By Chris Fluit
I’ve come to the realization that I collect music the same way I collect comic books. I have a completist streak in me. If I become a fan of a band or an artist, then I usually try to collect their entire catalog. I have a bit of th
Read more…Great Comics of the 1990s
1990s comics often get a bad rap. It’s partly because the big two of DC and Marvel responded to the rising challenge of new companies like Valiant and Image by flooding the market and there simply wasn’t enoug
Read more…By Chris Fluit
The New Titans of 1995 were vastly different from anything that had come before. The Fab Four of the ‘60s were long gone. The Magnificent Seven of the Wolfman/Perez years had finally disintegrated. In the wake of Zero Hour (Oct 94),
Read more…I confess that I wasn’t looking forward to writing this particular column. The first 8 months of 1994 were a continuation of the “Dark Jaaska” era I detested—and described in detail for the 1993 column. I’m not sure how many ways I can say I loathe
The Teen Titans Project, Part XIII:
From Donna Troy to Tim Drake (1989)
The New Teen Titans were one of the greatest titles of the 1980s, but they entered 1989 in the midst of a distressing slump. The Powers That Be at DC must have realized they n
Read more…By Chris FluitColumnistI genuinely dislike the term “The Dark Age” when it’s used to describe the comics of the early ‘90s. It’s unnecessarily judgmental, most often used by older fans to complain about artistic trends that were moving away from the
The Teen Titans Project, Part XV:
The Hunt (1991)
The start of a new year is always exciting. It’s full of promise and hope. Experience tells us those hopes will likely be dashed and promises unfulfilled yet the start of the year re
Read more…Why I Read Event Comics
(AXIS, Spider-Verse and Death of Wolverine)
Earlier this week, I came across the following comment on the internet: “If you buy event comics like AXIS, Death of Wolverine and Spider-Verse, then you’re part of the problem.”
Ad Nostalgium
(The Fun of Old Ads)
You may have heard someone say that the best part of the SuperBowl is the ads. I know I’ve said it before. It’s not true, of course. I’m partial to a good game myself. But there is a kernel of truth in there
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part XVI:
Total Chaos (1992)
I’ll be honest, I prefer writing about comics I like. It’s much more enjoyable. But it’s important, every once in a while, to write about comics I don’t like. For one thing, it shows that I’m
Read more…The Teen Titans Project (1984): The Greatest Year
Marv Wolfman and George Perez had built The New Teen Titans into a creative and commercial juggernaut. It was DC’s best-selling title and a frequent award-winner. Yet Wolfman and Perez weren’t conte
The Teen Titans Project, Part XIV:
The In-Between Year (1990)
When you look back over the history of the New Teen Titans -- or any comic, really -- some years stand out more than others. Some years are remembered for their greatness, while others
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part IV: The “Joker’s Daughter” Years (1976-1979)
“They’re back at last!” At least that’s what DC proclaimed on the cover of Teen Titans #44 (Nov. 1976). After a three-year hiatus, the Teen Titans were back in costume and
Read more… The Teen Titans Project, Part XII:
Danny Chase and Other Dreck (1988)
Every comic claims to focus on the characters but that can’t be true for all of them. The New Teen Titans showcased its characters more than most and, over the next two years, w
Read more…A Year to Remender
Several years ago, Baron Bizarre posed the question, “Did you ever just discover a director?” The Baron (aka Bob Chisholm) had just discovered the work of Akira Kurosawa, the great Japanese filmmaker who inspired The Magnificen
Read more…Slightly Spooky Reviews
I love Halloween. It might be my favorite holiday*. It’s an especially good time to be a comic book fan and a dad.
It’s become a family tradition to head out to the comic book store on Halloween as our local comic shop
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part XI:
Out with the Old, In with the New (1987)
It doesn’t always make sense to review a title year by year. Major storylines sometimes carry over from one year to the next. Major transitions sometimes occur in the mi
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part X:
The Big Breakdown (1986)
It’s one of the ironic contradictions of comic books -- of fiction in general, really -- that disagreeable things must happen to people we like for the story to remain interesting. We like r
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part IX
New Faces (1985)
1985 was a year of change for the New Teen Titans. Not that any year is static in a comic book series but 1985 was more turbulent than most. Characters came and went. Even more noticeably, artis
Read more…The Teen Titans Project, Part VII: 'Earnestly Eighties (1983)
The 1980s have a reputation for ostentatiousness. It was the era of big deals, big hair and big clothes. Peter Gabriel lampooned the prevalent attitude in his big 1986 hit Big Time.
