Forgotten Comics: Howard Chaykin’s Cody Starbuck
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Reviews, Independent,
Mike Friedrich was one of the talents of the 1970s and 1980s who changed the comic book business for the better. Dean Mullaney, Phil Seuling, Bud Plant and several others belong on that list as well as several people I’m forgetting. Mike started out as a comic book fan, became a freelance writer for DC and Marvel, transitioned to publishing with his own company (Star*Reach) and later became an agent, turning Star*Reach into an agency representing artists and writers. As a freelancer, he knew well the contracts (and contractual problems) at the major companies. As a publisher he provided an alternative venue for creators to pursue projects DC and Marvel either didn’t want or wouldn’t let the creators own. That may not sound like a big deal, but back in the day if you wanted to tell stories outside of the standard Marvel-DC superhero template, or found yourself on the outs with those two companies, you had almost no alternatives until Star*Reach and Eclipse came along.
When Friedrich became an agent he was able to turn his experience loose on behalf of other creators to negotiate better deals. I’ve read comics Mike wrote, I’ve read comics that he published, and a couple of times I’ve been across the virtual negotiating table from him. [I won’t name names, but at the initial Ultraverse Founders conference in Scottsdale AZ, he quite rightly had his client wait in the hall while he finished negotiating via phone his client’s UV contract. My job at the time was to nod sycophantically and supervise the snack trays for the conference; Dave Olbrich did the actual nuts and bolts negotiating.]
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Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Geek Chic, Chip and Dale and I Love Lucey
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,
Lots of good stuff going on as we slide into the weekend. We’ve got Iron Man, Archie Comics, Douglas Adams’ Monty Python connection, Chip and Dale and tons more.
Let’s start with my pal Bob Greenberger, the noted comic book writer, novelist, tie-in writer, and a guy who actually knows how to make a physical comic book/graphic novel (all that production/printing/binding/press run/distribution stuff). He has a new book out. Iron Man: Femme Fatales has just been published by Del Rey and it should keep fans happy post-Iron Man I movie and pre-Iron Man II movie. Bob happily blogs about it at his website where he reposts this nice review. I haven’t read the book yet, but I snapped up a copy off the rack at Wal-Mart to feed a little royalty money Bob’s way. I also reshelved the remaining copies to give Bob a better display. That’s how I roll, people.
Harry Lucey: The animator John Kricfalusi has a nice gallery of great Lucey covers from assorted Archie titles at his blog. The covers are absolutely stunning in their simplicity. There’s a “Get Off My Lawn!” part of my brain that wishes the books still looked like this.
Geek Chic Daily: Nikki Finke has a few details about the Hollywood playas lining up behind Gareb Shamus’ new online presence.
George Tuska: Marvel and DC artist George Tuska, so prominent in the comics of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s has passed away at 93. Mark Evanier has a nice look at Tuska’s career. Here’s a real nice original art page by Tuska—no superheroes, just guns, gangsters, street scenes and a hot girl in a bikini. He was from the generation of comic artists who all knew how to draw people, horses, cars, the folds of clothing, and characters in hats who could still make a guy in an iron suit seem believable.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Geek Chic, Chip and Dale and I Love Lucey
DC Comics Review: Justice League: Cry for Justice #4
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: ***
A nice improvement from last month’s issue, which I was really disappointed in, but this month we see a nice improvement in the story. However, still not enough to knock my socks off. Our story opens up with Hal’s splinter Justice League group recovering from Clayface blowing himself up. They decide to leave and go interrogate another villain to see what Prometheus is up to. Following them is none other than Batwoman. It was announced that Batwoman would be part of this team and she finally makes her appearance. Things are moving a bit too slow for me.
Our story moves over to Paris where Congorilla and Starman Mikaal Tomas are battling it out with two Z level characters named Penny Dreadful and Arak. Both are working for Prometheus and Arak confesses to assisting Prometheus in the killing of the gorillas in Africa and kidnapping Congorilla’s gorilla friend, Malavar. Congorilla is ready to kill them, but Starman stops him. Penny kills Arak for betraying Prometheus and Mikaal kills Penny as she tries to kill Congorilla. Mikaal is ashamed that his deceased lover Tony would not have approved of what he just did. Congorilla comforts him, but also states that the trail for Prometheus has gone cold.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Justice League: Cry for Justice #4
DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #5
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: *** 1/2*
Another great issue in Grant Morrison’s run on Batman and Robin. The issue picks up right where we left off in the previous issue with Red Hood and Scarlet confronting the new Batman and Robin. Some very cool dialogue between the current Robin Damian Wayne and the second one The Red Hood Jason Todd. It’s funny. Even though I’m on the side of Batman and what he stands for, the Red Hood makes a good point when he says that after killing all of these criminals, they will think twice before setting foot in Gotham.
Damian is being his normal arrogant self here, and decides to try and take Jason out, but Jason proceeds to catch him and ram his face into the ground. Batman not being too happy about that, returns the favor. Scarlet grabs Damian in retaliation and holds him at knife point. Batman backs off of the Red Hood and allows them to escape as they need to turn the Penguin over to police.
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Weekend Reading: Julie Schwartz, Carl Barks, Jim Aparo & Evan Dorkin
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
After a month that saw Disney gobble up Marvel, Paul Levitz step aside at DC, and Jack Kirby’s heirs opening up a copyright reclamation project, it’s kinda nice to slide into October where leaves are dropping faster than Wizard employees. There’s lots of great stuff for your weekend pleasure. From Art Spiegelman and Julie Schwartz to Carl Barks and Jim Aparo and even Evan Dorkin. It’s nice to curl up on a blustery fall day with some warm links. Enjoy!
