One of the things that made the early Marvel work of Stan Lee (and Jack and Steve and the rest of the bullpen) unique was the more realistic attitudes and personalities that the Marvel heroes were given. Some, like Ben Grimm, were curmudgeonly to the point of unpleasantness, and early Hulk was a fullbore hateful misanthrope. Marvel didn’t create the ‘jerk with a heart of gold’ routine (I think Moses Horowitz might be the patron saint), but they helped pave the way for Boston Brand, Cliff Steele, most of the X-Men, and the walking pile of swagger and Drakkar Noir…
Author: Matthew Peterson
Matthew Peterson
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.
With this week’s Top 5 podcast discussion of ‘The Twilight Zone’, Stephen, Rodrigo and I spent a little time talking about the nature of twist endings, one of the hallmarks of Rod Serling’s work. Rod and his staff crafted strong, meaningful twists, and later writers have emulated their work to variable amounts of success (*coughM.Nightcough*), but it’s hard to top the revelations at the end of ‘To Serve Man’, ‘Eye Of The Beholder’, or even ‘The Obsolete Man,’ which leads to today’s shockingly unexpected query… The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) always leans towards the climactic reveal of ‘Planet Of…
As a big ol’ nerd of long-standing, I consider myself to be a huge fan of dozens of things: Star Trek (Original series, TNG and DS9); The Twilight Zone (I’ve seen all 156 episodes, but still watch the bi-annual marathon and DVR each week); 70’s Atlas comics and dozens more. Still, when others describe my nerdery, most often I hear that I’m “a Legion fan.” That’s neither bad, nor untrue, but it’s interesting that my fandom love of Dana Scully or Han Solo is seemingly eclipsed by my appreciation of Ultra Boy, Blok and the teens of the future, which…
Since the dawn of the superhero (and even before), super-abilities have been bestowed by any number of power-objects, from rings to helmets to the occasional enchanted horse. Then there are the heroes who want to make sure that their powers don’t go to “waist.” I don’t feel good about that joke… But regardless, welcome to Ten Things!
Some of the Green Lantern Corps greatest members are thrown into unknown space, but the real threat may be one of their own party: The renegade Guardian Of The Universe called Krona! Your Major Spoilers review of Green Lantern: The Lost Army #1 awaits!
Thanks to the upcoming CBS-TV Supergirl series, I’ve been doing a little bit of research into the various suits that the Maid Of Might has worn in her more-than-50-year history. Some were good, some were almost supernaturally bad, but most featured some sort of skirt, a prospect that seems daunting for a flying hero. Odds are, Kara’s skirt was a nod to the one worn by Mary Marvel a dozen years earlier (though Mary’s was noticeably longer) and has become iconic enough that the 2011 Supergirl costume redesign was criticized for lacking a skirt (among other larger issues), leading to…
Welcome to Inside Astro City, a column focusing on the Vertigo Comics series Astro City from Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross. Each month, we’ll take a look at the current issue of the series, and ask series writer Kurt Busiek questions about the book. Today, we get the climax of Sticks’ story, so let’s jump right into #24!
Want to meet the one of the cutest superheroes of all time? How about TWELVE of her? Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review of The Many Worlds Of Tesla Strong #1 awaits!
It’s no secret: I truly dislike the modern interpretation of Hal Jordan. In an attempt to make him young and dangerous, DC editorial has succeeded in making him an utterly unlikable jerkface idiot, overtaking Guy Gardner in the list of “Green Lanterns who desperately need a punchinnface.” Still, he admittedly has his fans, many of whom clamored for his return after he was lost in the ‘Final Night’ crossover. Of course, by the time he returned, replacement Lantern Kyle Rayner had made enough of a mark that his fans were furious at his replacement, while fans of John Stewart at…
Even 1,000 years in the future, nothing can stop the power of BWAH-HA-HAAA! Your Major Spoilers review of Justice League 3001 #1 awaits!
On the Battleworld, Baron Korvac and his protectors (once known as The Guardians Of The Galaxy) are preparing to receive a visitor, Baron Simon Williams (known in some worlds as Wonder Man.) Five bucks says violence is imminent… Your Major Spoilers review of The Korvac Saga #1 awaits!
Due to my intense dislike of Simon Cowell and the “star-making” machinery that he represents, I’ve never had any use for ‘American Idol’ or the freshly scrubbed vanilla pop aesthetic it keeps generating. As such, much of Taylor Swift’s work failed to connect with me, and her (clearly sponsor-mandated) pretty pretty princess facade only added fuel to the fire of my disdain. But lately, something’s changed, it ain’t hard to define, Jesse’s got himself a girl and I wanna– Wait, sorry, that’s a Rick Springfield lyric. No, with her latest album and the more adult attitude that seems to have…
They’re not sidekicks… They’re an ARMY. Your Major Spoilers review of We Are Robin #1 awaits!
With the advent of the New 52 in 2011, the entire Justice League received new (or at least tweaked) costumes to celebrate a new universe. Now, as the DCYou swings into action, we have brand-new looks for Wonder Woman (a busy battle-armory thing with pants AND sleeves), Batman (two words: Rocket launchers) and Superman (a look best described as ‘Superboy’s old costume.’) Admittedly, each could be seen as an attempt to better the bland sameness of the Jim Lee-designed 2011 uniforms, and they’re better than Spider-Man’s armor, Spider-Man’s OTHER armor or Kyle Rayner’s 90’s dog-collar uniform, which leads us to…