The Staff
Editorial Staff
Frederik Hautain
Editor in Chief
Joined BF in: The day the site was born: October 28, 2002.
Writes for BF because: comics are my passion, my escapism and because I get to meet a lot of creative people.
Wannabe character: Yorick Brown, the best new character of the 21st century. He doesn’t have superpowers, except for boyish charm. So do I.
Favorite comics: You know what, I suck at listing favorites. Unless it’s favorite basketball player. But comics? Impossible! I’ll list some of my all time favorites instead: 100 Bullets, Hellboy, Mouse Guard, Y: The Last Man, Batman: The Long Halloween, Scalped, The Walking Dead, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Sin City, American Born Chinese, Michael Turner’s Witchblade issues…
I got bitten by the comics bug reading X-Men, so those muties will always have a special place in my heart as well. Age of Apocalypse! Adam Kubert’s run on Wolverine! Joe Madureira on Uncanny X-Men! Aaaah, those were the days… spending all of my undoubtedly huge amount of savings at the comics shop, then hop back on the bus to my grandmother’s house and devour them all at once.
Favorite movie: Gladiator. Russell Crowe got voted #1 male hero of all time for his role as Maximus, beating out Sean Connery as James Bond in the process. Well-deserved if you ask me, even though I like Connery’s Bond a lot.
Favorite music: As a teen I was pretty fond of Michael Jackson. While I still like his music (except for Invincible which sucked big time), nowadays I dig Coldplay, Moby, Muse, Athlete, Sweet Coffee and lots of Jazz.
Favorite quote: “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” – Gladiator.
Andy Oliver
Managing Editor
Joined BF in: December 2006
Writes for BF because: It whiles away the long, empty years between parole boards.
Wannabe character: John Constantine, Tommy Monaghan (Hitman) or any other character who spends way too much time in his local pub. Not so much wannabe characters as characters I can empathize with the most...
Favorite comics: In no particular order - Ostrander's Suicide Squad and The Spectre, the first twenty years of Amazing Spider-Man, Moore's Swamp Thing, Morrison's Animal Man and Doom Patrol, 'Mazing Man, Gerber’s Howard the Duck, Marvel’s 1970s horror output, Krazy Kat, early 2000AD, anything drawn by Joe Kubert or Jim Aparo, Jimmy Corrigan, Joe Sacco, Will Eisner. We could go on and on.
Favorite movie: Dead of Night, the classic supernatural chiller from the Ealing Studios in 1945. I never tire of rewatching that film but stick me in front of pretty much any Universal horror/mystery film from between 1930 and 1950 and I’ll be happy. Ditto for Tim Burton.
Favorite music: The Smiths, Morrissey, Paul Simon, They Might Be Giants, The Hot Puppies, Altered Images, Laura Marling, Half Man Half Biscuit, Kate Bush. I have eclectic tastes in music… or at least I like to think I do.
Favorite quote: "And when I'm lying in my bed/I think about life and I think about death/And neither one particularly appeals to me" from The Smiths song "Nowhere Fast".
Kris Bather
Magazine Editor
Joined BF in: September 2008
Writes for BF because: I don’t have a girlfriend and I’m desperate for attention.
Wannabe character: Nightwing. He’s not as angsty as Batman, is more acrobatic and once had a romantic relationship with an alien. What a combo.
Favorite comics: Anything by Geoff Johns, Mark Waid or Brad Meltzer for starters. My always changing list usually includes Green Lantern, Superman/Batman, JLA, Detective Comics, Hulk and New Avengers but non-spandex tales like Blankets, That Salty Air, The Surrogates, Hotwire and more are creeping in to my diet. I’m always up for a surprise and will give anything a chance.
Favorite movie: Superman: The Movie. The first film I ever saw, and one of the very few I’ll gladly watch multiple times. It’s simply magical and transports to me its world of sacrifice, heroism, romance and humour every time. Plus, John Williams' music simply moves me.
