by Michael Sangiacomo ROCKY RIVER – Valentino Zullo said the first reference to homosexuality in his beloved superhero comics was negative. “It was an issue of The Hulk from 1980 which explained that the Hulk’s alter-ego, Bruce Banner, was almost raped by two men in a YMCA,” Zullo said. “That’s a pretty harsh way to introduce the subject to a mainstream audience.” It … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: Heroes and Reviewer in Crisis
by Michael Sangiacomo There is one thing that critics should not do – judge a movie, book or comic based on how they personally would have handled it. A critic’s job is to look at the work and judge it on its own merits. He should also wait until the entire story is finished before rushing to judgment. Taking all that into account, I can honestly say that Heroes … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo Special Edition: Dark Phoenix!
By Michael Sangiacomo Dark Phoenix was the subject of so much trash talk in the years before it was released that overcoming such low expectations was pretty easy. That being said, the last gasp of the Twentieth Century Fox version of the X-Men franchise (soon to be reborn under the auspices of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) is better than expected. I give it a B. It’s … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: Godzilla, King of the Monsters. And also King of the Dark. And the Rain, Too.
by Michael Sangiacomo A young boy clutching his dad’s hand as they exited the critic’s screening of Godzilla: King of the Monsters excitedly squealed, “That was awesome!!” Ah, the exuberance of an eight-year-old. While the boy was clearly thrilled about seeing mountain-sized monsters clawing and tearing at each other amid ear-splitting shrieks and roars, older members … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: Freedom, Iron, and New Shoes for the Flash
by Mike Sangiacomo There are a lot of good comics out there, a few great, and some that just aren’t worth reading. It’s easy to blow off some comics right off the bat because of the writer, the art, or style. But then there are comics that could and should be good: comics with a great premise or those written by authors we trust. For me, anything by Geoff Johns, Mark … [Read more...]