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With Further Ado #267: Chaykin, Waid, and Comic Book U.

With Further Ado #267: Chaykin, Waid, and Comic Book U.

Posted on by Ed Catto

Lately I feel like reading World’s Finest, or the Teen Titans has been like taking a master class in how to write fantastic comics.   They’re fun and surprising. Fresh, but respectful of longtime readers.  And that new Superman story, Last Days of Lex Luthor, in that oversized DC Black Label format, just blew me away. So much so, that I even passed along my copy to my dad. (I only pass along the really, really good stuff to him.)

Mark Waid, the writer for these series, has written a lot of stories over the years, and I’ve sure enjoyed his stories over the years. A few years ago, I assumed he hit his peak with his brilliant relaunch Marvel’s Daredevil. It was outstanding on so many levels. But like a star athlete, Mark Waid makes a habit of shattering his own personal best and creating better and better comics. Continue reading “With Further Ado #267: Chaykin, Waid, and Comic Book U.” →

With Further Ado #266: A Somber Gathering

With Further Ado #266: A Somber Gathering

Posted on by Ed Catto

We’ve been talking about comic conventions and fandoms lately. This is completely different but more similar than I ever expected.

This past weekend, my wife and I volunteered for a pop-up traveling exhibition, and I’m glad we did. I was surprised that it was – although so appropriately somber – like so many of the activities and gatherings we’ve been spotlighting in this column.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) manages The Wall That Heals and their national tour schedule for 2023. The Wall That Heals exhibit includes a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center. This is the 28th season of The Wall That Heals has been on the road, and last weekend it visited our town Auburn, located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Continue reading “With Further Ado #266: A Somber Gathering” →

With Further Ado #265: A New Favorite – Ana Penyas

With Further Ado #265: A New Favorite – Ana Penyas

Posted on by Ed Catto

It’s a busy time of year for comic conventions. It looks like last weekend’s Baltimore Comic-Con was a roaring success; especially if your focus is on comics and comics creators. I’ve missed the last few years of this wonderful show, but I saw a lot of smiling faces on social media.

SPX, the Small Press Expo was held the same weekend in Rockville, Maryland at the Bethesda North Marriott. This show celebrates small press creators and entrepreneurs, and it looks to be a positive counterbalance to the “madness” of bigger, more traditional comic conventions.

At a show like this, I’d typically line up to meet a guy like Bill Griffith, the creator of Zippy the Pinhead. But I have a new favorite SPX guest this year: Ana Penyas.

Ana Penyas is from Spain. At Polytechnic University of Valencia she studied fine arts, Ana made headlines in 2018 when she received Spain’s National Comic Award. Her debut graphic novel was called Estamos Todas Bien,and her newest one is Todo Bajo El Sol. Her most recent project is contributing to the Fantagraphics anthology Illustrating Spain. Continue reading “With Further Ado #265: A New Favorite – Ana Penyas” →

With Further Ado #264: Look. Up in the Sky. It’s Off-Model!

With Further Ado #264: Look. Up in the Sky. It’s Off-Model!

Posted on by Ed Catto

We went to the Great New York State Fair this weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. It was kind of like San Diego Comic Con without all the superheroes. Check that – there were plenty of superheroes there.

So many T-shirts, inflatables and toys all adorned with Batman, The Avengers, Captain America and Spider-Man characters and/or logos. Many licensed products were on sale and many unlicensed products were too.

The New York State Fair, like many state fairs, I suppose, had buildings with 4-H club raised animals, homemade jams, jellies and baked goods and more -all competing for Blue Ribbons. But make no mistake, the Midway is where the action is. And on this midway, the most impressive, scariest ride was the Superman ride.

It was more like an overwhelming torture robot that Lex Luthor would have invented.* This ride would propel attendees into the stratosphere, and then whip them around a few times and spin them upside down.

