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: 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: 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: 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.

Guest Blog: How to Choose the Best Speakers for Comic Book Video Games

Video games have become so immersive that the sound plays an essential part in the gaming experience. It might be complicated to explain it to your 80-year-old grandmother or the non-gaming folk but you can present it in this way – play them an action-packed film with subtitles and muted sound.

Even though they would be able to read what the actors are saying, no emotion or mood will be relayed, which would make the watching experience uninteresting and even disappointing.

When it comes to playing comic book-based or any type of video games, without quality speakers you might miss out on important audio cues and not to mention that the experience of playing horror games such as Silent Hill will not be complete without the sound to chill the bones.

Guest Blog: Top Cow: Illuminating One Of The Best Dark Fantasy Universes In Comics

While comics are best known for stories where brightly costumed superheroes triumph over evil, some of the best stories deal with the subtler darker elements of the supernatural hiding in the shadows of the modern world. Such is the case with the classic stories in the Top Cow Universe. Back in the 90s when superhero comics had stagnated and the Big Two were struggling to come up with new ideas, Top Cow produced two visually stunning dark fantasy titles that tapped into the zeitgeist of the period. I’m talking (of course) about Witchblade and The Darkness.

Guest Blog: Why There Should Be An Avengers Game

Over the past decade, superhero games have soared in popularity. The Batman Arkham series revolutionised combat for a new generation, while the most recent Spider-Man game offered a fresh take on the web-slinger and his supporting cast. But it could be argued there still hasn’t been a definitive Marvel game that focuses on the whole Marvel Universe. Rhys from Unknown Games has given his thoughts on how an Avengers game could work on future consoles.