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The brilliant Jim McLauchlin at Newsarama Some brilliant souls at Nerd Reactor was able to get Stan Lee to comment on the news that Secret Wars would make a big mixed up new pizza out of the Marvel Universe. And Stan was just fine with it.

““It’s probably good. Anything they do that’s unexpected and different usually captures the attention of the fans. People will want to follow it to see what happens and where it will lead. Marvel cannot keep doing the same stories over and over again. You always have to come up with new angles and new approaches to things. I think it’s probably a good idea. It sounds intriguing to me.”

“Of course I have an emotional attachment to the original Marvel Universe, because I was so involved in it,” he went on. “But that doesn’t mean I expect it to be that way forever. It might be better under this new approach. I’m eager to see what might happen.”
Do you hear that readers? This 92-year-old man who co-created the Marvel Universe is perfectly fine with it evolving and changing. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t remember co-creating any of it, or maybe because he didn’t actually co-create it or maybe he is just happy with being in every Marvel movie and doesn’t want to be a party pooper. Or maybe nothing is going to change and it’s just a set-up. But whatever the reason, when a nonagenarian shows more tolerance and acceptance for change than people half his age—which is still mid forties— you gotta think he’s on to something. Go Stan!

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By David Nieves

2014 has been quite a year for Aspen Comics, following their 10th anniversary in ’13, the house that Michael Turner built made waves striking a deal with digital platform Madefire and recently acquiring publishing rights for some of Big Dog Ink’s titles. Now they’re wrapping up the convention year Sunday afternoon with a panel at Comikaze. We’re sure to hear more details on the Big Dog Ink partnership plans, and how the company will evolve some of their staple characters for today’s modern readership. Aspen sent over a preview of a few titles they’ll be talking about and showing tomorrow, one of the things we’ll hear about also includes a new project by Scott Lobdell.

We’ll be covering the panel tomorrow, but you can see a preview of it below.

 

 

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It looks like the results of last month’s settlement in the Jacky Kirby lawsuit against Marvel has yielded swift results: Kirby and Stan Lee are now being given co-credit in books including Fantastic Four, Inhumans and the X-men. And Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are being given co-creator credit on Captain America. Among the books already bearing the new credits: All-New X-Men #33, Fantastic Four #12, Inhuman #7, Wolverine and the X-Men #11 and Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1, which has the Simon & Kirby credit. 

Many speculated that the terms of the settlement included not only money but would free the way for Kirby to take his rightful place as the mind behind the visual look of the MCU and the driving force behind many of its greatest storylines and characters. While the FF and the X-Men are being cancelled or downplayed in the comics due to their movies being at other studios, Kirby co-created character such as Cap, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Black Panther, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (not to mention Groot) are going strong in the MCU, so expect to see more tributes to Kirby as time goes by.

I can’t imagine that there is anyone remotely in the comics business who is not thrilled to see this.

[Via Robot 6]

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Once again, Stan Lee Media, the shell company that does nothing but line the pockets os lawyers with frivolous lawsuits, has been dealt a blow in their attempt to take over the world. The 9th Court of Appeals ruled that no, Stan Lee Media doesn’t not own Spider-Man.

I’ve written about Stan Lee Media and their endless lawsuits before. This time, they had been claiming tha tthey owned SPider-Man because Stan Lee, the founder of the company back in the go-go 90s, said they did. or something. No court has ever agreed with this reading of the law, and it was no different this time, Eriq Gardner reports:

SLMI might contend that it was assigned rights to valuable comic book characters, but a panel of appellate judges writes, “The record demonstrates that, between the date the [1998] agreement was signed and the filing of related litigation in 2007, SLMI never announced that it owned rights to these characters (even when publicly disclosing company information pursuant to a securities offering), licensed the characters, produced content related to the characters, or asserted or attempted to enforce its ownership rights.”

YOU’d think a winning record about on par with Charlie Brown’s baseball team would dissuade the folks behind SLMi that it was time to take the ball and go home, but no, they are still trying to appeal a judges ruling that Disney did not owe them $1 billion for using Spider-Man and the Avengers and so on.

Good luck with that.

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Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured, via) has been cast to take on the title role for Marvel’s Doctor Strange film adaptation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, other Hollywood stars who were being considered for this part include three-time Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix, The Notebook actor Ryan Gosling, and Academy Award winner Jared Leto.

Filmmaker Scott Derrickson will serve as the director for this project. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts will oversee the script; the first draft was a collaborative effort between writers Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.

Here’s more from Deadline: “Doctor Strange was hatched by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko during that Marvel Comics heyday of the early 1960′s. He’s a neurosurgeon who becomes Sorcerer Supreme, protecting Earth against magical and mystical threats with powers of sorcery, mysticism, and martial arts.” (via The Verge)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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How does Stan Lee feel about censorship? In honor of Banned Books Week, the legendary comics creator participated in the virtual read-out.

In the video embedded above, Lee talks about the value of comic books and graphic novels; he firmly believes that these books cultivate a lifelong love of reading. What do you think?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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By David Nieves
One of Marvel’s top cheeses…no not Mickey, the other one Joe Quesada, got together with two of the company’s best architects; Mark Waid and Dan Slott to remind everyone that this Comic-Con is also Marvel’s 75th anniversary. This panel was officially titled “Marvel Comics’ 75th & Daredevil’s 50th” because the guy who titles panels for Marvel was on vacation.

Waid started by talking about the origins of Marvel Comics and the story of Martin Goodman. Inspired by the success of Action Comics a year before, Goodman published Marvel Comics 1 with Stan Lee as an editor at the time. After the decline of superheroes, Goodman continued to venture into lots of different genres. Quesada asked if it was fair to say Goodman was an “advantageous” publisher?

That’s probably the definition of advantageous, Joe. We’ll let it slide because you had that phenomenal run on just about everything.

Waid then talked about Lee being burnt out in the comic book business. That’s when his wife, Joanie, advised him to take one last shot, but to do it the way he wanted to do it. Along side the godfather of comic book art, Jack Kirby, this last try would become Fantastic Four and the rest is make my Marvel history.

Waid brought up the question of first reading Marvel experience to the panelists. Quesada talked about it being the anti-drug issues of Amazing Spider-Man 96-97.  “I never did drugs, but I got addicted to comics. Which may have cost me more money in the long run,” said Quesada.

Quesada talked about the difference between Marvel and DC characters. He feels that DC Comics tend to be lots of Clark Kent is a mask while Superman is the real identity. He credited Stan Lee with switching that around and making guys like Matt Murdock and Peter Parker what the story was about. He related it more to real life; in it being that we all have to put on masks to be someone else instead of them disguising who we really are.

The group turned the attention to Daredevil and discussed the work of character co-creator Bill Everett. He noted the character was one of the few to come fully formed, except for the costume. Quesada joked about the original color scheme being “court jester-ish.’ Quesada talked about his work on the character:  “there’s something beautifully heroic and tragic about the character, and the fact that his powers, while they were somewhat super, you could also probably just explain them away with a person who can hone their own human abilities to utter perfection, if you really wanted to explain them that way. Something about that I really gravitated towards.” He praised the all-star list of creators that have had runs with the character like Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Bendis, and Brubaker.

Just by mentioning his name, Waid had us all voluntarily clapping for his current Daredevil artist Chris Samnee. He joked about how they’re never leaving the book. Personally, I hope they never do leave the book because Samnee is the best artist of his generation. But I also think that if Waid was ever made king of some land, he’d have a giant drawing of himself by Samnee hanging over the fire place of his presidential moon palace.

Slott then talked about what he loves about Daredevil, “everything about him is really messed-up.” Even joked about Waid’s Daredevil being happy but still messed-up.

The fan Q&A started.
First up was the subject of how the movies have affected the comic books. Waid talked about how he meets many female fans that came to comics through the 90′s X-Men cartoons. He credited Quesada with never pushing the books to be like the movies and realizing that the comics are what drive everything.

The group was asked what they’d be like if they met Steve Ditko. Slot was the only one who ever met him, he did so while working a job at the Marvel office. His face when he answered the question probably looked a lot like the face of excitement he had when actually meeting Ditko.

Netflix Daredevil details were asked, specifically if Power Man and Iron Fist would be partners. While it’s still too early to talk about anything, Quesada did say the plan is to lead to a Defenders series.

Another fan asked if Slott would do something similar to what JMS did on Amazing Spider-Man 36 with the new World Trade Center opening. Slott said he’d be afraid of doing it but thought it was a great idea.

