Comic Features

What Makes A Good Supervillain?

When I say “bad” I mean “good”. So “what does make a good super villain?” Is it their origin story? Is it the villain’s will to beat the hero that makes them evil? Or just being plain evil, Super villains are the contrasting element of the hero. So when a new villain pops up in comic book continuity, there are very few elements that writers and/or sometimes artist come up with while creating a good villain.Throughout the many years comics have been around a few things have stayed consistent… Villains. Villains are what define the hero in the most dramatic and epic battle of all time. Take Joker for example he is one of my favorite villains. Batman created him when they were battling over a vat of toxic chemicals. As Batman took the final punch and knocked him into the chemicals, the unknown past of what the Joker was before is now gone.

Ron Frenz and Pat Olliffe Interviews

I had a chance over the holidays to sit down with acclaimed comics artists Pat Olliffe and Ron Frenz. With Pat, I discussed some of his more popular works such as the Untold Tales of Spider-Man and his being part of the stable of artists for DC’s 52. We also discussed how he came to work with Jim Shooter on the new run of Mighty Samson, a former Gold Key property, now being done by Dark Horse. With Ron, we discussed how him and Tom DeFalco came about creating Spider-Girl and his extremely popular seven year run with Tom DeFalco on Thor. We also discussed his current five issue mini-series bringing back his character from the mid-90s, Thunderstrike, and if he hopes to somehow work this into bringing back the Thor Corps. 

What Makes A Good Superhero?

You would think that the comic industry as a whole would have a check list that they go through when creating a new character. Some would probably say they do and then go onto list things like: Character Design, Weapons, Powers, Location and Origin. And to a lot of creators and readers that’s what it boils down to: What do they look like, what can they do and how they came to be with a lot of emphasis on that last category.

So many comics fall to obscurity due to the industries hang up on the “origin story” that most of the time they don’t even make it past the origin story in the series. Sadly, it seems Hollywood also has this same hang up and has forced it into movie upon movie. 

Team Affinity: Gotham City Sirens

The Gotham City Sirens are a team of three old villainesses of Batman – Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Another unofficial member is the Riddler who has appeared in a lot of issues of the Sirens, sometimes helping them or solving some unrelated mystery. They have sometimes fought as a team in the name of good but have also done some questionable acts that have gone against the law.

You Missed That Issue! – The Anchor #8

Welcome to another addition of “You Missed That Issue!”. A feature that has not been done in a while. Basically we pick what we decide are the “modern classics” and tell you everything about the issue without keeping anything hidden, so it is full of spoilers. The point of this feature is to explain what you are missing out on with comics that may have been overlooked, so no Shadowland or Blackest Night here.

Ok, a quick explanation on what The Anchor is all about. The Anchor is a fairly new series from BOOM! Studios. It is about a man who lives on two planes of existence. His spiritual self sits at the gates of Hell and fights off the hordes of demons that constantly try to invade Earth. His physical self suffers all the injuries inflicted upon his spirit and fights any demon that may make it through

Character Affinity: Poison Ivy

Better known as the scantily-clad-in-leaves Poison Ivy, Pamela Lillian Isley is dedicated to the plants she swears to protect from man.  She first appeared in 1966 in Batman #181, a deadly foe and one of Batman’s few female villains at the time. 

The modern Poison Ivy is known for her cold-heartedness and lack of affection toward any other human-beings except her close friend Harley Quinn.  However, her original origin story involves her love for crime boss Marc Legrande.  He coerced Pamela to help him steal an artifacts and afraid she would tell people after they committed the crime he attempted to poison her with the contents from inside the stolen artifact.

11 Characters We Could All Do Without in 2011

It’s a new year and it got me thinking about which characters I could really do without seeing for a while in 2011. These are characters that for lack of better words… had too much screen time in 2010 and deserve a vacation. In some cases it may be that they over saturated comics, while in others it could just be that they weren’t very well used and need a breather. I think you’ll find a mixture of the “Big Two” along with some “Indies” to spice up the list, so enjoy.

Character Affinity: Catwoman

First appearing as a cat-burglar known as the Catwoman in Batman #1 who has had a relationship with Batman, Selina Kyle is currently trying to reform. Selina may only be reformed because of Zatanna’s mind swipe of her in Identity Crisis.

In her original origin story, Selina was the daughter of Brian and Maria Kyle, who was frequently abused by her drunkard husband. To get away from their fighting, Selina practiced gymnastics, the reason for her stealthy abilities used in both robberies and crime-fighting. Her mother committed suicide one day by slitting her wrists and her father died of alcohol poisoning. Selena then became a runaway and a prostitute while masquerading as a thief by night. On a heist her valuable item was taken from her by a ninja. She followed the ninja and after witnessing her fighting abilities she was accepted into a martial arts school. Then when she saw Batman fighting in Robinson park she thought she could be a costumed fighter too and became Catwoman.

The Death Of…

If there is one thing that comics have plenty of is lots and lots of characters (obvious fact). Love or hate these characters the intended audience will quite often have some sort of emotional response towards them. For example a lot of people love Batman because he’s powerless and yet still kicks butt. Many people dislike the Sentry, thinking he is overpowered and a shallow character.

The Player Affinity Comic Awards

Best Thing to Happen to Comics in 2010
Winner – Stan Lee at Boom! Studios.
His work for Marvel has been legendary creating almost half of the Marvel Universe with the time he’s been there. From Spider-Man to Hulk and to The Fantastic Four to The X-Men, Stan has had a great job at Marvel. His work at Boom! is already great as well. Reading Starborn, Soldier Zero, and The Traveler has put a smile on my face. If anything at all, I can’t wait until there is a team-up between the different series.