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Announcing The Comix Section, a Stop Button zine
Today, a full month later than I’d hoped but a couple weeks before I feared, I’m dropping The Comix Section #1, an e-zine of comic book criticism. If you have a good color printer, lots of ink, legal-sized paper, and a powerful stapler, it can also be a paper zine. It was meant to be a paper zine and flipped when read, with one side containing a readthrough of the DC Comics Will Eisner’s The Spirit Archives and the other a wide variety of floppies starting in the mid-1970s.
There’s a story to the variety, but I’m approximately twenty-four hours behind when I actually thought I’d be making this post, and even last night, I didn’t have it in me.
I don’t even have a full listing of the contents in me at this point, but you can see the table of contents below.
There are a bevy of download versions, which took up much of the additional prep time and is hopefully something I can automate next time.
The issue is available as a PDF or a CBZ, both full quality–oh, forgot: The Comix Section is fully “illustrated” (photos of the issues and, more significantly, the Spirit)–and compressed. The compressed should be fine. Again, lots of versions if it’s not. Or you want to try printing it out.
Download PDF 142.6 MB
Download CBZ 142.6 MB
Download CBZ (full quality) 438.3 MB
Thirty-one Spirit stories reviewed, a full-page from each of them. Eighteen DC seventies books (maybe eighteen; I actually won’t get this posted if I stop and count): Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes and All-Star Comics Starring the Justice Society of America Featuring the Super Squad. Spoiler: the first year, Spirit is better, but even with the frequent, complicated, but unequivocal yikes of Ebony in Spirit, it’s often less creepy than the DC stuff.
I’ve got a fancy dedication planned for some point (at this rate, the project will take eleven years). Lanark took thirty, but it was fiction, so I feel like I’m solid. But for now, I want to shout out Vernon (who’s reading this) and Katie (who isn’t but will read the collected CS someday, all 500k words of it–again, extrapolating from this single issue). Invaluable assistance through the process, with Vernon actually making it possible. My thanks.
I hope you’ll check it out, though if you’re here for the movies or TV, I don’t think it’ll be for you unless you’re intellectually curious about comic books. Even if you’re into comics—well, the Venn diagram of Will Eisner and Jim Shooter—honestly, comics is the only reality where they can overlap so much.
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Briefly, TV (11 April 2025)
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e06 “Excessive Force” D: David Boyd. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. Another strong episode implies we’re definitely after the creative team change (and their reworking of shot material). D’Onofrio’s got professional troubles, both as a crime boss and the mayor, while Cox is running away from his nature and gets called on it. Both inciting incidents involve the same serial killer graffiti artist; very tidy, very well-acted.
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e07 “Art for Art’s Sake” D: David Boyd. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Genneya Walton, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. Pretty good, quick resolution to the Daredevil vs. villain plot makes some predictable moves but well. And there are a handful of surprise moves too. Great performances from D"Onofrio and Cox, along with some solid action, get it through just fine. Though they’re avoiding very obvious ways to resolve or at least progress major plot points. Small quibbles.
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e08 “Isle of Joy” D: Aaron Moorhead. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer, Wilson Bethel. Fantastic episode brings Bethel back and delivers the previously avoided sequel to the Netflix incarnation. Great tortured Cox performance, getting to do a whole lot as he continently discovers new details about the series’s inciting incident. Then D’Onofrio and Zurer have a dynamite episode, too. It’s flirts with safety then dares (no pun) to go higher. Real good.
The Outlaws (2021) s03e01 “Episode 1” [2024] D: John Butler. S: Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stephen Merchant. Barreto gets the gang back together for another season; she’s got a dead body she needs help with and no one’s sure she isn’t just a psychopath. Nice episode for Perkins and Tomlinson’s funny. Merchant, too. But Gunning is the glue. The fractured narrative, lots of flashbacks to catch us up since last season, is rote and effective.