I skewered my courage up and went on of a few these rides with my daughter Tess, but for this one …I just shook my head. I sheepishly muttered, “No way” and added “You are on your own for this one, Tess.” I felt like the Last Son of Krypton would have been disappointed by my lack of courage. Continue reading “With Further Ado #264: Look. Up in the Sky. It’s Off-Model!” →

With Further Ado #263: Peek-a-Boo: It’s Veronica Lake

With Further Ado #263: Peek-a-Boo: It’s Veronica Lake

Posted on by Ed Catto

Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, DC and Marvel fans sure loved the superheroes of the 40s. We would enjoy the current issues of Justice League of America or The Avengers, but every now and again there was an adventure that was kind of like “looking over our shoulders” at the past. The JLA would routinely get together with their historical antecedents, the Justice Society of America and there were so many tales to be told and retold of Captain America’s WWII teams, the All-Winners Squad and the Invaders.

But there was one of those old heroes that I kind of liked and I wasn’t sure why. Liberty Belle was a DC heroine who fought golden age criminals and saboteurs, like all those women did – in high heels. Created by Don Cameron and Chuck Winter, Liberty Belle debuted in Boy Commandos #1 (from Winter of 1942).

It took me a while to realize her greatest superpower was that she was (essentially) the Hollywood star, Veronica Lake.

Veronica Lake grew up in Saranac Lake and originally went by the name Constance Keane. (That seems like a pretty cool name to me too.) Her Hollywood star burned brightly – but flamed out all too quickly. Lake was a quintessential femme fatale in film noir thrillers and even the Bewitched prototype in I Married a Witch. Continue reading “With Further Ado #263: Peek-a-Boo: It’s Veronica Lake” →

With Further Ado #262: The Joys of Going Coverless

With Further Ado #262: The Joys of Going Coverless

Posted on by Ed Catto

I love going barefoot in the summer and wearing shorts. In a way, the fall ritual of wearing pants every day seems like I’ve done a poor job negotiating my terms of surrender to the cruel reality of the change in season. It’s tragic – to be sure – but it’s still a little ways off, isn’t it? Can’t I just enjoy the end of August and still consider it summer?

And along the lines of that whole idea of less is more, can I make a case for the joys of coverless comics? They are so carefree, so fun. When I read an old comic without a cover, I’m not worried about the condition of the comic, and certainly not worried that anything I do will deflate the value. In today’s grade-conscious comics work, it’s invigorating to read a comic like a kid again: to curl the cover back on the spine and maybe even to drip a little ice cream onto it.

(But my wife not set her coffee mug on them, nonetheless!)

I enjoyed a few coverless (and ¾ cover) comics this summer. As many of you know, in the old days, newsstands could return unsold comics to the distributor and get their money back. But after a short while, folks realized that sending the whole comic (or magazine) back was costly and inefficient. What if instead, they just ripped the covers off, sent them into the distributor as “proof” and then destroyed the comic? Or maybe they could just send in the logo of the cover for credit. That was the idea, but thankfully – so many “valiantly unscrupulous” newsstand dealers just didn’t have the heart to destroy the comics. So, they’d re-sell the coverless comics at a discount to other venues. Continue reading “With Further Ado #262: The Joys of Going Coverless” →

With Further Ado #261: I’ll Drink to That!

With Further Ado #261: I’ll Drink to That!

Posted on by Ed Catto

Readers of this column might know Professor Larry Maslon from the PBS documentary, and book, Superheroes! A Never-Ending Battle Documentary or his book Superheroes!: Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture. (And to be fair, he worked closely with his partner, Michael Kantor, on each effort.) Or maybe you saw him moderate panels at San Diego Comic-Con. If you were really lucky, you may have enjoyed our epic round of Superhero trivia (and his book signing) at the Captain Action booth at New York Comic-Con a few years ago.

But this week, I want to celebrate his new book I’ll Drink To That. Continue reading “With Further Ado #261: I’ll Drink to That!” →

Further Ado #260: Spinning Out of SDCC – Part 3

Further Ado #260: Spinning Out of SDCC – Part 3

Posted on by Ed Catto

Comic Conventions can be a lot of fun, but they take a lot of energy, time and money to do “right”. Here’s a glimpse at just a few more of the publishers who leveraged their onsite efforts to the fullest at San Diego Comic-Con last month.

DSTLRY

This cool start-up is more than just ComiXology 2.0. In fact, it might be the opposite. It’s been reported on everywhere from NY Times to The SDDC blog. Over on Reed’s Popverse, Chris Arrant summarized the start-up in this fashion:

Almost a year after leaving Amazon’s digital comics platform ComiXology, two of the company’s former leaders have announced what’s next — both for them and, if their ambitions are successful, comics as a whole. Get ready for DSTLRY, a new kind of publishing company.