The legacy of Jim Steranko was brought up to the panelists. Waid talked about not knowing of anyone else that had more influence in comics with that small a body of work.” Quesada chimed in saying that, in person,  the man lives up to the legend. At this point I realized I missed the Steranko panel, D’oh!

Q&A closed with the final question being about if Marvel was making the Daredevil series to combat the negative reaction given to the 2003 Ben Affleck film. Quesada sharply intervened saying, “Marvel didn’t make that movie. This is our take on Marvel’s making Daredevil. That’s the only way we’re looking at it.”

The three thanked the crowd for their passion and devotion to the house of ideas and the panel closed. But I’d just like to say Dan Slott is the nicest guy in comics and he can kill however many Spider-people he wants to.

 

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*  We’ve won!  Politicians officially open Comic-Con!

On Thursday, to mark the official opening of Comic-Con International 2014, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria harnessed their inner superheroes and flew through the air on a zip-line near the downtown Convention Center.

Gloria was the interim Mayor after the Filner scandal.  Faulconer won the special election.  Faulconer has strong ties to Comic-Con: he worked PR on the second convention center expansion before he ran for public office, and supports the expansion of the convention center.  His hobbies: yachting and biking.

* Google Glass banned from Comic-Con screenings.

 Not that surprising.

*For the wrestling fans out there… Sting appears at the WWE panel. [No, not the musician.]

Is this bigger than JR Jr. working for DC?

 * SYNERGY!

Well, yes; corporate synergy is another explanation—ESPN, like Marvel, is owned by Disney. The three spots feature former SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne introducing Marvel’s latest super team as new ESPN employees brought in to ensure the safety of the new SportsCenter set.

How soon before we see “ESPN: The Sports Comic Magazine”?  What?  Sports fans are geeks, too!  T-shirts, who-would-win fantasy leagues, arcane statistics and knowledge, objectified athletes and cheerleaders…

 * This year’s economic profile of Comic-Con.

 *  We discover Stan Lee’s one weakness…  Get well soon, Stan!   

*  OH NOES!  Girls are ruining Peanuts too!

“With their youthful, ingenious, and fashion-savvy sensibility, Snoopy and Belle are a perfect fit with the We Heart It community, and we’re looking forward to a terrifically successful partnership,” said Dave Williams, President of We Heart It. “Peanuts has always offered a fresh and original world view, which is exactly what We Heart It fans crave. This will provide an outstanding opportunity for our fans to find inspiration and engagement with this legendary brand.”

It’s like an electronic greeting card.  You can like and share pictures online.

* A Comic-Con Virgin, from Japan:

* The Boston Herald profiles how Wired used their “Wired Café” to best effect.

* Reed Elsevier, owner of NYCC, announces earnings.

 * Some Star Wars VII tidbits.

Movie Wars

DC wins on a quiet day (so far, as of 7 PM EDT/4 PM PDT), getting great publicity for their “All Hat, No Battle” Batsuit reveal. 

* MTV plots how DC can beat Marvel in Hall H.

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Building Creative Bridges has an insightful recap of Stan Lee’s talk at the American Library Association’s annual conference.

The most hyperbolic quote?

He and his colleagues, for example, prepared materials teaching soldiers how to disassemble and reassemble guns: “We were able to increase the speed of the training by about 30%…I never told you, but I practically won the war [single-handedly]… Everybody knew how a gun works because of me!” he said with the obvious sense of hyperbole that made his presentation so engaging.

Yet Lee is a master of talking and engaging:

But what was most striking to me was the example he set for all of us as trainer-teacher-learners. Regardless of how serious he allowed himself to become in responding to questions during the presentation, he routinely and continually peppered his comments with amusing asides and the sort of self-effacing comments that made us feel as if we were insiders—partners rather than observers in the presentation.

Also announced last week…

This September, Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, will encourage children to get the most important school supply of all: a library card.

As the Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month, Lee has donated his image to a print and digital public service announcement (PSA). ALA will place the PSA in magazines and on websites to remind parents and educators that a library card is a key tool in achieving academic success.

I do hope that Marvel has licensed an image for library card usage.

Many years ago, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, the Brooklyn Public Library offered a limited edition Elmo library card which was extremely successful.

Marvel, if you’re reading this… this would be an excellent tie-in with your 75th anniversary celebrations this fall!  Print up some comics… maybe a reprint from Spidey Super Stories, a new story about Peter visiting the library…  perhaps an exhibition at the New York Public Library…

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Every Winter, the American Library Association holds a conference in an arctic clime (Philadelphia, Boston) where awards are announced and some networking and training is held.   In the Summer, it’s usually someplace sweltering (although DC in June is not that bad).  Last year, it was held in Chicago.  This year, Vegas. [1]

Yes, that is correct.  30,000 librarians and other attendees will be spending June 26 – July 1 in the city that never sleeps alone.  Yes, I had the same images floating through my head, but the truth is, librarians are about as normal as any other occupation, albeit better educated, more interesting, and able to discover all sorts of arcane miscellanea unknown to the general populace.  What could go wrong?!?

Of course, graphic novels are a big subject to librarians:

• Comics appeal to reluctant readers who don’t like to read, but can’t ignore the four-color excitement!
• Comics circulate like crazy.  Circulation = patron Use.  Patron Use = hard data which can be presented to justify an increase in the operating budget.  (This is why public libraries also have large cookbook sections.)
• Many librarians were once young voracious readers because of comics and other fantastic fiction.  Ardent bibliophiles, they perpetually proselytize the discovery of “cool stuff”, especially to young readers.

So, once again, the American Library Association is offering a wide variety of programming and events at their annual conference.  Here’s most of what’s happening in the next few days.

[NOTE:  Most of this is happening on the Exhibits Floor, where the vendors sell their wares.  If you ask nicely, you can purchase an "exhibits only" pass for $35.  Two years ago, teens attending a volleyball tournament in the same convention center in Anaheim wandered the show floor looking young adult titles.  This pass will not get you into other events, but reading the list below, you won't need to.

The show floor opens at 5 PM on Friday with snacks and drinks (!) until 7:30, then remains open 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday, and closes at 2PM on Monday.]

[Everything that follows was cut-and-pasted from the ALA website.  My comments are in brackets.]

Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage

[The "Hall H" of comics programming!]

Here’s your chance to hear from authors, illustrators, and creators of the hottest games and graphic novels. Learn more about the art of graphic novels and illustration, how games and gaming inspire creativity and social engagement, and how comics in the library and in the classroom can help you inspire and reach reluctant readers. Supplement your Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage experiences with visits to the Graphic Novel & Gaming Pavilion, the Zine Pavilion, and Artist Alley, also on the Exhibit Floor.

Time	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
9:00-10:00am		Mayfair Games	T-Publications
10:00-11:00am		Teachng With Comics	Nathan Hale	Author/Illustrator Panel
11:00-12:00pm		Zine Presentation	Eric Wight
12:00-1:00pm		Will Eisner Awards	Reading With Pictures	Comics Bakery
1:00-2:00pm		Alf Seegert	Anya Ulinich
2:00-3:00pm		Stacey King & Erik Ko- Manga	Jesse Moynihan
3:00-4:00pm		Frank Cammuso	Panel: Brian Buccellato, Fancis Manapul, Peter Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason
4:00-5:00pm	5:30-7:00pm Comics Quickfire!	Nick Dragotta	Cosmo Eisele & Pierce Watters

 Comics Quickfire!

A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges!

Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Raina Telgemeier (Smile)

Mayfair Games

Mayfair Games, award winning publisher of the Settlers of Catan series of games, will speak about the importance of after school programs and game leagues, using board games to promote social gaming among adolescents and teens. We look forward to meeting you at the show and discussing the ways in which games can assist libraries around the nation in their important work developing and molding the minds of America’s youth.

Teaching with Comics — Featuring Matt Dembicki, Jason Rodriguez, Joel Gill, and Moderated by John Shableski

A panel discussion with three graphic illustrators and writers exploring the benefits of teaching with comics. The panelists have published books about history, culture and nature, all of which have been successful teaching and learning tools in the classroom and in libraries.

Zine Presentation

Lights! Cameras! Zines! Join zinesters from the Zine Pavilion as they read from their amazing and personal works. Hear stories from the heart that entertain, make you laugh or cry, or inspire you to create your own zine! Zinesters will also be available for further discussion at the Zine Pavilion.

