far from fragile
For those of you unfamiliar with Beau Smith, he is an American comic book writer and columnist, best known for his work for DC Comics, Image Comics, IDW Publishing and as vice president of marketing for Eclipse Comics and each month he brings his unique perspective to Impact magazine. Below are the columns from the magazine.
as time goes by...
Beau Smith take us back into the world of comics and finds that nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
mouse in the house of m?
Disney buys Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion dollars. Who would’ve ever thought this would happen? Beau Smith looks at the implications of the sale for comic and movie fans alike…
the plight of the zombie
Beau Smith is back with his insiders view of the comic-book industry. Still on the theme of the undead, he wonders why zombies can never get an even break (except with a cricket bat or other assorted blunt objects!)
why so serious?
Welcome back to Beau Smith. This month he casts his assured eye over the more bizarre corners of comicdom and asks 'Hey, why so serious?'
beyond the page
This month sees Beau Smith away on compassionate leave [our thoughts are with you big fella] - fortunately, John Bierly was able to leap into the breach and pen some comic releated thoughts in the nick of time...
We’re living in a comic book renaissance where sprawling classics like the seemingly un-adaptable Watchmen are given the red-carpet treatment by Hollywood. Batman was once the source of snickers and snarls when the franchise lost its marbles in the 1990s, but less than a decade later Bruce Wayne is back to bringing in a literal billion in ticket sales - not to mention...
time waits for no-one
"You look like you just lost your best friend." Have you ever had someone ask you that? If you read comic books, then the chances are pretty good the answer is yes - especially in recent years. The characters change, only the names remain the same.
Through the decades that I've been reading and writing comic books I've seen most all of them change. Sometimes their change snuck up on me and other times it was gradual, like gaining weight or losing your hair. It first hit me when one day I realized that I was older than the characters that...
nostalgebra
With Beau Smith meeting some of his own comic deadlines, John Mosby steps in for a month to assess the business of breaking stories and putting your heroes back together?
Nostalgebra: the art of creating a formula from which you can make money from the good old days. Before you argue that it isn't a real word...it is now.
The legendary Steve Ditko recently launched a wordy if somewhat incomprehensible attack on the state of modern comics, in particular pointing out his annoyance and frustration at the way Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada has talked about constructing stories for Marvel by metaphorically,...
an economy of words
Comic books were invented to be a disposable, inexpensive form of entertainment. They’ve been just that through World Wars, semi-World Wars, recessions, sky-high inflation and even higher gas prices. In fact, during the worst of these times, comic books have actually thrived. Along with films, Comic books have been the refuge for all classes of people to seek escape from the turmoil of hard times. In case you didn’t know, the worst hard times are upon us all. The cause goes beyond the blame game that all politicians are so eager to play. Spending time blaming someone else is...
