Assistant editor at ComicsAlliance and responsible for recurring features such as This Magazine Kills Fascists and Rogues' Gallery. He is also the co-host of the podcasts Journey Into Misery and Animal Crackers, as well as a contributor to various independent 'zines. John Cena is my patronus.
Kieran Shiach
If You Love ‘Star Wars’, Try These Comics Next
Star Wars is more popular than ever after the release of last years' seventh installment The Force Awakens rekindled everyone's love for stories set a long time ago in a galaxy far away, and the trailer for this year's Rogue One has that excitement rolling right along.
Comics and sci-fi have a long history together going way back to serialised comic strips of the '30s such as Flash Gordon, and they've only grown in size and scope since then. Star Wars itself has experienced a comics renaissance at Marvel Comics thanks to the likes of Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, but once you've caught up on those, we've assembled a list of some of the best contemporary independent sci-fi comics on the stands.
Super Styling: A Detailed Look At Superman’s New Costume
A line-wide relaunch provides a great opportunity for a publisher to take a look at the visuals of their books, specifically costumes and decide what needs tweaking, changing and updating. We’ve already seen new looks for Batman, Deathstroke and Birds of Prey but today artist Tom Derenick posted on his Facebook page a detailed design sheet for the new look Superman post-Rebirth and in true ComicsAlliance tradition, we’re going to pick apart and analyze it see what works and what doesn’t.
Kindly Couple: Why The Kents Are Vital To The Superman Mythos
Superman is often defined by his powers or his quite literal alienation, but the Man of Steel is so much more than that. Superman represents the potential of humanity through his kindness, his empathy and his generosity. All of these qualities he learned directly from two people, Jonathan and Martha Kent, and when you change anything about that dynamic, you wind up with a very different Superman.
In John Byrne’s classic reinvention, Man of Steel, there’s no mention made of ancient Kryptonian family crests; instead, Clark sits down with his dad and designs a logo based on the “Superman” name already coined for him by the Daily Planet, while Ma works on the costume. It isn’t all fun family crafts however, as it’s Pa Kent who takes Clark aside when he’s young and inspires him to be more than just a high school football star.
Tiwary, Robinson & Baker’s ‘The Fifth Beatle’ To Be Adapted As Event TV Series
Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker’s Dark Horse biography of The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, The Fifth Beatle, is being adapted as an event TV series by Sonar Entertainment. According to Deadline, the adaptation will be the first Beatles biopic to have full access to John Lennon & Paul McCartney’s song catalog, which Tiwary also had access to during production of the graphic novel.
If You Loved The ‘Deadpool’ Movie, Read These Comics Next
Deadpool is already the first big blockbuster of 2016, and its combination of over-the-top violence and irreverent humor has proved a hit with audiences. The film hits you hard and fast with joke after joke, and has some of the best fight scene choreography in superhero films to date.
If Deadpool left you wanting more, and you’re looking for comics in a similar vein beyond the big two and the rather obvious choice of more Deadpool, there’s a wealth of choices out there. Whether it be indie, self-published or webcomics, we’re living in a golden age for comedy-action comics and we’ve selected five of the very best to scratch that particular itch.