Kelsey Smith, librarian and sporadic zine author from Olympia, Washington, will serve as emcee for the following superstars…

Alex Wrekk – has been creating the zine Brainscan since 1997 and is the author of the DIY zine resource book Stolen Sharpie Revolution. Alex lives in Portland, Oregon and is a founder and continued organizer of the Portland Zine Symposium. She hosts Nobody Cares About Your Stupid Zine Podcast, maintains zine resource listings at StolenSharpieRevolution.org, organizes July Is International Zine Month, an runs the online and brick and mortar shop of Portland Button Works and zine distro. Alex also sings for the international zine themed band, the Copy Scams.

Jonas Cannon – is a zinester from Chicago. He made the six-issue zine Cheer the Eff Up, and contributed to several other compilations. He has also written a novel: The Greatest Most Traveling Circus.

Celia C. Pérez – is the author of I Dreamed I was Assertive, Ofrenda and Sherman Sez (a Sherman Alexie fanzine). She’s also a mama, writer, librarian, zine-maker, thing-finder, book-sniffer, coffee-drinker, pie-eater, and kid lit reader.

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries Announcement

Join authors Gene Leun Yang and Phil Yeh, and graphic novel librarians who will discuss the history and importance of graphic novels in education and libraries. This will be followed by the presentation of the 2014 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants to the two winning libraries. PLUS: Learn how your library can apply for the 2015 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants.

Alf Seegert

Alf is a life-longlover of board games, video games, and role-playinggames. He grew up on gameslike Dark Tower, Dungeons & Dragons, Tunnels & Trolls,Talisman, and the Ultima series. Alf went on to code a version of Dark Tower into the high school mainframe computer and has since designed half a dozen-or-so board games themed on everything from trolls to the Canterbury Tales: Bridge Troll, Trollhalla, and three games so far with Gryphon Games  The Road to Canterbury, Fantastiqa, and most recently, a co-design with Steven Poelzing, CUBIST.

Stacy King and Erik Ko – Manga

What makes a great graphic novel adaptation of a literary classic? In this panel, author Stacy King and editorial producer Erik Ko will discuss the process of adapting classic literature for the manga generation, with a focus on the first two titles in UDON Entertainment’s upcoming “Manga Classics” line. Topics will include working with the artist to develop a period-appropriate art style with contemporary appeal, maintaining faithfulness to the original work, and finding the right adaptation to suit your core curriculum needs.

Frank Cammuso

Someone stole Otto’s birthday! When Otto and his robot sidekick, Toot, follow the crook, they discover a topsy-turvy world where rats chase cats and people wear underpants over their clothes. To get his presents back, Otto needs to solve a slew of backwards puzzles — but his greatest challenge comes at the journey’s very end. On this special day, will Otto discover something even better than cake or gifts?

Frank Cammuso, who wrote and drew Otto’s adventure, is the author of the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table, a middle-school version of King Arthur and his knights. His forthcoming series is The Misadventures of Salem Hyde. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, The Village Voice and Slate.

Nick Dragotta

What happens when you take a comic book artist, an inventor, and a toy designer? You get Howtoons. A Howtoon is an educational, entertaining, and beautifully illustrated adventure comic strip for kids that integrates instructions seamlessly into the story telling, teaching kids how to make toys and projects with everyday household objects. Introducing the science and engineering behind the projects, Howtoons encourage creative problem-solving skills, pushing kids to think beyond the information that is given and inspiring them to learn through experimentation.

Nick Dragotta is the acclaimed artist of East of West as well as Howtoons and will be presenting the Howtoons comics and one of the projects from its pages.

T-Publications – How Comics Can Increase Library Readership

Over the last ten years, more and more serious works of literature have been released as graphic novels.  Come and listen to UK comic book publisher Ryan O’Sullivan (T Pub) talk about how stocking “literary comics” gets more people of all ages reading in your library.  He will cover a range of topics, including:

• What genres / titles to stock to really bring in new readers.
• How comics can operate as a gateway into prose fiction and other traditional mediums.
• The difference between comics, manga and graphic novels.
• How book clubs are taking advantage of increased readership in comics.
• And how comics are more cost-effective than prose, in terms of circulation, when it comes to library lending.

Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale is the author/illustrator of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, a YALSA Great Graphic Novel pick. He is also the illustrator of the graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge, as an Al Roker Book Club for Kids selection, an ALA Notable Book, and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens, as well as the recipient of three starred reviews. He is also illustrator of the picture book The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas.

For his new book in the series, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (A World War 1 Tale), Nathan has gathered some of the most fascinating true-life tales from the war and given them his inimitable Hazardous Tales twist. Easy to understand, funny, informative, and lively, this series is the best way to be introduced to some of the most well-known battles (and little known secrets) of the infamous war.

Eric Wight

Award-winning author/illustrator Eric Wight will be debuting his newest creation, Beastie Bash!, a wacky, mix-and-match card game for children. He will also be demonstrating how you can use this game in your classroom or library to inspire creative writing.

Comics That Make Kids Smarter- Gene Yang, Jim McClain, Tracy Edmunds, Josh Elder

With comics becoming more common in classrooms across the nation, how do we make sure those comics are actually good? Reading With Pictures presents an all-star lineup of creators and educators to share their insights in a roundtable moderated by Josh Elder (president, Reading With Pictures).

Anya Ulinich

Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel evokes Louis C.K.’s sensibilities and Amy Winehouse’s longing and anguish—often in the same frame—as Ulinich turns her sharp eye toward the strange, sometimes unmooring world of “grown-up” dating. After 15 years of marriage, 37-year-old Lena embarks on a string of online dates and receives a brutally eye-opening education in love, sex, and loss while raising her two teenage daughters. With references to Bernard Malamud and Chekhov along the way, this is a smart, funny story told beautifully through Ulinich’s text and drawings.

Jesse Moynihan

Jesse Moynihan is an American artist, composer and director best known for being a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series Adventure Time as well as creator of the graphic novel Forming, serialized online and published by Nobrow. The second collection of Forming will be published in late May, 2014. He is working with his brother Justin on an animated series, Manly, that will be available exclusively through Cartoon Hangover.

Panel: Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul, Patrick Gleason, and Peter Tomasi

What does it take to create a new comic book? Find out at this amazing panel, where DC has assembled the entire creative team of a comic book, including the writer, penciller, and colorist! Learn how a new project is developed before the script is even written, and the many steps that happen after the artwork is complete, with the creative team behind Flash, Batman and Robin and Detective Comics – Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul, Patrick Gleason, and Peter Tomasi.

Brian Buccellato has worked on several high-profile books, including Uncanny X-Men, Generation X, and Astro City, before striking out on his own as a freelance colorist. His most recent work includes writing and coloring The Flash as a part of DC Comics–The New 52. Brian has worked as a freelance colorist since 1996, working for Marvel, DC, Vertigo, Top Cow, Image and Dynamite Entertainment. His recent coloring credits include Adventure Comics, Hellblazer, Superman, and The Flash.

Francis Manapul is the artist and co-writer of The Flash, which is part of DC Comics-The New 52. His previous work for DC Comics includes books such as Adventure Comics, Superman/Batman, and The Legion of Super Heroes. His work has been published in various publications including Aspen Comics, Editions Delcourt, Top Cow Productions, and Devils Due.

Formerly an editor at DC Comics, Peter Tomasi proudly helped usher in new eras for Green Lantern, Batman, and JSA along with special projects like Kingdom Come and JSA All-Stars, Peter J. Tomasi now devotes his time to writing comics and screenplays. Having worked on many DC titles,  along with critically acclaimed creator-owned projects Light Brigade and The Mighty, Peter’s current projects include Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps.

Patrick Gleason loves to create fantastic characters and worlds. His focus on character development and powerful storytelling can be seen in DC’s Batman and Robin, Green Lantern Corps, Aquaman, JLA, Hawkman and JSA. His ground-laying work alongside Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons on the miniseries Green Lantern Corps: Recharge made way for the acclaimed ongoing series. The Sinestro Corps War followed, and then the explosive Blackest Night with Peter J Tomasi. And now, as part of DC Comics New 52, Patrick continues to lend his artistic vision to the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin.

Pathfinder Roleplaying – Cosmo Eisele and Pierce Watters

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is the number one fantasy roleplaying game in the world, and this presentation focuses on how to run the game in your library, concentrating on the Pathfinder Beginner Box. It is a tabletop fantasy game which teaches cooperative play, where players must work together to solve problems and achieve goals.

