MEMPHIS, TN – The longest-running syndicated newspaper column on comics is moving to a new home – and renovating an old one!

For nearly 22 years, journalist Andrew Smith has submitted his weekly “Captain Comics” column to Scripps Howard News Service, which syndicated it to newspapers across the country. But on Jan. 1, 2014, the column moved to McClatchy-Tribune News Services, part of the most respected newspaper chain in America.

To celebrate, the Captain is upgrading and…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Comic-Con International: San Diego this year was its usual bad self, an immense Christmas party for nerds, geeks, cosplayers and fans of all stripes. But two movie announcements stole the show.

While Captain Comics didn’t personally attend the Con, the two announcements have been widely reported. And in case you have a life and didn’t spend the weekend glued to Entertainment Weekly…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Here in the real world, the DC series of miniseries called “Before Watchmen” was controversial. But there’s no debate about the quality of the stories themselves: They’re really good.

First, the controversy. It begins with writer Alan Moore, who became a legend in…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Although most comics are for adults, some are still for kids – and one thing they all have in common is that they seem to leap promiscuously from one medium to another.

Take, for example, three recent trade paperbacks from DC Comics, Batman Beyond: 10,000 Clowns…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Let’s talk about the Smurfs.

Wait, wait, come back! If, like me, all you knew about the little blue creatures was the 1980s Hanna-Barbera cartoon, or Smurfs 2 (the movie currently out from Sony), you have the wrong idea about them.

For one…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

 With World War Z pulling in big numbers at theaters and The Walking Dead returning for a fourth season on AMC in October, it’s easy to overlook the medium that incubated the zombie phenomenon: Comic books.

The zombie as a concept arose in West Africa, and shambled…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

If you’ve never read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and only seen the movie, you may be missing out.

I certainly was, until DC Comics began adapting Stieg Larsson’s popular thriller into graphic novel form (in two parts). And I still remained shrouded in ignorance of the full impact of the novel after reading TGWTDT Volume 1, which offered little more in the way…

Kim Thompson, long-time co-publisher at Fantagraphics, died today. Here's the release from Fantagraphics:

Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson died at 6:30 this morning, June 19. "He was my partner and close friend for 36 years," said Gary Groth.

Thompson was born in Denmark in 1956. He grew up in Europe, a lifelong comics fan,…

This site has been around since the late '90s, and has been called many things: "Captain Comics site." "The Board." "The Round Table." "The Forum." "The Website." Usually most of these have been preceded by "Captain Comics' ...", but not always -- Legionnaires have often just used shorthand with each other.

When I was forced to make some changes recently -- Ning stopped supporting our chosen design -- I threw together a masthead that reads as you see it above. I chose "Round…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Has Man of Steel made you hungry for more Super-stories? Then read on, for the five essential Superman graphic novels, in reverse order:

5. Superman: Red Son ($17.99) is a play on words; as every Super-fan knows,…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Can Man of Steel save Superman?

It’s odd to think that a strange visitor from another planet, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, would need any saving. And in comic-book sales, the Man of Tomorrow is holding his own: The Superman franchise is probably DC Comics’ third-most-popular, after Batman and Justice League.

But from a movie…

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Two graphic novels set in the past jumped out at me recently, and when I checked the credits I knew exactly why they were so good.

The first is Fury Volume 1: My War Gone By (Marvel, $21.99), starring Nick Fury – not the one in the Avengers movie,…