All Blog Posts (731)

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

It’s Scott Snyder’s world, and we’re just reading about it.

Snyder is a published author (Voodoo Heart) and has an MFA from Columbia University, where he also teaches writing. He’s in this column for writing comics, of course – a lot of comics, where everything he’s touched has turned to gold.

Two of those treasures were released this week in hardback…

27 TP VOL 02 SECOND SET

ABSOLUTE BATMAN DARK VICTORY HC

ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN ARCHIVES HC V1

ADVENTURES OF DOG MENDONCA PIZZABOY TP

ALL STAR WESTERN #9 (NIGHT OF THE OWLS)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #686 ENDS

ANDREW LOOMIS SUCCESFUL DRAWING HC

AQUAMAN #9

ARCHIE #633

ARTIFACTS ORIGINS FIRST BORN TP

ASTONISHING X-MEN #50

AVENGERS CONTEST TP

BART SIMPSON COMICS #71

BATMAN INCORPORATED #1

BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP NEW ED V2…

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Nay 8, 2012 -- When DC Comics re-launched its entire superhero line last September as “The New 52,” it put its best foot forward with Justice League #1. Now they’re doing it again with the first “New 52” collections, beginning with Justice League Vol. 1: The Origin ($24.99).

Origin collects the first six issues of Justice League, set five years ago…

The genesis of this column began a couple of years ago when I compiled a list of the 100 greatest characters of the past 20 years. Since then, I’ve worked my way back through the decades two at a time, presenting a new list every six months or so. Now, I’ve finally arrived at the beginning. Comic books were created as…

ACTIVITY #6

ADVENTURE TIME #4

ALTER EGO #108

ALTER EGO #109

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH #1

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SECRET ORIGINS TP

ARE YOU MY MOTHER A COMIC DRAMA HC

ARMY OF DARKNESS ONGOING #4

ASTONISHING X-MEN TP VOL 07 MONSTROUS

ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #2

AVENGERS #26 AVX

AVENGERS ACADEMY #30 AVX

AVENGERS ACADEMY HC SECOND SEMESTER

AVENGERS BLACK WIDOW STRIKES #2 (OF 3)

AVENGERS CONTEST TP

AVENGERS…

As I’ve mentioned before, the Silver Age was not limited just to comic books.  Super-heroes made their way to television, as well.  And this time around, we’re going to look at one of the more popular examples, one that travelled over six thousand miles to reach the homes of American viewers.

In…

Another Legionnaire makes good

Chuck Miller one of the 'Essentials'

  From long-time Legionnaire Chuck Miller:

  New Pulp originator and guru BARRY REESE lists 8 essential books that anyone Interested in New Pulp should read.(By the way, one of them is by me!)…

From comics to the big screen

Assembling the Avengers

By Andrew A. Smith

Contributing Editor

Avenger fans assemble! It’s the best year ever for “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”!

Marvel’s premier super-team stars in more than a dozen titles in April, including the…

For fans of my questionable movie reviews, I now have two new books out in Kindle editions (and remember, Amazon offers a free Kindle app allowing you to read these on your PC if you don't have the device). The first, 66.6 Absurd Movies About the Devil, covers movies in the vein of The Exorcist or The Omen, and the second,…

2000 AD #1776 (NOTE PRICE)

2000 AD #1777

2000 AD #1778

ACOLYTE CHRONICLES #1

ALABASTER WOLVES #2 (OF 5)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PARALLEL LIVES #1

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SECRET ORIGINS TP

ANNE RICE SERVANT OF THE BONES HC

ARTIFACTS #17

ASTONISHING X-MEN TP VOL 07 MONSTROUS

ATOMIC ROBO TP VOL 06 GHOST OF STATION X

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #3

AVENGERS CROSSING OMNIBUS HC DEODATO DM VAR ED

AVENGERS KREE SKRULL WAR HC

AVENGERS MOVIE CAPTAIN…

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

A learner's guide to 'Avengers' the movie

Avengers Assemble!

Those outside the comics world may not be familiar with that battle cry, but they will be after May 4, when The Avengers premieres in the U.S. According to reports, nobody actually shouts “Avengers Assemble” in the movie,…

Finally, we reach the number-one spot on the list of Golden Turkey villains created by Gardner Fox to threaten the Justice League of America.

So far, we’ve taken a look at super-villains who had the brains and the power, but fell woefully short in the strategy department.  Guys like the Lord of Time…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

April 24, 2012 -- Shooters is a new graphic novel that puts the emotional journey of its warrior protagonist at the center of the story. As such, it’s a “war book” that takes us into places few other war books ever have.

 …

30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING #7

ACTION COMICS #9

AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #685 ENDS

AMERICAN VAMPIRE TP VOL 02 (MR)

ANIMAL MAN #9

ANIMAL MAN TP VOL 01 THE HUNT

ART OF JAMES HOTTINGER SC (MR)

AVENGELYNE #8

AVENGERS ACADEMY #29 AVX

AVENGERS ART OF AVENGERS HC SLIPCASE

AVENGERS BLACK WIDOW STRIKES #1 (OF 3)

AVENGERS KREE SKRULL WAR HC

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 (OF 12) 2ND PTG

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #3 (OF 12)…

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

April 17, 2012 -- My review pile is overflowing with books that are part of what has become a huge revenue machine for publishers: reprints. But this tsunami of old comics, some not seen for 70 years, raises a new question: Which are really worth reading?

That wasn’t asked in decades past, because prior to the avalanche of hardcover reprints, not much was available. Fans and…

For the past couple of years, I’ve been reading all of the X-Men comics in historical order. Along the way, I picked up a few odds and ends that I hadn’t purchased the first time around.

The project itself has been a blast. I’ve enjoyed reading so many of my favorite stories over again, whether it’s Roy…

ABE SAPIEN TP VOL 02 DEVIL DOES NOT JEST

ACTIVITY #5

ADAM WARROCK WAR FOR INFINITY AUDIO CD

ADAM WARROCK YOU DARE CALL THAT THING..?

AIRBOY DEADEYE #1 (OF 5)

ALL STAR WESTERN #8

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #26 (MR)

ANGEL & FAITH #9

AQUAMAN #8

ARCHIE #632

ARCHIE ARCHIVES HC VOL 05

ARMY OF DARKNESS ONGOING #3

ART OF AMANDA CONNER HC

ASTONISHING X-MEN #49

ASTONISHING X-MEN EXALTED PREM HC

AVENGERS KIT

AVENGERS…

The Golden Age of Reprints and Back Issues

I Complain Not

By Andrew A. Smith

Contributing Editor

March 2012: Regular readers of this column are familiar – probably too familiar – with my belief that this is the Golden Age of Reprints. But it’s also the Golden Age of Back…

What's Your Favorite Spider-Man Era?

From the "Coffee Bean Years" to "Spider-Island"

By Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith

Contributing Editor

February 2012: In the words of Maggie Thompson, “the Golden Age of Comics is age 10.” That being the case, a character that’s been around for 50…

I thought it was about time I started posting my Comics Buyer's Guide stories and columns here. Here's the first one published this calendar year, from CBG #1687 (May 12)

More Depth and Breadth

The Growth of Reprints

By Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith

Contributing…