Excerpt: Unbound in the Square: “Hunt the Dark Knight”

Features Ian Thomas | September 18, 2026 In “Unbound in the Square: Superhero Auteurs in Reagan's America,” critic Ian Thomas explores a lineage of titles from the early days of the squarebound comics format; a design-forward, creator-driven approach to packaging stories as comics moved beyond the newsstand into more upscale markets. “Unbound” begins with a look at the political legacy of Frank Miller’s seminal 1986 work, The Dark Knight Returns. Thomas then explores the landmark story’s influence on one of its successors, The Cult, another gritty, political take on the caped crusader by writer Jim Starlin, artist Bernie Wrightson, and colorist Bill Wray. “Unbound in the Square” culminates with a look at P.O.V., a spiritual sequel to The Cult, repurposed for DC’s competitors at Marvel Comics. “Unbound in the Square” charts a comic book industry in ascent, invigorated by new creative boundaries amid America’s hard turn to the Right. It was edited by Austin English (The Comics Journal, Domino Books) and features a cover by Johnny Damm (I’m A Cop, Technocrat Tales, Riot Comics). “Unbound in the Square” was written in solidarity with the mission, organizers, and beneficiaries of Ashevi...