Author: Ed Catto

A voracious reader, Ed has been enjoying “books on comics” ever since he’d read Jule’s Feiffer’s classic The Great Comic Book Heroes a chapter at a time at a local book store. The cover price was $14.95 and he knew that he could never afford such an enormous sum to actually buy this treasure. Things changed, and Ed could eventually afford the books he loved. His reading, and history illustration and art has guided him through a life-long love of comics, collections and graphic novels. As a branding and advertising executive, Ed’s career has evolved to include a focus on entertainment marketing in many ways: A founding partner of Bonfire Agency, Ed helped establish the world’s first marketing firm focused on connecting brands, in authentic ways, to passionate and enthusiastic fans of comics, graphic novels, games and movies. Ed has also shepherded the rebirth of the iconic 60s toy, Captain Action, in collectibles, books, comics and even a national toy line. An animated television series is currently being shopped for development. A convention enthusiast, Ed helped develop Reed Pop’s New York Comic-Con (now the nation’s largest con) and is currently doing the same for Syracuse’s Salt City Comic-Con. 
Ed speaks nationally as a panelist and moderator at conventions, leading conversations on entertainment marketing and comics history. Ed has also appeared on CNBC’s Squawkbox, BNN Business News Network , and PBS’s Superheroes documentary. Ed recently started teaching at Ithaca College, sharing his experiences and enthusiasm for business and entrepreneurship to both MBA’s and undergraduates. As an artist, Ed also leads graphic novel classes for kids of all ages. In October of 2018, The Adventures of Captain Graves will mark Ed’s debut as an illustrator for publisher Airship27. Ed and his wife Kathe currently live in New York’s State’s Finger Lakes Region, enjoying the area’s local comic book shops and wineries. Between consulting, teaching and drawing, Ed continues to work very hard to whittle down the teetering tower of books on his nightstand.
Pop Culture Squad > Articles by: Ed Catto
With Further Ado #251: The Best Batman Story Ever…?

With Further Ado #251: The Best Batman Story Ever…?

Posted on by Ed Catto

I think I just read the best Batman story ever! Surprisingly, it didn’t even have Batman in it. It was in issue #3 of The Ambassadors. This comic is written by Mark Millar. Travis Charest illustrated it and it was just published by Image Comics.

Image described this “miniseries” series this way:

The most ambitious comic book of all time is finally here! Imagine that you could gift superpowers to six people. In a world of eight billion, who do you choose? Join six of the greatest artists in the industry for an enormous story about ordinary people from around the world explaining why it should be them.

That sums it all up pretty well. (Although is it the most ambitious of all time? I tend that to think that Don Simpson’s upcoming X-Amount of Comics: 1963 (WhenElse?!) Annual would get that appellation from me right about now.) In this series, a woman has created a way to bestow superpowers on people and has to choose the individuals who will receive them. Continue reading “With Further Ado #251: The Best Batman Story Ever…?” →

With Further Ado #250: 250th Anniversaries

With Further Ado #250: 250th Anniversaries

Posted on by Ed Catto

Great bouncing Icebergs!*  It’s the 250th anniversary of this column.  That’s a lot of weekly columns.  And as is the case for so many of the things in the life of a geek culture enthusiast, I tend to translate and filter milestones through the lens of comic books.

For example, I can never go to a wedding and not imagine, albeit briefly, if a super-villain will interrupt the proceedings. That always happens to superheroes, doesn’t it?

Likewise, a 250th anniversary makes me think of how publishers typically celebrate the 250th issues of their comic series.

When John Byrne was writing and drawing the FF (it seems like just yesterday) , he celebrated The Fantastic Four’s 250th issue with guest stars from his past series, the cover proudly announced it was a “Special 250th Anniversary”. Other Marvel heroes like the X-Men, Captain America and Spidey dropped in to share the adventure.  Of course, some of them were Skrull imposters, but you get the idea.

Captain America #250 really “shouldn’t” count, as the numbering for this series switched over from a previous one, but in this issue John Byrne, along with writer pal Roger Stern (more on him later), crafted a very memorable tale.  It wasn’t so much an “all the toys in the toys box” type story, but rather a thoughtful proactive exploration of politics, the divisiveness of our society (probably even more relevant today) and the role of the individual.  This done-in-one story is often reprinted because it is so concise, impactful and well-crafted. Continue reading “With Further Ado #250: 250th Anniversaries” →

With Further Ado #249: Collab or Team-Up?

With Further Ado #249: Collab or Team-Up?