Comic Book Legal Defense Team Panel

– Presents Get Ready for Banned Books Week!

Author Illustrator Panel-Raina Telgemeier, Tom Angleberger, Cece Bell

Tom Angleberger is a master chronicler and doodler of middle school antics. His New York Times bestselling series Origami Yoda has over  five million copies in print and will be coming to an end in the fall of 2014 with the sixth and final book. He is launching a new series in May titled The Qwikpick Papers.

Cece Bell has written and illustrated several books for children, including the Geisel Honor book Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. Her new book out in the fall, El Deafo, is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders about growing up deaf.

Raina Telgemeier is the creator of the graphic memoir Smile, a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the Will Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens, and a Boston Globe-Hornbook Honor Book. She also created  Drama,  a #1 New York Times bestseller that received a Stonewall Book Award Honor and adapted and illustrated The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. Raina will be talking about the companion volume to Smile.

Comics Bakery – Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Jerzy Drozd

A live performance graphic novel theater involving lots of audience participation and silliness. Raina Telgemeier (Drama), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and Jerzy Drozd (Cap’n Cat) will perform chapters from some of their latest comics.

— — — — — — —

[What follows is a concise (?) choronological list of most of the comics programming I could find on the ALA website.  Aside from the events listed above, most are restricted to librarians.  Everything is located in the convention center, unless noted otherwise.]

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Comics Quickfire!

When: Friday, June 27, 2014 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Location:Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Meet the Authors: Gene Luen Yang (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

When: Friday, June 27, 2014 – 6:30pm to 7:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 523

Description:

The Shadow Hero
In the comics boom of the 1940s, a legend was born: the Green Turtle. He solved crimes and fought injustice just like the other comics characters. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding something more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity… The Green Turtle was the first Asian American super hero.

Book Buzz Theater: Diaries, Patchworks, Pushcarts and more…

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 9:30am to 10:00am

Location: Exhibit Hall – Book Buzz Theater

Description:

Come hear about all the best children’s titles from the publishing partners of Random House, Inc. (i.e. Quirk Books, Nat Geo Kids, Archie Comics, Charlesbridge, NYRB, and MORE!)

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Teaching with Comics — Matt Dembicki, Jason Rodriguez, Joel Gill

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:00am to 11:00am

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: S224

Presenters:

Speaker: Brian Buccellato
Speaker: Francis Manapul
Speaker: Patrick Gleason
Speaker: Peter Tomasi

Description:

Throughout his 75 year history, the Dark Knight has become one of the most popular and widely recognized super heroes in the world. From comics to TV to movies to video games, the World’s Greatest Detective has permeated all entertainment mediums and beyond. Come by for a look at Batman’s rich history and what the future holds this pop culture icon!

Panelist(s): Pete Thomasi, Pat Gleason from Batman & Robin, Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul from The Flash and Detective Comic, Batman Group Editor – Mark Doyle; Moderator: Mike Pawuk

Presented by the Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG with thanks to DC Comics

ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries Member Interest Group Business Meeting

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: N238

Description:

Business meeting of ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG. The group will report on recent projects and discuss plans for future programming and projects

Auditorium Speaker Series featuring Stan Lee

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: N249

Description:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund – Intellectual Freedom and the Defense of Graphic Novels and Comic Books

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 1:00pm to 2:30pm

Location: N240

Presenters:

Speaker: Charles Brownstein

Description:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization that protects the freedom to read comics. At this presentation, learn how they have been a leader in opposing censorship for nearly 30 years by performing legal aid, education, and advocacy activities in the service of the community that reads, creates, and circulates comics. CBLDF’s Executive Director Charles Brownstein tells the organization’s story, introducing you to the readers, retailers and artists that the organization has stood up for in court. He’ll also profile their extensive education activities that range from sharing the history of comics censorship to providing letters and resources that help keep books on shelves.
In the past year, CBLDF has helped protect dozens of books, from Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis to Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. CBLDF’s publications Raising A Reader and Using Graphic Novels in Education are vital tools in helping the next generation of teachers, librarians, and parents use comics to promote literacy. CBLDF Presents Manga and CBLDF’s daily news blog are just two of the numerous resources the CBLDF offers in the spirit of preventing censorship by expanding education and understanding about comics. The Fund’s efforts to fight censorship in courtrooms and classrooms are essential to protecting the future of comics. Learn what this small, but vital organization does, and how you can be a part of their ongoing mission!

Meet the Authors: Josh Elder (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 2:00pm to 3:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 309

Description:

Reading With Pictures: Comics That Make Kids Smarter
Comics have gone from “scourge of the classroom” to legitimate teaching tools, and the Common Core State Standards for scholastic achievement now explicitly recommend their use in the classroom.

Reading With Pictures: Comics That Make Kids Smarter unites the finest creative talents in the comics industry with the nation’s leading experts in visual literacy to create a game-changing tool for the classroom and beyond. This full-color volume features more than a dozen short stories (fiction and nonfiction) that address topics in Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Science, while offering an immersive textual and visual experience kids will enjoy.

Bringing the Comic Festival to YOUR Library!

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 3:00pm to 5:30pm

Location: N263

Description:

A unique blend of comics, artists, writers, fans, teachers, and librarians, the Toronto Comics Arts Festival has become one of the premier comics events in North America. In the first hour, learn how a public library and a comic book store work together to create a successful community-wide program that attracts guests and attendees from around the world. Then, in the second hour, walk through a series of plans for building comics events in YOUR library, in an interactive session! Featured speakers include Christopher Butcher (The Beguiling); Andrew Woodrow Butcher (Little Island Comics); Gina Gagliano (First Second); Phyllis Jacklin (Toronto Public Library). Moderated by Eva Volin.

Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Nick Dragotta

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Makerspace and Digital Badging: New Avenues To Help Students Show What They Know

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: N252

Presenters:

Speaker: Kristin Fontichiaro

Description:

There are many pathways to learning and learning is happening everywhere: schools, libraries, clubs, community centers, homes, and religious organizations. A makerspace culture, one that emphasizes creation over memorization, open-source sharing over siloed knowledge, and process over product, gives new ways for students to explore concepts and show what they know. Coupled with makerspace culture is a movement to flexibly acknowledge growth: digital or open badges. In this session, we’ll talk about budget-friendly school library makerspaces, strategies for promoting healthy makerspace culture, and validating growth via digital badges that go far beyond the sticker charts of the past.

Sponsors: AASL (The American Association of School Librarians)

The Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grant Celebration

When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Location: Caesars Palace Milano II

Description:

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – How comics can increase library readership

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 9:00am to 10:00am

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Best and Worst Manga

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: N116

Description:

Join us as an opinionated group of manga and comics bloggers, retailers, and librarians rant and rave about the best new manga that debuted in the past year, the continuing manga series most worth reading, the most anticipated upcoming releases, and of course, the worst manga that you’d best avoid. Panelists include Christopher Butcher (The Beguiling, Comics212.net), Eva Volin (Alameda Free Library, Good Comics for Kids), Jack Baur (Berkeley Public Library, In the Library With a Comic Book), Deb Aoki (MangaComicsManga)

Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG

Meet the Authors: Jason Rodriguez (Consortium Book Sales & Distribution)

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 11:00am to 11:30am

Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 343

Description:

Colonial Comics
Colonial Comics is a graphic novel collection of twenty stories focusing on the colonial period from 1620 through 1750 in New England. Created in partnership with the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Concord Museum, these illustrated stories focus on tales you cannot find in history books. Includes stories about free thinkers, Pequots, Jewish settlers, female business owners and dedicated school teachers, whales and livestock, slavery and frontiers, and many other aspects of colonial life.

Meet the Authors: Matt Dembicki (Consortium Book Sales & Distribution)

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 11:30am to 12:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 343

Description:

Wild Ocean
The world’s oceans represent the last wild frontier on Earth. While our understanding of life in the ocean is relatively basic, our actions are putting hundreds of species in danger. In this graphic anthology, Matt Dembicki, editor and artist of the award-winning Trickster and District Comics, explores the adventures of twelve iconic endangered sea animals: hawksbill turtle, bluefin tuna, hammerhead shark, giant clam, manatee, blue whale, coral, albatross, whale shark, monk seal, manta ray, and seahorse. Produced in cooperation with the non-profit PangeaSeed, these gripping stories instill a passion to conserve our magnificent sea creatures.

