Quote Of The Day: Joe Staton

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

“Today would be the birthday of Bob Kane, who seems to have had something to do with the creation of Batman. We have a sequence coming up in the (Dick) Tracy strip which features the henchmen Kane, Sprang and Robinson. So Happy Birthday to all involved, not forgetting Bill Finger. I based the sketch of Kane on a photo in the Jerry Robinson book... pointy little chin, bulbous eyes, long nose, weird grin with sharp teeth. I wonder, has it ever occurred to people who know about such things that the Joker was actually based on Bob Kane?”

- Joe Staton, artist on the Dick Tracy comic strip, posted on his Facebook page

Be sure to check out our other notable quotes!

[Artwork: Dick Tracy @ King Features]

Weekend Reading: Batman, Doonesbury, Killraven and Kickstarter

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

So the Olympics are finally over, and that means it's time to talk about real heroes, right? Y'know, the ones in capes!

For most of us, we have the belief that Bill Finger is the true creator of everything that made Batman great. Here’s why.

Jake Hinkson looks at The Dark Knight Rises and the other two parts of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy: “Unlike the set-bound comic-gothic theatrics of Tim Burton's Batman films or the plastic sex-toy quality of Joel Schumacher's films, Batman Begins is a full on epic.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Batman, Doonesbury, Killraven and Kickstarter

Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Pixar, Toth and Calvin & Hobbes

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Reviews, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Yeah, yeah, Avengers-mania is dying down and we’re back to counting the days until San Diego, right? Well, I am. In the meantime, let's read:

Want some story-writing advice from the gang at Pixar? Of course you do.

There’s no doubt that without writer Bill Finger, Batman wouldn’t be Batman. Booksteve’s Library has read and enjoyed Bill, The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman. “Bob Kane was rather a self-serving individual who rarely did anything himself when he could get someone else to do it for him.” One of those someones was the writer Bill Finger.

Longbox Graveyard blogger Paul O’Connor has a companion gig: a regular column at Stash My Comics called The Dollar Box. Start here.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Pixar, Toth and Calvin & Hobbes

Weekend Reading: Avengers, Starlin, Finger and Bagge

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Next week, we'll all be talking about Men In Black III, but this week was still a lot of chatter about Joss Whedon's The Avengers. Let's hit that:

Avengers creators assemble! Here’s a short but excellent interview with Jim Starlin, courtesy of Hero Complex and Geoff Boucher. It’s super-spoilery so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t click!

And speaking of Avengers, here’s writer Lance Mannion’s review, titled “The Romance Of Tony Stark.”

Tim at Balloon Juice views The Avengers: “It’s a Whedon movie, and quite a good one. Every other line of dialogue could end up on a t-shirt, characters come across as layered and real, conflicts involve profound philosophical differences where it is only sometimes clear who has the ‘right’ side of it, and one or more title character will have a very near-death experience.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Avengers, Starlin, Finger and Bagge

Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Thank you internets, you’ve been great this week. So let’s share that bounty with others:

Mighty Samson: Writer J.C. Vaughn has a preview of Mighty Samson #1 at his blog. Shooter’s involved, Patrick Olliffe is the artist. Dark Horse is the publisher. I’m in!

Here’s a little more about the series at Comic Attack.

Shadow: Novelist James Reasoner has a Forgotten Book that’s a must have for fans of Maxwell Grant’s The Shadow: Gangland's Doom: The Shadow of the Pulps, by Frank Eisgruber Jr.

British Comics: Matthew Murray at Comics Beat goes all out for the new Dandy and breaks down its contents.

Peanuts: Zach Weiner finally lets Charlie Brown kick that football.

Peppers: Mark Evanier lives the sitcom life.

3-D: Ricky Sprague at Project Child Murdering Robot tells how Marvel Comics (in 3-D!) turned him into an atheist. Bonus: 3-D artwork on the internets!

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian

SNEAK PEAK: BATMAN #686 Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert & Alex Ross

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

HOLY BILL FINGER! If this is what happens when DC kills Batman, then by all means, please, kill him every 30 days. Batman #686 (“Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?” Part 1 of 2) goes on sale February 11, just a few days from now, and while it’s great to see the caped geezer creak ever closer to issue #700, it’s even better when the road is paved with Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert.

DC’s promotional copy includes this phrase: “Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life.” But all you really need to do is check out the preview pages here. If you can’t spell “must have” from all the letters in the word balloons, you aren’t trying.

See how many geek references you can spot in just the sample pages. This two-issue story looks like a great treat for Batman fans, and fans who may have abandoned Robin’s bear in recent years.

DC has the menu of assorted cover gimmicks lined-up (one of them by Alex Ross even), but they don’t really need them. This’ll sell more than enough copies to cover Bob Schreck’s severance. I’m not even going to bother to wait for the inevitable trade; I’m on this Wednesday afternoon. Full color, 48 pages, $3.99. This is how to pry the rent money from my hands, DC.

(Artwork ©2009 DC Comics, Inc.)

Q&A: Marc Tyler Nobleman on Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Bill Finger

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews,

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…a children’s book about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. Marc Tyler Nobleman published his first book in 1996 and is the author of over 70 children’s books, including the recent Boys of Steel, the story of how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster came to create Superman back in the 1930s. It’s the behind-the-scenes story of their struggle to create the Man of Steel and to get it published, all while never letting go of their dream. Best of all, Marc uses Siegel and Shuster’s own words, culled from interviews with both creators in fanzines, magazines and newspapers.

Published by Knopf, “Boys of Steel” just won the prestigious Kirkus Reviews “Best Children’s Book” Award for 2008. In addition to “Boys of Steel,” Marc’s current book is “What’s The Difference?” a whimsical reference for teens and adults that explains the distinctions between things we often confuse, such as geek/nerd, alligator/crocodile, vanilla/French vanilla, democracy/republic, and rap/hip-hop.

TOM: First off, how big a comics fan are you?

Click to continue reading Q&A: Marc Tyler Nobleman on Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Bill Finger