Mr. Jamaal Thomas regrets that it is impossible for him to: Read manuscripts, write articles to order, write forewords or introductions, make statements for publicity purposes, do any kind of editorial work, judge literary or artistic contests, give interviews, take part in conferences, answer questionnaires or any other internet meme, contribute to or take part in symposiums or panels of any kind, contribute articles for sales, donate copies of his work to libraries, autograph works or t-shirts for strangers, allow his name to be used on letterheads, supply personal information about himself, or supply opinions on comic books or any other subject. (All apologies to the master, Mr. Wilson). I tumbl at Infected Worldmind.
I loved everything about the first few issues of Azzarello and Chiang’s Wonder Woman. When Chiang was briefly rotated off the title, my love dimmed, even though Akins is a more than capable artist. Chiang returned to the series for the seventh issue, but I fear that it’s too late. My love has faded.
I. Everybody Talking About Changing the World, the World Ain’t Never Gonna Change In the summer of 2011, I came up with a plan. I would collaborate with Chris Eckert on a post previewing DC’s relaunch of its line of superhero comics, and write a series of brief posts in subsequent months that would discuss [...]
Six months after DC’s historic line wide relaunch, it’s become clear that the artists have taken over. The four best books from the first wave — Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman and Animal Man — all have talented writers, but with all due respect to Messrs. Azzarello, Lemire and Snyder, the art is the primary appeal. [...]
We’re joined this episode by David Brothers, and he brought with him a classic Marvel run: Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr. on Daredevil! This isn’t the gritty noir Daredevil modern readers have grown to expect: It contains a critique of factory farming! Philosophical (and physical) fights about feminism! (And DD joking!) The Inhumans! (And [...]
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I’ve been meaning to write about comics for about two months, but life got in the way. Family, work, holidays… you know the spiel. I haven’t stopped reading comics (as evidenced by my Twitter feed), but between the controversies about salaries and work conditions at Marvel Comics, the Kirby (and Ghost Rider) litigations, diversity in [...]
Welcome to 2012! Back in the dying days of 2011, we sat down and looked at some of DC’s “New 52″ titles a few issues in. Titles discussed include: Action Comics by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales and others Batman & Robin by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Batwoman [...]
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Another New York Comic Con has come and gone… The FBB crew ran wild during the annual pop culture festival that reminds us that we have the best and the worst hobby in the world. We drank, ate, schmoozed with creators and held our annual FBB/4L reunion sans David “Benedict Arnold” Brothers. We also drank. [...]
As the seasons change, Funnybook Babylon returns to look back on the work of Jeff Lemire! We reviewed Sweet Tooth back in Episode #125 and were divided on its relative quality, but after two additional volumes we are united: it’s pretty great. But don’t take our word for it! The first eleven issues are available [...]
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This is going to be a quick one. I’ve been thinking about canon, alternate takes on Marvel/DC properties, cultural ownership and the artificial rules of storytelling in fictional storytelling over the last couple of days. I’m still working through some ideas on the latter two, but I want to spend a little time on the [...]
Hey gang! How’s your summer been? We’ve obviously been busy, but we found time to record a podcast awhile back, and now it’s up! We reviewed the five books up for the Best Single Issue Eisner. Obviously the Eisners have passed, and you all know who won, but that doesn’t stop us from having strong [...]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:02 — 53.6MB)
With the flood of news last week from San Diego, its inevitable that some things will escape notice. Here are two overlooked picks from the San Diego Comic Con, along with some other ephemera. At DC’s Vertigo panel, Derek McCulloch announced Gone to Amerikay, an original graphic novel about Irish immigration to the United States [...]
“Writers don’t do stories specifically to piss off fans. Writers write stories about which they feel passionate and invested. As a reader, you’re entitled to one thing and one thing only: a reading experience in exchange for your purchase. And if you like that reading experience, the expectation is that you’ll come back for more. [...]
Well, the 2011 edition of the San Diego Comic Convention is finally over, and if you’re anything like me, you have a RSS reader filled with dozens of announcements, previews and panel recaps from the Con. It’s a little overwhelming. Here’s a round up of the most intriguing announcements out of the Con this year. [...]
2011 will be a crucial year for DC Comics. In September, DC will relaunch its entire line of superhero books in a bid to expand its audience while holding on to the core of loyal readers. Over the coming months, we’ll see if DC has mastered the delicate art of pleasing everyone – the readers [...]
Welcome to the New Look, New Technology Funnybook Babylon Podcast, powered by Skype and an overenthusiastic Chris editing the show so we all sound like we’re hopped up on amphetamines! We’re taking a look at the Eisner nominees, starting with Nick Spencer. We read Morning Glories and Jimmy Olsen and… we apologize to his fans [...]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:49 — 38.3MB)