Tag: Jim Steranko

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Brainiac On Banjo: What Goes Around…

Brainiac On Banjo: What Goes Around…

Posted on by Mike Gold

“One man’s civilization is another man’s jungle, yeah. They say evolution’s in the air. I’m dancing in my underwear, ‘cause I don’t care.” From Piggy In The Middle, written by Neil Innes.

If you’re reading this roughly around the time of posting — 9 AM Monday EDT, I believe — you should know that about one out of every four of my comics friends presently are stuck in airport waiting rooms — not just in San Diego or Los Angeles, but in those horrific “hub” city airports. Maybe that’s because, to me, “Hub City” reminds me of a place that actually is worse.

I like the San Diego Comic Con. It’s a great place for me to catch up with old friends and maybe impress panel members with my great wit and charm. It is very crowded. Extremely crowded. As in “the world’s largest cattle car” crowded. Even back well before I needed a cane to clear the Guardians of the Backpacks from my path, I needed a cane to clear the Guardians of the Backpacks from my path.

Yeah, I’m just a heartbeat away from going into Rodney Dangerfield. “I’m okay now, but you should have seen me a couple days ago in San Diego.”

I’ve been to so many comics conventions that my life feels like it’s been one long, unending show. I’ve done as many as two dozen in one year, and six or seven panels in one day. I was younger then, full of grit, wit, and myself. To this day I dream about going generic shows in big cities — but in those dreams I’m wandering around the convention center looking for a good place for lunch. My dreams are getting to be frighteningly realistic. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: What Goes Around…” →

With Further Ado #304: Same as it Ever Was : Toxic Fandom

With Further Ado #304: Same as it Ever Was : Toxic Fandom

Posted on by Ed Catto

There were a few online conversations recently that discussed the nature of Star Wars fans. On one side of the argument, Star Wars fans are categorized as crabby and inflexible, disliking all of the official recent adventures. On the other hand, there’s a school of thought that corporate owners “just don’t get it”, and that they are ruining the property with their clumsy attempts with new material.

And sometimes it gets really nasty.

Toxic Fandom is – unfortunately – a real thing. Conversations, forecasts, and analyses can quickly become judgmental, angry and ugly. Maaaan..I miss the old days when everyone was friendly and nice.

But wait! That might not have been quite the case. Maybe there never were any “good old days” when fans were happy, kind, and complacent. Here’s why I think that.

This past weekend, a comic shop near Buffalo, NY had an amazing sale of a longtime fan’s treasures. He had recently passed, but quite obviously had amassed, and hopefully enjoyed, an astounding collection. I rescued quite a few Avengers items from this “unveiling” sales event.

No, no, not those Avengers. These were books and fanzines all about the 1960s TV Avengers, from the UK. This weekly show was extraordinarily popular, and is still fondly remembered by folks like me. It mixed the prim and proper genteelness of British culture with the violence and sexiness of spy thrillers. Continue reading “With Further Ado #304: Same as it Ever Was : Toxic Fandom” →

With Further Ado #205: Summertime Highlights

With Further Ado #205: Summertime Highlights

Posted on by Ed Catto

Hey, I know you’re rushing off to the beach, or trying to get out of work a little early today. So, this week is just a highlight reel of some cool things:

I also just received the 2022 Steve Rude Sketchbook. WOW!  It was part of his most recent Kickstarter. I miss the days of seeing Steve and his wife at San Diego Comic-Con and buying a sketchbook during the annual pilgrimage. But you know what, getting anything from Steve Rude in the mail is always cause for rejoicing! He’s got all sorts of things on his website and his next Kickstarter starts on July 14th .

Shelly Bond (did you know she’s a proud Ithaca College graduate?) has a fabulous new book out called Filth and Grammar: The Comic Book Editor’s Secret Handbook.

It’s kind of a how-to-edit comics, but I think it’s a “new must” for every creator looking to break in. The Kickstarter was looking to raise $20,000 and it overdelivered with over $85,000. Pretty impressive, right?  You can still purchase this one on her site here.

I rescued a few paperbacks from my friends at Wonderland Comics in Rochester. It’s a great little comic shop that always seems to have some lost treasures out for sale.  This loot was just great:

I found four Flash Gordon paperbacks. These tell the prose version from Alex Raymond’s wonderful strip. You might think that Flash Gordon without the art is kind of pointless, but ever since I read the Avon paperback version of The Lion Men of Mongo (when I was a sixth grader), I’ve been hooked. Most of the adaptations were written by Ron Goulart and with wonderful George Wilson covers. Continue reading “With Further Ado #205: Summertime Highlights” →

With Further Ado #002: Steranko & Vanguard: 25 Projects in 25 Years

With Further Ado #002: Steranko & Vanguard: 25 Projects in 25 Years

Posted on by Ed Catto

My love for Jim Steranko’s work started a little differently than for most Steranko fans. 

When I was a kid, my super-supportive dad fielded my passion for comic book by finding the things he liked so we could share them.  The Phantom and Prince Valiant were longtime favorites of his, but he’d soon come to really enjoy series like Jonah Hex and Master of Kung Fu.

We both liked Steranko’s artwork.  One day he surprised me by ordering Steranko’s History of Comics. I immediately devoured it.  Then he subscribed to Steranko’s Comixscene (which soon become Mediascene). But when I read it, I was perplexed by the peculiar cutouts.  Turns out, my mom had intercepted it from the mailbox, and took her scissors to essentially censor all the sexy pictures from it.

Soon after, Steranko’s The Supergirls arrived – which were gorgeous Steranko pinups, mostly topless, of women in superhero costumes. That one was hidden from me for about 25 years.

So it’s particularly fascinating to me the J. David Spurlock explained to me that he’s done 25 projects with Jim Steranko over the past 25 years.  Continue reading “With Further Ado #002: Steranko & Vanguard: 25 Projects in 25 Years” →