Urbane Turtle

Shazam #2 (1973, DC Comics) by C.C. Beck and Dennis O’Neil

Civil War #1, She-Hulk #8, Wolverine #42, Amazing Spider-Man #532 Perhaps nothing in Marvel’s Civil War has aged as poorly as the idea that the US government would be moved into action by the mass deaths of children. There’s something about this central conceit behind the entire production of Civil War, designed to be unthinkable and controversial, that feels almost quaint now. Steeped in the…

Livewire breaks out of prison and recruits the Parasite to help her bring down Superman once and for all.  Credits: Written by Hilary J. Bader Directed by Yuichiro Yano Music by Harvey R. Cohen Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.  There’s something I find compelling about how many of the Superman plots center on a regular guy messing up with big…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Battle Nexus #4 (2026, IDW) by Omar Francia, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Caleb Goellner

Washed ashore on a remotely populated island with no memory of his life of villainy, the killer cyborg Metallo seeks answers about his past. Credits: Written by Hilary J. Bader Directed by Kenji Hachizaki Music by Lolita Ritmanis Animation by TMS-Kyokuichi Corporation The early sequence of Metallo emerging from the sea covered in mud and grime is executed perfectly to make the character…

Civil War Month-By-Month is a deep into Marvel’s 2006 Civil War event, analyzing the main story and its various tie-ins from each individual month to examine what these books have to say about culture, politics, the comics industry, or the characters and what they represent 20 years later. This isn’t an exercise in reviewing a two-decade old story but rather a critical reappraisal of a defining…

Marvel & Disney: What if…Goofy Became Spider-Man? (2025, Marvel) by Francesco D’ippolito, Lucio Ruvidotti, Laura Tartaglia, Steve Behling and Riccardo Secchi

Few comics since Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns can claim such immediate and lasting impact on mainstream superhero comics as Marvel’s Civil War. Created by writer Mark Millar, artist Steve McNiven, inker Dexter Vines, colorist Morry Hollowell, and letterer Chris Eliopolous, and edited by Tom Brevoort, Civil War is one of the biggest superhero events ever made–one that had lasting impact on…

A bored fifth-dimensional imp has made Superman the target for his reality-warping games. Credits: Written by Paul Dini Directed by Dan Riba Music by Harvey R. Cohen Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.  This episode’s existence owes a lot to writer and producer Paul Dini, who is a big fan of Mr. Mxyzptlk. Its success as an episode owes a lot to the late,…

Welcome to another edition of NO CONTEXT COMICS, the regular feature where I review 3 issues from ongoing comic book series that I do not read! The single issue is the building block of comic book storytelling, so what can we learn from taking an issue on its own merits, free of the baggage and context of the larger story? Well, folks. It’s been a while! Hopefully this is just the start of some…

Someone is out for gutsy investigative reporter Lois Lane’s life. But her long list of powerful enemies will require help from Superman to narrow down the suspects. Credits: Written by Hilary J. Bader Directed by Curt Geda Music by Lolita Ritmanis Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD. Hilary J. Bader’s scripts are tremendous; smart, thoughtful, complex,…

Lex Luthor has cloned Superman, but when the copy’s genetic code begins to break down, the Bizarro becomes a danger to himself and all of Metropolis! Credits: Story by Joe R. Lansdale and Robert Goodman Teleplay by Robert Goodman Directed by Curt Geda Music by Kristopher Carter Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang Animation Co. LTD. The episode opens with what is essentially a…