SUPERHEROES · CHILDREN
Neal Adams
[NOTE: I'm truncating here, so if it seems a little choppy, that's why.
— from Batman
Most acclaimed
Black And White
This provocative essay examines the work of lyrical and erotic artist Aubrey Beardsley. The inclusion of Beardsley's illustrations alongside the author's textual interpretation aids the appreciation of Beardsley's work. A detailed chronology also supplements the essay. From the Dust Jacket: This study of "the most intensely and electrically erotic artist in the world" is one of Brigid Brophy's most provocative works. Aubrey Beardsley was, above all, a lyrical artist "pounded and buckled" into an ironist, she believes, by the knowledge of his illness and imminent death. An infant prodigy, he retained through the brief years of his adult life the peculiar genius of a precocious child. Beardsley's vision is permanently that of a child lying in bed watching his mother dress for a dinner party. His obsession with the Madonna-and-child image; his fetishist fascination with hair, shoes, and hats, the ambiguous ornamentation with which he decorates his pictures, the languid elongation of the figures denoting inaccessibility-these are characteristic of the perverse quality of infant sexuality. Beardsley's choice of the graphic medium began as an accident of circumstance, the result of lack of time and physical energy, yet black and white became an image for the erosion of his life. His talent is far better understood by interior decorators-who do not blink his eroticism-than by scholars. Among current literature on Aubrey Beardsley, no more succinct and trenchant analysis of his mind and art exists than this brilliant piece by one of today's foremost stylists and critics. The inclusion of illustrations alongside Miss Brophy's textual interpretation aids the appreciation of Beardsley's work. A detailed chronology supplements the essay.
Fantastic Four
CHAOS IN ATLANTIS AND DR. DOOM'S BEHIND IT! Dr. Doom is back, and he's targeted Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, ruler oF the undersea kingdom oF Atlantis, For death. In a conspiracy with Namor's scheming cousin Prince Byrrah, Doom has orchestrated a palace coup . . . but only Doom knows that his deadly plan will lead to Atlantis' destruction. Poisoned and near death, the Sub-Mariner escapes to the surface and is rescued by the Fantastic Four, setting off a titantic struggle at the ocean s depths. As Namor fights to regain his throne and the FF come face-to-face with their deadliest enemy, the terrible Forces that Doom has unleashed threaten them all. It will take the combined efforts of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing to overcome Dr. Doom's monstrous plans and save Atlantis from certain destruction. An entirely new epic in the tradition of the FFs greatest adventures! ILLUSTRATIONS BY FANTASTIC FOUR ARTIST Paul Ryan
Batman
An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that's controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money. Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head. --a nursery rhyme The Court of Owls is a criminal secret society that has existed in Gotham City since the 1600s, led by some of the city's wealthiest and most influential families. They employ deadly trained assassins known as Talons, taken as children from circuses such as the one where Dick Grayson's parents were killed. These children are trained to become the assassins known as Talons. Bruce Wayne came to the Court's attention when he announced plans to reinvigorate Gotham, threatening their control. They sentenced him to death, bringing themselves to the attention of Batman. Though they suffer defeats, the Court continues to fight to retake control of the city's underworld - a fight that has gone on for centuries. Copyright © 2017 DC Comics. BATMAN, THE COURT OF OWLS, and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.