Autonecrohomoeroticism: Revisiting Richie Rich & Casper #31
The first in our new “Critical Nostalgia” series, revisiting single issue faves from younger days, considers Richie Rich’s desire for his own future ghost self.
Year-End Meta 2020: Additions, Corrections, Updates & Announcements
Cleaning up loose ends from the last year and making some announcements about the next.
The (re)Collection Agency #13: A Conversation with Anna Peppard
Discussing the intersection of collecting and desire, superhero sex, and avoiding spoiler aversion with Dr. Anna Peppard.
“Say It Loud!” Tyroc and the Trajectory of the Black Superhero (part 2)
Part Two of using DC’s Tyroc to consider the arc of the Black superhero.
“Say It Loud!” Tyroc and the Trajectory of the Black Superhero (part 1)
Part one in an exploration of how the trajectory of Tyroc’s character provides a blueprint for thinking about the arc of other black superheroes.
WAUGH and On and On #8: The Duck is Dead. Long Live the Duck!
In the final (for now) installment of the Howard the Duck reading series, we examine the duck’s shift from social satire to Marvel Comics parody.
“There’d Be a Hanging!” – Spontaneous Authenticity and the Fluctuative Quality of Comic Art in Gilbert Hernandez’s “Human Diastrophism”
Exploring how NYC grafitti and Gilbert Hernandez seek to DESTROY ALL LINES.
WAUGH and On and On #7: Can’t Win For Losing
Steve Gerber’s final work on the first volume of Howard the Duck (for real this time!) feels like a losing gamble.
The (re)Collection Agency #12: A Conversation with Rebecca Wanzo
In the 12th installment of our series of talks with comics scholars and teachers, we talk with Dr. Rebecca Wanzo, about her new book, the difference between caricature and stereotype, and not remembering a beginning of a political consciousness.
WAUGH and On and On #6: It’s the Bomb that Will Bring Us Together
Examining Howard the Duck #28 – when a Wolfman writes a duck man and ends up with a bomb.
WAUGH and On and On #5: It’s the End of the WAUGH as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)
“Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn. . ” as we come to the final arc of the first volume of Howard the Duck to be penned by Steve Gerber.
All-Female Fanfare: Examining Marvel Fanfare #38
When it is a surprise to the editor that both stories in a comic are written and drawn by women, it takes an engaged reader to consider the actual significance.
WAUGH and On and On #4: Synecducky
Ten ways to look at Howard the Duck #24 – the part that reflects the whole, the whole that is just a part.
Brief Comic Book Reviews (January 1 to 15, 2020)
Brief reviews of comics released between January 1st and 15th, 2020 (like Miles Morales: Spider-Man #14 and Second Coming #6), plus a couple of outliers I picked up (like Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #3).
WAUGH and On and On #3: The Dark Side of the Farce
A long time ago in a world he never made. . . STAR WAUGH! Third in an ongoing Howard the Duck reading series.
Days of Future Imperfect Past: The 2019 Year-End Meta Post
A look at the past year, comics collecting present, and a possible future for The Middle Spaces
The Hidden Fortress: No Ivy League and Legacies of Whiteness
Interrogating the complex legacies of racial injustice in Hazel Newlevant’s No Ivy League and Jonathan Lethem’s The Fortress of Solitude.
Brief Comic Book Reviews (September 6 through September 25, 2019)
Brief reviews of comics that were released in September 2019, including Agents of Atlas #2, Wonder Twins #7, and Power Pack: Grow Up! #1
WAUGH and On and On #2: Duck Naked
What do Disney and “decency” campaigns have in common? The blandification of culture. Covering Howard the Duck #21.
Reachin’ Not Drowning: Songs in Conversation About Abortion
The personal is political and sometimes – as in the case of abortion – the political is personal.
Epic Disasters: Revisiting Marvel & DC’s 1980s Famine Relief Comics
How well do Marvel and DC’s 1985 comics meant to raise aid for famine relief in Africa tackle the tragic events they are addressing? Short answer? Not well.
