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Continued After the Next Page #012: Finding a Stray When Missing Your Nightwing

Continued After the Next Page #012: Finding a Stray When Missing Your Nightwing

Posted on by Bob Harrison

For many people, Robin, the Boy Wonder was the first super hero that they identified with. Whether it was from the Batman live-action TV show, or from Super-Friends cartoons, or on the pages of comic books, there was something enticing about the young sidekick to the cool and powerful superhero, Batman. I was very much that person.

Art by George Perez

My affinity for Robin became specific. I am a fan of Dick Grayson, the original Robin and also Nightwing.  As a pre-teen and teen, The New Teen Titans, by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, was my jam, to use a term I am far too old to use. As Dick Grayson grew past the Teen Wonder persona in the comics, I was growing, and while other youngsters took up the mantle of Robin, I remained committed to my Grayson fandom.

Over the decades, my passion for the character only grew. Many of my comic creator friends, and anyone who has read previous episodes of this column, know how much Nightwing/Dick Grayson means to me. However, that character has been effectively removed from the current DC Comics Universe for the past eighteen months. Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page #012: Finding a Stray When Missing Your Nightwing” →

Continued After the Next Page #011: Goodbye 2019 – Welcome 2020!!

Continued After the Next Page #011: Goodbye 2019 – Welcome 2020!!

Posted on by Bob Harrison

What the new year brings to you will depend on a great deal on what you bring to the new year !

 

Welcome to 2020!

In the past year, the news has often been filled with confounding rhetoric, and there have been some truly terrible events, but we need to resolve to focus on the positive, while committing to make things better. We can be the agents of change that we need in this world.

What an amazing year that 2019 was around here!!! As Pop Culture Squad celebrates the completion of its first full calendar year of existence, we have a lot of great accomplishments to look back on.

Here are a few highlights: Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page #011: Goodbye 2019 – Welcome 2020!!” →

Continued After the Next Page #010: Characters Will Change, Even in the Future. Get Used to It.

Continued After the Next Page #010: Characters Will Change, Even in the Future. Get Used to It.

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Despite the traditional theme of this column, we are going to dive into some current events in comics fandom with this installment. There has been quite a bit of moaning and groaning along with some absolute vitriol about some of the creative decisions by prominent publishers regarding character revisions, lately.

Art by Ryan Sook

When I say lately, I am using a wide measuring stick. This has been going on for a while. The volume of the critical voices is amplified in this age of instant access to everyone’s thoughts, AKA Twitter. The pure virulent hate that has been spewed at publishers and any creator even tangentially involved with promoting inclusive and diverse characters has morphed into the hate group #ComicsGate. The most depressing thing about these events is that is ruins my inherit belief that comic readers are proponents of hope and change.  I am probably wrong about that, and that is disappointing.

Let’s take a second to look at some facts. In the past week, DC Comics revealed that two of its long slumbering properties will be revived. The Legion of Super-Heroes will return, starting in September, under the stewardship of Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook. Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page #010: Characters Will Change, Even in the Future. Get Used to It.” →

Continued After the Next Page 007: On George Perez’s Retirement…

Continued After the Next Page 007: On George Perez’s Retirement…

Posted on by Bob Harrison

If you have read the previous posts in this column, you will know that I am a child of the 80’s. I began my love for comics when the two biggest selling series were Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans. The New Teen Titans was the most influential comic series on me as a child. Hell, my best friend, and current tattoo artist, painted the Titans Tower portraits for my Bar Mitzvah party.

With that bit of background, it is easy to understand why George Perez is the first comic book artist that I fell in love with. My sister, who I am betting has read maybe two comic books in her life (only because I forced her), even knows who George Perez is. There are so many fantastic artists in the medium. Too many to name. But George tops them all for me. He is my paragon. In adulthood, I have gained appreciation for those who came before him. As a youngster, I didn’t understand Kirby or Ditko the way that I did Perez. Adams was too melodramatic for me. George Perez’s tight lines and dynamic action scenes where what I expected comics to be.

Recently, Mr. Perez announced that 2019 will be his last year on the comic convention circuit, and he will essentially retire from making new comics. These decisions are due to the toll that health issues have taken on him. We are terribly sad to hear that he has come to this place at such a young age. Mike Gold has become the de facto eulogizer around Pop Culture Squad headquarters. Thankfully, George is still with us, and therefore, I will take a shot a living tribute in this post.

Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page 007: On George Perez’s Retirement…” →

Continued After the Next Page 006: Why Do We Need to Relive Bad Decisions in Comics?

Continued After the Next Page 006: Why Do We Need to Relive Bad Decisions in Comics?

Posted on by Bob Harrison

OK Folks. We are not all about spoilers here at PCS, but there is definitely some spoilery information in this post. If you have not seen the first six episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders, and you are planning to, there will be spoilery information below.

After a long break, one of the best animated shows ever has returned. Young Justice is now producing new episodes, and they are airing on the DC Universe streaming platform. This show has always been a favorite of mine, and I have urged as many people as I could to go and watch this fantastic series.. The new season is absolutely incredible. It is inventive and respectful to canon while telling a unique story. The voice acting is superb, the dialogue is witty and engaging, and the animation is excellent. However, I have an issue. It is the “respect for canon” thing with which I think the show-runners went a little too far.

Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page 006: Why Do We Need to Relive Bad Decisions in Comics?” →

Continued After the Next Page #005: Best Single Issue Ever NTT #38

Continued After the Next Page #005: Best Single Issue Ever NTT #38

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Welcome back to “Continued After the Next Page”. If you are new here, we try to shine a spotlight on stories and comic book nostalgia from the past. Today we are going to talk about just one comic book. In my opinion, it is the greatest single issue that I have ever read. Now, that is a lofty perch on which I have just placed this book, and I am willing to listen to other suggestions, of course. However, this issue, which is a one-and-done story, strikes such emotional tones that I cannot find a book that tops it.

The book in question is The New Teen Titans #38. It was released in late 1983 with a January 1984 date stamped on the cover. The issue was co-plotted by Marv Wolfman and George Perez with a script from Marv and art by George and Romeo Tanghal. Sadly, letterer Ben Oda, colorist Adrienne Roy, and editor Len Wein have all passed on by now. If you are going to call something that is the product of a collaborative effort “the best of its kind”, then that thing should display a high level of talent from the individual collaborators that is independently identifiable, but is even better in the context of the complete collective work. This book certainly accomplished that goal. Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page #005: Best Single Issue Ever NTT #38” →

Continued After the Next Page #001: Introduction

Continued After the Next Page #001: Introduction

Posted on by Bob Harrison

“Continued After the Next Page” is the title that we came up with for this column. What does it mean?

Well, If you have to ask that, then most likely you started reading comics after 1990 and haven’t reached into the past. And truly, this column is about reaching into the past. It is about sharing stories and experiences. It is about celebrating comic fandom.  The main topics we will cover here are experiences interacting with the historical culture of comic books.  There will be reviews and reminiscing about classic or meaningful comic issues or stories. There will be interviews with comic book professionals from the past and present.  Ultimately the goal is to remember what got a lot of people into reading comic books and how it led to the pop culture explosion that you can see all over this site.

The most important thing to know about this column is that it is not a grumpy old man screaming “Get off my lawn!!”  It is meant to be positive, supportive, and inclusive.

Continue reading “Continued After the Next Page #001: Introduction” →