comics
From Marvel to DC, Geeks explores the popular and independant comic titles in the geek universe.
Urthona and Rintrah: The Last Days of Dr. Strange, Vol. 2
Peter B. Gillis, my favorite Dr. Strange writer of the 1980s, debuted two underrated and tragically forgotten alien creatures in the same storyline that brought volume 2 to an end: Rintrah, the green minotaur apprentice, and the great devastating villain Urthona. Rintrah remained essentially just a quirky secondary character for the first few years of volume 3, but Urthona made a more significant first impression that should earn him a place on the top ten Dr. Strange villains of all time (though no one puts him on that list but me). Urthona essentially debuted in issue 79, and his storyline led to the end of volume 2 with issue 81 in 1987. Besides ending a volume, in his first appearance he achieved all of the following: 1) stealing all of Doc's stuff (and Doc, as a neurotic hoarder, loves his stuff [and it's also a major source of his power]); 2) stealing Doc's whole house; 3) torturing Wong (but all Dr. Strange villains torture Wong at some point [it's the one universal truth about Dr. Strange villainry]); 4) hospitalizing Doc (so he has to do the classic Doc-has-to-operate-on-himself-by-possessing-the-surgeon routine [yes, he's done that many times]); 5) and finally forcing him to destroy all his stuff (and Doc loves his stuff) because he has no other choice (many great Dr. Strange stories end with "because he had no other choice"). That's a heckuva a debut for Urthona.
By F. Simon Grant9 years ago in Geeks
Evil Batmen Invade DC Comics' September 2017 Solicitations Just in Time for School
Just as schools and universities get back into session in September, DC Comics will continue to bring their blockbuster stories to life, which will even satisfy the grumpiest professor. Before you start thinking of pop quizzes, bad dorm food, and term papers, GEEKS offers our readers a taste of what is next for your favorite superheroes, villains, and their ever growing universe.
By Jacob Elyachar9 years ago in Geeks
9 Superman Stories Everyone Should Read.
While not as popular as the caped crusader, Batman. Superman is *THE* quintessential superhero. The first, and greatest. Since his creation in 1938, Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent, have become the cornerstone of pop culture, recognised the world over, and has become the hero of many. But when it comes to comics, I find that people are incredibly reluctant to explore the man of steel’s many, many wonderful stories. Some refer to him as the big blue boy scout, others say that he is completely un-relatable, or even boring, but I assure you, that’s not the case. While it is incredibly tempting to scream at you all to dive straight into the DC Rebirth books for Superman, it seems worth gathering an understanding of the character and his universe, before his days as a father, husband, and protector of the world from the town of Hamilton County.
By Mikayla J. Laird9 years ago in Geeks
The Wonder in 'Wonder Woman'
Wonder Woman. A name that holds the provocative power of inspiration and awe. And thankfully the film adaptation with the same branded misnomer was able to evoke that same set of emotional gravitas I'd wished (and believed) the DC Extended Universe had inside it all along. And wow, what a breath of fresh air Wonder Woman was. Like its namesake, the film had an attraction that merited a wonder at how such a refreshing product found its way among the dry hardboiledness of the DCEU. Having all the hallmarks of the heroes' journey, the origin of WW is given believable life via the experienced acting performances of Robin Wright and Chris Pine, with a stream of fresh (and necessary!) blood by Gal Gadot as the titular character and a sans-Snieder directing quality by Patty Jenkins.
By Devon Falls9 years ago in Geeks
First Love
You're a young kid growing up in the loud and gang-infested city of Compton, CA...or in one of the quiet suburbs of New England...a town in rural Japan or a war-torn city in Iraq. One day a friend, or parent, or whoever shows you a comic book. It reads "MARVEL" in big bold white letters on a red background. Or maybe it reads "DC" and is encircled, like a badge, with a black and white color theme. There are numbers (#18, #85, #201...) on the cover page, but you have no idea what they mean. It doesn't matter, you don't care.
By Dre Joseph9 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: "Wonder Woman" Defeats the Box Office
When she was first sketched on a blank page, it was 1940, the dark days of the Second World War. A year later she made her first appearance in All Star Comics. Little boys liked her because she was strong—and half-naked. Little girls liked her because she was pretty.
By Dre Joseph9 years ago in Geeks
Journalism and The Dark Knight Returns
It may not instantly come to mind, but journalism runs deep through the worlds of superhero comics. Comics first superhero, Superman, lives his alter ego as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet. Superman’s love interest, the wonderful Lois Lane, famously states in the 1978s Superman: The Movie, that “a good reporter doesn’t get good stories, a good reporter makes them great.” Hop across to the Marvel universe, and you have the likes of Spider-Man (Peter Parker), The Green Goblin (Norman Osborne), Ben Urich, J. Jonah Jameson, and Silk (Cindy Moon), all have prominent ties to either The Daily Bugle, or Fact Channel News.
By Mikayla J. Laird9 years ago in Geeks
When Clea Ruled: The Neglected Love of Dr. Strange
Roger Stern and Peter B. Gillis defined Dr. Strange in the 80s, and Stern was especially noteworthy in chronicling Clea’s rise to power in the Dark Dimension, peaking with Clea’s defeat of her mother, Umar the Unrelenting, in Dr. Strange Vol. 2, number 73. Despite some recent depictions of Dr. Strange as a Tony Stark-like ladies man (and despite some superficial similarities, he is definitely not Tony Stark) Doc maintained, for several decades, a monogamous relationship with Clea who even became his wife (by cosmic common law, whatever that means) and may still technically be married to him though the status of this former Dark Dimension queen remains in limbo (the Dark Dimension and Limbo are completely different dimensions in the Marvel Universe, but the limbo I’m referring to here is called “Writers not caring as much as I do about Clea”). She remains one of the most egregiously neglected characters in Marvel history as she has remained a dangling cliffhanger since the late 90s, yet in this peak moment of defeating her mother, Clea fully manifested as one of the greatest female counterparts to a superhero title character in all of comics, becoming stronger than her husband who is himself one of Marvel's strongest superheroes.
By F. Simon Grant9 years ago in Geeks
The Sexy Dystopia
I want to start this off by saying I am passionate about supporting indie comics and publications, so after reading this I urge you all to try and get hold of a copy of Metal Made Flesh. The art is truly phenomenal and the story possesses some very interesting concepts and a ground shaking plot twist in the middle that I did not at allsee coming.
By Soph Price9 years ago in Geeks
1997: The Year The Superhero Died.
Superhero movies have been enjoying a measure of success as of late, with the genre making a total of $16 trillion dollars at the box office. Since the late 1930s, superheroes have captivated the minds and hearts of young people all around the world with comic book characters like Superman and Batman swooping in to save the day. The first superhero movie was released in 1941 as a 12-part serial based on the Fawcett Comics hero Captain Marvel. But the first full-length theatrical adaptation of a superhero wouldn't come until 1966 with Batman: The Movie which is based on the popular 1960's tv version of the DC character. Marvel got into the superhero movie business as well, but on a smaller scale with television movie adaptations of Spider-Man in 1977 and Doctor Strange in 1978. It would be that same year that we would get our first serious superhero film with Superman: The Movie. Superman is considered the first superhero so it would only make sense that he would be the one to put superhero movies on the map.
By Mickell Ford9 years ago in Geeks
