Glee and Melancholy in Drnaso’s Graphic Fiction ‘Acting Class’
In our age of constant performance, Nick Drnaso’s work of graphic fiction, Acting Class, is not an escape, it’s hyperreality.
Comics
Stephen Graham Jones on Exploring Morality and Ecology with ‘Earthdivers’
Stephen Graham Jones’ horror/sci-fi lays eggs in your head. With his latest project, the Earthdivers (Kill Columbus), his ideas for an alternative America crawl out.
Possibility-Bending: An Anarchist Critique of ‘Avatar: The Legend of Korra’
The optimism found in Avatar: The Last Airbender darkens to cynicism and violence in the follow-up series, Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Why did this happen?
‘What If…?’ Marvel Studios Tries Something Completely Different?
Marvel Studios’ What If…? on Disney+ is an intriguing animated and narrative exercise in the MCU, but why isn’t it as exciting as we anticipated?
How Moebius’ Psychedelic Fantasy / Surrealist Art Influenced Video Games
French artist Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, inspired his peers and mass media. In video games especially, his psychedelic fantasy/surrealist art may live on forever.
Daffy Duck Is My Anti-Hero – Or – What Makes Daffy Duck? An Analythith
Daffy Duck never fit in with the flock. He embodied Leon Schlesinger’s working-class, anti-authoritarian subversion with every feather of his being.
Sarah Gailey’s ‘Eat the Rich’ Cuts to the Horror at the Heart of Capitalism
Marx’s death pact is made literal in Sarah Gailey’s Eat the Rich, a remarkably fun comics series given its subject is the horror of capitalism.
Comics Artist Darryl Cunningham Puts Vladimir Putin in Perspective
Comics Artist Darryl Cunningham’s latest nonfiction graphic novel, Putin’s Russia, puts Vladimir Putin’s rise to power in simple and clear perspective.
‘The Batman’ Is Just Another Incel Fantasy of Entitlement
Matt Reeves’ meandering faux-profound take on Batman spends its over-long runtime telling women to shut up and do as they’re told or face the consequences.
Marvel’s ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Fails to Capitalize on a Strong Premise
Marvel’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ follows the legacy of Captain America in the MCU, but its timely racially and politically charged plot lacks focus.
Is Animated Television on Par with the Best Programs?
Animated television shows The Simpsons, South Park, and BoJack Horseman, are often base in their approach to controversial subject matter, but “going low” might be the very thing that elevates them.
Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Echos Our Lasting Pandemic Grief
Addressing pandemic-induced topics such as loss, grief, and mental illness, Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ serves as a metaphor for life in the time of COVID.