Julie Schwartz and Forry Ackerman: Once upon a time, they teamed up and almost got some poor kid kicked out of comic book convention. Sort of. This is from the current issue of Guy H. Lillian III’s fanzine, Challenger, which also boasts an NSFW sketch by Wally Wood and the story behind it that involves the artist Kelly Freas. Fans with Bat-walkers who wear Superman Depends may remember Lillian as a long-time DC Comics letterhack from the 1970s.
Carl Barks: In 1976, there was a comic book convention in Boston called Newcon. Among the guests: Carl Barks, John Stanley, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Kubert, Jim Steranko, Dick Giordano, Mike Kaluta, Gil Kane, and Bob Overstreet. Cartoonist Bill White was there and met Barks. Says Bill, “I asked him for a drawing of one of the Duck family. He said he was sorry, but recently the Disney company had revoked his rights to draw the Ducks.” Go Team Disney!
DC Field Trip: The letterer Todd Klein took a trip to DC Comics to explore their logo archives, the comic book equivalent of an archeological dig. Needless to say, he found good stuff.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Julie Schwartz, Carl Barks, Jim Aparo & Evan Dorkin
DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America #31
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: *** 1/2*
A big improvement from the previous issue. Our story continues with the aftermath of a rogue group of B-level super villains attacking the Justice Society of America. The group was designed by a still unseen leader who hired specific super-villains capable of matching up against each member of the JSA . Also, the All-American Kid was taken over by a mysterious force that made him stab Mr. Terrific. Angered by the situation at hand, Magog and WildCat go at each other and we start from there.
The fight is broken up by the new Dr. Fate and he informs the team that blood is needed to save Mr. Terrific’s life. Everyone is to donate as Fate will change everyone’s blood to match that of Terrific’s blood. The All-American kid is interrogated by several JSAers. The kid swears that he didn’t do it even though a video shows him doing it.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America #31
Tropical Storm Ketsana Slams Comic Creators
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
If you’ve been following the news, you know all about the flooding in the Philippines from Tropical Storm Ketsana.
What you may not have heard is that a number of comic book professionals have been affected by it. Daniel Best at 20th Century Danny Boy quotes a note from Gerry Alanguilan: “Colorist Jay David Ramos and veteran Rico Rival got their homes completely submerged in the flood waters and lost everything. Other guys affected include Steve Gan, Noly Zamora, Jun Lofamia, Danny Acuña (some of whom may be familiar to you guys as artists who worked on DC‘s war and horror stuff in the 70’s.). Other artists of the younger generation affected include Gilbert Monsanto, Carlo Vergara, Joanah and Melvin Calingo.” Alanguilan goes on to point out that he has yet to hear from a number of other creators.
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DC Comics Review: Green Lantern #46
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: *** 1/2*
Another great issue by Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke. We pick up where we left off in the last issue with Sinestro and Carol Ferris being confronted by a bunch of Black Lanterns. Sinestro narrates our story and talks about his friend the Green Lantern, Abin Sur, and his obsession with the prophecy of the darkness that would sweep across the universe - The Blackest Night. The Guardians and Sinestro himself thought Abin was insane and Sinestro confesses that his biggest regret is not believing in his friend. This is a much more sympathetic Sinestro than I’m used to. I have a love/hate feeling when a villain is shown to have reasons behind his villainy. I think some people are just bad and there’s no reason. Still the back story is interesting.
The group of Black Lanterns that are attacking are lead by Abin’s brother Amon and they battle it out with Sinestro and Carol until Hal Jordan and the Indigo Lanterns arrive to assist in the fight. Hal is upset because Indigo 1, the leader of the Indigo Lanterns, took Hal away from the other JLA heroes in their fight against another group of Black Lanterns. Being long-time enemies, Hal and Sinestro of course end up fighting each other. Indigo 1 interrupts their fight and talks to Sinestro about her past meeting with Abin Sur. Sinestro wants to know what she knows of Abin, but more Black Lantern rings arrive and resurrect more of the dead.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Green Lantern #46
Will Jacobs & Gerard Jones: The Burly Boys
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
The “Burly Boys” is not quite a description of my pals Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs, the creators of The Trouble With Girls and writers of multiple books and comics, together and separately. But it is the title of one of their new projects. Jones you might know from his stints at DC and Dark Horse, or you might know him as the author of Eisner Award-winning Men of Tomorrow, the critically acclaimed history of the early days of comic books. Together with Jacobs, they’ve written for The National Lampoon and wrote the books, The Beaver Papers and The Comic Book Heroes.
They’re at it again with The Burly Boys, the adventures of Flint and Chip Burly, junior detectives, innocent and naive junior detectives, who find themselves in San Francisco during 1967’s famed Summer Of Love, where they’re investigating the disappearance of their old school chum Lucy Diamond. Here’s a little taste:
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Marvel Comics Review: Spider-Man: The Clone Saga #1
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics,
Rating: ***
Finally, Marvel will be returning to the infamous Clone Saga storyline with a mini-series that is set to tell the story of the Clone Saga as it was meant to have been told. As I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, I was a big fan of the Clone Saga when it first began and have always liked the character of Ben Reilly. So this week, issue one of the revisited Clone Saga storyline hit the stands, and while it did not blow me away, I was entertained. Two of the writers working on Spider-Man back in those days have come on board to tell the tale: Tom Defalco and Howard Mackie.
Before I go into my review for this issue, I must profess my love for the Spider-Girl title in which Defalco worked on. Defalco’s Spider-Girl/M2 universe sprang from the stories that were created during the Clone Saga, and he was able to make a grown up Spider-baby May Parker work well along with continuity of those storylines. Marvel completely abandoned the characters for years in the regular 616 universe until the upcoming Who was Ben Reilly? storyline that we’ll see next month in Amazing Spider-Man.
Click to continue reading Marvel Comics Review: Spider-Man: The Clone Saga #1
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