Remembering Comic Book Creator Marshall Rogers On His Birthday, January 22
Remembering Comic Book Creator Marshall Rogers On His Birthday, January 22
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Scratching the Surface With Mavrs: Politics in Manga
When you write a story that is so blatantly political, one with the express intent of pushing propaganda on an audience, can you really blame a reader for avoiding it? Recently Screenrant published an opinion piece discussing how manga has always had political connotations. I – for one -had no idea that a story could be political or that an
Read moreThrowback Review: “Dark Nemesis – New Year’s Evil” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s celebration of all things gold, frankincense and myrrh. Written by Dan Jurgens and featuring artwork by CrissCross (aka Chris Williams), the book is part of DC Comics’ “New Year’s Evil” event of late 1997/early 1998, which was a loosely knit set of tie-in books that highlighted some of the biggest DC villains, like
Read moreHow Editorial Interference at DC Diminished One of the Finest Pages of Comic Book Art Upon Publishing
The story of how the final splash page of Spectre #20 was altered and ultimately diminished due to editorial interference.
Read moreArt Highlight: “Elvira’s House of Mystery” Issue 5, Page 4 (Festival of Dread Special)
Spotlight on the original artwork to Elvira’s House of Mystery #5 featuring work by Dick Ayers and Tony DeZuniga
Read moreThrowback Review: Frank Miller’s “Ronin” (DC Comics, 80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the first seppuku! Today we’re going to examine Ronin, a six-book miniseries by comic book legend Frank Miller and published by DC Comics in 1987. Set in a bleak, alternate future (it has to be “alternate” because it references Soviets as contemporaneous to the story), Ronin
Read more“I Am Not Starfire”… Is Not That Bad
I don’t know where to start with this… other than, “it’s not that bad”. Actually, I think it’s rather good. I thought that I was going to have a lot more things to pick apart; things that I wouldn’t agree with as far as the mother/daughter dynamic, the story, or the art. I only had minimal issues with the art. I
Read moreWho Remembers? “Power Records” – The Comic Book with a Record!
The 1970’s was definitely the grooviest decade in history. After all, how many decades can lay claim to disco, bell-bottom pants, and Bi-Centennial fever? The 1970’s also had a unique assortment of novelty items (cue the obligatory Pet Rock reference). One of my favorite novelty items to come out from that decade was the Power Record Book and Record Sets.
Read moreSpotlight: DC Direct’s Batman Black and White Statue Series (Monochrome May Special)
Batman Black and White is an anthology series focusing on the universe of the titular character, as depicted in short stories by the very best talent in comic books. Originally a four-issue series produced by DC Comics in 1996, the format proved to be so successful that not only did it inspire four additional Batman Black and White series (totaling
Read moreTop Ten Crossover Storylines in Comic Book History
What is a comic book crossover storyline? Well, it’s a comic book story that travels through at least two (but often more) different titles. For example, the classic Avengers/Defenders War took place between the two titles during the 1970s and is still talked about to this day by loyal fans. A crossover could also have one centric title, with several
Read moreUnder the Radar: “WEIRD WAR TALES” #10 – First Professional Work by Walt Simonson
Spotlight on Weird War Tales #10, the first professional published work by Walt Simonson
Read moreReview: “Body Doubles – New Year’s Evil” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Is this particular chapter in the New Year’s Evil collection still worth tracking down over twenty years later? If you find it in your local shop’s discount bin (as I did), then sure. Why not?
Read moreSit DOWN Sunday Comic Book News Livestream- 26 December Edition
On a special Saturday edition of Sit DOWN Sunday (hosted on Patrick Thomas Parnell’s YouTube channel Riot Press Productions), The Splintering founder Blake Worrell got another chance to discuss recent comic book news with Parnell and College of the Dead creator Adam Post. This week, we discussed the ongoing success of Ethan Van Sciver’s Reignbow the Brute, more bad news
Read moreReview: “The Outsiders – A Christmas Carol 1985” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of all things merry and bright! Yes, another take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. What kind of Christmas stories would comic creators come up with if A Christmas Carol never existed? But all is well, because if there is any superhero team that fans were clamoring to see reenact the Dickens classic,
Read moreReview: “Batman – Noël” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, the Splintering’s month-long celebration of all things that shake like a bowl full of jelly! Today we’re going to pick apart Batman: Noël, the graphic novel written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo and published by DC Comics in 2011. Wait, Batman: Noël… Batmanuel!? Anyway, using Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as the backdrop, Batman: Noël
Read moreReview: “Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to The Splintering’s Jolly Jinglings holiday event! Full disclosure! Today we’re going to look at one of my personal, all-time favorite comics: Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special. Written by Keith Giffen and Alan Grant, illustrated by Simon Bisley, and published by DC Comics in 1991, Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special is a gloriously violent one-shot comic strictly intended for mature
Read moreUnder the Radar: DC Special Series #21 – Frank Miller’s First Batman Work (Jolly Jinglings Special)
For our Jolly Jinglings edition of “Under the Radar”, we present DC Special Series #21, Frank Miller’s first work on Batman.
