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Comic books have always been where great characters come from. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and many more found their genesis in sequential literature. Warren Ellis, an amazing writer of great depth and versatility, added his contributions to comic book history with his groundbreaking comic, “The Authority.”

“The Authority” and its spinoff “Planetary” introduced us to a host of new characters, most of them Warren Ellis originals. Apollo and the Midnighter are two of the most popular new superheroes he has created. There are great villains like Dr. Randall Dowling, and Ellis’s (more…)

Deadpool, also known as Wade Wilson, is an unusual character even for Marvel. Like many comics characters, he is mentally unstable at the least. He is frequently referred to as “insane”. This is the point where there is a departure from ordinary comics characters. Unlike most of the others, Deadpool knows he is insane.

He has some military training and years of practical experience as a mercenary. He is also equipped with a super healing power. This is a result of some time spent with the Canadian government’s Weapon X program after being diagnosed with cancer.

Deadpool adds (more…)

For years, the growing problem of women and their portrayal in the comic book world has been a source of concern for both male and female readers alike. While it is certainly true that most comic book readers are single men, there are still quite a few women who enjoy the medium and reading about their favorite female superheroes. Unfortunately, the most recent reboot of franchises – the New 52 – doesn’t promise anything new.

Imagine you’re a woman reading about your favorite female superhero Catwoman. In the very beginning of Catwoman’s first issue she is struggling to get dressed as an unseen enemy infiltrates her home (sadly, no ADT Wireless security to help her). The first few pages of the new Catwoman, and many other comics featuring our favorite super heroines, could be considered nothing short of soft core pornography in both their depiction of scantily-clad women and the suggestive poses and dialog that accompany them. This does not bode well for the future of females in comics and, in some ways, represents a step back.

While it is certainly nothing new for female superheroes be portrayed more as sex objects than people, it does present a problem to the female readership. Women who looked up to these heroines in the past will now need to look elsewhere if they are hoping to find positive female role models.

The first issue has two main stories. The first story is actually Spider-Man taking a flashback of how he came to be reveling over the capture of the burglar that murdered his Uncle. Also, this was the first appearance of the Jameson family and the son John Jameson, who later becomes Man Wolf in the comics. The first major appearance of Spider-Man involves saving Jameson’s son in space, whose capsule split apart. He thought this would clear his name, but it made things worse because Jameson chastised him in The Daily Bugle.

The second part of the comic focused (more…)

StormWatch was created by Ellis when the WildStorm imprint was published by Image Comics. The comic features a UN-sponsored team of superheroes under the leadership of the Weatherman.

The comic can essentially be split into two eras. The first, with StormWatch fulfilling a role that falls somewhere between the Avengers and SHIELD, shows the team doing a number of missions for the United Nations. As time passes, however, they begin to realize they have been manipulated by the Weatherman, Bendix, who is revealed, discredited and removed. The (more…)

For comic book fans across the US, Harvey Pekar was not only a great comic book writer, creator, developer, and characer, but the self created character chronicled his life through comic books, and put it down in a format that fans would love. So, whether you loved the life like adventures, or the truth in the episdoes described through the comics, he was not only putting out great comics for fans, but he was also expressing what he was going through in his personal life, and using a character that fans connected with, in (more…)

Captain Haddock is one of the characters created by Herge, the man who was behind “The Adventures of Tintin,” a series of Belgian comics. In the series Captain Haddock is Tintin’s best friend a multimillionaire captain of the sea.

The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most well known series in comic book history. One of the main reasons it is so loved, is because of crazy Captain Haddock who is prone to a short (more…)