Tag Archives: politics

Spy comics: revisiting World War I

Posted on July 28, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last posts, you know that this month I’ve been discussing cool spy comics. Historically associated with imperial rivalry and pointless carnage in the public imagination, World War I doesn’t seem to have inspired nearly as … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Alex Grecian, Bruno Garcia, espionage, Fabien Nury, Petrograd, Philip Gelatt, Pierre Alary, politics, Riley Rossmo, Silas Corey, Tyler Crook | Leave a comment

Spy comics: black ops

Posted on July 20, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

As you’ve probably noticed by now, this month at Gotham Calling is all about spy fiction. The thing about spy yarns is that the tradecraft can be the real star of the story. Even when the leads aren’t … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Checkmate, Cold War, espionage, Gabriel Morrissette, Greg Rucka, John Byrne, Jordan Gibson, Kyle Latino, Mitch Gerads, Nathan Edmondson, Paul Kupperberg, politics, Steve Erwin, The Activity | Leave a comment

Spy comics: badass thrillers

Posted on July 13, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

As I explained last week, throughout July I’m recommending various spy comics here at the blog, trying to show that stories of espionage can serve both as a way to expose hidden processes taking place around us and … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Andy Diggle, espionage, James Bond, Jason Masters, Jonathan Hickman, Luca Casalanguida, Michael Garland, politics, Ryan Bodenheim, Secret, Warren Ellis | Leave a comment

Spy comics: revisiting the Cold War

Posted on July 6, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Every once in a while, I like to shift gears and spotlight comics or films set outside Gotham City. Once a year, I take this one step further and devote a whole month to non-Batman comics. This time around, I … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Alex de Campi, Antony Johnston, Blond, Cold War, Ed Brubaker, Elizabeth Breitweiser, espionage, Greg Rucka, Jean-Christophe Thibert, noir, politics, Sam Hart, Steve Epting, Steven Perkins, The Coldest City, Tony Parker, Velvet | Leave a comment

Things you can learn from Barbara Gordon comics

Posted on June 14, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Besides kicking ass as Batgirl, over the years Barbara Gordon has been a librarian, a member of Congress, and a first-rate hacker who – under the codename Oracle – supplied intelligence to the crime-fighting community of Gotham City. The combination … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Chuck Dixon, politics | Leave a comment

Scars of Vietnam in Gotham City

Posted on June 1, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

As an embodiment of changing fads and obsessions of US pop culture, Batman’s adventures could hardly stay immune to the social impact of the Vietnam War. And while the Caped Crusader’s TV incarnation could initially be seen advertising war bonds, … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alan Grant, Cold War, Dave Hornung, Dick Giordano, Elaine Lee, Frank Robbins, Gabriel Morrissette, Garth Ennis, Gotham City, Jim Aparo, Keith Giffen, Mike Friedrich, Mike Vosburg, Mike W. Barr, Neal Adams, Norm Breyfogle, politics, Robert Loren Fleming, Ron McCain, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Doug Moench’s over-the-top Batman

Posted on February 14, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

After an (unfortunately still) underappreciated run in Batman and Detective Comics in the mid-1980s, Doug Moench took a break for about five years before returning to Gotham City with a new attitude. If his earlier work had an emphasis on … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Dan Brown, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, espionage, Grant Morrison, horror, J.H. Williams III, John Beatty, Kelley Jones, Mick Gray, politics, Russ Heath | 1 Comment

Futuristic war comics

Posted on December 20, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story delivers a pretty solid aliens-on-a-mission yarn, its unpretentious blend of dirty action and brazen fan service is bound to split the critical opinion. So far, the film has at least stirred up some … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Bad Company, Brett Ewins, Brian K. Vaughan, Dave Gibbons, Fiona Staples, Frank Miller, Jim McCarthy, Martha Washington, Matt Hollingsworth, movies, Peter Milligan, politics, Rufus Dayglo, science fiction, space opera, Star Wars, Steve Skroce, We Stand On Guard | Leave a comment

Doug Moench’s literary Batman

Posted on December 15, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

Doug Moench is up there as one of the most prolific writers of Batman comics ever. From an unforgettable 1983 tale about tentacle sex until the 2009 mini-series Unseen – in which the Dark Knight battles the Invisible Man – … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alan Moore, Alfredo Alcala, Bob Smith, Cold War, Don Newton, Doug Moench, Gene Colan, Gerry Conway, Joey Cavalieri, Mike W. Barr, Paul Kupperberg, politics, Tom Mandrake | 4 Comments

Gotham City elections

Posted on December 12, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

For some reason, the electoral process has been on my mind. And so I turned, as I often do, to Batman comics in order to reassure myself that, as screwed up as politics appear to be at the moment in … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Gotham City, politics | Leave a comment