This week, former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas reported that Dick Ayers, a legendary artist from the Silver Age of comics, passed away on May 4 at his home in White Plains, New York, six days after his ninetieth birthday. In addition to being a frequent inker for Jack Kirby in the early days of […]
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R.I.P. Silver Age Comics Legend Dick Ayers
Posted: 8th May 2014 by Brian in Comic Books, News, ObituariesTags: Dick Ayers, Marvel Comics, Sgt. Fury
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It’s Not a Big Deal, and That’s a Big Deal (All-New Ultimates)
Posted: 8th April 2014 by Brian in Comic Books, Uncategorized, Up on The Soap BoxTags: All-New Ultimates, Bombshell, Brian Michael Bendis, Cloak and Dagger, Kitty Pryde, Marvel, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman
Something remarkable is happening the world of mainstream superhero comics this week. And one of the best and most remarkable things about it is that no one seems to think it’s remarkable. I’m talking about All-New Ultimates, Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe team book written by Michel Fiffe, with art by Brazilian newcomer Amilcar Pinna. A spinoff of both […]
A few weeks ago, the Empress and I lived one of the great romantic clichés: driving north to Niagara Falls to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We did all the usual touristy things—the tour behind the Falls, the White Water Walk, and the Butterfly Conservatory among others, and just enjoyed ourselves immensely. But it was in […]
More Than Just Drinking: A Review of Brew Dogs
Posted: 14th October 2013 by Brian in Beer, TelevisionIt’s no secret to listeners of the Podwits Podcast that I’m a craft beer guy. I wanted to be a wine guy. The way wine was always spoken of in magazines and on TV made it sound like an exciting world of flavors and experiences that I’d never finish exploring. Sadly, though, no matter how […]
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ep. 1 Review — It’s “Just the Pilot”
Posted: 26th September 2013 by Brian in Recap, TelevisionTags: Agents of Shield, Avengers, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Cinematic Universe, Clark Gregg, Coulson, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain De Caestecker, Jed Wheson, Joss Whedon, Marvel, Maurissa Tanchareon, Ming-Na Wen
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered on Tuesday, and it was the strongest debut for a scripted drama in years. On the other hand, Jim Steranko (a highly respected writer/artist whose groundbreaking 1967-68 run on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the stuff of comic book history and a huge part of the reason we’re watching […]
Reading Marvel in the ’60s, Part 2: Stan & Jack Re-evaluated
Posted: 11th June 2013 by Brian in Comic Books, The Comic SpinnerTags: Fantastic Four, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Tales of Asgard, Thor, Vince Colletta
I know now that it was the summer of 1965 when it all changed. As a matter of fact, I can point to the one exact panel that, I believe, truly began the five-year reign of Stan “the Man” Lee and Jack “King” Kirby as unchallenged champions of the superhero comic world. But let me back […]
The Man of Steel at 75
Posted: 18th April 2013 by Brian in Comic BooksTags: Action Comics, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Superman
Before it happened, it probably seemed like just another dime-mag debut. But while National Allied Publications might not have realized it, when they released Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938—seventy-five years ago today—they changed the world. Because right at the top, before stories about Zatara the Master Magician, Pep’ Morgan, and Tex Thompson (among many […]
Music/History: Miles Davis at Lincoln Center, 1964
Posted: 10th April 2013 by Brian in Music, Music Review, Notes & ChordsTags: Four & More, George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Lincoln Center, Miles Davis, My Funny Valentine, Ron Carter, Tony Williams
I love live jazz recordings. So much of jazz happens in the moment, as musicians bounce improvised ideas off each other and, in the best circumstances, push each other collaboratively to ever greater heights of creativity and expression. The way that a live record can capture that moment, preserve those extemporaneous musical thoughts for all […]