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Comics That Make Kids Smarter- Gene Yang, Jim McClain, Tracy Edmunds, Josh Elder

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Description:

With comics becoming more common in classrooms across the nation, how do we make sure those comics are actually good? Reading With Pictures presents an all-star lineup of creators and educators to share their insights in a roundtable moderated by Josh Elder (president, Reading With Pictures).

PopTop Stage: Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – PopTop Stage

Description:

Congressman John Lewis’ graphic novel memoir March: Book One, co-written by Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell, is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, one of YALSA’s Outstanding Books for the College Bound, and the first graphic novel winner of a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

Together, co-authors Lewis and Aydin will discuss the phenomenal success of March: Book One, show how it fits into the long history of comics in the civil rights movement, and preview the much-anticipated Book Two.

Book Buzz Theater: Manga Highlights from the Davids

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 2:30pm to 3:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Book Buzz Theater

Description:

David Eicke from VIZ Media (Naruto, Ouran High School) and David “Wonderful” Yoo from Kodansha (Sailor Moon, Attack of Titan) will discuss the year’s most exciting upcoming manga titles.

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Panel: Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul, Patrick Gleason, and Peter Tomasi

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 3:00pm to 4:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

Graphic Novel Petting Zoo

When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Location: N116

Presenters:

Speaker: Amanda Jacobs Foust
Speaker: Jack Baur

Description:

Do you have a graphic novel collection and need ideas for how to bump up the selection? Are you worried that your limited budget is preventing you from purchasing the best of the best? Do you have no idea what the best books are? Graphic Novel enthusiasts and longtime collection developers Jack Baur (Berkeley Public Library) and Amanda Jacobs Foust (Marin County Free Library) will introduce you to many of the best comics released this year and allow you to flip through the books and judge for yourself.

Let’s talk comics: A roundtable discussion

When: Monday, June 30, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: N263

Description:

It’s a wild free for all with comics creators, librarians, and everyone keen to understand how to create engaging graphic novels and comics in today’s diverse industry. Join comics professionals and your fellow librarians for a roundtable discussion on everything from growing up with comics, writing for different age audiences, everyone’s toughest jobs, ideal workspaces, most tempting work distractions, valued critics, and favorite go-to sources ofinspiration. Creators will quiz each other, and with the guidance of moderator librarian Mike Pawuk members of the audience will get their chance to talk comics with this stellar line up.

Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG

Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage – Comics Bakery – Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Jerzy Drozd

When: Monday, June 30, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage

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[1] “Las Vegas” refers to the actual city.  “Vegas” is what I use to refer to the tourist area, officially known as “Paradise, NV”.  The convention center, the Strip, the airport, even the University of Nevada-Las Vegas are all located outside the city limits.

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[Stan Lee answers the greatest question of all: who would win, Thor or the Hulk in this shot from the Wizard World FB page.]

Playboy has a long interview with Stan Lee here (link NSFW but not really as much as you’d think), Normally I’d call this an “autumnal” interview, but under the circumstances, it’s more…the lion in winter. Lee, perhaps realizing this is one of the few spots he has to dig in a little, sometimes avoids the kind of jokes and spin he uses in other interviews. And while his memory is always spotty (and any Lee interview includes may places where he takes the question and moves the answer to more familiar territory) his grasp on things is still pretty sharp all things considered. This is truly a “you need to read the whole thing” interview, as he discusses Kirby and Ditko at length, discussing the last time he saw Ditko (10 years ago) attending Kirby’s funeral 20 years ago and staying in the back (something I can attest to as I was there) but ultimately saying he did the best he could by them. And that’s his final word, I’m sure. But I’m sure this interview will eventually get some vetting. Mark Evanier has already noted that there is a LOT to dispute:

A lot of the history is not only at odds with my understanding but it’s different from things Stan has said in the past, both in print and in private conversations. I suspect an upcoming issue of Playboy will feature a letter from Steve Ditko saying much the same thing.

That said, there is still a lot of vintage Stan:

You have to understand that growing up during the Depression, I saw my parents struggling to pay the rent. My father was always unemployed, and when he did have a job, he was a dress cutter. Not very much money there. I was happy enough to get a nice paycheck and be treated well. I always got the highest rate; whatever Martin paid another writer, I got at least that much. It was a very good job. I was able to buy a house on Long Island. I never dreamed I should have $100 million or $250 million or whatever that crazy number is. All I know is I created a lot of characters and enjoyed the work I did.

And memories of WWII:

PLAYBOY: You went off to the Army in World War II and wrote military pamphlets with an elite group that included Frank Capra, William Saroyan and Theodor Geisel. What’s your standout memory?

LEE: That Dr. Seuss was slow. In the comic-book world, you live and die on your speed, but Geisel was slow. Most of them were slow. I was writing faster than all of them. One day the major who was in charge of our unit said, “Sergeant, will you work a little slower? You’re making the other guys look bad.” I wrote all these training films about things I had no knowledge of. I remember I did one film, The Nomenclature and Operation of the 16 mm IMO Camera Under Battle Conditions. What got the most attention, though, was something I wrote about venereal disease.

I think Lee has slowed down a bit over the last few months. Since his lawyer Arthur Lieberman died in 2012, we’ve seen a lot less “pacting”. I haven’t seen Stan showing up at quite as many comic-cons of late, although he’s confirmed for Dubai. Certainly the guy has earned a wee rest, and whatever the sins of his past, Stan’s late in life resurgence has allowed fans of all ages to connect with a living myth.

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As writers spruce themselves up in preparation for entering schools on World Book Day in order to bear witness that there are - honest! - real people behind books, I've been thinking about what books I read when I was at primary-school age that really turned me on - and why.

There was a great public library down the road, and, like some kind of ravenous termite, I burrowed through titles as fast as I could: first, E. Nesbitt, Biggles, the Jennings books, Just William, the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, Swallows and Amazons, Robert Louis Stevenson and Peter Pan.

Adults hated this.

But reading these cost me nothing of my prized pocket money. If I cared about reading something enough to part with my precious cash, then I must have really wanted to read it, right? So what were these items?

Firstly, I'm almost ashamed to admit it now, but I bought the whole set of Enid Blyton's Mystery Of... paperbacks, featuring the Five Find-Outers. These were 2/6d each (12.5p nowadays - nothing. But given that I had 6d a week pocket money that was quite a big deal!).

These books epitomise everything that is completely wrong, from an adult's point of view, about Enid Blyton, being badly written, with sterotyped characters, and containing a character called Fatty. None of that mattered to me of course.

Apart from being page-turning whodunnits, there were three important other elements that made them attractive to this 8 or 9-year old: the children knew best, they solved mysteries without adult help, and the authority figure - usually a policeman - was completely stupid. I suspect the latter reason is particularly why adults frowned upon Blyton. But you can't knock the fact that she published a staggering 752 books in her life. That must be some kind of record. Even if they did have names like Noddy Loses His Clothes.

Matilda - probably the best model reader in the world.

There's something in the British psyche: Britons are well known for their sense of fair play combined with a healthy disrespect for authority. And I think I know why. Most children's books liked by children perpetrate the idea that children know best - and what is fair - and adults don't. Roald Dahl is the obvious example, just look at Matilda.

Then, I'd buy the Beano. Like thousands of other kids. You won't be surprised if I tell you that Leo Baxendale, whom I've had the pleasure to meet a few times, and who came up with the Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx, is an out and out anarchist and has been all his life. That's anarchist in the traditional British sense, going all the way back to the Levellers and Robin Hood.

Leo Baxendale's Bash Street Kids: anarcho-punks in the making.

He believed that property is theft to the extent that he eventually sued his publishers, DC Thompson, for not paying him any royalties despite the millions they were making from his work - and then settled out of court for an undisclosed sum to pay his mother's medical costs.

And I bought Marvel comics, whether imported or reprinted in the pages of comics Wham!, Smash!, Pow!, Fantastic! or Terrific! - hundreds of them, because they blew my mind with their sheer imagination. But in retrospect, I reflect that there was something else, something very special that made superheroes attractive to me - and to all kids who love them:

They have secret identities.

Pure magic. My name is Thorpe. I WAS Thor!

When bullied, persecuted Peter Parker became Spiderman, he left behind all of his troubles. When puny Bruce Banner transformed into the incredible Hulk, he could smash anybody. When the selfless and lame Don Blake hit his walking stick on the ground, it became Mjolnir, and he was the mighty God of Thunder, a noble Asgardian.

