Guest Post: John Bryne’s Man Of Steel: The Ultimate Superman

By James Quinn

 Despite what the movies would have you believe, Superman has a lot of great stories in the comics that have not been adapted into film such as Superman: For All Seasons, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Superman: Red Son, and even All-Star Superman. 

However, as well-regarded as those stories are, many of the good Superman stories are stand-alone graphic novels and one-shots. Many of the best superhero characters have good runs: Frank Miller on Daredevil, Dennis O’Neil on the Question, Mike Grell on Green Arrow, Brian Azzorellow on Wonder Woman and many others. Most of the comic book discourse isn’t on the great Superman runs but merely the most famous story-arcs and changes to the lore. 

For this post, I would like to shine some light on what I would consider one of my favourite runs not only on the big blue boy scout, but for comics overall: John Bryne on Superman. 

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Guest Post: 10 Books That Are Dying to Be Made into Movies

The book is always better than the movie, right? Well… not necessarily. While it’s true that some books are nigh-impossible to adapt well on screen, there are far more highly regarded movies that began their lives as books — and in the right hands, a thorough adaptation can be a thing of staggering beauty.

With that in mind, here are 10 books I think would make amazing movies. Hollywood, take note!

Guest Post: An Indie Anthology For Indie Comic Creators: Introducing Tiny Power Comics

You are a writer, maybe you’re an artist as well. You’ve poured yourself into the idea you have for a new comic book, finally you have enough pages finished for a submission sample. You send it to the big publishers but never hear back or get rejected, you try a Kickstarter but fall short of your goal. 

Then, life happens, and you have to postpone even pursuing other avenues while your fans slowly move on. This sounds like a nightmare, but it’s a stark reality that myself and I’m sure many other indie creators have experienced. After a long discussion with one of the writers I work with I decided there was a solution and I set to work creating Tiny Power Comics.

Guest Post: Where Did Storm Get Her Powers?

The fascinating world of X-Men contains a lot of interesting characters. Whether they’re heroes, villains or antiheroes, the mutants of the X-Men franchise are exceptionally interesting and entertaining characters.  

Today we’re are going to analyse Storm and the origin of her powers within the franchise. We’ve prepared a lot of interesting facts for you today, so be sure to stick with us until the end!

Guest Post: How To Market Your Book Online

There are so many books out there that many end up hidden in a shelf for what seems like years. It’s only after the second or third recommendation that people decide to take the plunge and read.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. You can make your book stand out in the sea of books just like yours. You can get as many people as possible to buy, read and recommend it to others. And you can even get them to purchase your second book. How? Social media is a huge marketing tool. Not only is it huge but it’s also cost effective. And your presence can be more noticeable than that of an author with a big marketing budget.

Guest Post: Mental Health Depicted In Current Television

Current television’s role in mass media carries considerable clout when it comes to informing and shaping public perceptions. Characters portrayed on the screen can quickly become stereotypes when certain themes keep repeating from show to show. Unfortunately, this appears to be the case with current television’s depiction of mental illness.

Guest Post: What Are Some Good Ideas For Comic Characters?

Every comic book needs a character to make it interesting. A spirited and entertaining character propagates your story very well. However, before creating a character you must decide an idea for your comic book.

Guest Post: Torso: A Forgotten Noir Masterpiece

Picture this, the year is 1935 and the city of Cleveland, Ohio has just begun to recover from the blow dealt to its economy by the Great Depression. Citizens rejoice, incredibly happy to have finally pushed past the period of uncertainty and fear that nearly cost many of them their lives, and for others did just that.

This period of joy would not last long however, as between the years of 1935 and 1938, a fear would strike the heart of Cleveland, a fear like no other. A fear that resulted in mass hysteria and paranoia, a fear that would leave a stain on the city of Cleveland for the rest of time. The fear of the Torso Killer.

Guest Post: Martin Manhunter And Immigration

One comic character I have grown to have a lot of respect for is the Martian Manhunter. While usually compared to Superman for their powers I think where the comparisons truly lie is in the topic of immigration. Superman was raised on Earth from infancy, never truly growing up as an alien. J’onn J’onzz meanwhile was born and raised on Mars with a job and was raising a family. In the Silver Age, Mars wasn’t yet a desolate wasteland and J’onn coming to Earth is more akin to going abroad.

Guest Post: Creativity As A Superpower, Creativity As A Curse

A friend once told me, “your greatest strength is your greatest weakness… and conversely, your greatest weakness can also be your greatest strength.” This is a phrase that has stuck with me for decades, ringing true in both personal and professional settings. I myself was labeled a creative person at an early age.

In middle school I had a strong visual aesthetic, producing compelling photographs with just a tiny 110 camera and no training. I later began writing plays, doing documentary photography at a professional level, and eventually writing comics. But it was a long journey to fully embrace my creative side.

Due to societal pressure, I sought a ‘traditional’ office job. During my school years, creativity was not seen as a gift. It was something that was useful to children but not fully embraced by society, and certainly not something that could be marketed and turned into a million or even billion dollar business.