Posted on by Ed Catto

Collabs. All the cool kids in the business world, from tech start-up founders to crafter brewers, know all about “collabs”. (It took me a while to realize it’s short for “collaborations”.) These collabs are all about two companies (or individuals) partnering for a project, in order that they create something unique and memorable. Something that probably wouldn’t happen if each party had just worked on their own.

But comic people and geek culture know what these collabs really are.

They are Team-Ups!

I think my first “Team-Up” was issue #70 of The Brave and the Bold. This was the January 1967 issue; so, it was on sale during the height of the Batman ‘66 craze. There was one problem: it didn’t look like a pleasant collaboration to me. Two heroes, Batman and Hawkman (who was new to me back then) were beating the stuffing out of one another. In the background, a crashed Batmobile was still smoking. This was presumably the result of the Caped Crusader’s and the Winged Wonder’s fight. These two crimefighters were even pulling at each other’s masks, which must have been in direct conflict with some unwritten superhero code. Continue reading “With Further Ado #249: Collab or Team-Up?” →

With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom

With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom

Posted on by Ed Catto

It’s the big finish for that class I teach at Ithaca College that focuses on pop culture, running conventions and entrepreneurism.  Classes have ended and the final is this week.

Here’s our third and winning entry for this year’s column contest. Nina Singh is an impressive student, and a good writer too. I think her column will give you something to think about!

Congrats on a great year, Nina.

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Star Wars Toxicity: A Look at Lizzo’s Backlash and Beyond

By: Nina Singh

Lizzo as Duchess Bombardier

It is a sad reality that many Star Wars fans have devolved into a toxic and intolerant community. This became apparent yet again when Lizzo, a popular musician and actress, appeared in an episode of The Mandalorian. The backlash against her casting is a prime example of how some fans have lost sight of what it means to be a true fan of the franchise.

For those who are unfamiliar with The Mandalorian, it is a popular Disney+ show set in the Star Wars universe. It follows the adventures of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin, who is also known as the Mandalorian. In one of the recent episodes, Lizzo made a brief appearance as Duchess Bombardier, one of the glamorous and wealthy rulers of Plazir-15, an independent planet. Continue reading “With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom” →

With Further Ado #247: Student Guest Column Contest – How Wine Lovers Geek Out

With Further Ado #247: Student Guest Column Contest – How Wine Lovers Geek Out

Posted on by Ed Catto

We’re right in the middle of an annual tradition that’s part of a class I teach at Ithaca College all about pop culture and running conventions.

Each year, I ask the students to submit a column on pop culture as if they were the author of this column. Our crack editorial staff has poured over the submissions and selected our winners.

Our first runner-up of this year’s column contest is Ellie Aliperti and her thoughts on Wine and wine lovers as a fandom.

Congrats to you, Ellie.

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How Wine Lovers Geek Out
By Ellie Aliperti

There is a stigma around wine. It is often thought of as a sophisticated person’s drink, and to many, it may appear intimidating. I, however, happened to grow up in a family that owns a winery and with a father who makes wine. So, I know the story of wine before it’s poured into your glass at some fancy wine bar.

To me, it has always been a part of my life. While for some people wine can be intimidating or exclusionary, others (especially many in the food and beverage industry) really “geek out” on it! A wine geek can be best described as an individual with an eccentric devotion to alcoholic beverages created by fermented grapes. One should not confuse the Wine Geek with the Wine Snob (though there can be a crossover). Continue reading “With Further Ado #247: Student Guest Column Contest – How Wine Lovers Geek Out” →

With Further Ado #246: ITHACON Student Writing Competition – Taking a Look at Black Butler

Posted on by Ed Catto

ITHACON 46 was a rousing success. It seems like just about everyone had an outstanding experience. As part of the class I teach the Promoting and Managing ITHACON Class at Ithaca College, each year we embrace this annual tradition with the “With Further Ado” column.

Each year, I ask the students to submit a column on pop culture as if they were the author of this space. Our crack editorial staff pours over the submissions and selects a winner, and they get published on this website. (The fact that it gives me a couple of weeks break right after ITHACON is of no concern to anyone but me.)

Anyway, we have three amazing columns to publish this year.

Our second runner-up of this year’s fill-in columnist contest is Collin Longo and his thoughts about manga called Black Butler. Congrats to you, Collin!

