Tag Archives: politics

Spotlight on The Unknown Soldier, 1988-1989 – part 1

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

At a time when pavlovian pundits and politicians seem keen to revive Cold War rhetoric and imagery, (mis)applying it to the conflict taking place in Ukraine, perhaps it is worth remembering that even during the Cold War itself there were … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Carl Gafford, Christopher Priest, Cold War, Denny O'Neil, espionage, James Owsley, John Costanza, Phil Gascoine, politics, Unknown Soldier, Vietnam | Leave a comment

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

2021’s book of the year

Posted on January 13, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

First, a disclaimer: Rutu Modan’s latest graphic novel, Tunnels, has been translated to English and published by Drawn & Quarterly last year… and whenever a new Modan book comes out, the chances of it being my favorite comic of that … Continue reading →

Posted in BOOKS OF THE YEAR | Tagged Aditya Bidikar, Barry Windsor-Smith, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Stewart, Department of Truth, Dylan Todd, Elsa Charretier, EPHK, horror, James Harren, James Tynion IV, Juni Ba, Martin Simmonds, Matt Hollingsworth, politics, Roman Titov, Rus Wooton, science fiction, Tyler Boss, Ultramega | Leave a comment

Animal war comics – part 2

Posted on December 29, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you read last week’s post, you know I’ve been discussing war comics that prominently feature animals. This week, let’s start by looking at 2004’s science-gone-wrong mini-series We3, about a trio of weaponized animal cyborgs (a dog, a cat, and … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Ben Towle, Brahm Revel, Dogs of War, Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Guerillas, Jamie Grant, Luke Pearson, Nathan Fox, politics, science fiction, Sheila Keenan, Todd Klein, Vietnam, WE3, World War II | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (27 December 2021)

Posted on December 27, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

It turned out Spider-Man: No Way Home was the final positive surprise of 2021. After the disappointment of the tired, hacky Black Widow and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, we’re finally back on track with a … Continue reading →

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged 1963, Alan Moore, Astro City, Calendar Man, Carmen Carnero, Chuck Dixon, Dave Gibbons, Don Simpson, Glenn Whitmore, Joe Staton, John Costanza, John Roshell, Kurt Busiek, movies, Peter Pantazis, politics, Rick Veitch, Spider-Man, Stephen Bissette | Leave a comment

Animal war comics – part 1

Posted on December 23, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

Once again, the folks at Dead Reckoning have sent me one of their graphic novels to review: Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat, in which Ben Towle spotlights the historical role of different creatures in various wars. Like last time, I … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Art Spiegelman, Brian K. Vaughan, Cat Shit One, Cesar Lopez-Vera, Cold War, Dodderio, Enemy Ace, Joe Kubert, John Wagner, Juan Arancio, Motofumi Kobayashi, Niko Henrichon, Pat Mills, politics, Ramon Solá, Robert Kanigher, Shako, Vietnam, World War II | Leave a comment

Gotham Calling’s top 50 westerns

Posted on December 16, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This is Gotham Calling’s 500th post! I like to mark these round numbers with humorous tours of Batman’s quirkiest villains but, since I’ve already done one of those earlier this year, this time around I’ll go for something more original … Continue reading →

Posted in WILD WEST | Tagged Cold War, David Lapham, horror, movies, politics, Quentin Tarantino, western | 5 Comments

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

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (25 October 2021)

Posted on October 25, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

With Halloween just around the corner, this is usually the time of the year to share some thoughts about horror… When it comes to cinema and television, one of the most vibrant trends in recent years has been labelled Prestige … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Alien Worlds, Artie Simek, Astonishing, Baffling Mysteries, Bill Everett, Black Cat, Bob Brown, Chamber of Chills, Charles Sultan, covers, Crypt of Shadows, Danny Crespi, Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, Frank Giacoia, Frank Robbins, Fred Kida, George Tuska, Ghostly Tales, Ghosts, Gus Ricca, Haunted Love, horror, House of Secrets, Jack Davis, Jim McLaughlin, Joe Maneely, Larry Lieber, Lee Elias, Marvel Tales, Mike Esposito, movies, My Greatest Adventure, Mystic, Mystical Tales, Nick Cardy, Nicola Cuti, Out of This World, politics, Ron Wilson, Russ Heath, Stan Goldberg, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Strange Tales, Tales from the Crypt, Tatjana Wood, The Beyond, Tom Sutton, Warren Kremer, Weird Horrors, William G. Stout | Leave a comment