror, John Paul Leon, Jordie Bellaire, Kieron Gillen, Matías Bergara, politics, Richard Corben, Simon Spurrier | Leave a comment

Neat B-level horror short stories

Posted on October 29, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Last year I celebrated Halloween by posting about ten brilliant horror comic book short stories. I could easily fill another post with ten gems – after all, cool horror anthologies are a dime a dozen in this medium… However, this … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Adventure Comics, Al Feldstein, Archie Goodwin, Bill Gaines, Bob Powell, Charlotte Jetter, D-PI, Ed Hamilton, Eerie, Fantastic Fears, George Evans, George Roussos, Gerry Conway, Haunt of Fear, Haunt of Horror, horror, House of Mystery, Jack Kamen, Jack Younger, Jim Aparo, Jim Macdonald, Jim Wroten, Joe Orlando, John Albano, Johnny Craig, Ken Battefield, Metal Hurlant, Mort Meskin, Narie Severin, Neal Adams, Nicolas Jean, Otto Binder, Ralph Reese, Reed Crandall, Rith Roche, Russ Jones, Shock SuspenStories, Simon Bowland, Syd Shores, Tales from the Crypt, This Magazine is Haunted, Wayne Howard, Yann Valeani | Leave a comment

Alternative futures – part 2

Posted on October 15, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

After a week binging the growing subgenre of paranoia-inducing documentaries about paranoia-inducing social media (The Social Dilemma, Agents of Chaos, The Great Hack), a lot of science fiction has come to feel positively *quaint* in comparison with the current times… … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Alem Curin, Alex de Campi, Alice Duke, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brian K. Vaughan, Butch Guice, Chuck Dixon, Colleen Doran, Dan McDaid, Diego Rodriguez, espionage, Felipe Sobreiro, Igor Kordey, Jesse Hamm, Jorge Zaffino, Julie Michel, Mack Chater, Marcos Martin, Milton, Muntsa Vicent, politics, R.M. Guéra, Richard Pace, science fiction, Smoke, The Private Eye, Winterworld | Leave a comment

Alternative futures – part 1

Posted on October 8, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

As I’ve pointed out before, this year has brought to life elements from various works of science fiction. However, the appeal of sci-fi is not always realistic accuracy… there is also plenty of fun to be had with counter-intuitive imagination. … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2001 A Space Odyssey, 2020 Visions, Arthur C. Clarke, Elmer, Frank Quitely, Gerry Alanguilan, Jack Kirby, James Romberger, James Sinclair, Jamie Delano, Mike Royer, politics, science fiction, Steve Pugh, Warren Pleece | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (27 July 2020)

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

I wasn’t a fan of last year’s reboot of The Twilight Zone, but somebody convinced me to check out some of the second season’s episodes. Although they’re a mixed bag and still highly derivative, there is definitely some improvement. The … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged covers, Dick Dillin, Ira Schnapp, Jack Adler, My Greatest Adventure, Nick Cardy, Ruben Moreira, Sheldon Moldoff | Leave a comment