By Sam Hurcom

It’s hardly new news, but Thor has recently had a rather drastic gender change. Henceforth, the Asgardian shall no longer bear any resemblance to Chris Hemsworth, instead representing (arguably) the first major Marvel character to be a woman (we’re talking top five characters here). It’s another substantial move by the comic giants to diversify their top flight of characters from the all-white, all male cast we have sadly grown a little too comfortable with. And in terms of their intentions, I highly commend Marvel for acting in this manner. Many of the world’s best loved comic super heroes, were, frankly, born in another age, several generations ago. When the first Thor issue was released in 1966, women had no legal rights against discrimination in the work place, were unable to get mortgages on their own (except in very rare circumstances), had no access to the contraceptive pill, had no legal right to earn equal pay to men… the list goes on. I’m not trying to suggest in 2014 that the goals of 20th Century feminists have all been realised (they most certainly have not). But, in many areas, women are far closer to achieving total equality with men than they have ever been before.

by Sam Hurcom

I feel pretty shitty writing a negative review about almost anything artistic. If someone has taken the time, effort, patience, dedication, heart, passion, drive, scope, vision, prudence, foresight, to create something they feel others may enjoy or learn from, it’s pretty damn easy to point fingers and rant about every minor (or major) flaw. Let’s be honest, it’s far easier to critique the work of others in lieu of actually creating something original, insightful or adventurous ourselves. I don’t care if critics say they have a tough job – they really really don’t! What’s really tough, what really takes a lot of heart and courage, is the ability to create a painting, film, novel or (even a) comic and present it to the big wide world, with every minor detail on full display. In an age of anonymous tweets, thumb toting approvals, and unaccountable, uncontrolled comment pages and blog sites, it’s become all too easy to slate the work of others at the click of a mouse.

I began this week with the intention of writing a fairly negative review about Mark Millar’s latest six issue comic Starlight. Because it would have been easy; Starlight has one massive flaw I was going to stress repeatedly. Simply put, Starlight is far too short, often rushed in places and frankly lacking the depth and breadth befitting a concept so superb and enjoyable as that laid out in first issue or two.

That’s the negative part done – in this day and age, it’s far too easy to be fucking negative all the time.

In reality, the negativity I feel towards Starlight is born from all the things I love and enjoy about it – fundamentally I just wish there had been more comics! For anyone who’s read it, I’m sure you’ll agree, the basic premise of the narrative is just, well, lovely. We’re all going to get old one day and I’d like to think some of us may turn out to be space hopping, planet saving, alien race liberating heroes and heroines.

Anyone not familiar with Starlight may be a little lost now – I should probably start from the beginning.

Starlight follows the life and times of Duke Mcqueen, an aged, widower, with two grown up sons who rarely visit and fairly few friends in the world. That’s because, in his youth, Duke got transported to a distant planet, where, with a sleek rapier in hand, he saved the entire universe. Problem is, when he returned home to Earth, nobody believed him (except his future wife to be). Branded a bit of a whack job, Duke spends his former years in solitude, reliving the past and thinking of his loved ones.

That’s all until he’s visited by a strange boy with a spaceship who asks for his help to save the universe once more. With a bit of a squeeze into his old space gear, Duke sets off on his last great adventure... 

By Sam Hurcom

When I try to explain to people why comics are so incredible, I usually get met with the response; “Comics!? Aren’t they just for kids?” Well yes… and no. I mean, they were just for kids, once upon a time (back in the day*), but not anymore. I’m forced to try and explain that, as with many things in life, comics have simply grown up over their lifespan, becoming a little darker, a little more rebellious and a lot more age restricted. These days, if you scan the shelves of your local comic retailer, you aren’t going to find too many comics aimed purely at kids (readers of around five to ten years old). There’s one or two, but not many. And that seems a great shame, because there’s a few ways to look at comics and, as a result, a few reasons why they are so important. 

By Sam Hurcom

It’s hard to deny that the new Death of Wolverine is a brilliant comic. It follows the greatest of fundamental comic book rules: basic premise (Logan without the ability to heal) combined with mouth wateringly superb artwork (blessed be the hand of Steve McNiven). Throw in a snazzy hardcover edition with a few nice Director’s cut features at the end, and you wind up with a highly desirable collector’s piece, one that will certainly be sought after for generations to come.

But there is snag. Well, something that sort of dulls the excitement at least. We’ve seen all this euphoria before. Not so long ago, we all got a little over excited by the suspected death of a major Marvel hero. And that didn’t exactly pan out as we were promised.

By Sarah Wagner and Sam Hurcom

One of the most talented and respected artists on the comic scene, John Higgins has built his reputation working on titles as diverse and well-known as Watchmen, Judge Dredd and Batman. Having worked prolifically for 2000AD, DC Comics, Dark Horse and Marvel, he is also the artist, writer and publicist of his self-published comic, Razorjack – the story of three friends terrorised by the vicious killer, Razorjack, after they unwittingly stumble into The Twist Dimension, a sinister parallel world. Known as one of the friendliest talents in the business, I was lucky enough to meet John at London Comic Con, where he gave us the chance to pick his brain about his life, work, and what the future holds.

By Sam Hurcom

What exactly is an autobiography? Traditionally it's an anecdotal, nostalgic reflection of one’s own life and career.  Okay, these days most athletes and celebrities knock out several autobiographies before they are thirty, riding the crest of popularity that befalls those who will almost certainly be confined to the archives of wash-outs and pub quiz tie-breakers. But for simplicity, we’ll stick to the traditional definition – an autobiography is written towards the end of life, reflecting on one’s achievements and personal triumphs.

So, what exactly is Hollis Mason’s autobiography in Watchmen reflecting on? Dressing up as an owl and battling thugs with the Minutemen? That’s certainly a big part of it. But, as with any of the master works produced by Alan Moore, there is a hell of a lot more going on below the surface. As Iain Thomson notes "...upon rereading Watchmen it becomes painfully obvious that the meanings of almost every word, image, panel, and page are multiple – obviously multiple."*

By Sam Hurcom

In the last few days, DC have announced that Batgirl is getting a bit of a makeover. So long the tight latex one piece and somewhat impractical high heel boots, hello a cool (dare I say trendy) looking tween, with Doc. Martins and a utility belt that could rival Adam West’s costume props any day of the week.

But it isn’t just a change in costume that DC have undertaken. It’s something a little deeper and, unfortunately, long overdue.

Over the last few decades, the vast majority of leading heroines and female super heroes have been depicted with ever larger breasts, skinnier waists and revealing costumes. You could say it’s become a bit of a comic book tradition. As a heterosexual twenty-something-year-old, I’m hardly the most frigid person when it comes to this subject. But it does seem to be becoming an ever more prominent (often totally over the top) aspect of the medium. And, as traditions go, it’s undoubtedly not a good one.

By Sam Hurcom

Yes, I can already hear you, murmuring and sighing at the first glance of the title. ‘Why the hell would anyone deny that Stan Lee and ‘the King’ were anything but geniuses? Isn’t it bloody obvious?’

And of course, you’re right – at first glance it is bleeding obvious. With careers spanning decades, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created and developed some of the comic world’s most iconic characters and story lines, from Spiderman and Captain America to The Fantastic Four. So it’s easy to see why both are regarded as legends of epic proportions.