The Outlaws (2021) s03e02 “Episode 2” [2024] D: John Butler. S: Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stephen Merchant. Some actual surprises–the show’s wasting no time whatsoever moving things along, with Perkins and Tomlinson getting the only real subplots. Cole and Barreto kind of get more, kind of don’t. Recurring guest star Ricky Grover’s bringing a lot, ditto Charles Babalola (back from the previous seasons). It’s setting up the heist angle now; about time but right on.
The Outlaws (2021) s03e03 “Episode 3” [2024] D: Curtis Vowell. S: Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stephen Merchant. Some surprises but mostly in terms of character development. Noticeably none for Barreto and Cole; Perkins, Boyd, Gunning, Tomlinson, and Merchant make up for it. The show doesn’t waste any time getting the heroes back up the creek, with heavier stakes for everyone as the episode progresses. It’s sturdy enough but is Barreto ever going to do anything?
The Outlaws (2021) s03e04 “Episode 4” [2024] D: Curtis Vowell. S: Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stephen Merchant. Deftly efficient episode perturbs all the character development–all of it–completing a handful of plotlines, in fact, while setting everything up for a grand finale. The strongest performances are Boyd, Perkins, and Tomlinson; Merchant holds his own opposite guest star Richard E. Grant in Merchant’s best acting maybe ever on the show. It’s a damned strong episode.
The Outlaws (2021) s03e05 “Episode 5” [2024] D: Curtis Vowell. S: Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stephen Merchant. Ho-hum finale acts like Barreto’s been the protagonist the whole season, then can’t even figure out what to do with her after that positioning. The big heist sequence is amusing enough (despite showcasing the guest stars not the regulars), but then there’s another half hour to kill. Disappointing given the season’s highs, but otherwise… fine?
The Outlaws (2021) D: . S: . Barreto gets the gang back together for another season; she’s got a dead body she needs help with and no one’s sure she isn’t just a psychopath. Nice episode for Perkins and Tomlinson’s funny. Merchant, too. But Gunning is the glue. The fractured narrative, lots of flashbacks to catch us up since last season, is rote and effective.
The Outlaws (2021) D: . S: . Barreto gets the gang back together for another season; she’s got a dead body she needs help with and no one’s sure she isn’t just a psychopath. Nice episode for Perkins and Tomlinson’s funny. Merchant, too. But Gunning is the glue. The fractured narrative, lots of flashbacks to catch us up since last season, is rote and effective.
The Outlaws (2021) D: . S: . Barreto gets the gang back together for another season; she’s got a dead body she needs help with and no one’s sure she isn’t just a psychopath. Nice episode for Perkins and Tomlinson’s funny. Merchant, too. But Gunning is the glue. The fractured narrative, lots of flashbacks to catch us up since last season, is rote and effective.
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Briefly, TV (27 March 2025)
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e03 “The Hollow of His Hand” D: Michael Cuesta. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. Outstanding episode gets away with very little follow-up to last episode’s semi-cliffhanger. Cox is going to trial on Kamar de los Reyes’s case; he has a plan. But complications ensue and Cox has to do some creative lawyering. de los Reyes is great. Cox is great. And D’Onofrio; good gravy, he does calm, calculated evil well.
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e04 “Sic Semper Systema” D: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Zabryna Guevara, Arty Froushan, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. Just okay episode shoehorns in a very special guest star for a rote scene with Cox, who’s not feeling himself after being so out of character as to need some character development. Meanwhile, D’Onofrio and Zurer’s marriage counseling provides the majority of the dramatic stakes. Maybe it’s just Nachmanoff’s incredibly bland direction. But it’s the first mid Cox turn.
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e05 “With Interest” D: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. S: Charlie Cox. Delightful–yes, a delightful Daredevil–St. Paddy’s Day episode has Cox teaming up with Ms. Marvel’s dad (guest star Mohan Kapur) for a done-in-one bank robbery episode. It emphasizes Cox’s charm–welcome after last episode–and his desire to beat and be beaten. Especially against a Protestant villain (Cillian O’Sullivan). Negotiator Ruibo Qian’s fun, too.
