fbpx
ComicsMagazinesSuperheroes

Comic Book Creator #16 Winter 2018 (magazine review).

I think the biggest surprise when reading the editorial to the latest ‘Comic Book Creator’ was learning that the famed Flo Steinberg, who ran the Marvel Comics office back in the 1960s, had died. Checking on-line, I found that was July last year. Sister mag, ‘Alter-Ego’ is covering her career later in the year.

The opening of this edition is the first part of an interview with the now late Rich Buckler and how he broke into comics back in the late 1960s.

This is followed with an even bigger interview with one of my favourite cartoonists, Marie Severin. Nearly 88 and a lot of memories. The picture of Doctor Strange give medical advice at a fortune-teller is to die for. So is the cover of Not Brand Echh! # 10, showing how to make fun with a crowded page of heads. It’s about time the ‘Marvel Masterworks: Not Brand Echh’ was reissued because she was a regular contributor and her art needs to be seen more at an affordable price. The fact that she also drew ‘Doctor Strange’ after Ditko left ‘Strange Tales’ should also speak for itself that she was always a class act.

I don’t think the Bob Newhart 1993 sit-com ‘Bob’ was ever shown over here. Comicbook artist-in-residence on the show Paul Power gives insight to when they were allowed to bring on more comicbook artists for award ceremonies. Considering this was about a comicbook artist, you have to wonder why it hasn’t had a DVD release.

Dean Haspiel’s work is long after my time in comics. A nomadic comicbook artists and writer, his views on not being known for any specific title should give some insight to newcomers into drawing comics.

The Dan Parent interview looks at his life at Archie Comics writing and drawing the Riverdale crowd, including introducing a gay character in the likes of Kevin Keller. Purely as an observation, surely that needs more than one character to make it less of a token? You also get some insight into his and Fernando Ruiz’ ‘Die, Kitty, Die’ kickstarter mini-series and the promotion they do of it. Archie Comics themselves were never seen as much of a deal in the UK. I can’t recall seeing any since the 1960s here but can understand their appeal across the pond. If anything, they fill the niche where our UK comics did at that age range.

I’m a sucker for interviews, even in subjects I have little familiarity with and always willing to learn. Editor Jon Cooke is still failing to get enough people writing in to get the letters page running properly which is a shame. Whatever the publication, letters pages are the communication medium of feedback and if you’re a regular reader of ‘Comic Book Creator’ then it’ll give you a chance to pass comment so don’t miss out on the opportunity.

GF Willmetts

February 2018

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $ 8.95 (US). ISSN: 2330-2437. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 7.61 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_132&products_id=1272

UncleGeoff

Geoff Willmetts has been editor at SFCrowsnest for some 21 plus years now, showing a versatility and knowledge in not only Science Fiction, but also the sciences and arts, all of which has been displayed here through editorials, reviews, articles and stories. With the latter, he has been running a short story series under the title of ‘Psi-Kicks’ If you want to contribute to SFCrowsnest, read the guidelines and show him what you can do. If it isn’t usable, he spends as much time telling you what the problems is as he would with material he accepts. This is largely how he got called an Uncle, as in Dutch Uncle. He’s not actually Dutch but hails from the west country in the UK.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.