Title	Excerpt	Author	Date	Total Comments	Recent Comment
Not Like the Other X-books	Do you read “X-Factor”? Do you know Layla Miller? Do you know who Peter David is? If you know all these things than I guess it is safe to say you know “X-Factor.” X-Factor, got a lot of attention due to its noir- style. People loved it. It was unlike…	Isaac Magaña	11/17/09	0
Think of the Children	Kids are our future. I know that is not a big surprise for anyone. But it may surprise some that it applies to the comics industry as well. The majority of comic book readers started reading comics when they were kids. They use to purchase them at convenience stores or…	Isaac Magaña	11/10/09	0
5 Year Old Muscle Suit	Halloween has come and gone. As I handed out candy I noticed a rise in vampires but a steady stream of super hero costumes this year. There was one costume that stood out for me: Spider-man. It was something about the costume. Imagine a 5 year old, wearing a black-suit…	Isaac Magaña	11/03/09	0
Thank you to Casanova, Tranquility, and Astro	I had the great privilege of listening to three great writers at a conference this past weekend: Matt Fraction, Gail Simone, and Kurt Busiek. Each one of these writers has made a name for themselves in the super hero comic medium. All three were a part of a panel discussing…	Isaac Magaña	10/27/09	0
The Batgirl in the Family	She’s back. You know, Batgirl; not to be confused with Batwoman. Is the name ringing any, bells for you? I guess it can be confusing because this isn’t the first incarnation of this character, or because after each reappearance the character doesn’t stay around for very long. Batman already has…	Isaac Magaña	10/20/09	0
Redeem and Corrupt	Modern comics are dominated by heroes and villains. Each story brings a different definition of what makes a hero and what makes a villain. Now, here comes Mark Waid and his two comics - “Irredeemable” and “Incorruptible” – in which his characters take another shot at defining heroes and villains. …	Isaac Magaña	10/13/09	0
Spider-man and Jack Kirby	As you may have already heard, Jack Kirby’s heirs have filed to reclaim the rights to the characters that he co-created at Marvel Comics. This kind of news is starting to become old-hat in the world of comics. And just like other recent reclamation cases, there’s something unique to this…	Isaac Magaña	10/06/09	0
Who’s Who, Handbook, and more	As a comic book universe grows and grows it gets harder and harder to keep track of all of the information: character history, character details, and even family connections. Before the internet, fans relied on comic publishers to supply them with the method for keeping track of this information. DC…	Isaac Magaña	09/29/09	1	10/03/09
Being Direct Market	The announcements from DC and Marvel, and their ‘reorganizing’, have led many to speculate on the future of comics. Some have thought about characters, others have thought about stories. Recently there was a particular speculation that really caught my interest: some say that these changes are going to lead to…	Isaac Magaña	09/23/09	0
Welcome to DC Entertainment	If you’re a big reader of DC Comics, you probably know that Warner Bros. (WB) has been DC’s parent company. If you knew that a big media conglomerate was behind DC you would probably ask yourself how come the WB never used it size to help DC Comics? I mean,…	Isaac Magaña	09/15/09	1	09/16/09
Marvel and the Mouse	It has been a week since the announcement came from Disney. The giant media conglomerate has decided to purchase Marvel Entertainment, and their library of characters and stories. Will Disney be the end of Marvel and the end of comics or will it be the ushering of a new era…	Isaac Magaña	09/08/09	0
Celebrity Comics	Celebrities carry a lot of influence, especially when they’re popular. If they buy a drink, their fans by the same drink. If they get their hair cut one way plenty of people will follow suit. When celebrities decide to be involved with comics, it seems natural that there would be…	Isaac Magaña	09/01/09	0
Saying Thank You	Recently, at a local event celebrating Marvel’s 70th Anniversary I met three of Marvel Comics current writers. They all shared their experiences, their histories, and some of their current projects. The discussion was followed by a book signing at which I asked some of them to sign their independent books,…	Isaac Magaña	08/18/09	0
Happy 70th Birthday Marvel	It happened 70 years ago. A small publishing company known as Timely Comics started printing their first issues. The comics had some characters and stories that we would be familiar with, but overall the types of stories they printed share very little in common with the books Marvel Comics is…	Isaac Magaña	08/11/09	0
The Complete Text	Boom Studios is putting out some very interesting comics. They’ve picked up “The Incredibles” as well as other fun titles. Most recently I came across a book which I thought was another comic-to-film adaptation. I picked up the first issue of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. (DADES)” I glanced…	Isaac Magaña	08/05/09	4	08/08/09
Explaining Miracles and Men	It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2009 that Marvel has purchased the rights to Marvelman aka Miracleman . I’m going to admit that until recently, I had know idea what that meant. All that came to mind when I thought about Miracleman were the names Neil Gaiman and Todd…	Isaac Magaña	07/28/09	0
