On one level, it doesn’t matter what’s in this book. You take that name and that subject matter, and Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics is already #1 on Amazon’s search for “how to write comics” before it’s even been released. On another hand, I’ve been looking forward to this volume, because it’s co-written by our friend Bob Greenberger, although you wouldn’t know it — the voice is distinctly Stan’s. The book is a survey/overview, but it’s well-formatted for browsing, […]

Review by KC Carlson Normally, guys Joe Simon’s age should be retired. Kicking back. Taking life easy. Here’s a couple of things you should know about Joe. He’s 97 years old. He and his long-time partner Jack Kirby created a lot of comic book characters — including Captain America. He was Timely Comics’ (now Marvel Comics) first editor. He trained Stan Lee. (Let that one sink in a little.) He and Kirby created the romance genre and were instrumental in […]

Can’t wait to find out what happens in the upcoming Green Lantern movie? Want to know more about how the many special effects were created? Then this is the book for you. This glossy art book is a handsome companion to the film, with lots of behind-the-scenes photos, sketches and concept art, storyboards, location information, and even some movie stills. Planned shot sketches are shown next to the actual image from filming. After a short explanation of the character’s comic […]

The usual Modern Masters subjects are most famous for their superhero work, with volumes on such well-known names as George Pérez, Alan Davis, John Byrne, and more recently, Chris Sprouse, Mike Ploog, and Mark Buckingham. While there have been fantasy artists featured in the past (see book 11, dedicated to Charles Vess, for example), the artists covered are still best-known to denizens of comic shops, with success within the direct market. This volume on Jeff Smith is thus something of […]

First thought when seeing the cover of this how-to-make-superheroes book: Someone seems to be confused about just what Stan Lee was known for. But his name is still a big draw, and his presence (even if it’s unclear how much is by him and how much by contributing writer and artists’ agent David Campiti) allows for the inclusion of work by “superstar artists Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr., Neal Adams”, and more. The majority of art is by a younger […]

Today’s breaking news, with Wizard scheduled to ship issue #235 of their magazine (for $5.99) this Wednesday, is that that will be the last issue. Also dead is their sister publication Toyfare. (Wizard had previous cancelled their gaming magazine in 2007 and Anime Insider in 2009.) That leaves the only major print publication dedicated to current comics as Comics Buyer’s Guide. The public statement from former magazine head Gareb Shamus (link no longer available) was a press release promoting the […]

To bring more attention to the “overlooked … artists and writers of the vibrant African American independent comics community”, authors John Jennings and Damian Duffy have assembled the coffee table book Black Comix: African American Independent Comics Art and Culture. Instead of looking backwards, Black Comix focuses on the present and future, highlighting those creators that are less well-known than they’d like. The foreword, by Keith Knight (The K Chronicles, Knight Life), provides a personal reflection that sets the stage. […]

Michelle Nolan, frequent contributor to such publications as Comic Book Marketplace, presents “A History of American Romance Comics” in Love on the Racks. Her long-running research on the love comic genre has been collected in this thorough presentation. Those seeking to learn more about an under-appreciated genre will find this book a goldmine. At their peak in the 1950s, 20-25% of all U.S. comics sold were romances, but due to their primarily female audience, traditional comic collectors, dealers, and fanzines […]