Favorite music: Anything that doesn’t involve swearing, shouting or booty shaking. dcTalk, delirious, Jars of Clay, U2, Coldplay, Kirk Franklin, TobyMac and various film soundtracks.
Favorite quote: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” - Saint Iraneaus
Eric Lindberg
Senior Editor
Joined BF in: 2002
Writes for BF because: I love comics, pop culture, writing, and editing. BF allows me to indulge in all of the above and interact with the industry and creators I admire. It has also opened many doors for me, such as helping me sell my first comic book scripts.
Wannabe character: The original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Creativity and imagination are two of the things I value most so having a ring that can bring such things to life would be amazing. Plus Alan gets the green flame and the stylin’ cape.
Favorite comics: Justice Society of America, Bone, Hellboy, BPRD, Astro City, Fables, The Sandman, Conan, Runaways, Birds of Prey, Fallen Angel, Femforce
Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Favorite music: Classic rock – The Beatles, The Who, The Doors, CCR, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Queen, Aerosmith, etc.
Favorite quote: "Elvis lives on in our hearts, in his music, and in a trailer park outside Milwaukee." – Yakko Warner
Bart Croonenborghs
Art Director
Joined BF in: April 2007, the year right after I turned 30.
Writes for BF because: The inherent psychedelica involved in dissecting such a supreme form of entertainment beats any behavior of extralegal gaiety.
Wannabe character: I don't need to go all Xavier mental on somebody. Just let me be Steve McQueen or Brando. The superpower to dress cool and make men and women go 'AAAAHHH' as I walk on by.
Favorite comics: *Takes breath, dives in!*
Anything by Jack 'the king' Kirby, Steve Rude, Paul Pope.
Must reads in order of importance for effectual brain enhancement:
Rogan Gosh by Brendan McCarthy & Peter Milligan, The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, Abraxas and the earthman by Rick Veitch, Starman by James Robinson, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright by Bryan Talbot
Assorted comics to unlock those hidden areas of the brain:
Cages by Dave McKean, Casanova by Matt Fraction, Classic Star Wars by Al Williamson, Ordinary Victories by Manu Larcenet, Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison, Ditko's and Buscema's Amazing Spider-man, Flex Mentallo by Grant Morrison, From Hell by Alan Moore, Martin Luther King by Ho Che Anderson, Capacity by Theo Ellsworth, Murder me dead by David Lapham, the Salon by Nick Bertozzi, Scalped by Jason Aaron, Seaguy by Grant Morrison, Street Angel by Jimm Rugg, Superman: For All Seasons by Kurt Busiek, THB by Paul Pope, Xenozoic Tales by Mark Schultz, etc
Favorite movie: The Prisoner tv series by Patrick McGoohan, Othello by Orson Welles, Soylent Green by Richard Fleischer and Rollerball by Norman Jewison.
Favorite music: Nina Simone, Chet Baker, Autechre, Aphex Twin, Albinoni, Beethoven etc
Favorite quote: "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." - Groucho Marx (1895-1977)
“I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own.” No.6; the Prisoner
Staff Writers
Noel Bartocci
Joined BF in: November 2009
Writes for BF because: I'm a nerd... and I want to spread the disease.
Wannabe character: During the week: Scott Pilgrim, instantly relatable and undeniably charming. On the weekends: Tony Stark, instantly rich and undeniably charismatic... and a super genius.
Favorite comics: I love my big action goofiness like New Avengers, Captain America, Invincible and Green Lantern but thoroughly enjoy stuff slightly on the fringe like Scott Pilgrim, Y the Last Man and Criminal. I will give absolutely anything a shot of it tells a good story.
Favorite movie: If I were on a desert island, I suppose I would go with Evil Dead 2, Empire Strikes Back, Monster Squad, The Last Starfighter, FIght Club, Shaun of the Dead & Moulin Rouge. If Aliens, Big Trouble in Little China & The Dark Knight washed up on the shore, I'd be a happy camper as well.
Favorite music: The Beatles, Weezer, Muse, Jay-Z, SElf, U2, Editors, OK Go, Soul Coughing, They Might Be Giants, Our Lady Peace, Spoon... That's off the top of my head.
