Patrick A. Reed
Today In Comics History: The First Appearance of Hal Jordan, Green Lantern!
On this day in 1959, issue #22 of DC Comics' Showcase appeared on newsstands. Three years earlier, in issue #4, the anthology series had introduced a radically new take on the company's super-speedy Flash character, and in doing so, laid the groundwork for a full-fledged revival of the superhero genre. In the time since, Showcase alternated through a variety of new features (Manhunters; The Flash; Challengers Of The Unknown; The Space Ranger; Rip Hunter, Time Master; Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane; Adam Strange), but with #22, it once again returned to the well of iconic properties, taking the name of a Golden Age hero and lending it to an all-new character.
The original Green Lantern of the 1940s was a guy who channeled mystical "green flame" powers through a talking lantern (and a ring made from metal that he cut out of said lantern), and wore an eye-popping multi-hued outfit that looked like it was assembled by a color-blind tailor on his last day before retirement.
Mad Gets Weird: Weird Al Yankovic Talks Taking Over Mad Magazine [Interview]
Today, Mad Magazine #533 goes on sale on newsstands and in comic shops nationwide, and it sets itself aside from the previous five hundred and thirty-two issues by being the first-ever issue of the magazine to feature a celebrity guest editor: the legendary (and famously funny) musician, Weird Al Yankovic. A couple of weeks ago, we got the chance to speak with Weird Al and Mad editor-in-chief John Ficarra about this special issue. Our conversation touched on Al's personal connection to the magazine, his comedic influences, and his plans for the future.
Emerald City Comicon Joins The ReedPOP Family Of Conventions [Exclusive Interview]
Emerald City Comicon is now part of ReedPOP. ComicsAlliance has confirmed that as part of the acquisition of ECCC, director Jim Demonakos and his staff will remain not just with ECCC, but actually join ReedPOP in expanded roles that will see them involved with organizing and executing other conventions as well, both in the United States and internationally. Indeed, in this exclusive interview with Demonakos and ReedPOP vice present Lance Fensterman, the new union's stated goal is to find ways for " what makes Emerald City so much fun for creators to be infused into New York and C2E2."
Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Deluxe Edition Comics And Art Books
If you’re like some of the ComicsAlliance staff, you have a great affection for deluxe edition books that offer historical overviews of various pop culture topics, reprint the great works of the comics medium, and/or collect classic storylines (and supplement them with all kinds of bonus material)… And with the gift-giving season now in full swing, you're likely looking for the perfect gifts for your follow geeks (or possibly, wanting to give your relations some suggestions for things you'd like this year, in lieu of another ill-fitting sweater). So as a public service, we've compiled this list of some of the best expensive, large, and mind-blowingly ornate titles that you can find at your local comic shop or from online booksellers.
Educating By Entertaining: The Success Of ‘Adventures In Cartooning’ With Co-Creator Andrew Arnold [Interview]
Over the last few years, First Second's Adventures In Cartooning books have become something of a sensation. Created by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost, the at once entertaining, educational and even hilarious series follows the deeds of a magical cartooning elf and a knight as they help a princess to literally draw her way out of an encounter with a dragon and other harrowing scenarios; help Santa Claus inspire kids to trade their video games for books; assist an eccentric director in making a crazy movie; and go camping. Their blend of humor and clarity, welded to straightforward lessons on storytelling techniques, have met with acclaim from librarians and educators, and have inspired a generation of kids to start making their own comics with the drawing lessons and other activities built into the narratives.
We spoke to AIC co-creator Andrew Arnold about how he and his collaborators achieve the series' signature mix of smart, silly, and scholarly.
The Next Chapters For Kate And Clint in Jeff Lemire And Ramon Perez’s ‘Hawkeye’ [Interview]
This weekend at New York Comic-Con, Marvel unleashed a host of announcements, revealing new series and projects galore. One of the most fascinating bits of news came out of Sunday's 'Axel-In-Charge' panel, where the Marvel editor-in-chief announced a new ongoing Hawkeye series launching in March 2015, from the creative team of Jeff Lemire and Ramón Peréz.
The book follows hard on the heels of the current critically acclaimed run on the title by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Annie Wu, and while the new series will continue to focus on the characters of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, Lemire and Perez are determined to tell their own story in their own way. We spoke to the creative team to find out more.
‘The Art Of Bob Peak’ Honors The Legendary Movie Poster Illustrator [Review]
This is something of a golden age for pop culture-themed art books. It seems like every week, a new volume comes on the market that illuminates some aspect of the history of popular art. In fact, there's so many great titles out there right now that it can be tough to figure out which are worth your time -- so we figured it would be a good idea to shine the ComicsAlliance spotlight on a few of the best things we've recently read.