The Living Dead Minus The Zombies	The first issue of “Blackest Night” hit the shelves last week and people have gone crazy for it. I’m not a big Green Lantern reader so I’m not fully informed on what the event is all about. By looking at advertisements and the comic solicitations I have been able to…	Isaac Magaña	07/21/09	0
Superman, not a novel or musical	When Warner Bros (WB) paid DC for the use of Superman in their movies the Siegels went to court claiming they were owed more money. The Siegels felt that because DC was a subsidiary of WB, that WB paid a very low amount for the use of Superman. They lost…	Isaac Magaña	07/14/09	0
Not a Marvel Summer Event	For the past few years we’ve had a big story event followed by another, followed by another. This year Marvel decided to put a pause on the big summer events and leave things as they are with regular stories with their regular books. Or are they? While there is no…	Isaac Magaña	07/07/09	3	07/25/09
It’s Ben Riley	I was reading the comic book news websites when I came across an article about Ben Riley. The name conjures up a not-so-proud time for Marvel comics and comic-medium in general. I wasn’t reading comics regularly during that time that Ben Riley’s made his publishing appearance, but his impact can…	Isaac Magaña	06/30/09	1	10/13/09
Which Captain America?	Well, I hope you are all aware that Steve Rogers is on his way back. You know Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. He was shot dead about a year ago or so, but like all other slain heroes he is going to return.  Steve might be shocked to know…	Isaac Magaña	06/23/09	0
Mutant Pride	It’s the early summer. Where I’m from that means it is time for the yearly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade. It’s the biggest Pride event that I know of held right here in San Francisco. And what else is in the Marvel Universe’s version of San Francisco?…	Isaac Magaña	06/16/09	0
Graduating to the X-Men	When I graduated high school, the next step for me was college. By graduating high school I had proven that I was ready for college. If you think about it, some of the X-Men have done the same thing. They graduate to the big leagues, i.e. X-Men. How do you…	Isaac Magaña	06/09/09	0
They’re New, But Not New	“New Mutants” was launched recently. Some familiar faces have returned in this book, mainly the same characters that appeared in the previous book titled “New Mutants.” The interesting part is that these characters are not ‘new’ but the book is still titled as such. The characters have existed for a…	Isaac Magaña	06/02/09	0
Name that Mutant	If you are a regular reader of X-men comics then you are well aware of the amount of mutants running around the Marvel Universe.  I’m not sure if it’s true for all X-men readers but for me it becomes a game: name that mutant.  You see a mutant display their…	Isaac Magaña	05/26/09	0
Long Box of Time	One of the advantages of having a long box is that it can store a lot of comics. No surprises there. The surprise comes when one decides to go back through her/ his own comics. It’s fun but its also acts like a time machine. Reading an issue from a…	Isaac Magaña	05/20/09	1	05/20/09
Left, Down, Right, Up	It’s easy to read comics. You just open up the pages and follow the panels filled with word balloons. I did it yesterday and I’ll probably do it again tomorrow. Open the page and follow. The ability to follow the story in a comic book is something you have to…	Isaac Magaña	05/12/09	0
Good Art	When I read a review about an issue of a comic book, the phrase “good art” is often used. That tells me that the reviewer thought everything artistic in the book was good. Yet when I go to a museum or some other art gallery event, the same phrase is…	Isaac Magaña	05/05/09	0
Recycling Comics	As earth week came to a close last week I sat and thought about how comics could be involved with earth week. I’m not talking about promoting earth week, and I’m not just limiting it to recycling comics. There have to be other ways for comics and comic readers to…	Isaac Magaña	04/28/09	0
The Way It Could Have Gone	Chris Claremont is getting an opportunity not given to many comic book writers. He’s going to go back and continue the story where he left off. I’m talking about “X-men Forever.” If you haven’t heard, this new series is going to take place right from the point where Claremont left…	Isaac Magaña	04/21/09	2	04/22/09
Does Everything Have to be Dark?	I hope I’m not the only one who has noticed the “Dark Reign” banner looming over a bunch of the Marvel titles. The banner is suppose to signify that the plot deals directly with the aftermath of the “Secret Invasion” crossover event. For a while I thought that “Dark Reign”…	Isaac Magaña	04/14/09	0
New Blue, Same Gold	DC has decided to add a little extra to their 3.99 books. They’re adding back up stories to justify the price increase i.e. backups. Normally, this wouldn’t faze me, but one of the backups has caught my interest. It’s the Blue Beetle. The Blue Beetle is going to appear as…	Isaac Magaña	04/07/09	1	07/26/09
Wanted: Sorcerer Supreme	I think its pretty common knowledge that Dr. Strange is the go-to guy when it comes to magic in the Marvel Universe. He is widely known as the Sorcerer Supreme (SS) and with that title comes certain responsibilities in regards to all magic. A job like that isn’t easy to…	Isaac Magaña	03/31/09	0