Favorite quote: "No Matter where you go, there you are." -Buckaroo Banzai
Richard Boom
Joined BF in: May 2009
Writes for BF because: I wanted to find a new outlet for BadGrrl-related content, aside from my Yahoo-group. And I love doing interviews.
Wannabe character: Superman. I would love to fly and be so strong!
Favorite comics: Vampirella, Hack/Slash, Cavewoman, Tarot Witch of the Black Rose, Red Sonja, Fathom, Witchblade and many BadGrrl-comic miniseries like Zenescope's Wonderland, Avatar's Anna Mercury, Radical's Hotwire or DE's Jungle Girl. I also like Fables and The Walking Dead.
Favorite movie: Kill Bill, Lord Of The Rings.
Favorite music: De Dijk, R&B-music, Bon Jovi, Elvis Presley, Anouk and I love the occasional Top40-onedayfly with a nice beat.
Favorite quote: "Suddenly I heard a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." You heard me rapping, right? Eric Draven.
Jonathan Chuang
Joined BF in: March 2010
Writes for BF because: BF is pretty awesome... and my doctor says it's good for my self-esteem.
Wannabe character: Jack Hawksmoor, Morpheus of the Endless, X-Man, Amadeus Cho. Spider-man? Magneto. DOCTOR WHO.
Favorite comics: Everything by Kirkman, Gaiman, Bendis, Morrison, Ellis, Millar.
Favorite movie: I'm going to preemptively say the Avengers movie. DON'T make me regret that, Marvel Studios.
Favorite music: Maroon 5.
Favorite quote: "The Universe is vast and complicated, and sometimes impossible things just happen, and we call them miracles."
Dan Cole
Joined BF in: October 2007, again in December 2010
Writes for BF because: I want the chance to write a thirty-article series on why Spider-Man's Clone Saga got a bad rap. Also, I love comics.
Wannabe character: The Question - he ain't got no face!
Favorite comics: Amazing Spider-Man, Hellblazer, Starman, Green Arrow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes for Hire, Secret Avengers
Favorite movie: Mallrats and Serenity
Favorite music: Jonny Lang, Tenacious D, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Ben Folds, Jason Mraz, Ugly Duckling, Beastie Boys, Ludacris
Favorite quote: "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"
- The Doctor, "Doctor Who"
William Gatevackes
Joined BF in: January 2006
Writes for BF because: Because they'll let me? Also because the site has a unique voice in the world of intelligent comic book commentary.
Wannabe character: The Beast. Not only was he remarkably agile for his size, he was more intelligent than his outward appearance might have indicated. As a bonus, he was blue and furry, which made all the ladies want to hug him.
Favorite comics: I have been a fan of the Avengers in all their incarnations. I also like Captain America, Invincible Iron Man, Fables, Ex Machina, Scalped and anything pertaining to DC's Golden Age, especially JSA.
Favorite movie: Heathers. Dark humor, immensely quotable dialog and Winona Ryder. Who could ask anything more from a movie?
Favorite music: I have very diverse tastes in music, with everything from Rap to Country to Pop to Alternative in my CD collection. R.E.M. is my favorite band of all time, but the following bands get played a lot on my iPod: Nirvana, Barenaked Ladies, Weird Al Yankovic, Refreshments, Nellie McKay, Patty Griffin, Dixie Chicks, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, Ramones, Johnny Cash, Jared Campbell, Badlees, Dean Martin, Beatles, Pearl Jam, Lewis Black, Frank Sinatra and many, many more.
Favorite quote: "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."
Tony Josepf
Joined BF in: December 2009
Writes for BF because: My older cousin let me look at his Daredevil comics when I was 5, everything else is just details.
Wannabe character: The Spirit. I always wanted an excuse to wear a mask and fedora.
Favorite comics: Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, with Geoff Johns and Peter David thrown in for good measure.
