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Characters that Define Comic Books By Jacob Malewitz Andrew Benton, 2,000, and Buy 50 Comics Robert Coborn, Easy Vest, 50 50 10 Comics aren’t the passion they used to be for me, but I am still happy when a comic makes it to the big screen. Some characters can truly define both art forms. Batman Begins is my favorite of all comic adaptations, beating both Spider Man films and 300. My second favorite would likely be the first X-Men film; mainly because it brought in enough good actors that really fit the roles of the renegade mutants.  The characters that define comics don’t always make it to the big screen, though lately the success of films has made everything up for grabs. My two favorite characters in order are Iron Man and Batman. There is an upcoming Iron Man film starring Robert Downey Jr. that I am stoked about. The Iron Man comic occasionally makes it as a best seller in comics but rarely; he is more of a cult favorite. Iron Man has always been my favori...

In journey essay in free journalism The Hero Writing Art by Jacob Malewitz Heroes come and go, but in fiction, in storytelling, they become immortal. Whether you've watched the PBS show The Power of Myth, watched and loved sci fi epics like Star Wars and Star Trek, even looked at the gumshoe in the film noir story, you've loved heroes. You can't help it. We all love heroes. I first took to heroes when I was a boy struggling to find his way. Oh. I could watch them, but I wanted to be them, to be looked up to like the comic book guys Captain American and Iron Man, my first tastes of the comic book hero phenomenon. I grew up. I watched Star Wars. I read tons of fantasy and science fiction novels. I grew up more. I found the likes of Coppola and Kurosawa, the guys who came after Stan Lee and Jack Kirby,the ladies who came in and said "heroines" aren't to be forgotten. The hero writing art can spark in you in similar ways. After all, comic...

Published pbr 2/3/08 Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01 by Jacob Malewitz Now Judge Dredd may be a signature name, movie and all, dozens of crossovers and all that. But he wasn’t always the big chinned signature hero of British comics. He has always been a thorn in the side of the evil criminal element, always the warrior of Mega-City One. It begins in 2099 AD, with an interesting look at the origins of Judge Dredd all done with many exclamation points and two timing criminals. For a comic from the late 1970s, it does have depth, it still fits into the mold of an epic story, and, most importantly, it’s still fun. As the story tells, Judges are warriors selected by the people “To enforce the law.” A blast from the past set in the future, the artowkr from the initial story offsets how important comics were during the time, developing into the modern age. The first story tells of a judge being murdered, and Dredd seeking vengeance. He is a smart enforcer of the law, using a com...

Published PBR and A Comic Eye Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02 by Jacob Malewitz Dredd is far from cliché. Maybe the 2000 AD character didn’t create the futuristic cop character, but writers like Pat Mills and John Wagner were crucial in reinventing what the medium could do with futuristic tales. Not entirely a judge, jury, and executioner, more a detective with the power of a judge. The first case files are surprising in storytelling depth, having sparks of entertainment—and plenty of fun. “An impossible journey … through a radioactive hell … can even the judge survive?” It’s called Cursed Earth, a place, a hellish place in between Mega City One and Two, and our favorite British hero is in the mix. A disease plagues the people of Mega City Two, an ally to the Dredd’s home of Mega City One. It turns people into cannibals, monsters who feed on others. But there is a vaccine, and Dredd intends to save the people of the city. He must cross Cursed Earth on ground—an unheard o...