Tommy, Stela and the Graphic Novel that Never Was.... Part the First.
Haven. It was/it a graphic novel I worked on for nearly a year. It was never published. Here is that story.
Read MoreAn Offer for Dirty Books
I knew I was in trouble as soon as I walked in the door. He was an older guy, somewhere in his 50s. Tall, with a loose flannel shirt and baseball cap. Rangy, lived in with the feel of a cowboy or truck driver about him, more comfortable outside a house than in. Tired eyes. I liked him the moment I saw him. He let me in.
Read MoreTarzan, Tarzan, and Tarzan
Bob Hodes had a problem. As the representative for Burroughs Inc, Robert M. Hodes oversaw the Burroughs estate and its literary legacy: Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, Carson of Venus, David Innes, Red Hawk and the Moon Men… the vast galaxy Edgar Rice Burroughs left behind him upon his death in 1950. The properties had languished after the passing of the founder, falling prey to pirated copies of the Burroughs originals, and unauthorized comics (first time pirates ever got the better of Tarzan!). Funny thing was, the very pirated novels that caused the problem helped spur a Burroughs revival. ERB Inc started tending to business. At the end of the sixties the House of Burroughs (in Tarzana California, of course) was back in order, overseeing worldwide rights for movies, books, reprints, comic strips, and, of course, comic books, especially Tarzan comic books.
Read More"So, What Kind of Guy WAS Mike Sekowsky?"
First of all, a confession. As a kid, (a very young, very ill-informed kid) I didn't care much for Mike Sekowsky's artwork. There, it's said, so let it be writ against me in the Book of Life. It seemed clunky, blocky, and just, well, strange. (I thought the same thing about Kirby...
Read MoreMy Mom and the Old Dark Basement
In the 70's DC Comics was Neal Adams. It was his versions of the heroes, especially Batman, that became standard. I would copy an trace his art, begging it to reveal its secrets. It never did.
Read MoreThe Obsessions of Harvey
The thing about Harvey though, the thing that still amuses me, is the somewhat sick obsession each character had. Almost every character was based around one thematic obsession, food, money, dots, being dead, really dead. Or a devil. With Harvey, there was variety.
Read MoreComic Books of the STRANGE! Or Weird Things in My Head.
I loved the odd, the weird, the offbeat... the cheap comics. This is about some of those found at the bottom of the pile, scorned and alone. Yep, part one of a series...
Read More“Did You Learn Anything?” For my Father and Will Eisner
Will Eisner and John Stewart were huge influences. Will was a giant in the comics world, And John Stewart was a giant in mine. This is how they connected and disconnected.
Read More