Favorite movie: Repo Man. Punk rock, Aliens, and a flying Chevy Malibu. Quite possibly the greatest work of art made by human hands.
Favorite music: Bob Marley, Queen, Sigur Ros, The Clash, Young MC.
Favorite quote: “Nothing is too wonderful to be true” - Michael Faraday
Cissy Koomen
Joined BF in: July 2010
Writes for BF because: Comics are something I want to get more involved with in my life. I am mostly just a reader, and this is a perfect way for me to get more involved in the comic world. Plus, it is just fun to do.
Wannabe character: Ororo Munroe – Storm of the X-Men. I LOVE the wind and rain, and being able to bend them to my will would be awesome. Plus, flying on the wind, how amazing would that be!
Favorite comics: X-Men, Tarot Witch of the Black Rose, Red Sonja, Fathom, Witchblade, Lady Death, Elfquest, Spider-Man, and lots of comics with strong women in them.
Favorite movie: The River with Sissi Spacek and Mel Gibson. All comic-based movies have my attention too. I really can’t just say there is this one movie I like. I like too much, so I’ll stick with The River.
Favorite music: Rock in most of its forms. Metal, Hard Rock, Soft Rock (at times). Some bands are: Metallica, Disturbed, Cage the Elephant, Foo Fighters, Fear Factory, Green Day, Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, SOAD, Slip Knot, and many, many more.
Favorite quote: I cannot do everything perfectly, but I can do it all.
Sam Moyerman
Joined BF in: 2005
Writes for BF because: I dig chicks and free comics.
Wannabe character: Warren Worthington III - He's got money, fame, good looks, and wings. Does it get any cooler?
Favorite comics: Jack Staff, Criminal Macabre: Cal McDonald Mysteries, Anything by Scott Morse, Ben Templesmith, and Esad Ribic.
Favorite movie: Zero Effect. Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller have never been better than in Jake Kasden's updating of the Sherlock Holmes detective.
Favorite music: Old School Hip Hop and R&B. Sinatra and Bennett.
Classics baby!
Favorite quote: "Open the gates to your waterfall up in heaven, and don't worry I'll let myself in" - 2Pac
Steven Surman
Joined BF in: October 2009
Writes for BF because: My love for writing and comic books.
Wannabe character: The Green Lantern.
Favorite comics: The works of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, Garth Ennis, Brian K. Vaughan, Warren Ellis, Joe Sacco, David Petersen, and many others.
Favorite movies: Dark City, Star Wars, Avatar, Alien, Zodiac, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Sin City, Capote, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Favorite music: Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, and Vivaldi.
Favorite quote: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” – William Shakespeare
Jason Wilkins
Joined BF in: March 2010
Writes for BF because: The short answer would be because I love comics and always have. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read them and don’t foresee a future where I’ll stop. I love reading them. I love writing about them. I love trying to create them. Comics are the best storytelling medium we have that marries words and images. I can’t imagine a world without them.
Wannabe character: Tough one. I’m pretty down to earth, so I’m partial to street-level characters. I’d have to say Green Arrow or Hawkeye because they hold their own on roster full of gods, mutants, and aliens, with nothing more than their arrows and quick wits.
Favorite comics: I’ll give almost anything a read but it has to come from the heart for it to truly resonate with me. The Unwritten by Carey and Gross had me thinking about it for weeks after I first read the trade. It is, to my mind at least, the most original and fully realized comic property on the shelves today.
Favorite movie: I don’t really have a favorite all-time film but I loved Pan’s Labyrinth, Children of Men, and the rejuvenated Batman movie franchise. The last good movie I saw in the theater was Sherlock Holmes and that was also great, rollicking fun!
Favorite music: My dad had a killer vinyl collection that included every from Mozart to Zeppelin and Clapton to Marvin Gaye, so I’m open to pretty much anything. I am a huge Metallica fan (And yes, I realize St. Anger sucked!). I’d also feel remiss as a Canadian if I didn’t exhort the brilliant musical stylings of the Tragically Hip.
Favorite quote: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” My Dad.
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