Oh yes, here I am again! A few years back, I did a series called “Who’s Q in the DC Universe” which revealed some of the “family” secrets in that illustrious line. It seems only fair that I should do the same favor for the other of the Big Two by opening the closet door in the House of Ideas and presenting the “real” story of a sampling of their cacophony of characters. So, face front, true believers! (Unless you prefer some other position.) Here we go with a list of a few of the names that make Marvel a truly “merry” marching society. ANGAR THE SCREAMER Pencils: Brian Postman Inks: Joe Rubinstein That name? That outfit? In San Francisco? I rest my case. BLOB Pencils: Steve Leialoha Inks: Joe Rubinstein Fred J. Dukes knew from an early age that he was different. And, not just as an extreme example of childhood obesity. Yes, he was teased for that; but the other kids also were merciless in condemning him as a soft, unmanly sissy, who was bad  [Continue reading...]

A fear-monger is a kind of shadow puppeteer, casting jiggly darkness over such caprices as facts and ethics. The most conspicuous, current application of fear-mongering, where our dysfunctional LGBT tribe is concerned, is Perry v. Schwarzenegger. That's the U. S. District Court Case challenging Prop 8. (Prop 8, you'll 'member, is California's constitutional amendment which protects marriage from people who want to get married.) In the trial, the vivisection of the pro-Prop 8 Haters' evidence reveal that all of their pseudo-arguments are merely a bizarre mishmash of offended aesthetics and intellectually dishonest slippery slopes--that is, it's fear-mongering, a wrathful attempt to eclipse truth with terror...but, happily, fear-mongering as a simple cure. Fear-mongering is old hat in the DC Universe--often, that hat is the threadbare goblin-cap sported by Eclipso, the Master of Darkness. These days, Eclipso is a body-jumping Wrath of God of Evil or some literally-damned thing, but  [Continue reading...]

It’s no secret gay men love a strong woman. When we come across a female who’s confident and independent, we behave like teenage girls. We fawn over her and obsess over her, and some of us even strive to be like her to the point that we sometimes think we are her. Strong women serve as inspiration for us queers. It’s almost like a requirement—before you can officially be certifiably gay, you have to pick a diva to idolize. Judy, Barbra, Cher, Madonna…there’s a whole slew of women who have led extremely successful lives based on their own wit and stamina, and it’s at their well-pedicured feet we throw ourselves. In the 18 years since I stepped out of the closet, I’ve met more than my share of guys who were obsessed over one strong woman or another. There was the one who ate up every iota of information about Whitney Houston (back in the days before her crack fetish became public fodder). Then there was the Caucasian male who wrote stories about the plight of the  [Continue reading...]

Tragic death of the parental units? Check. Hodgepodge of characters with super duper powers? Check. Good looking boys and a busty, hot blonde? Check. Jewish team leader who ignores the boobalicious blonde in favor of a studly Tom Welling look-a-like? Check. Sounds like the makings of an excellent comic series to me. Comprised of only six issues, Relative Heroes still manages to pack a super powered punch. The first issue, where we meet the Weinbergs, is almost tongue in cheek in its set up and character introductions. The team is led by older brother Joel, a.k.a. Houston, who devises this superhero team not because he is blessed with powers, but because he is obsessed with Superman and all of the magic of crime fighting teams and adventures. It is sweet, really, and reminiscent of all of my geeky, comic loving boy friends who secretly, and sometimes not so secretly, pine for their own superhero adventures. Luckily for Joel, he is surrounded by his adopted family and  [Continue reading...]

"Have you met anyone drinkable?" Those are the words that conclude the story of 12 Days. It may seem counter-intuitive to start a review from the end but some works are best appreciated when looked at in retrospect. As the story unfolds it too seems to stick to that same idea. Set in New York, the events in this manga take place after the death of a woman named Noah. She was killed in a car crash with her new husband, James, just as they were returning from their honeymoon. The cast of characters are Noah's mourners: her half-brother Nick, her parents, and her ex-girlfriend Jackie. By this point it should be clear that this story is one of tragedy. The setup, however, delivers a stunning and unexpected look at life after such tragic events. There is no buildup or climax -- just resolution. The skillful blend of flashbacks mixed in with the story's progression paints a very vivid picture without ever letting the reader be directly privy to the incident that has affected the  [Continue reading...]

We've read and reviewed some terrible comics in our time. Some of which could best be described as unfit to line the bottom of a birdcage, lest the poor creature lapse into a coma from the inane plot. Though we try very hard to always appreciate the effort and hard work we're sure is put into these books it's still enough sometimes to make one wonder -- how could such a piece of rubbish be published and distributed to the masses? Especially when taking into account all the people involved with most mainstream projects these days. It's as if none of the creators had the nerve to tell their cohorts what they really thought of the issue or issues being assembled. It's a growing paradigm of the modern comic industry. There are however, some books out there that are more than worth a read but are never completed. These comics tend to reside on the independent side of the spectrum and without the clout of mainstream companies behind them, even the best stories may become abandoned. In  [Continue reading...]

As we all know, the comic industry is in a bit of trouble. While comic companies are still making money, the readership is way down. The most popular comics in the Golden Age of comic books sold over a million, but the best sellers today are lucky to get a hundred thousand. And the Golden Age saw far more titles of comics and more genres. So what can the comics companies of today do to recapture the glory of the Golden Age? Comic critics like Journalista's Dirk Deppey suggest that the problem is that comics are too decadent today, too full of sexy images, violent content, and morally ambiguous protagonists that are best left to adult readers. These critics fear that if comics don’t reach out with kid-friendly content, comics will simply die off as there will be no new readers to replace us old farts who eventually quit comics or die off like the TV single dad aising adorable son witth the help of his Asian maid comics and TV straight doctor played by gay man comics that were made  [Continue reading...]

Let me tell you a quick few things about myself. First of all, I'm not in shape. Yeah, I can see you out there saying "What? A bear who reads comic books and calls his computer by its first name not being in shape? How can that be?" Secondly, I passed my 46th birthday this year. With these two facts alone, if you were to take a stab in the dark and say that I had more than my fair share of aches and pains, then I would say that you've earned a cookie...If you could pry it out of my chubby little paws. I've started having several of the absolute signs of growing old, which include making more noise rising out of the chair than I do having sex and using the phrase 'when I was your age' more and more each month. That being said, I think I can state without much fear of reprisal that I have seen things in this world as both a young man and as a middle-age/old man. (Or maybe I should say, since this is a comic book site, as both modern-age and silver-age.) So I know what I say  [Continue reading...]