The Art Of Bob Peak celebrates the works of one of the world's most legendary movie poster artists, edited and annotated by his son Thomas Peak.
Return To The Wonder Of Dr. Seuss In ‘Horton And The Kwuggerbug’ [Advance Review]
Theodore Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss, is one of the world's most beloved authors and illustrators, a man who, over the course of six decades, worked as a cartoonist, screenwriter, and commercial illustrator – but whose claim to immortality rests on his role as creator of some of the world's most beloved picture books. From The Lorax to Bartholomew Cubbins to Thidwick The Moose to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, his characters have become part of the language and landscape of American culture, and his knack for metered rhyme and invented language has influenced generations of creators.
And though Geisel passed away in 1991, next week, Random House Children's Books releases a brand-new Dr. Seuss book entitled Horton And The Kwuggerbug, which collects a quartet of long-lost Seuss short stories that originally saw print in the early 1950s in Redbook magazine.
‘Chilling’ With Sabrina: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Robert Hack Reinvent The Teenage Witch [Interview]
Few publishers have been willing to take risks and expand their slate like Archie Comics has over the last several years. Once famous for old fashioned Americana, Archie has increased the diversity of its character roster, launched a number of well-received cross-promotions like its series with the band Kiss, welcomed real-world guest stars like Sarah Palin and Barack Obama to Riverdale, revived its line of superhero titles, and most surprisingly (and successfully), branched out into no-holds-barred horror with the smash hit mature-readers zombie title, Afterlife With Archie.
This October, Archie's banking on lightning striking twice when it debuts The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, a series that places the company's famous "teenage witch" in a world of deep psychological occult horror.
We sat down with the series' creative team of writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Robert Hack to ask some questions about their goals for Sabrina and to talk about how one undertakes such a radical re-envisioning of an established character.
Jack Kirby: A ‘King-Sized’ 97th Birthday Tribute Spectacular, Part One!
Jack Kirby is very arguably the single most influential figure in the history of American comics. He produced countless stories in a career that spanned seven decades, inventing and re-inventing genres and styles every step of the way. He inspired generations of artists and writers; created and co-created thousands of characters; defined the visual vocabulary of superheroes; and believed in the potential of comics to be both entertainment and art, long before most people imagined these stories would be remembered past the four weeks that they sat on newsstands.
Today would have been Kirby’s 97th birthday, and to mark the occasion we’ve assembled a series of posts commemorating the life and work of the man known to American comics fans as “The King.” For this piece, we asked some of our favorite creators and other comics pros to celebrate Jack Kirby with their impressions of his characters, life, and legacy – and we got so many responses, we'll have another installment of all-star tributes tomorrow!
Storytelling, Comedy, Comics, And Film: A Career-Spanning Conversation With Berkeley Breathed
Ever since Bloom County became a sensation in the early '80s, Berkeley Breathed has had an incredibly varied career. He followed Bloom County's initial success with two more popular comic strips, Outland and Opus; he won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning; he wrote and illustrated best-selling children's books; he adapted his own stories into a pair of animated TV specials, and he provided art for various environmental and animal-wellfare charities.
In recent years he's shifted his primary focus to film (production art and original projects), while also overseeing IDW's comprehensive collected editions of his strips. He recently teamed with IDW again for Berkeleyworks, a retrospective volume collecting a number of his paintings, sketches, and illustrations – and last month, he made a rare convention appearance, playing to a packed room at San Diego Comic-Con. ComicsAlliance spoke with Breathed about his career in cartooning, his work in other media, and his upcoming projects.
The Pen Is Truly Mightier Than The Sword: Screenwriter Sam Hamm Talks Batman ’89 [Interview]
Twenty five years ago, in 1989, there was nothing bigger than Tim Burton's Batman. The movie was a box-office smash, and was accompanied by an unprecedented merchandising blitz. Bat-trading cards, Bat-shirts, Bat-soundtracks, Bat-toys, Bat-meals, Bat-hats, Bat-candy, Bat-books – the logo and likenesses were everywhere you looked. And the film's impact is still being felt today. It was a big-budget production with proper movie stars that changed the way the world thought about comic book movies evermore.
Earlier this summer, ComicsAlliance published a series of pieces reflecting on the importance of Batman '89 – and now, as the summer of 2014 winds to a close, we spoke to screenwriter Sam Hamm about his work on the landmark film and his thoughts on its legacy as a perfect postscript to our 25th anniversary Bat-celebration.