But all of these were secrets known only to themselves - and to me, the reader.

Stan Lee wrote all of these. He is a genius. Like Dahl, Blyton and Baxendale he knew how to create the equivalent of crystal meth on paper. Addictive or what?

These writers are not equal by the way. Today, I can't recall a single Blyton plotline. (And was she the first kids' writer to trademark her name as an instantly-recognisable signature? Is that part of her success - and should we all do this?) By contrast, very many of Stan the Man's stories and characters are burned into my brain. I'd say he was the most prolific of all these writers, and his inventions are the most successful (whether in terms of readership, sales or influence.)

Back to the subject of secret identities. It's not just that every kid longs to have special powers that could help them defeat their enemies (flying, super-strength, invisibility), it's that children have secret lives as well. For many grown-ups these secret lives are forgotten as they get older.

As a child I remember wondering why it was that adults seemed no longer to remember what it was like to be a child themselves, and vowed that I would do my best not to let the memory fade. I don't know whether I do - very well - but I certainly recall that feeling with great intensity.

The powerful idea that you have a secret self, with a special life known only to you, in which you accomplish remarkable deeds, heroic feats - and nobody else (adult) understands, nobody must even know about this - is surely experienced by all children!

They are all, almost perpetually, engaged in one quest or another, one struggle, one battle, or one tumultuous adventure, whether it is emotional, adventurous, imaginative or intellectual. This is what's going on inside children's minds. All the time.

And this is what the best games, books, TV, films and so on both feed on, and feed into, in the fertile forming minds of children.

Always have. Always will.

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by Peter Sanderson

While WonderCon, one of the nation’s largest comics/multimedia conventions was going on in Anaheim, last Saturday New York and New Jersey area comics fans were listening to comics greats speak in the more intimate setting of the Wonder Bar at the Asbury Park Comicon, now in its third year.

The convention took place in Asbury Park, New Jersey, along the celebrated Jersey Shore. Founded in the 1870s, the town still has picturesque Victorian architecture. But the town is now most famous for its prominence in popular music history from the 1970s on, most notably the early career of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

Only a year ago founders Cliff Galbraith and Robert Bruce held the Asbury Park Comicon in Asbury Lanes, a combination music club and bowling alley. But this year the main venue for the con was the grand old Asbury Park Convention Hall, part of an enormous complex that includes the Paramount Theatre and was constructed in the 1920s on the boardwalk along the beach. Exhibitors filled two floors of the Convention Hall. The theatre and arcade are connected by an arcade, where a 1960s style Batmobile and a Back to the Future DeLorean were displayed; the arcade was also the site of the Comicon’s cosplay competition. If anyone wanted to take a break from con activities, they could gaze out the windows to see the light glittering on the Atlantic Ocean on a beautifully sunlit day.
Panels were held across the street at the Wonder Bar, decorated with images of Tillie, a grinning cartoon figure who is an icon of Asbury Park history. Starting roughly forty-five minutes after the Comicon opened at 10 AM, the remarkable line-up of panels ran until closing time, with the Beat’s own Torsten Adair as master of ceremonies. This was a pleasant venue, with a stage on one end, but food and drinks were being served at the other end of the tavern, and the noise from people talking down there rose in volume during the course of the day, becoming a problem by late afternoon.

First up was “Of Clerks and Comic Book Men.” Asbury Park is not far from Red Hook, New Jersey, the location of Kevin Smith’s comic book store Jay and Bob’s Secret Stash, the setting of AMC’s reality television series Comic Book Men. Present on this first panel of the day were Ming Chen, Bryan Johnson, and Mike Zapcic, all regulars on the show, and Brian O’Halloran, the lead actor in Smith’s films Clerks, Clerks II, and the forthcoming Clerks III. The panelists bantered entertainingly, sometimes aiming funny but affectionate insults at one another, while reminiscing about how they first met Kevin Smith. It came as something of a shock when it was pointed out that the original Clerks is now nearly twenty years old. Asked how he got the role of Dante in Smith’s film, O’Halloran started by claiming he “had some provocative pictures of his [Smith's] mom,” but then told the story seriously, how he auditioned to be an extra and unexpectedly ended up getting a lead role. As for Clerks III, which Smith is now writing, O’Halloran said that from what he knows about it, “I think it will be one of his best written pieces.” Johnson pronounced it “pretty amazing” and “really funny.”

Asked about Stan Lee’s appearance on Comic Book Men, Johnson noted “how nice” and “cool” Stan is. Then he recalled how when he was riding in a limousine with Lee during the making of the episode, he asked Stan “if he was that excited about always getting comic book questions.” After getting an unexpected response, Johnson said, “I swore to him I would not tell his answer.” Was it “shocking,” he was asked. “A little bit,” Johnson replied.

Then came the Comicon’s keynote address by Michael Uslan, an executive producer on all the Batman live action movies from director Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman onwards and author of the memoir The Boy Who Loved Batman. This keynote was a variation on Uslan’s familiar, well-crafted presentation, recounting his life starting with being a young boy engaged in the then lonely hobby of collecting comics, who saw the debut of the 1960s Batman TV show, was appalled that it was a comedy, and vowed (not unlike the young Bruce Wayne, as he says) to devote his life to showing the world that Batman could be done as a serious hero. And then Uslan recounts how he achieved his dream, teaching the first academic course on superhero comics, becoming a writer at DC Comics, and after ten years of struggle to make a serious live action Batman film, finally triumphing with the Burton blockbuster.

What made this version of his speech different were his many references to the Jersey Shore. As a boy Uslan lived in nearby Ocean Township, but regularly came to Asbury Park. “It is so cool to be back home,” Uslan declared. It was in “a place twelve miles from here,” a flea market called Collingwood Auction, that Uslan said he began amassing his colossal collection of Golden Age comics, paying only a nickel for each. He also recalled driving around “the Circuit” in Asbury Park in the late 1960s, trying to pick up girls; unfortunately, Uslan said he wore a Batman helmet to try to look cool, and “it didn’t work.” Uslan said that the last time he had been in the Wonder Bar, where he was giving his speech, was when he had his very first drink!

At noon comics historian and publisher Craig Yoe, introduced by Torsten Adair as “the Indiana Jones of comics archaeology,” interviewed cartoonist Bob Camp. “I have him up on a pedestal,” Yoe said about Camp. “And I’m afraid of heights,” replied Camp, setting the tone for this witty look back at his lengthy career in comics and animation.

As for just when he started cartooning, Camp said, “I don’t remember not drawing. It’s all I ever did,” joking, “It’s why I have no other skills.” He was fascinated by animated cartoons as a boy, especially Warner Brothers cartoons, but also “any cartoon I could watch,” singling out Famous Studios’ Herman and Katnip series and Terrytoons’ Gandy Goose and Sourpuss. Camp likened Gandy and Sourpuss to two famous characters he later worked on, Ren and Stimpy., “One mean guy, one happy-go-lucky guy, and they’re both gay.”

Camp talked about learning his craft by drawing caricatures in Provincetown on Cape Cod. He said he knew nothing about comic books when he started working at Marvel. “Blame Larry Hama,” he said, since Hama hired him, and Camp began cartooning for Marvel’s humor magazine Crazy. He also did art corrections in Marvel’s Bullpen, where, he said, he learned to imitate the styles of every 1980s Marvel artist, including John Byrne and Bill Sienkiewicz. Camp also confessed that editor in chief “Jim Shooter scared me,” and reminisced about the stories inker Vince Colletta would tell about crime.

Camp then segued into recounting his career in animation, talking about working with animator Bruce Timm on The Real Ghostbusters, working alongside “the greatest guys in animation” on Tiny Toon Adventures, and meeting animator John Kricfalusi, leading to their collaboration on Ren & Stimpy. But, quoting Charles Dickens, Camp referred to his time on that show as “the best of times, the worst of times,” describing what he saw as Kricfalusi’s self-destructive relationship with the Nickelodeon network and his own falling out with Kricfalusi.

Camp ended by talking about his current work, including a Kickstarter project that he and Larry Hama have launched for an animated cartoon called “Hard Heart an Strong Arm.”

