This week in Ask Chris, I shock the world — without crashing through a wall — by declaring that something about Batman is not better than everyone else with a look at who’s got the best supporting cast in comics!
I’ll give you a hint: It involves moustaches, cigars and yelling, and I don’t think it’s coincidence that a bunch of comics writers have created an editor who is little more than an animate collection of angers.
This week in Ask Chris, things get a little esoteric as I’m called upon to replace the Justice League with a team of comedians, and things get real tenuous real quick. Plus, I give a brief rundown of the ComicsAlliance staff and how well we all work with each other!
Today at ComicsAlliance, I’ve written up what is, narratively speaking, the most complicated article I’ve ever written. Of course, considering that the usual narrative structure is just me making fun of something, that’s not saying a whole lot, but trust me, this one has layers.
The topic is a rundown of Spider-Man’s costume changes over the years based off today’s release of his new Spider-Armor, and let’s be honest: That’s been done. So in order to keep myself (and, as a secondary concern, you) from being bored to death, I decided to take a different tactic with it. So now, please enjoy six excerpts from the Daily Bugle‘s fashion column, in which a mysterious author known only as “Mr. J” rips on Spidey’ suit at every opportunity. It’s meta, yo.
Every time there’s a new piece of information about the upcoming Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, it just sounds more and more hilarious, to the point where making fun of it has gotten pretty difficult.
But far from impossible.
Yes, today at ComicsAlliance, I’ve done my best to come up with eight predictions for the show’s cast, songs and plot points, illustrated with “on-set photographs” by CA’s own Caleb Goellner!
And seriously, I cannot wait to see this thing. I hope it runs for a hundred years. After it eventually opens, I mean.
In this week’s installment of my Comics Culture Q&A column, I take on the task of reviewing 101 issues of Amazing Spider-Man all at once with a look back at Spider-Man’s “Brand New Day” and the two years of thrice-monthly Spidey comics. Short version: Yeah, it was pretty good.
Also, while the spookiness of last week’s column may have abated now that we’re past Halloween, it’s not completely gone, because I have not one, not two, but three pictures of the Franken-Hero I came up with, courtesy of a trio of extremely talented artists! So check it out!
And remember: If you draw something for me once, I will inevitably attempt to rope you into drawing more. Just ask Rusty.
Gentle reader,
I was reminded this week that one of my favorite games from my youth, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 involves a cutscene where professional skaters dress up as Spider-Man and friggin’ shred a skatepark. To that end, I have posted it on ComicsAlliance so that we can all better our lives by watching it.
there are also animated .gifs.
Lukewarmest Regards,
Chris
It’s that time again, where I get an article by answering your comics and comics culture questions! This time around, someone asks me just why I like Spider-Man so darn much, and while I had hoped that this would be the article to prompt CA Editor Laura Hudson to pound her desk and demand I give her more pictures of Spider-Man, that was sadly not the case.
One thing I didn’t get around to mentioning, though, was that an incredible amount of what I love from Spider-Man comes from his supporting cast, which is easily the best in comics. After all, you don’t get to love a character without also loving the stuff that comes with him. I love Batman because I also love Alfred and Commissioner Gordon and the Joker and (of course) the KGBeast, and one of the reasons I love Jimmy Olsen so much is that I really like Superman and Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, too. But nobody — and I do mean nobody — comes close to having the supporting cast Spider-Man’s got, if for no other reason than the undeniable fact that J. Jonah Jameson is the single greatest supporting character of all time.
If you’ve got a question you’d like to see me answer, just put it on Twitter with the hashtag #AskChris or send an email to comicsalliance at gmail.com with [Ask Chris].
BUT! Next week, there will be no Ask Chris column, because we’re once again taking this show on the road!
It’s the return of Ask Chris Live, next Saturday at the New York Comic Con! We’re having a huge ComicsAlliance panel from 5 to 6 PM in Room 1A24, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. We may — may — even have some pretty sweet stuff to hand out to fans. So come on out, we’ll love to see you there!