Tag Archives: science fiction

More Batman movies without Batman

Posted on June 22, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 I was hoping to be back to longer posts this month, but it has been one hell of a year, so I’ll just stick to the regular COMICS CAN BE AWESOME section for a while … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged espionage, horror, movies, noir, science fiction | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged books without pictures, Cold War, horror, John Christopher, politics, science fiction, Stanislaw Lem | Leave a comment

A dozen classic 2000 AD covers

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

Since this year’s weekly reminders that comics can be awesome have been focusing on splash pages, double spreads, and short sequences of interior artwork, it’s been a while since I’ve highlighted covers, which are actually one of my favorite features … Continue reading →

Posted in AWESOME COVERS | Tagged 2000 AD, Alan Davis, Brendan McCarthy, Brett Ewins, Bryan Talbot, Carlos Ezquerra, covers, Dave Gibbons, Ian Gibson, Mike McMahon, science fiction, Steve Dillon | Leave a comment

When comics are COMICS

Posted on March 16, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

When I use the word ‘comics,’ it can mean different things. I can be talking about the medium itself, that is to say sequences of visibly still images that tell a story or develop an idea, including such remarkable literary … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Adventureman, Andy Suriano, Charlatan Ball, Clayton Cowles, David Hine, Dearbhla Kelly, Fábio Moon, Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency, Fred van Lente, Gabriel Bá, horror, Jack Kirby, Jennifer Blood, Jerry Choo, Joe Casey, Joseph Cooper, Kinsun Loh, Liv Strömquist, Marc Letzmann, Matt Fraction, Nate Powell, Ninjettes, Organisms from an Ancient Cosmos, Rachel Dodson, Richard S. Dargan, Roy Allan Martinez, Rus Wooton, S. Craig Zahler, science fiction, Terry Dodson, Wayne Nichols, Will Voley | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged books without pictures, Eric John Stark, espionage, Foundation, Isaac Asimov, Leigh Brackett, politics, science fiction, Star Wars | Leave a comment

More cool episodes of Mission: Impossible

Posted on January 11, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

This is Gotham Calling’s 600th post! As usual, I like to signal these benchmarks with longer listicles (a hundred posts ago I listed my favorite westerns), so today I’m doing a follow-up to the post from last September ranking the … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Cold War, espionage, Mission Impossible, movies, science fiction | Leave a comment

A couple of deservedly acclaimed futuristic novels

Posted on September 28, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

Another post about science fiction, but this one looking beyond comic books… Reading old novels set in the future can be fun in different ways. On the one hand, it’s fascinating to see how other eras imagined (accurately or not) … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged books without pictures, espionage, Foundation, Isaac Asimov, Neuromancer, politics, science fiction, Warren Ellis, William Gibson | Leave a comment

Cool trips into the multiverse

Posted on September 22, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

Movie blockbusters have been moving into an ouroboros-like postmodern entropy for a while, from Ready Player One and the LEGO franchise to Space Jam: A New Legacy and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, not to mention the whole MCU meta-series … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Casanova, Christian Ward, Cris Peter, Daniel Clowes, Dustin Harvin, Fábio Moon, Felipe Sobreiro, Gabriel Bá, Infinite Vacation, Jeff Powell, Matt Fraction, Motherlands, movies, Nick Spencer, Pete Woods, Rachel Stott, science fiction, Simon Bowland, Simon Spurrier, Stephen Byrne | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (18 July 2022)

Posted on July 18, 2022 by I.M. Baytor

This week’s reminder that comic book covers can be awesome is a tribute to sci-fi thrillers. While not all of these can be classified as cyberpunk (especially the ones made way before this subgenre even gained shape), they share a … Continue reading →

Posted in AWESOME COVERS | Tagged Artie Simek, Brett Ewins, Clyde Caldwell, covers, Dark Horse Presents, Descender, Doom Patrol, Dustin Nguyen, Gene Fawcette, Geof Darrow, Heavy Metal, Horror Tales, Johnny Bruck, Johnny Nemo, Juan Jose Ryp, Nathan Eyring, Paul Guinan, Robocop, science fiction, Simon Bisley, Stan Goldberg, Steve Ditko, Strange Days, Strange Planets, Tales of Suspense, Transmetropolitan | 2 Comments

If you like The Hudsucker Proxy…

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

For their fifth film, Joel and Ethan Coen went back to the slapstick tone and rhythm of Raising Arizona, once again channeling the Looney Tunes, only this time around blended with the flavor of old Hollywood screwball comedies about big … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Coen brothers, movies, politics, Sam Raimi, science fiction, Will Eisner | Leave a comment