Next, at 1 PM, came “Al Jaffee: 57 Years of Going Mad.” Jaffee, now 92 but as sharp as ever, provided his characteristic snappy answers to the far from stupid questions put to him by comics writer and editor Danny Fingeroth. “I have never hosted a panel in a bar before,” Fingeroth began, adding, “Is everyone drunk?”

Fingeroth and Jaffee explored Jaffee’s life going back to his childhood in Savannah, Georgia. “I think I started cartooning a day after I was born,” Jaffee said. His mother took him to live for years in what Jaffee called “the Siberia of Lithuania.” There comics proved to be “critical” to his survival, Jafgfee said, explaining that “It was like the 18th century where I lived in Lithuania,” but his father sent him a collection of Sunday and daily newspaper comic strips from America every six months. “My brother and I spent hours copying all the cartoons.”

Returning to America “in the depths of the Depression,” in 1936 Jaffee entered the High School of Music and Art, newly founded by New York’s legendary (and comics-loving) Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. “I think he saved all our lives,” Jaffee said, whose best friend there was future Mad co-worker Will Elder.

Unable to get work from advertising agencies, Jaffee and other artists turned to comic books instead, and Jaffee started by selling his idea Inferiorman, which he called “a shameless takeoff on Superman,” to Will Eisner, who put him to work in his studio.

Then Jaffee started a long relationship working for Stan Lee at Timely Comics, the company we now know as Marvel. “Stan was 19. I was 20. I immediately saw what a firebrand Stan was. He had just taken over from Simon & Kirby” as editor of Timely Comics. For Timely Jaffee wrote and drew Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal, and later took over Patsy Walker. Under Fingeroth’s questioning, Jaffee also recounted how he took over another Timely funny animal series, Super Rabbit, and gave the character believable problems, even “fits of depression,” and Fingeroth pointed out this prefigured Spider-Man. Jaffee said his “relationship with Stan Lee was not close, but it was warm,” and Lee never edited him, giving him a free hand.

Referring to the Senate hearings condemning comic books as causes of juvenile delinquency, Jaffee declared “In my opinion the U. S. Senate was causing juvenile delinquency,” to applause from the audience.

Jaffee began discussed his work with Harvey Kurtzman, whom he called a “strange genius,” on the short-lived magazines Trump and Humbug, and then his going to work for editor Al Feldstein on Mad. Fingeroth and Jaffee went through the familiar and surefire stories of how Jaffee created his best-known Mad features, “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” and the Mad Fold-Ins. Jaffee had thought his first Fold-In “was a one-shot gag,” and believes that if Kurtzman had still been editing Mad, there never would have been a second one, since Kurtzman was always looking for new ideas. But Feldstein directed Jaffee to come up with a second one. “And that was 49 years ago,” concluded Jaffee, who has been doing Fold-Ins all during those years, and teased the audience by telling them the set-up for the one he is woking on now—but not the punch line.

At 2 PM one of the Comicon’s organizers, Cliff Galbraith, interviewed underground cartoonist John Holmstrom, who in 1975 co-founded the magazine Punk, which chronicled the punk rock movement in its heyday.

Then at 3 PM it was back to the Golden Age of Comics, with Fingeroth back onstage, this time interviewing another of the few survivors of that period, artist Allen Bellman. In 1942, when he was a teenager, Bellman started working for Timely Comics, as Marvel was known in the 1940s, drawing backgrounds for artist Syd Shores’ work on Captain America. Bellman was hired by artist Don Rico and did not meet Stan Lee until two weeks later. His initial image of Stan was as a young man following around his uncle Robert Solomon, the brother-in-law of Timely publisher Martin Goodman. Bellman recalled that the Timely Bullpen was divided into two separate rooms, one for “the animators,” his name for the funny animal artists, and the other for “the illustrators,” the superhero artists such as himself. The first series that Bellman drew on his own was The Patriot, but he also worked on Marvel’s trinity of stars, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America.

Perhaps surprisingly, Bellman never met Jack Kirby and never met Joe Simon until 2007. At the Comicon earlier that day Bellman was reunited with Al Jaffee. “I was so happy to see him.”

Bellman was one of the hundreds of comic book professionals who were forced to leave the business thanks to the outcry against comics in the 1950s. Referring to Dr. Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent, Bellman said, “That book put me out of commission.”

Bellman is well aware that he is one of the few survivors left from the Golden Age of Comics. After reminiscing about the late Gene Colan, Bellman commented, “There’s not many of us left.” And at the end of the panel, asked about his former colleagues, Bellman said simply, “They’re all gone but me.”

Following at 4 PM was “Marvel Days,” a panel surveying the history of Marvel Comics from the 1960s onward. Moderated by Christopher Irving, the author of Leaping Tall Buildings, a book of interviews with comics creators, the panel also included Sean Howe, author of the recent history Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. However, the discussion was dominated by Herb Trimpe, longtime Marvel artist who started collaborating with Stan Lee on The Incredible Hulk back in the Silver Age of the 1960s, and Papercutz editor Jim Salicrup, who rose from messenger to editor at Marvel, where he became best known for editing the Spider-Man titles.

Oddly, both Trimpe and Salicrup had anecdotes about Stan Lee’s hair. Trimpe said that when he first worked at Marvel, Stan, who was in the process of undergoing a hair transplant, “hated” Trimpe’s thick hair. In recalling his early days at Marvel as a messenger, Salicrup recalled going on a mysterious mission to an East Side town house to pick up an equally mysterious package, which turned out to be Stan’s toupee!

Salicrup got his foot in the door at Marvel by sending in a postcard and getting hired by Roy Thomas, just as Marvel was starting a massive expansion in the early 1970s; as Salicrup observed, it is hard to believe that anyone could get hired this way by today’s corporate Marvel. “I loved it when Stan was there, for the first ten years I was there,” before Lee moved out to California to promote Marvel properties as potential TV shows and movies.

Trimpe explained that the “problem he had at Marvel” was that he considered himself a artist more in the cartoon-like style of Jack Davis, who instead had to try for a “classic look” like that of Marvel mainstay John Buscema. Trimpe turned to the work of Jack Kirby. “As far as I know, Stan never ordered anyone to copy Kirby’s stuff,” Trimpe said. “Kirby’s stuff had a language to it” that was “very powerful stuff. He is the central comic book artist.”

Asked about office politics at Marvel, Salicrup said that he was aware of it at the time, but preferred to avoid it. “Marvel was big enough that I could easily get lost in it,” he said. “I was just enamored about being a kid from the Bronx who was in this Oz-like place like Marvel Comics in the 1970s.”

Questioned by Irving, Salicrup gave his take on the now familiar tale of how Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s “The Dark Phoenix Saga” evolved, and how editor in chief Jim Shooter ordered that the ending be changed so Jean Grey would die, thereby, in Salicrup’s view, transforming the saga into a classic.

Salicrup also spoke of Shooter’s emphasis on “clarity of storytelling” and noted that nowadays “some DC and Marvel books can be very hard to read” for newcomers to the medium, such as the kids who read Salicrup’s Papercutz comics. Hence, Salicrup said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m deprogramming” artists from Marvel and DC, by “having to explain the real basics of storytelling” in comics, like leaving enough room for the word balloons!

Finally, from shortly after 5 PM till the convention’s closing time, Jon B. Cooke, editor of the magazine Comic Book Artist, interviewed Jay Lynch, a leading member of the original generation of underground comix creators. In 1968 in Chicago Lynch launched and edited Bijou Funnies, one of the pioneering underground comix. He was also one of the principal artists for Topps’ Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages.

Lynch recounted how he first saw Harvey Kurtzman’s original version of Mad in 1953. “When I saw Mad, I decided to be a cartoonist.” But Lynch said he initially did one-panel gag cartoons. “I didn’t start doing comix until Zap came out,” Robert Crumb’s landmark underground comic. Lynch likened underground comix to other cultural phenomena of the 1960s, including the Free Speech movement and the taboo-breaking comedy of Lenny Bruce. Lynch recalled how he, Crumb, and another underground comix pioneer, Gilbert Shelton, would trade their comic books, with each other. Thus enabling them to keep in touch with each other’s work. Lynch also explained that President Richard Nixon launched a pornography investigation that made publishers nervous about possible prosecution, thereby sending sales of underground comix into decline.
Turning to Lynch’s work for Topps, Cooke asked, “Is that what you’re best known for—Garbage Pail Kids?”

“No,” replied Lynch, “I think my performance of Swan Lake.”

Nowadays, Lynch said, he is doing paintings which he sells on eBay.

