James Tynion IV - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com The comics criticism you crave Sun, 12 Oct 2025 02:01:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/comicsxf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cropped-orange-favicon-2.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 James Tynion IV - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com 32 32 107498702 NYCC: Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children is the best intercompany crossover title ever https://comicsxf.com/2025/10/11/swamp-thing-is-killing-the-children/ Sun, 12 Oct 2025 02:01:53 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=54469 Look, I don’t care that we don’t have a release date or teaser art to show. Can we just talk about the fact that Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children, the DC-BOOM Studios crossover one-shot announced Saturday at New York Comic Con featuring the former’s muck monster and the latter’s bandana-wearing monster hunter, is the...

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]]> 54469 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Deadliest Woman in the World (w/ Josh Weil) https://comicsxf.com/2025/08/28/batchat-with-matt-will-the-deadliest-woman-in-the-world-w-josh-weil/ Thu, 28 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53954 Lady Shiva walks through the world, leaving a trail of bodies behind her. Not a hero, but often not quite a villain, Shiva has developed relationships with many members of the Bat Family: trainer to Tim Drake, rival and sometimes member of the Birds of Prey, mother to Cassandra Cain. Josh Weil joins the show...

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]]> 53954 BatChat With Matt & Will: Everyday? Or Every Day? (w/Matt McThorn) https://comicsxf.com/2025/05/22/batchat-with-matt-will-everyday-or-every-day-w-matt-mcthorn/ Thu, 22 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52763 Y’know, sometimes you get an episode request, and you wind up with stories better than you could have expected. Patreon backer and friend of the show Matt McThorn specifically wanted to talk about the Batman annual with the origin of Clownhunter and art by James Stokoe. So we decided, what better theme than more annuals....

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]]> 52763 Meet the whole gang of killers as Image’s Exquisite Corpses prepares to launch https://comicsxf.com/2025/05/10/exquisite-corpses-cast/ Sat, 10 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52561 One of my favorite Image series of the past few years was Assassin Nation, a comic by Kyle Starks and Erica Henderson in which 20 of the world’s best assassins all try to kill each other to take the No. 1 spot on the leaderboard. It gave us one of the best, purest friendships in...

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]]> 52561 BatChat With Matt & Will: Spoiler’s Costume Corner (w/ Abigale Heartbalm) https://comicsxf.com/2025/05/08/batchat-with-matt-will-spoilers-costume-corner-w-abigale-heartbalm/ Thu, 08 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52521 We’re back with two of our favorite ladies this week: Patreon backer (and Will’s wife) Abigale Heartbalm and Stephanie Brown. Abigale wanted to read three stories featuring Stephanie, and we wanted to go with something similar as the first time we did a Stephanie episode where we touch on different eras of the character, but...

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]]> 52521 BatChat With Matt & Will: Batman Trips Out https://comicsxf.com/2024/08/29/batchat-with-matt-will-batman-trips-out/ Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49968 It’s a celebration over here as we hit episode 150! We started out with a theme of anniversary issues, ones that were numbers leading up to 150, so a 50, a 100 and a 150. And we did do that. But somehow, we wound up with a second theme: stories where Batman trips balls. Sometimes...

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]]> 49968 BatChat With Matt & Will: Does Batman Diversify? (w/ Abigale Heartbalm) https://comicsxf.com/2024/07/11/batchat-with-matt-will-does-batman-diversify-w-abigale-heartbalm/ Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49529 We’ve all seen the memes and the jokes: Batman’s real super power is his wallet. Batman has, historically, been from the moneyed class, and that’s how he gets all those wonderful toys. But what happens when Batman doesn’t have all that cash? That’s what friend of the show, Patreon backer, and financial adviser Abigale Heartbalm...

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]]> 49529 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Cop and the Clown https://comicsxf.com/2024/05/23/batchat-with-matt-will-the-cop-and-the-clown/ Thu, 23 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49028 The Joker has wreaked unspeakable trauma on Batman over the years of their rivalry. But there is one man who he has possibly hurt as much, if not more: Jim Gordon. The Joker and Gordon’s relationship goes back as far and Joker and Batman’s, and Joker has often focused on Gordon. This week, we look...

