Something BIG is coming...

I have something big planned for July. I can't reveal what it is yet. But I will leave some teasers leading up to it to give you guys some clues!

JULY

The decade of the occult in comics. ☠

The occult, in the dictionary, it is relating to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies. And when we think of supernatural heroes or characters in comics they typically fall in a certain decade, the 1970s. Why is this? It is a simple answer really. The revision of the Comics Code Authority in 1971. The revision that brought the likes of so many favorite supernatural heroes reads...

• Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture, shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shall be permitted to be used when handled in the classic tradition such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high calibre literary works written by Edgar Allen Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world.

That's why in 1972 and the following decade we saw characters like Ghost Rider, Damien Hellstorm, Etrigan the Demon, Morbius, Blade, Swamp Thing, and so on introduced. 
These characters would go on to become fan favorites and define a decade in comic books. Could you imagine if the CCA had not been revised and these characters never appeared? Comics would have been poorer because of it. Some of the best stories have come from them and the worlds that they have created!

Something BIG is coming...

JULY

Heroes behind your heroes

Why do we love fictional characters? Is it because they draw us out of the world we live in. They can do things we can't. They do things we wish we could. These characters have always fascinated people. From the Scarlet Pimpernel to Zorro, to The Green Hornet to the Lone Ranger. These characters are over the top fantastical and whimsical. Without characters like these we wouldn't have characters like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. The fictional characters that littered books and radio and displayed heroic traits and even secret identities that paved the way for the heroes of our beloved comic books that we would later read then and now. With authors like Johnston McCulley, Robert E. Howard, Emma Orczy, Lester Dent, Walter B. Gibson and even William Shakespeare, the comic book characters we know today might not exist. So next time you read a comic book or watch the next big comic book movie, think of the people and characters who helped paved the way for these characters on the page and the screen. 

Something BIG is coming...

I know I have been off of here for about a month, but I have something big planned. I can't reveal what it is yet. But I will leave some teasers leading up to it to give you guys some clues!

The First Family: A Fresh Start ④

If you haven't heard already, the Fantastic Four are making their return. The First Family of Marvel will be making their comeback in August under the team of Dan Slott and Sara Pichelli. So what does this mean for Marvel and for Marvel fans? To me, it means that we are going to see Marvel shift back into stories and characters that we all know and love. With the "Fresh Start" relaunch, we are going to be seeing alot of number ones and returns of old favorites. Tony Stark taking back his mantle as Iron Man, Wolverine making his triumphant comeback and Thor reclaiming his hammer. It feels like Marvel is going back to where it needs to be. They can keep the new characters that they introduced that were a hit with fans in the past few years like Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Ms.Marvel, and so on, but they can go back to their roots and really get back the audience they lost along the way. It is great to see the return of all these characters and especially the Fantastic Four. It's great to have the family back together again!

     

Making Archie Cool Again!

Archie Comics. With characters that are apart of pop culture, the company has been around for 79 years and will celebrate its 80th year milestone next year. But only a few years ago, Archie Comics saw a disconnect with newer readers and the new generation. Archie and his friends have always been seemly stuck in the past. The past of malt shops and hot rods. And Archie Comics was really starting to feel that. When the 2010s rolled around, we were in a new age of technology and trends, while Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica were all stuck in the past. It was time for a change. In July 2015, Archie relaunched after new CEO Jon Goldwater was already in his 5th year as CEO and was already making pretty new and radical changes, like introducing fan favorite character Kevin Keller, the first gay character in Archie Comics and launching two successful horror titles in Afterlife with Archie and Chilling Adventures with Sabrina, which soon would lead to the Archie Horror line. 

This relaunch was a success as the new Archie book won IGN's "Best New Comic Series of 2015" award and came in at #7 for comic book sales for the month of July. We can't talk about bringing Archie to a current day audience without mentioning the TV show Riverdale. The show is huge, already in its second season and with a legion of fans (like yours truly). The show has taken the Riverdale gang and put a whole new spin on them and people can't get enough. 

I highly recommend it. The classic Archie is still being printed by Archie Comics, so if you are looking for a nostalgic ride down memory lane, pick one up, but if you want to go to The Town With Pep in the modern day you can do that to. How awesome is that!