Paradise (2025) s01e04 “Agent Billy Pace” D: Gandja Monteiro. S: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, James Marsden. Amid all its problems–bland production design, Nicholson’s half-note villain–the show’s boring. Lots of talking, listening, watching, looking. No action. This episode has a bunch of reveals, which completely change the show’s stakes. It gets less interesting with every minute, both as a story and as a production. Jon Beavers turns out to be legit good, though.
Paradise (2025) s01e05 “In the Palaces of Crowned Kings” D: Hanelle M. Culpepper. S: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, James Marsden. Now it’s Marsden’s turn for a flashback and we find out how mean dad Gerald McRaney has been. It’s not a good episode for Marsden. Someone forgot to tell him to do the accent. But McRaney is great. Otherwise, the plot gets to a point mode appropriate for the end of the pilot. And then another big reveal.
Severance (2022) s02e08 “Sweet Vitriol” [2025] D: Ben Stiller. S: Patricia Arquette. Oh, is Patricia Arquette on this show? One could forget. But not after her big comeback here, with Arquette visiting estranged sister Jane Alexander. We get some information–in dialogue and as obtusely as possible–about Arquette’s back story, including how some of last season’s bits fit. It’s okay; Arquette and James Le Gros are great; episodes’s just okay.
Severance (2022) s02e10 “Cold Harbor” [2025] D: Ben Stiller. S: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Patricia Arquette. The show pulls off a phenomenal season finale, leaving lots for next time (whole characters go unaddressed, much less their subplots), while giving Scott, Lower, Cherry, and Tillman great material. Tillman, in particular. He’s so good. Lots of tension–director Stiller and editor Geoffrey Richman do great work. Start to finish, one hit after another; no notes; high regard.
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Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954, Wyott Ordung)
Monster from the Ocean Floor’s a low-budget creature feature; tourist Anne Kimbell becomes convinced there’s an irradiated sea monster off the coast of her Mexican vacation village. Her pseudo-beau, Stuart Wade, is convinced she’s wrong. He’s a marine biologist.
His boss, played by Dick Pinner in an (eventually) absolutely delightful turn, thinks Wade ought to listen to Kimbell.
Now, Kimbell’s only interested in the sea monster to help the people in the village. Monster opens with some narration about the cooperation of these fine vacation villages (seriously). Wade can’t understand why Kimbell would want to help anyone; she responds maybe the world’s in the bad state it’s in because no one ever wants to do anything to help.
Monster will have numerous delights, such as director Ordung pulling double duty as the local witch’s reluctant hitman, constantly messing up his murder attempts, and then the actually good undersea photography, but Kimbell continually turning down Wade for being a bland flake might be the best. Kimbell doesn’t have any character development other than listening to people, caring about them, and painting.
And not falling for Wade’s bull.
Now, Monster has some terrible ADR. It’s so bad it’s unclear which voices belong to Kimbell and Wade. One of Kimbell’s performances (or performers) is better than the other, ditto Wade, though it doesn’t matter much with Wade. He’s a wet towel either way.
Kimbell’s quest for information will first lead her to Jonathan Haze, a white guy in brownface as a Mexican; the accent is something. Haze will get Kimbell looking for Ordung. Ordung’s the village… layabout? It’s unclear. But everyone knows him, including Inez Palange, who needs him to kill Kimbell as a sacrifice to the Monster.
The Monster only started showing up in the late 1940s, directly tied to the Bikini nuclear tests, so how many people have Palange sacrificed over the eight years? Unclear. Is Ordung doing the killing? Unclear.
Probably not because every time he tries to kill Kimbell it goes wrong, usually because of her competence. Monster is an incredibly slow-moving picture—especially for just over an hour—and much of the film is Kimbell listening to people or waiting for people to respond after listening to her. It’s talky, and it’s slow.
But she’s always ready to go when she’s up. What makes it even more fascinating is how matter-of-factly the film presents her agency; sure, it’s not playing Wade as a doofus, but it’s not pretending anyone finds him any more charming than they should. He seems like a jackass, and Kimbell’s too good for him.