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]]> 49028 BatChat With Matt & Will: Overstuffed Owls https://comicsxf.com/2023/12/14/batchat-with-matt-will-overstuffed-owls/ Thu, 14 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47408 I was going to start this with the Court of Owls nursery rhyme, but I believe I did that when we actually covered the original Snyder Court of Owls story, so instead you’re just going to get my usual ramble. This week, Patreon backer Matt McThorn has a request, and it’s stories of the Court...

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]]> 47408 BatChat With Matt & Will: Batwoman Begins https://comicsxf.com/2023/12/07/batchat-with-matt-will-batwoman-begins/ Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47349 Originally introduced in the 1950s, Batwoman has gone from a forgotten character to one who is a queer icon and headlined her own TV series. Kate and Kathy Kane are very distinct characters, and this week, we’ll be reading stories featuring them both, thanks to a request from Sam Hopper. We see Kathy meet Bat-Mite,...

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]]> 47349 Universal Monsters: Dracula #1 a gorgeous retelling of a story we all know https://comicsxf.com/2023/10/25/universal-monsters-dracula-1/ Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=46974 Skybound continues its licensing hot streak by reuniting one of the best creative teams in comics to retell the most famous vampire story that doesn’t involve twinkling. Universal Monsters: Dracula #1 is written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Martin Simmonds and lettered by Rus Wooton. You probably know the story of Dracula — the...

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]]> 46974 WMQ&A Episode 270: Flame Con 2023 with James Tynion IV and friends https://comicsxf.com/2023/08/22/wmqa-episode-270-flame-con-2023-with-james-tynion-iv-and-friends/ Tue, 22 Aug 2023 12:30:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=46343 WMQ&A: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast · WMQ&A Episode 270: Flame Con 2023 with James Tynion IV and friends Matt goes to Flame Con for interviews with Stephanie Williams (Nubia), Tate Brombal (House of Slaughter), Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle), Charlie Jane Anders (New Mutants) and James Tynion IV (name any well-reviewed monthly periodical comic from the...

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]]> 46343 BatChat With Matt & Will: Penguin in a Onesie https://comicsxf.com/2023/03/02/batchat-with-matt-will-penguin-in-a-onesie/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 14:23:03 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44936 So, Will has been asking for it since about episode 3, and this week, it begins. For our 75th episode, we are covering the year long, weekly series Batman Eternal. But because it’s so long, this isn’t a normal episode. The series was collected in three trades, so we’re covering it as three stories in...

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]]> 44936 BatChat With Matt & Will Episode 69: Nice https://comicsxf.com/2023/01/12/batchat-with-matt-will-episode-69-nice/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44485 So, this is, to quote Will, by far our stupidest episode ever. But it’s episode 69, so Will wanted to go wild with it, and Matt really didn’t want to find a new co-host, so he agreed to this. It’s three Batman stories with panels that have spawned internet memes. Batman/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

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]]> 44485 Revisit Nice House on the Lake Before the Final Two Issues https://comicsxf.com/2022/10/06/revisit-nice-house-on-the-lake-before-the-final-two-issues/ Thu, 06 Oct 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=43282 After a months-long break, The Nice House on the Lake, one of the best horror stories in recent history returns for its final act from James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Andworld Design. The Nice House On The Lake began as one of the most inventive and shocking horror stories in recent...

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]]> 43282 BatChat With Matt & Will: It’s Tim Drake Time! https://comicsxf.com/2022/09/29/batchat-with-matt-will-its-tim-drake-time/ Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=43182 This is the one Matt has been waiting for. To tie in with the first issue of his new ongoing series, we’re looking at three stories from the history of the best Robin, and Matt will brook no argument on this one, Tim Drake. See his origin, his return to Gotham from training, and his...

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]]> 43182 Liam Sharp Makes Art Good (and Cogent Observations about The Closet and Survival Street) https://comicsxf.com/2022/08/23/liam-sharp-makes-art-good-and-cogent-observations-about-the-closet-and-survival-street/ Tue, 23 Aug 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=42574 A mostly empty story ends with … well, you can guess. The Closet #3 is written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Gavin Fullerton, colored by Chris O’Halloran, lettered by Tom Napolitano and published by Image. To the future where there is no magic. To the past when magic was young. And to the present,...

