The comic book industry is in a bad place. Sales are terrible and continue to trend toward the inevitable bottom of the current cycle. Few books are generating any excitement or engagement among fans or critics. Potential new readers have gone to other genres and formats while veteran fans have…

Kate Bush is having a moment with her classic 1985 album Hounds of Love. The fourth season of Stranger Things has prominently featured that album’s signature single “Running Up That Hill.” The exposure has propelled “Running” back onto various charts, while creating a burst of interest in Bush’s classic work. …

With the North American comic book market facing a potential sales collapse, could either DC or Marvel take the extraordinary step of outsourcing the creation of their monthly books? Many have wondered, and it’s not as far-fetched as one might think. North American sales have trended down badly; the industry…

2022 marks the 40th anniversary of Mirage, Fleetwood Mac’s low-key commercial rebound of the early ‘80s. Sometimes considered the laggard of the five album “Classic Mac” run from 1975 to 1987, Mirage can be overlooked when compared to the more notable albums that preceded it. Genial and solid, it has…

The American comic book industry is in rough shape. Sales are down, fans are unhappy and at a time when comic book characters are enjoying unprecedented multimedia success, the books that spawned them are practically on life support. There are various drivers of the fragile state of the industry, especially…

To call a song a “standard” conjures certain associations. An instantly recognizable melody. Words everyone knows (or thinks they do). Songs that you hear many times, in many contexts, performed in a variety of ways. The word “standard” might conjure images of songs from a prior generation; timeless gems from…

After several decades, DC and Marvel each has a wide array of team franchises. Many are perennials and have been in more or less constant publication for decades. Others have had periods of dormancy but managed to make successful comebacks with the right combination of concept and creators. Both publishers…

Comic book TV is more than colorful characters and gaudy action sequences. The genre can be a highly effective medium to spotlight and explore troubled people dealing with recognizable struggles. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Comic book television and movies have evolved to the point of encompassing a broad…