Goodbye Comic Vault, Hello Comic Philosopher

This is an announcement that The Comic Vault website is no longer active. I’ve enjoyed publishing content through the years and thank you to everyone who’s continued to check out the website.

It’s time for the next stage and you can find me over at my new Substack Comic Philosopher.

What Is Comic Philosopher?

Comic Philosopher, a newsletter dedicated to exploring the intersection of mental health, leadership and superheroes.

Pop culture is a treasure trove of wisdom for applying to daily life and strengthening our mental health routines, pushing us to be the best version of ourselves.

We see that in classic comic characters, TV shows, movies that tug on our heartstrings and worlds that teach us timeless lessons about the human condition.

What can you expect?

In the free version of the newsletter you get:

• Weekly insights into the minds of history’s greatest comic characters

For $6 a month or $40 for an annual membership, you get:

• Mental health deep dives on applying leadership lessons
• Superhero philosophy essays
• Graphic novel reviews and breaking news stories
• Curated audio and video content

SIGN uP to ThE Newsletter

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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. 

5 Awesome Superhero Athleisure Recommendations From I Am Superhero

When it comes to developing a positive mental health routine, superheroes are an epic source of inspiration and when viewed through the lens of fitness, they are powerful symbols for attaining your training goals and embodying physical resilience. 

So, it’s always great to see brands like I Am Superhero combining fitness and superheroes together with their range of comic-themed athleisure and here are five product recommendations for superhero fitness fans.

Stoicism, Comics And Horror: Donald Robertson On Writing The Life Of Marcus Aurelius

The philosophy of Stoicism has inspired the works of countless people and continues to be a driving force for many business leaders and authors today. The same can be said for psychotherapist Donald Robertson, who’s made a career out of applying the principles of Stoicism to everyday life through publications such as How To Think Like A Roman Emperor. 

Robertson’s latest project is a graphic novel focused on the life of Marcus Aurelius and The Comic Vault caught up with him on the process behind writing the comic. In this interview, we explore the challenges of writing a graphic novel steeped in ancient history, capturing the voice of Marcus Aurelius and how Stoicism can be interpreted through the lens of comics. 

4 Superheroes Who Embody Stoicism

Life’s unpredictability isn’t something we can plan for. It takes us by surprise. It blindsides us. It throws up everything we thought we understood about ourselves and smashes it to pieces, and it’s often in those moments where we come to see our true measure and develop the ability to endure. 

Endurance is at the heart of Stoicism, the philosophy popularised by men like Zeno and Seneca, a philosophy with many practical applications in the modern day, a concept channeled through superheroes who’ve inspired generations of comic fans and readers.

With that said, here are four superheroes that embody the Stoic principles of justice, courage, wisdom and temperance.

Changing With The Seasons: Poison Ivy And The Experience Of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Batman’s rogue gallery has long been revered for featuring some of the most complex, nuanced villains in the history of pop culture. Characters like Two-Face and The Riddler have displayed mental health conditions that skew their perspectives of the world and another character who belongs in that category is Poison Ivy. 

Poison Ivy is traditionally portrayed as a seductress who uses her powers to make others do her bidding. But to only see this side of her does a disservice to the character. Ivy is motivated to protect nature against humanity, a crusade that’s exacerbated by her suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

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!

Exploring Visual Stories With Photography Fables

Since I was a kid, pop culture and fantasy have been a big part of my life and during difficult times I’ve tended to fall back on them for a sense of routine and purpose. To say 2020 has been difficult would be an understatement, but a silver lining has come from having more time to pursue things that I’d never attempted until now.

As a new skill, I’ve decided to take up photography and it’s inspired me to launch an online portfolio called Photography Fables. 

Launching An Instagram Channel Dedicated To Comics, Superheroes And Positive Mental Health

For those who’ve been reading The Comic Vault for a while, you’ll have seen that mental health is a major pill of the site’s content and was always intended to be a vital talking point from the start. By viewing mental health through the lens of comics and popular culture, I wanted to help destigmatise topics like anxiety, depression and suicide and normalise the conversation.

In 2020, finding a positive mental health routine has become even more important and through my own experiences this year it’s inspired me to want to combine mental health and comics in a new way and that has led to the creation of the Instagram channel A Superhero Mentality.