Mr. A debuted in 1967, in the third issue of Witzend, a collection of more artistically fulfilling side projects by mainstream comics professionals led by Wally Wood. In his very first panel, the Objectivist hero addresses his readers directly, stating his case that in moral life, there are no shades of gray, only evil or good, black or white. The hero stares at us, blank, emotionless. There’s a montage around him showing that his calm face is actually a metal mask, and that evil is truly disgusting. At the story’s end, Mr. A. beats up a nasty juvenile delinquent, ironically named Angel, and then allows the kid to fall to his death from a city rooftop. -
Pat Barrett [more inside]
posted by Egg Shen
on Sep 22, 2012 -
46 comments
The Passion of Dave Stevens — The work of the late, great Dave Stevens is known to comic book aficionados in the form of his enduring creation, The Rocketeer, and to art collectors and illustration enthusiasts for his reverently retro yet brilliantly modern renditions of vintage pulp characters, science fiction adventurers and iconic superheroes. But as dedicated Stevens fans know, the artist's true passion and inspiration manifests in his seemingly countless and unfailingly exquisite renderings of the female form, most typically in the classic pinup and "good girl art" style at which he became one of the very best. [nsfw comic art]
posted by netbros
on Mar 2, 2012 -
11 comments
This week, the world will finally get its first look at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
. But the most expensive musical in Broadway history has already had an epic run—battling bankruptcy, broken wrists, unruly technology, and one comic villain disguised as a Post columnist. And at the center of it all, perched over her “God mike,” is the relentless and inventive Julie Taymor. (previously)
posted by Joe Beese
on Nov 23, 2010 -
49 comments
In this issue: The floating head of
Jon Postel endows four lucky grad students with superpowers. They form Team ARIN
to promote the Internet way. Together, they facilitate transparent development processes, battle misinformation about IPv4 number space depletion, and help us all transition to IPv6!
posted by ardgedee
on May 27, 2009 -
18 comments
"
Herbie Popnecker is unique among superheroes. While looking less like a superhero than any other, he may also be the most powerful.
Herbie can "
fly" by walking through air, or
space, or
water.
Herbie can
travel through time, or
the ground,
or
through walls (some damage occurs),
sometimes
breaking the fourth wall.
Herbie is the
least emotional of any super hero, and one of
few words.
Herbie defeats many of his opponents by
looking at them, but sometimes,
he bops them with this here lollipop."
Herbie's further powers are examined thoroughly at
Herbie Popnecker: Examples of Recurring Themes.
[more inside]
posted by carsonb
on Aug 11, 2008 -
32 comments
It's 1968. Hippies are everywhere, and they're reading underground comics. Your name is
Joe Simon. You want to create a mainstream comic book with a hippie as a hero. What do you come up with?
Brother Power the
Geek.
It only lasted two issues. Of course, it did a little better than the
Black Bomber, a white bigot who sometimes turned into an African-American superhero. That comic was
never printed.
posted by Astro Zombie
on Mar 15, 2006 -
12 comments
Truth, Justice, and the Soviet Way What if baby Kal-El's spaceship had crashed on Earth 12 hours earlier, in the Ukraine instead of middle America? The new 3-issue comic book series
Superman: Red Son envisions the Man of Steel as a good-hearted citizen of the USSR, helping to spread communism across the world. Wonder Woman is his girlfriend; Batman is an anti-Soviet terrorist; Lex Luthor becomes U.S. president. This alternate-universe jaunt is not just for fun:
writer Mark Millar says it's a timely exploration of what happens when one all-powerful country anoints itself leader of the world.
posted by Artifice_Eternity
on Jun 9, 2003 -
25 comments
