Celebrating the Unpopular Arts
 

Atomic Roundtable: Who IS Doctor Strange, Anyway?

The latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will open on Friday November 4; Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, Sorcerer Supreme and wielder of both the Eye of Agamotto and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, brings magic to the previously science-based world of Marvel movies. My favorite thing about Strange is the idea that he’s the guy in the guard tower. He is the one that keeps Earth safe from all the weird psychedelic hell-demons trying to infiltrate our reality and do Bad Stuff. The strip really cooks when it’s about the clash between our normal everyday world and the nameless things lurking in the next dimension over.

House to Astonish Episode 149

House to Astonish, Scotland’s premier comic book podcast, comes to the Atomic Junk Shop! After several years of being syndicated at Comics Should Be good, Paul O’Brien and I have joined the rest of the gang here to bring you comic book news and reviews (and some messing around with the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe).

Originitis and the Power of Mystery

When I was a kid, comic books would recap Batman’s or Superman’s origin every once in a while. In comic strips, you’d get an annual Sunday page of The Phantom’s origin “for those who came in late”, but the rest of the time, you could count on the Ghost Who Walks fighting evil as usual. On TV, syndicated reruns of shows like Batman and Star Trek would give you a throwaway line at best. But now, origin stories are everywhere.

In Defense of Fun

In recent years, there’s been a lot of press about comics starring girls and women; Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, Squirrel Girl, plus less superhero-oriented fare like Gotham Academy and Lumberjanes. While much has been made about the emphasis on diversity, I think one of the reasons why these books are popular is that they are fun.