ComiXology co-founder/former CEO David Steinberger and his former head of content Chip Mosher are aiming to rethink how business is done, and how to give creators what they deserve, with the company, partnering with major comics creators, major publishers, tech strategists, and even a movie producer to launch a company for creator-owned comics that aims to be a new kind of comics publisher.

Their SDCC booth was big and bold – and surprisingly uncluttered. It was located opposite where I usually find Mark Wheatley (he took a year off), right in the center of things.

They offered convention exclusives of their Devil’s Cut One-Shot. This reminds me of the old days when the TV networks would preview the seasons new shows with short clips of each one. Continue reading “Further Ado #260: Spinning Out of SDCC – Part 3” →

With Further Ado #259: A Beach Book and a Movie (promotion)

With Further Ado #259: A Beach Book and a Movie (promotion)

Posted on by Ed Catto

I’ve been swimming, I’ve partied at the water’s edge, I’ve watched some gorgeous sunsets, but I haven’t read a book on the beach yet. I shouldn’t moan and whine, it’s been an outrageously fantastic summer so far. But still… there’s something about reading a book with your toes in the sand, copious amounts of sunscreen on your nose with summer stretched out in front of you.

After really enjoying a short story collection, Jess Thompson’s The Angel of Rome and Other Stories, I’m resolved to reach more short stories.

Before I get to solving this book-on-the-beach conundrum, I want to discuss a trend and genre. Continue reading “With Further Ado #259: A Beach Book and a Movie (promotion)” →

With Further Ado #258: The Best SDCC everrrRRR

With Further Ado #258: The Best SDCC everrrRRR

Posted on by Ed Catto

During the tail end of this San Diego Comic-Con, I heard many folks echo the sentiment that at SDCC 2023, many said it was “the best one in years.” Do we always say that? Probably. But still, it seemed like it just clicked for a lot of different people.

But let’s not overanalyze. Instead, let me please present my top five impressions for SDCC 2023. With lots of pictures!

The Strike Helped SDCC Strike

Due to the WGA and SAG/AFRTA strikes and last-minute cancellations, there was a lot of anxiety going into this show. Would the fans still come? Would they spend their money? Would they find other things to do? Could San Diego Comic-Con survive without Hollywood fanfare?

However, amongst the professionals, a theory quickly developed that without the lure of Hall H and without the time they spend waiting in line, fans were able to do so many more things. They bought more on the showroom floor and attended more panels.

One exhibitor I spoke with explained he earned the same amount of revenue by the end of the second day of the show that he earned after all four and a half days the year before.

And at the same time, I didn’t hear much whining about the lack of entertainment celebrities due to the strike. It seems everyone was too busy to complain.

Barbie, Queen of Cosplay

Barbenheimer was this past weekend too. Barbie debuted in theaters on Day #2 of SDCC, but it sure seemed like she was at San Diego Comic-Con. Without question, the #1 cosplay of the weekend was Barbie, with a generous amount of pink.

Fancy New Stuff from Fancy New Publishers

DSTLRY calls themselves a publisher focused on the next generation of creator owned comics. The Devil’s Cut is a gorgeous, glossy, oversized 80-page sampler, all by top creators. Here’s nice clip of a CBS interview with DSTLRY.

Adam Phillips, AWA’s Sales and Trade Marketing Director presented this new(ish) publisher’s upcoming comic slate in Diamond’s Retailers-only presentation. And this was all augmented by a very slick AWA magazine – so impressive.

Pop Culture & the Professors

Picture originally appeared on comicsbeat.com

I’m very involved in CCI’s academic tract of panels too, and it seemed like they took a big step forward this year. Many are held at the San Diego Library. While it IS a gorgeous library, the fact that it is a short walk from the convention center has seemingly been a detraction in the past for many convention goers. Not this year. My two panels (and the other panels I saw) had very robust audience member who were there to pay attention and ready to engage.

It Takes a Village

I guess it takes a village to sell a Funko Pop. The persistent and staggering growth of this manufacturer is astounding. As they had done in previous years, Funko created a Funko Village of their own (kind of like a Western TV show’s village). And about a bazillion fan came by to check ’em out.