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According to news reports, Dan DiDio at DC has announced that one of their major characters will soon come out as gay. Apollo and Midnighter could not be reached for comment.
[Artwork: Apollo and Midnighter from The Authority, © DC Comics]
Read More 
| Comics Beat
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Quote Of The Day: Dan DiDio on Before Watchmen
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics
"I hope he looks at them with an open mind and a chance to understand this is a love letter to what he created, and more importantly that the strength of his work is allowing other people to grow and tell other stories which will hopefully inspire other creators along the way. In the way he was inspired by the creators when he was younger, we're hoping these ideas and these books are inspiring new people, so that we continue to grow the comics business as a whole."
- Dan DiDio on Alan Moore and Before Watchmen
Be sure to check out our other notable quotes!
[Artwork: Before Watchmen, not by Alan Moore and © DC Comics]
Read More | Dan DiDio
As you all know by now, Green Arrow has finally gotten his own series. Only they’ve had to shorten it to just Arrow for reasons known only to Television Network Naming Executives.
Maybe that’s the secret to getting comic books on television though. Dropping the first part of their name must make them more dynamic and appealing.
Green Arrow sounds sort of old-fashioned and comic booky. But Arrow is hip and full of power and urgency.
With that in mind, I’d like to propose my own list of 10 classic DC characters that could easily be on TV with new dynamic - and shortened - names:
10. Twins
9. Miracle
Joe Shuster Superman Original Art Auction!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Collecting, Editorials, DC Comics, Marvel Comics
If you’ve ever dreamed about owning an original piece of Superman artwork by co-creator and artist Joe Shuster, now’s your chance.
Longtime original art dealer Larry Shell is offering a rare piece of American comics history this week in a fast-paced auction.
It’s a full color Joe Shuster recreation to the cover of Action Comics #16 (the original issue went on sale in 1938). According to Shell, this recreation was drawn in 1983 and “is one of only a very few cover recreations that Shuster did and is 100% his work.” It was originally owned by Wendy and Richard Pini (Elfquest).
The original measures a large 15” x 20” in size and is rendered in lead and colored pencils, which gives the image the soft quality of pastels.
You can see a photo of Joe Shuster with the original piece here.
Read More | Joe Shuster Auction
I used to rank Jack Kirby’s Fourth World series as my favorite of all his post-1970s comic book work, with Mister Miracle as my favorite title. Over the years, that shifted.
My favorite Fourth World title became Jimmy Olsen because of two things: (1) it’s such a whacked out, imaginative take on the Olsen universe and (2) it’s the first time anyone thought about Olsen as a character instead of the victimized afterthought he was for years in the Mort Weisinger comics.
But since then, my favorite has shifted once more. It’s Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth. What began with the basic elements of Planet Of The Apes turned into an epic of post-apocalyptic Earth. Animals are in charge, humans are slaves or playthings, and only Kamandi stands as the last hope for mankind.
It’s been a long time since I read individual issues. I picked up a bunch on sale for $1 each during Free Comic Book Day, and Kamandi #14 was one of them, the earliest in the pack.
Weekend Reading: Avengers, Alan Moore, Before Watchmen, and Don McGregor
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics
I once met Alan Moore, had dinner with him in fact. A dinner that included Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.
I must stress that they did not have dinner with me at my invitation - I was at the table as a guest of Gary Groth and Kim Thompson from Fantagraphics. Also in attendance was Dave Olbrich. The creative trio - currently on DC’s Swamp Thing - was on their way to NY and had stopped in at the Fantagraphics offices to meet with Gary and Kim and head for Chinese food. And I got to tag along.
I spent a couple of hours listening to Moore and his companions regale the group with story after story. At no point did I ever think of Alan Moore as crazy. In fact, I thought he was one of the smartest guys I’d ever met. He was also not like anyone I’d met either before or since. He was different, alright. But crazy? No. Weird? Hardly.
Which brings me to this:
If you’ve been wondering what Paul Levitz has been doing since he left his office at DC Comics, I can tell you one of those things: teaching. He’s an Adjunct Professor of Publishing at Pace University.
According to Pace, “during the Fall 2012 semester, Prof. Levitz will be teaching PUB 615, Comics & Graphic Novels. During the Spring 2013 semester he will be teaching a new course, PUB 619, The Future of Publishing: Transmedia, and he hopes to see many of the Pace M.S. in Publishing students in one or both of these classes.”
Read More | Pace University
Tony DeZuniga Needs A Helping Hand
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Marvel Comics
Veteran comic book artist and all-around good guy, Tony DeZuniga, is having health issues that's creating financial issues.
Tony was a mainstay of both DC and Marvel in the 1970s, and there was an elegance to his work, even handling a violent Jonah Hex story. (He co-created Hex with writer John Albano.)
Author Scott Edelman has more details about what's going on and, more importantly, how you can help.
He also has a note from creator Neal Adams about how important Tony's arrival in U.S. comics was so important in the 1970s.
If you can help, this is a very worthwhile cause.
[Artwork: All-Star Western, cover by Tony DeZuniga, © DC Entertainment]
Read More | Scott Edelman's Blog
Weekend Reading: Before Watchmen, Mark Waid, Pogo & Ultraverse
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics
Welcome, weekend warriors! The internets have released a bounty of digital delights, so let's check 'em out!
John Rogers (Leverage) talks about his role in Mark Waid’s digital comics venture, and also talks about digital comics in general. John's a very smart guy, so he's well worth listening to.
One of my favorites, SF author Jay Lake (Rocket Science; Mainspring), is profiled in the Sunday Oregonian.
Over at John Scalzi’s Whatever, author Justin Jordan writes about the trade collection of his Image comic, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, inspired by those Charles Atlas ads in old comics. After reading about it, it’s now something I need to get.
Heidi nails what’s going on over at Disney, with link to Nikki Finke.
David Brothers nails Before Watchmen. I love the phrase “ethical rot.”
Weekend Reading: Watchmen, Ploog, Gibbons, and Gary Friedrich
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Television, DC Comics, Marvel Comics
It's the weekend time again and since we're between the end of football season and baseball season, at least in the U.S., it must be comic book season. Let's take a look.
Author Joe Konrath is a very smart man on the subjects of book publishing, Amazon, and the future of the written word business. He makes a great case in a post called Amazon Will Destroy You.
Tom McLean at Bags And Boards looks at both sides of the Before Watchmen argument and comes up with some smart thoughts worthy of attention.
J. M. DeMatteis runs a very nice appreciation of his sometime collaborator Mike Ploog.
Cartoonist Lew Stringer uncovers an old Dave Gibbons strip you might not be familiar with.
This is an old link, but it’s a nice profile of gag cartoonist Bob Vojtko.
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