Batman


The TradeWaiters 95: “Mad Love” by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

Sparks artist Nina Matsumoto joins our panelists to talk about The Batman Adventures: Mad Love by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. This was the first appearance of Harley Quinn in a comic and the origin story of one of DC’s most iconic characters today. We talk about the behind the […]


Name Game: Joker

Ever since aboriginal shamans first locked horns with puritan mystics, ever since the first explorers of the “New World” unearthed mysteries far older than they could comprehend, there have been secret discoveries, secret wars, within the United States of America. And since almost the beginning, an organization was created to deal with it. Its purpose is simple: to protect America from paranormal forces, to make certain that the American populace remains ignorant (or “protected”) from them, and to see how such forces can be used for the betterment of the country.

The current director is a man who calls himself John Jones, an obvious pseudonym. He is the ultimate MIB, totally generic in his black suit and mirrored sunglasses, utterly unemotional while surrounded by total insanity. Witchcraft, aliens, bizarre supervillains, nothing seems to phase him. Many of his subordinates wonder if “Mr. J” is an emotionless robot programmed to serve his country. None have ever seen him crack a smile, perhaps he doesn’t even really comprehend what humour is. Certainly everything he says seems to be entirely earnest and to the point. In light of that, most agents of Shade have sarcastically referred to him as the “Joker,” though never to his face. He wouldn’t find in funny.


Capering in Costumes

The Suitability of Various Artistic Media for the Superhero Genre By Bevan Thomas Not all superheroes are in comic books, and certainly not all comic books are about superheroes, but somehow the two fit together. Superheroism as a genre is defined by its visual spectacle and kinetic energy: larger-than-life characters […]