Black Butler is a manga series created by mangaka (author) Yana Toboso, published in Square Enix’s magazine Monthly GFantasy. Having been published since September of 2006, the manga is currently ongoing with one hundred and ninety-eight chapters and thirty-two physical volumes released. In October of 2008, an anime television series of Black Butler was released, it now having three seasons, an original video animation (OVA), and a feature length movie. Several other adaptations have also spawned such as a live action movie, a video game, and even five stage musicals. Continue reading “With Further Ado #246: ITHACON Student Writing Competition – Taking a Look at Black Butler” →

With Further Ado #245: Keeping Ithacon Fresh after 46+ Years

With Further Ado #245: Keeping Ithacon Fresh after 46+ Years

Posted on by Ed Catto

As you know by now, I’m really excited for ITHACON this weekend – April 22nd and 23rd. For me, it’s the perfect way to spend a weekend because it’s a comic convention that you can get your arms around and still be exposed to big ideas and brilliant people.

But as the nation’s 2nd longest running comic convention, you’ve got to work hard to stay fresh.

(As a digression, Shelton Drum, who runs the 3rd longest running comic convention, HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, also does a fabulous job of keeping it fresh….and I can’t wait to attend his show in June!).

So, with all that in mind, I wanted to highlight some of our “new” things at ITHACON this year:
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A New Publisher: A Wave Blue World

Continue reading “With Further Ado #245: Keeping Ithacon Fresh after 46+ Years” →

With Further Ado #244: Five and a Half Questions with Mike Reiff (An ITHACON Prelude)

With Further Ado #244: Five and a Half Questions with Mike Reiff (An ITHACON Prelude)

Posted on by Ed Catto

I can’t wait for ITHACON! It’s coming up soon – April 22nd and 23rd. And if you buy your tix before April 16th, you also get this amazing swag bag. Trust me – there’s so much cool merchandise in these that it totally offsets the (modest) ticket prices.

Educator and writer Mike Reiff will be presenting at ITHACON this year too, and I couldn’t be happier. I caught up with him just so I could keep track of everything he’s up to!

* * *

Question #1

Ed Catto: You are doing so much work with Graphic Novels and kids now. Can you tell me about it all?

Mike Reiff: Well, I would first note that I’m working with an outstanding team at Ithaca High School (IHS) on this – from the support of the district leadership to building principal Jason Trumble to a great English department, when we think about our recent push to diversify our literacy offerings – with “diversify” a complex and expansive term – one person couldn’t do what’s being done, it takes a team. So I’m speaking as a reporter as much as an implementer of some of the shifts, and some of the graphic novel work pre-dates my active involvement in this, including texts taught in classrooms and a astonishing array of graphic texts offered and promoted by our High School librarian team. Continue reading “With Further Ado #244: Five and a Half Questions with Mike Reiff (An ITHACON Prelude)” →

With Further Ado #343: SXSW Part 3- Mrs. Davis, Tetris & Motion Comics (kind of)

With Further Ado #343: SXSW Part 3- Mrs. Davis, Tetris & Motion Comics (kind of)

Posted on by Ed Catto

Let’s take one more bite out of the SXSW apple. I’ve been writing about this business + music festival. There was a lot going on, and here’s three more pop culture efforts to focus on:

Who’s That Nun?

AI’s been such a big topic, a scary topic, It makes sense that an action hero will rise to fight it. I hadn’t quite expected this particular action hero.

In the spirit of the “Keep Austin Weird” mantra that is woven into the background fabric of the SXSW festival, it was kind of fun to see a couple of nuns whoosh by in a pedicab. But then when I saw “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS NUN?” posters plastered around downtown Austin, it was apparent something was up.

It was all a promotion for the upcoming Peacock show, Mrs. Davis. The Hollywood Reporter described the show like this:

Mrs. Davis is a perfectly timed warning about AI Madness

It’s a Catholic nun vs. AI in a wild new drama for the creators Damon Lindelof (The Watchmen) and Tara Hernandez (Big Bang Theory) that pits faith against technology run amok: “The most exciting thing about ‘Mrs. Davis’ is that there’s nothing like ‘Mrs. Davis.’”

Continue reading “With Further Ado #343: SXSW Part 3- Mrs. Davis, Tetris & Motion Comics (kind of)” →

With Further Ado #242: SXSW Part 2 – Flatstock

Posted on by Ed Catto

South By Southwest (SXSW), the business + music festival that seemed an awful lot like a giant comic convention to me, was stuffed full of an almost incomprehensible amount of many things to see and do. It isn’t conceivable that anyone could do everything there – even if they figured out a way to forgo sleep.

Flatstock was one of those events-within-an-event that I’m really happy I got a chance to experience. Continue reading “With Further Ado #242: SXSW Part 2 – Flatstock” →