Industry Numbers Point to Duopoly?

Estimates for comic book industry sales reports for the month of October based on information released from comic distributor Diamond Comics have been posted over the past week or so. The health of the industry seems to continue to improve on paper, as the industry appears set to bring in $400 million at the end [...]

I’m sorry I can’t resist

Dynamic Forces announced today that it will be partnering with Stan Lee to publish a new how-to book in 2007 titled Stan Lee’ s Guide to Writing Comics.
From the press release:
Dynamic Forces today announced a line of Historical Retrospective Books pairing the premiere comics and collectibles company with the legendary Stan Lee. Stan Lee, [...]

Setting the Bar

Scott O. Brown began an interesting week long five-part column at Comic Book Resources today, called “Flying the Standard”, where he is presenting the criteria for and selecting the comic book artform’s very best, or as he calls it, the “canon”. The first installment “Defining the Standard” gives his basic rules for the standard to [...]

Today in Comics History: 1st Zorro movie

Today in 1920, The first Zorro movie and United Artists‘ debut release The Mark of Zorro was first screened in American theaters. Based on Johnston McCulley’s pulp serial “The Curse of Capistrano” from All-Story Weekly, the black and white silent film was produced and co-written by Douglas Fairbanks, who also starred in the title role [...]

The Lost Steve Ditko Artbook

In the early 1980s, now-defunct Eclipse Comics was going to publish a limited edition hardcover book called The Art of Steve Ditko, as tribute to the co-creator and artist of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange and so many other seminal comic books. The project never came to fruition. Several accounts, some contradictory, have been given over the [...]

Dave Cockrum (1943-2006)

Comic book artist Dave Cockrum passed away at the age of 63 this morning due to complications from diabetes, according to author Clifford Meth. He wrote:
With a heavy heart, I regret to inform you that Dave Cockrum passed away this morning. After a long battle with diabetics and its varied complications, Dave died in his [...]

Today in Comics History: Charles M. Schulz

Today in 1922, Charles Monroe Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He would grow up to create the comic strips “Li’l Folks” (1947-1949), “Peanuts” (1950-2000) and “It’s Only A Game” (1957-1959). “Peanuts” is what he’s widely remembered for, and what has influenced hundreds of artists. The popularity and international appeal of the strip’s characters was [...]

Heroic Candor

While there is much to learn about the history of comic books, the present is just as important. Rarely do we get such vulnerable and sobering looks behind the curtain of the industry as two recent accounts. Former DC Comics assistant editor Valerie D’Orazio writes a ‘theoretical memoir’ saying “Goodbye to Comics” and shining an [...]

The Elusive Reader: Teenage Girls

DC Comics is hoping to tackle a demographic manga publishers like TokyoPop and Viz have been dominating for years: teenage girls. A new line of original graphic novels, costing only $10 each, will be released in May under the new imprint Minx. Unlike DC’s own manga imprint CMX, Minx will be marketed beyond the standard [...]

Simon & Kirby and the 2 Captains

Golden Age power duo Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, while churning out their smash hit Captain America Comics for Martin Goodman’s Timely Comics, moonlighted for Fawcett Comics to produce the first issue of Captain Marvel Adventures. Unhappy with the finished product, they predicted the comic would bomb and opted to forego [...]