There’s an action-packed finale with miniatures, lots of undersea photography—often involving a really cool personal submarine—and (apparently) Kimbell doing her own underwater stunts.
Monster’s sometimes tedious, but it’s a quirky little picture. Ordung unintentionally gets some rather interesting shots, the budgetary limitations leading to some creative success. And Kimbell’s always a likable lead.
It’s surprisingly solid, given all the constraints.
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Briefly, TV (5 March 2025)
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e01 “Episode 1” D: Aaron Moorhead. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. After making some big cast changes and punting some other decisions down the line, the show gets going with D’Onofrio returning to New York to run for mayor. A more battle-scarred than usual Cox isn’t thrilled at the news and tries to suss out D’Onofrio’s true intentions. Some season setup, some series setup, and some good acting. Nice.
Daredevil: Born Again (2025) s01e02 “Episode 2” D: Michael Cuesta. S: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer. For its first “normal” episode, BORN AGAIN immediately introduces a trial-of-the-week format… only to reveal a conspiracy, which will need multiple parts. Well played. While Cox is lawyering, Fisk is busy trying to play nice with the cops and estranged wife Zurer. Some surprises, some contrivances, and some lovely acting. Cox and D’Onofrio are real good.
Paradise (2025) s01e01 “Wildcat Is Down” D: John Requa. S: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, James Marsden, Jon Beavers. Brown’s the Secret Service Agent in Charge (or whatever) of ex-president Marsden. The episode opens with Brown discovering Marsden dead, with flashbacks setting up the ground situation. Mystery and surprises, along with a big finale reveal; Brown’s so good and so in command of the show, it weathers everything. Including Marden’s limp prez.
Paradise (2025) s01e02 “Sinatra” D: John Requa. S: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Aliyah Mastin, James Marsden, Krys Marshall. Lots more flashbacks–this time to Nicholson’s specific tragedy and character motivation–juxtaposed against fall out affecting Brown’s plans to investigate. Shahi shows up for a scene or two (plus flashback duty) as the town shrink who’ll probably end up helping Brown, but not this episode–they’re still setting up the underground town stuff. Brown puts it over mid.
Paradise (2025) s01e03 “The Architect of Social Well-Being” D: Gandja Monteiro. S: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi. There’s a bunch of Krys Marshall’s investigation (weird they’re only paying her guest star money) and Nicholson’s undue influence on it. Then Brown and Shahi go on a walking meet-cute around town, only it’s mostly flashbacks of Brown and his dad (Glynn Turman!). Maybe if Nicholson weren’t so one note and the town tour had been a tour.
Severance (2022) s02e05 “Trojan’s Horse” [2025] D: Sam Donovan. S: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, John Turturro. The season passes the halfway point with almost everything leftover from last season’s cliffhanger resolved. There are some more surprise reveals, some unexpected (and expected) character developments, and fantastic acting from the entire cast. Tillman and Lower get the best material, but Scott and Cherry are also very good. It’s an office bickering episode, with mysterious and rewarding stakes.
Severance (2022) s02e06 “Attila” [2025] D: Uta Briesewitz. S: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, John Turturro, Christopher Walken. Rather good episode–even if Briesewitz’s direction is… a bit extra. And not even with all the “sharing vessels” (this episode is very horny), just everything. It’ll eventually lead to some obvious tropes, but it’s a fine ride there. Great performances from Lower, Tillman, Cherry, and Scott. Turturro and Walken are “back,” but it’s something else. Lots afoot.
Severance (2022) s02e07 “Chikhai Bardo” [2025] D: Jessica Lee Gagné. S: Adam Scott, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, Robby Benson. Surprise, Lachman is the main character. She gets a great showcase as a recovering but unconscious Scott remembers the way they were. Entirely coincidentally, Lachman’s thinking about it too, as she goes about a hellish, And mysterious existence. But their backstory is mid and reductive; plus, Scott’s flashback performance is off. Exquisitely directed, just an average mythology reveal script.