Seduction Of The Innocent by Max Allan Collins

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Fantastic news!

I’ve always felt that the comic book industry would be a great background for a mystery novel, and there have been a couple, inclduing The Comic Book Killer by Richard Lupoff and Max Allan Collins’ A Killing In Comics.

Now Max is back with a new mystery from Hard Case Crime, one of my favorite mystery publishers. The book is called Seduction Of The Innocent and it’s no coincidence that it shares the title with good ol’ Fredric Wertham’s classic anti-comic screed.

Collins’ hero, Jack Starr (a comics syndicate troubleshooter - and isn’t that a great-sounding job?) investigates a murder set against the backdrop of Congressional hearings about the banning of violent crime and horror comics.

Click to continue reading Seduction Of The Innocent by Max Allan Collins

Weekend Reading: Walking Dead, Castle and Wonder Woman

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Television, DC Comics, Image Comics,

If you need to take a break from Christmas shopping and sit down in front of a warm computer and fill your body with the sweet, sweet taste of egg nog, here are some nice links to keep you company.

I love Christmas cards from cartoonists, and Hogan’s Alley has posted a whole pile of them from Dik Browne, creator of Hagar The Horrible and one of the greatest cartoonists, ever. As if that weren’t enough, there’s this: “Every year since 1936, the Newspaper Enterprise Association has syndicated a Christmas strip. In 1968, Jack Kent produced a daily-only King Aroo sequence, which we are thrilled to present here!”

Castle: If you like Nathan Fillion’s TV series, you’re not alone. Here’s what one loyal fan created.

Amazons: David E. Kelley talks about his Wonder Woman project. The bottom line: don’t get your hopes up.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Walking Dead, Castle and Wonder Woman

Weekend Reading: James Bond, Wally Wood, Stan Lee and Frank Frazetta

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Independent,

It’s old-school comic book week for the past several days as Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Stan Lee and that crazy caveman Alley Oop pop up. If that’s not all, Evan Dorkin opened up an excellent thread on health insurance and freelance artists that’s must read for anyone who’s ever seen a 1099 form.

Wally Wood: Gold Key Stories posts a complete issue of M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War, with art by the great Wally Wood. Fanboys drool over this kind of stuff, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m one of them.

Frank Frazetta: A backhoe, a museum and millions of dollars worth of original art add up to a very sad family tragedy for the great artist. Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat has been on top of the story here and here and that’ll get you started. Be sure to follow through and read all the comments and updates.

Free Content: Xark has a great take on why newspapers complain so much about the online readership who wants it for free, but it’s really diners and coffee-sippers who are the real content thieves who don’t pay for what they read.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: James Bond, Wally Wood, Stan Lee and Frank Frazetta