Tag Archives: horror

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (3 February 2025)

Posted on February 3, 2025 by I.M. Baytor

I’m setting aside splash pages, for a bit. Instead, in February, these weekly reminders that comics can be awesome will be excerpts of sequences that have stuck in my mind. Over the past years one of my ‘guilty’ pleasures has … Continue reading →

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO AWESOMENESS | Tagged Aditya Bidikar, Fernando Blanco, horror, James Tynion IV, Jordie Bellaire, politics, W0rldtr33 | Leave a comment

2024’s Book of the Year

Posted on January 1, 2025 by I.M. Baytor

The fact that the second volume of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters finally came out should’ve made the pick for Gotham Calling’s 2024 Book of the Year a clincher. Emil Ferris’ long-and-eagerly-awaited continuation of her dense, brilliant debut opus keeps … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged Bill Everett, Cold War, David Small, Emil Ferris, Gene Colan, horror, Joe Maneely, Michael J. Vassallo, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Pete Morisi, science fiction, Venus, Werner Roth | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (18 November 2024)

Posted on November 18, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

I’m a huge sucker for subgenres, niche branches of cultural production that are quite specific in their parameters but nevertheless spur a fair share of outputs, with variations that are mostly of interest to devoted experts/fans, usually capturing a momentary … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Adam Kubert, Anthony Tollin, Arthur Suydam, Bob Budiansky, Bob McLeod, Captain Britain, covers, Dick Giordano, Doom Patrol, Dracula, Erik Larsen, Fantastic Four, Gaspar Saladino, Ghost Rider, horror, Joe Sinnott, Legion of Super-Heroes, Metal Men, Mike Sekowsky, movies, Nikos Koutsis, Ron Frenz, Savage Dragon, Spectre, Steve Lightle, Stuart Immonen, Thor, Todd Doney, Tom Mandrake, Tom Taggart, Wolverine | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (28 October 2024)

Posted on October 28, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

First, some housekeeping: I’m still struggling to conciliate the blog with other commitments, but instead of going on yet another hiatus, I’m shifting into a biweekly rhythm, so the longer Thursday posts will now appear only every other week (the … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Artie Simek, Bill Everett, Christopher Rule, covers, D. Bruce Berry, Dick Ayers, Dr. Mabuse, George Klein, horror, Jack Kirby, Journey into Mystery, Kamandi, movies, politics, Stan Goldberg, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish | Leave a comment

Even more Batman movies without Batman – cult movies edition

Posted on October 24, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

I get a huge kick exploring various connections within pop culture, including the thematic and stylistic links between Batman comics and cinema. To be fair, many of the comics are quite open about their influences, to the point that one … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Cold War, espionage, horror, movies, noir | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (22 July 2024)

Posted on July 22, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

This week, one more tribute to the underappreciated fusion subgenre of superhero horror:

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Adam Kubert, Alex Kotzky, Animal Man, Anthony Tollin, Aquaman, Batgirl, Bill Sienkiewicz, Blond, Brian Bolland, covers, David Lapham, DCeased, Detective Comics, Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows, Gaspar Saladino, Guy Major, horror, Jeehyung Lee, Legion of Super-Heroes, Marie Severin, Mike Esposito, New Mutants, Nick Cardy, Plastic Man, Spider-Woman, Steve Lightle, Wolverine | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (17 June 2024)

Posted on June 17, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

Jim Aparo was especially good at ghost stories, even if he did solid work on all kinds of different comics, from war to romance… And, boy, did he draw some awesome covers:

Posted in GLIMPSES INTO THE PAST | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Adventure Comics, Aquaman, Bob Agnew, covers, Flash, Gaspar Saladino, Ghostly Tales, horror, House of Myst, Jim Aparo, Phantom Stranger, Tatjana Wood, Texas Rangers in Action, The Phantom, Todd Klein, Weird War Tales | Leave a comment

Runners-up for 2023’s book of the year

Posted on March 7, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

While ultimately no comic could top Shubeik Lubeik as Gotham Calling’s book of the year, there were strong contenders I left out but which I think deserve highlighting anyway… Now, I haven’t been reading as much as I used to, … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged A Guest in the House, Annette Kwok, Arif Prianto, Benoit Dahan, Brad Simpson, Cyril Lieron, Daniel Clowes, Emily Carroll, Felipe Sobreiro, Gene Ha, Gospel, Hi-Fi, horror, Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes, Jock, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Local Man, Monica, Nicola Scott, Phil Jimenez, Romulo Fajardo Jr, Sherlock Holmes, Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, Wesley Wong, Will Morris, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment

Gotham Calling’s 120 Cold War movies – part 12

Posted on February 15, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

We’ve arrived at the end of Gotham Calling’s long-running Cold War cinema retrospective… And if you think depictions of the conflict were winding down in the final years, you’re in for a surprise. This is probably the bloodiest – and … Continue reading →

Posted in COLD WAR CINEMA | Tagged Cold War, espionage, horror, movies, politics, science fiction, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Gotham Calling’s 120 Cold War movies – part 11

Posted on February 1, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

We are now entering the final stage of Gotham Calling’s mega-list of Cold War cinema… and we are firmly in Reaganite territory, including an obsession with foreign intervention along with a vigorous resurgence of nuclear panic. 101. Threads (UK, 1984) … Continue reading →