Besides Hulk Smash	I don’t read the Hulk regularly, but yet I find him to be an interesting character. This led me to be sideswiped by the following question, “what draws people to read the Hulk?” With no real answer on the tip of my tongue, I defaulted to the following answer “HULK…	Isaac Magaña	03/24/09	1	03/24/09
Maybe Start With A Quarter	A few days ago I was listening to some comic readers discussing what they were going to order from the Previews catalog. They would look at an issue they found interesting then see the price, $3.99. What followed was always a variation of “not for $3.99”. In other words the…	Isaac Magaña	03/17/09	0
Keeps Going	Most modern comics involve ongoing stories and/or storylines. I know that’s not a big surprise to any long time readers. The interesting thing is that there are not many forms of media that involve an ongoing story. Everything from movies, television shows, to plays have a beginning, middle, and an…	Isaac Magaña	03/10/09	0
Interesting and British	I’ve never given a second thought to British characters. The main reason being that the British characters in the stories I read were not that interesting. This all changed for me when I picked up “Captain Britain and MI:13” . I bought it on a whim and now I’m impressed…	Isaac Magaña	03/03/09	0
It Better Be Good	I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but there is going to be a Watchmen movie. Yes, I know it’s a big surprise to us all. To the average move-fan non-comic reader, this movie seems like another super hero movie. In my circle of friends, I’ve been asked…	Isaac Magaña	02/24/09	0
Not the Ultimate End	It was revealed at NYCC, that the Ultimate line of Marvel Comics was going to be ending. Well, sort of. Marvel is going to end the current Ultimate line and re-launch the Ultimate Universe under a new banner, Ultimate Comics. When you look at the purpose of the Ultimate books,…	Isaac Magaña	02/17/09	1	02/27/09
16 Page Gripe	NOTE: I wrote this column before Dan Buckley apologized at NYCC ‘09 for the issue brought up in this column. Rather than rewrite a new column I present my column as planned. I’ve been doing my standard X-men reading for the past few months. I’ve been reading Warren Ellis’s Astonishing…	Isaac Magaña	02/10/09	2	02/16/09
Trying to Re-read Watchmen	I hope everyone is just as excited as I am in regards to the release of the Watchmen movie. For the longest time, I heard that this would be one great movie if it ever got made, and this is one story that shouldn’t be made into a movie. All…	Isaac Magaña	02/03/09	2	03/09/09
Rally Cry	“Avengers Assemble” “…fear my power, Green Lantern’s Light” “Titans Together” When you sit and think about it, teams of superhero have a rallying cry. They have something that they say to each other to get them moving again or band together. How is it that these chosen words have so…	Isaac Magaña	01/27/09	1	10/30/09
The 1-0-0	I’ve done it.  I’ve hit a major milestone.  I’m up there with Mark Bagley and Brian Michael Bendis. Okay, maybe my milestone isn’t exactly like theirs, but I’ve hit a milestone. This is my 100th column. Who knew I would have made it this far? I’ve been thinking and writing…	Isaac Magaña	01/20/09	0
What Happened in 2008?	With 2008 fully over I thought I would take time to review some great things that happened last year. There’s a problem, the year of 2008 is a blur. All of it. I’m coming to a realization that maybe year-end reviews really aren’t my thing. Let me see what I…	Isaac Magaña	01/13/09	5	02/16/09
Comic Resolutions 2009	As 2009 rolls along people will start to make good on their resolutions. There are the standard eat healthy and exercise resolutions which are easy to start and continue… for some people. Then there are the pick up a new hobby resolution; I’ve already got that one covered. But what…	Isaac Magaña	01/06/09	0
The Receiving of Comics	As the holiday comes to a close and the wrapping paper gets recycled I look over one of the gifts I received; it was a small gift of comics. My friends and family know I read comics, but they are not fully aware of what titles I read. Because of…	Isaac Magaña	12/30/08	0
A Stack to Read	I go through my short stack of books on a fairly regular basis. When I’m done with my stack I don’t have any other comics to read. I don’t have a backlog of books to get through when I’m done with my pile. If I want to read a new…	Isaac Magaña	12/23/08	0
A White Queen	As I look out my window I see the snow fall. It covers everything in white. I step out and it’s cold. White and cold, hmm…What other things are white and cold? Emma Frost aka the White Queen comes to mind. Emma has come a long way from an evil…	Isaac Magaña	12/16/08	0
Who Wants to Trade?	From what I have been told a lot of comic readers would trade comics when they were younger. They would gather all their friends together and trade single issues back and forth. I never did this when I was younger because I didn’t read comics regularly until I was older.…	Isaac Magaña	12/09/08	2	10/31/09
Mini Overload	I’m starting to sour on mini-series aka minis. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed a good mini here and there, it’s just that there are too many minis coming out at one time. On one hand you have a mini that’s the big crossover event; then you have mini that…	Isaac Magaña	12/02/08	0