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]]> 42574 Is There Something Wrong with This Column *and* Patrick Todd? https://comicsxf.com/2022/08/01/is-there-something-wrong-with-this-column-and-patrick-todd/ Mon, 01 Aug 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=42311 I thought they got rid of that ol’ Deadbox? Guess it’s still out there fading in the sun, huh? Bad choices and bad movies continue in Deadbox #3, written by Mark Russell, drawn by Benjamin Tiesma, colored by Vladimir Popov, lettered by AndWorld Design and published by Vault. Thom is a bad dad, and his...

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]]> 42311 The Zdarsky Era Begins as Joker, Batman ’89 End in BatChat (Text Edition) https://comicsxf.com/2022/07/08/the-zdarsky-era-begins-as-joker-batman-89-end-in-batchat-text-edition/ Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41958 It’s the start of a new era, as Chip Zdarsky takes over as the writer on the flagship Bat title. Someone is murdering Gotham’s wealthiest, and Batman is on the hunt. But when the trail leads to an old foe, things get out of hand fast in Batman #125, written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by...

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]]> 41958 Wet Mouth Sounds and Murder in The Silver Coin #11 https://comicsxf.com/2022/06/22/wet-mouth-sounds-and-murder-in-the-silver-coin-11/ Wed, 22 Jun 2022 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41592 The Silver Coin returns! In “The Diner,” James Tynion IV joins Michael Walsh for a story about Jean, a waitress working at a struggling diner who bites off more than she can chew. With colors by Toni Marie Griffin (with Michael Walsh) and backup story by Adam Gorham. Mark Turetsky: Ritesh, it has been a...

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]]> 41592 Joker, Riddler and a real Dick Grayson in This Week’s BatChat (Text Edition) https://comicsxf.com/2022/04/29/joker-riddler-and-a-real-dick-grayson-in-this-weeks-batchat-text-edition/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=40396 Jim Gordon gets some answers but leaves some questions open in the penultimate issue of this series, as the final fate of the Clown Prince of Crime remains a mystery in The Joker #14, written by James Tynion IV, penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli, inked by Cam Smith, colored by Arif Prianto and lettered by Tom...

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]]> 40396 Batman/Scooby-Doo Wraps with Joker Close Behind in BatChat (Text Edition) https://comicsxf.com/2022/03/11/batman-scooby-doo-wraps-with-joker-close-behind-in-batchat-text-edition/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=38523 The Sampson family prepares for a meal of clown, but the arrival of Vengeance makes their meal much less satisfying in The Joker #13, written by James Tynion IV, penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli, inked by Cam Smith, colored by Arif Prianto & Romulo Fajardo Jr. and lettered by Tom Napolitano. In Detective Comics #1,056, the...

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]]> 38523 Joker Enters the Endgame as ‘Shadows of the Bat’ Continues in BatChat (Text Edition) https://comicsxf.com/2022/01/15/joker-enters-the-endgame-as-shadows-of-the-bat-continues-in-batchat-text-edition/ Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=37419 Everything has led to this. All the forces that have pursued the Joker for the past 10 issues are converging on the Sampson estate, as Jim Gordon has a realization, in The Joker #11, written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Stefano Raffaele, colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and lettered by Tom Napolitano. In Detective...

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]]> 37419 BatChat With Matt & Will Episode 15: New Batman, New Year https://comicsxf.com/2021/12/30/batchat-with-matt-will-episode-15-new-batman-new-year/ Thu, 30 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=36713 2021 is winding down, and as we look forward to 2022, we’re dipping back into the well of alternate reality Batmans (the proper plural), to look at three new takes on the character for the new year: one is a 60s more swinging but far more real (and bleaker) than the one from the classic...

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]]> 36713 Batman Gets a New Writer, Gordon Processes His Trauma and the Riddler in BatChat (Text) https://comicsxf.com/2021/12/17/batman-gets-a-new-writer-gordon-processes-his-trauma-and-the-riddler-in-batchat-text/ Fri, 17 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=36143 Gotham has survived the Fear State, and it feels … different. Batman has to reckon with the changed Gotham and with the fall from grace of some old allies in Batman #118, the first issue by the flagship title’s new creative team, written by Joshua Williamson, drawn by Jorge Molina and Mikel Janin, colored by...

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