Tag Archives: politics

Political thrillers in Gotham City

Posted on September 7, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Detective Comics #801 Political thrillers are one of my favorite genres. I crave witty, cunning characters and intricate plots that combine micro and macro scales while turning the political process into thrilling suspense and clever maneuvers, both because it’s a … Continue reading →

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A couple of grim sci-fi novels

Posted on April 14, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Gotham Calling is still primarily a blog about comics, but I’m also enjoying posting about other books on my bedside table. They’re genre narratives as well – and many of their themes and concepts overlap with those of the comics … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Spirou & Fantasio, 1946-1957

Posted on March 30, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Since I did a couple of posts about The Adventures of Tintin a while back, I guess it was a matter of time before I got around to writing about Spirou & Fantasio, the other major classic series of Belgian … Continue reading →

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Another couple of British spy novels

Posted on March 8, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Along with Eurocomics and old TV shows, I also like to use Gotham Calling to highlight cool spy novels. Here are a couple of British contributions to the genre that should please any self-respecting afficionados: BERLIN GAME (Len Deighton, 1983) … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Lucky Luke, 1949-1958 – part 2

Posted on February 23, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Last week, I mentioned that humor played a key role in Lucky Luke from the very beginning. Today, I want to take a closer look at the types of humor developed in the series’ earliest years… The Bluefeet are Coming! … Continue reading →

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A couple of very cool space adventure novels

Posted on February 9, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

So, I finally started watching Andor and it’s as neat as I’d heard. It’s Star Wars as a taut cyberpunk heist, compelingly acted and with enough of a distinct vibe to feel more satisfying than the endless retread of the … Continue reading →

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Catching up with war comics

Posted on January 18, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Every once in a while, Dead Reckoning – an imprint of the U.S. Naval Institute’s book-publishing division – sends me graphic novels to review in Gotham Calling. Last year they sent me The Lions of Leningrad and The Stretcher Bearers, … Continue reading →

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On Santa Prisca

Posted on January 5, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

I’ve long been obsessed with the DCU’s fictitious geography and the way it condenses, combines, and caricatures cultural stereotypes – just like Gotham does for New York and other urban centers of the USA (over time, the city has become … Continue reading →

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A couple of 21st-century spy novels

Posted on October 26, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

Another post based on my summer reads… Besides science fiction, as always I also spent part of my break reading spy yarns. The last time I wrote about this type of books in the blog I focused on a couple … Continue reading →

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If you like The Big Lebowski…

Posted on October 12, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these! After the critically acclaimed maturity and sensitivity of Fargo, Joel and Ethan Coen pulled yet another switch by delivering a stoner crime comedy packed with profanity (it was as if … Continue reading →

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