Read moreTop Ten Monster Characters in Comics (Festival of Dread Special)
A ranking of the Top 10 Monster characters in comic books
Read moreTop Ten Living Legends: Comic Book Writer/Artist/Creators WHO DO IT ALL
Welcome back to another Top Ten list here at The Splintering. Today, we’re spotlighting the top ten writer/artist/creators – essentially, those creators who “do it all.” We’re taking everything into account on this one, including the creators’ writing, their artwork and their creations. Read on and be sure to let us know who we may have left out in the
Read more“Sit Down Sunday” Comic Book News Livestream – 23 August 2020 Edition
On the latest installment of Sit Down Sunday (hosted on Patrick Thomas Parnell’s YouTube channel Riot Press Productions), The Splintering founder Blake Worrell got another chance to discuss recent comic book news with Parnell, The Shepherd creator Dr. Andrea Molinari, and The Splintering’s own George Travlos. This week, we discussed the ongoing success of Patrick’s Johnny Phantasm 1985 crowdfunding campaign,
Read more“Sit-Down Sunday” Comic Book News Livestream – 16 August 2020 Edition
On the latest installment of Sit Down Sunday (hosted on Patrick Thomas Parnell’s YouTube channel Riot Press Productions), The Splintering founder Blake Worrell got another chance to discuss recent comic book news with both Parnell and The Shepherd creator Dr. Andrea Molinari. This week, we discussed the ongoing success of Patrick’s Johnny Phantasm 1985 crowdfunding campaign, DC Comics’ decision to
Read moreCollecting Original Comic Book Art – The Basics
Comic book fans express their love and fandom of their favorite characters and stories in several ways. They may collect every issue of a character’s comic book, obtain signatures from their favorite creators, cosplay in creative homemade designs, collect action figures or statues, and even commission sketches from their favorite artists. For me, the ultimate in collecting comic books is
Read moreA Look Back at “The Prisoner” Comic Book Series
The Prisoner was a British TV series from 1967 starring Patrick McGoohan as a spy who is held prisoner on a mysterious island known as “The Village”. His name never being revealed, McGoohan’s character (known simply as #6) is being held so that his captors can retrieve “information” from him – most specifically – why he abruptly resigned from his
Read moreNewsstand vs. Direct Editions – The Original Comic Book Variant Covers
The word “variant” to comic book fans elicits a wide range of reactions. From excitement and wonder to frustration and disdain. People often forget that there were variants in play long before publishers began over-saturating the shelves with various cover images. Yes, there was the classic Canadian or UK price variant, but I’m talking about the Newsstand vs. Direct Edition
Read moreVintage Comic Review: “Batman: Death of Innocents” (DC Comics; In Memory of Dennis O’Neil)
Given the recent passing of comic book legend Dennis O’Neil, we’re going to take the opportunity to review some of his work, starting with Batman: Death of Innocents – the Horror of Landmines. Written by O’Neil, illustrated by Joe Staton and inked by Bill Sienkiewicz, Batman: Death of Innocents is a 49-page one-shot published by DC Comics in 1996. The
Read moreComics Legend Dennis O’Neil Passes Away at 81
On Thursday, legendary comic book writer Dennis O’Neil passed away from natural causes. O’Neil began his comic book career at Marvel Comics, where he penned Doctor Strange and Strange Tales. He would later bounce between Charlton Comics, DC Comics, returning to Marvel, and ultimately landing again at DC where he would become the editor of the entire Batman line of
Read moreRetro Review: “The Flash” (Game Boy – Monochrome May Special)
Welcome back to The Splintering’s Monochrome May event! Today we’re featuring The Flash, THQ’s side-scrolling action game based on the short-lived superhero TV series starring John Wesley Shipp. Welcome to Central City – home to a herd of dastardly ne’er-do-wells known as the Rogues! Led by the maniacal Trickster, villains such as Mirror Master and Captain Cold are terrorizing the
Read moreReview: “Batman Black and White” (DC Comics – Monochrome May Special)
Welcome back to The Splintering’s Monochrome May event! Today we’re featuring the trade paperback edition of Batman Black and White, the four-issue anthology miniseries published by DC Comics. The individual issues of Batman Black and White included five stories that were eight pages long, and the first collected edition was released in 1998. Each story features the work of a
Read moreRichard C. Meyer briefly considered for “Outsiders” mini-series for DC Comics’ “Murphyverse”
Internal documents show that Jawbreakers creator Richard C. Meyer was considered for a Murphyverse writing gig for a mini-series based on The Outsiders.
Read moreDC Comics Greenlights “Murphyverse” Batman imprint headed by Sean Gordon Murphy
On Monday, comic book creator Sean Gordon Murphy announced that DC Comics has greenlit an imprint based on his Batman: White Knight series. Unofficially dubbed the “Murphyverse”, the Gotham-centric books will pick up where Murphy’s Curse of the White Knight series left off, and feature characters including Nightwing, Batgirl, and Harley Quinn. According to Murphy’s announcement, he will be outlining
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