Lynch wound up the panel by recounting an anecdote which captured some of a sense of the good and bad sides of the 1960s. It was the day that the Beatles’ White Album came out, Lynch was working for Topps, and “everyone on the subway has a copy of the White Album.” Lynch went to see fellow underground cartoonist Spain Rodriguez, who was living in a building in an area ridden with crime and drug addicts. Lynch went out and bought pizza for both of them, but on his way back was accosted by thugs, who asked him what he was carrying. Lynch lied and said it was the Beatles’ White Album, whereupon one of the thugs, impressed, said, “Okay, we’ll let you go.”

Photo © Danny CenturyMany more photos of the con in the link.

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Marvel have been teasing a new project called #1, which has been suggested to be a weekly comic, or some kind of compendium, or… well, who knows. At any rate, a new teaser has surfaced, revealing the creative people who will be featured in the project, as well as the news that the announcement for #1 will come next weekend, at South By Southwest. There are plenty of names involved –

Some of the most notable names on there are Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker and Joss Whedon, all of whom seem somewhat unlikely at this point to be releasing new work for Marvel. Especially Whedon, whose involvement would surely come with a teaser in itself – despite apparently only being able to write one comic script every seventeen months or so, he’s a big name, and would bring a lot of attention to Marvel comics.

So what is this? It looks to be some kind of reprint, or some way of celebrating the books Marvel perceives to be the most important they’ve done. The presence of John Cassaday on the teaser probably connects to his work with Whedon on Astonishing X-Men, and you can also pair together several other creative teams, such as Rick Remender and Jerome Opena, or Matt Fraction and David Aja.

But at the same time, all these creators listed here are fairly contemporary – if you’re going to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the X-Men, there’s no way you should be allowed to exclude Chris Claremont. So what the devil (as Claremont would no doubt write in his 50th Anniversary X-Men Comic, which by the way I WANT TO READ) is this meant to be?

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Although Stan The Man Lee has been missing a few appearances of late—we're told due to the flu—he was well enough to appear at an event this weekend to mark the launch of his Stan Lee Kids Universe Line of comics. This is not only welcome proof that The Man is still alive and kicking, but a super rare coming to fruition of one of the Many Pacts of Stan Lee.

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Comics legend Stan Lee is hosting a caption-writing contest on Facebook.

Write a snappy caption for this artistic rendition of Stan Lee as a ”Mission Commander” (pictured) and post it as a comment at this link. Lee will personally pick the winning submission. No official reward has been revealed, but a “special prize or two” could possibly be given out.

This contest promotes a new project developed by mobile entertainment publisher Moonshark and Stan Lee called “Verticus.” This superhero action-adventure game is available on iOS-supported devices (i.e. iPads). Follow this link to learn about the full details of this contest.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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Whoosh! HeroesCon just raced on by! We arrived late on Thursday, hit BarCon and the rest was just WHOOSH! So much fun, we barely had time to type about it at all. That isn’t to say there weren’t some snafus–all on our own part–but they came and went so quickly.

First off, hats off to Shelton Drum for running a show this long! It is, at this point, a beloved institution. Everyone knows Drum and the Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find staff treat the guests like family. From the shuttle that picks you up at the airport to the big art auction party on Saturday to the dead dog party at the store to the shuttle that takes you to the airport on Monday. It’s all so friendly and comics-loving. As mentioned in the previous post, this edition of the show was notable for there being NO EDITORS around. No one to buy drinks or dinner. Instead everyone bought their OWN drinks and dinner…and it seemed to work out just fine.

Although we never glimpsed Stan Lee he was definitely the main presence. As several con reports have alluded to, whenever Stan was doing something — signing, talking, facing front — crowds on the show floor seemed to sparsen. (Is that a word? It is now.) Sales slowed for some during the Stan-induced lulls, but it was still a great show for art purchases, and most everyone seemed to sell loads of stuff. The HeroesCon attendees appreciate art and like spending money on art — and luckily the local economy has some pep in it and they can still afford to do what they like.

I will admit one of the reasons the show whooshed on by was that I could barely spend any time on the show floor. Friday I had a ton of work to catch up on so I got there late. Saturday I had two panels, one of which lasted more than two hours…so again I got to the floor very late. Sunday I had some personal business to attend to, and had to make an offsite…but I managed to cram as many meet and greets in as I could.

As for those panels, well this is where I managed to mess things up because I didn’t have as much time to prepare as I should have. One of the things I’ve learned about panels over the years is…the more you prepare the better they go. And when you DON’T prepare, it tends to show. This year I had to more or less wing it, because it was the best I could do, and all I can say is…the more you prepare the better things go!

The first one, Humor in Comics, was basically the same as last years, with Evan Dorkin and Roger Langridge from ‘11 and Tim Rickard sitting in for Richard Thompson. I had prepared a slideshow but neglected to tell the show crew that I needed AV. We tried to set it up in the middle of the panel but…that is not a good idea. To avoid asking the same questions as last year I opened it to the floor, as it was a well attended panel (not all were.) The talk veered to how hard it is to make a living doing humorous comics, which isn’t the world’s funniest topic. However, all the panelists were very smart and funny (especially Evan, but you all know that) so there were manny laughs. Still: LESSON: ALWAYS MAKE SURE THERE IS AV BEFOREHAND.

The next panel was the epic mega-panel “Echoes of 1982″ which was organized by Craig Fischer. This was truly an epic with a v

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By Box Brown

 

I’ve never paid to get into Wizard World.  Well, actually one time I had to pay $10 to get a pro-pass.  I thought I overpaid.  I haven’t paid to get in since.  This year my free admission came via Wizard World giving some free space to local organizations.  Local cartoonist celebrity Doug Slack ran a table to promote the Philly Comix Jam.   My other pal Brett Hopkins, who makes sure the Jam runs smoothly every month, and I rolled up around 3 pm on Friday to work a shift manning the PCJ table and take a look at the show. 

Among the seemingly sparsely attended show there were quite a number of cosplayers about.  I particularly liked the trio of Batman, Poison Ivy and Lord of the Rings looking Batman.  The Penguin and Two-face couple were quite cute.  There was a for real, legit Chewbacca there! He was easily 7 feet tall.  I wasn’t sure if he was on stilts or not, and I did notice that Peter Mayhew was listing in the program.  His booth conspicuously empty too.

 

The vibe in this place is weird.  It’s a lot of kids and teens and a lot of dudes who, and I realize this is stereotyping, probably live in their moms basement.  But, also, there were a ton of really scantily clad babes (and some not so babe-like).  The term “ass-cleavage” was bandied about a lot.  It creates this really pervy air around the festival.

 

The first section you walk through is the toys and merch section.  An enormous tower of t-shirts  is the main event, but there are lots of smaller shops that have all kinds of swag.  Also, one of the dudes who worked there was supremely ROCKING OUT to “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing (Theme from Armageddon)”.   I wanted to snap a photo but didn’t want to disturb him.  The original art dealers are always worth a look through.

 

In the center area of the show is a WALL OF CANVAS.  It’s canvas booths everywhere!  Seriously, you can’t even tell what you’re looking at!  If you pay close attention you start seeing little cattle lines and then giant signs that say “NO PHOTOS IN THIS AREA”.  That’s when it hit me, “Oh dang! This is the washed up minor-celebrity area!”  This has got to be the most inauthentic way to meet a celebrity.  Still, I was thrilled to see Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling, former joke writer for the Howard Stern show.  There was no line so I decided to go up and talk to him.  Jackie was kind of nice, but it was clear he was there for one thing: selling Jokeman swag.  He was 100% not interested in talking to me at all.  I even had to sneak a photo.  “Photo-ops” were $30. 

 

Two other celebs I was interested in meeting (for comic research purposes) were “The Mouth of

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(There’s a large, 8904 × 6216 image available here.)

If there was one weekend which could rival San Diego in July, it would be this third weekend in May.  No, there isn’t one big convention happening to rival Comic-Con International, but numerous smaller shows, some catering to a general crowd, some to specific audiences and topics.

Of course, it’s been busy for weeks now!  There was C2E2 a month ago, which shared the weekend with the Wildcat Con (held at a university!) and Wizard World Toronto!  The next weekend had the Pittsburgh Comicon along with SPACE and the Boston Comic Con.  Then we had Calgary and MoCCA and Stumptown!  Free Comic Book Day followed the next weekend with minicons held at stores, along with Kids’ Comic Con in the Bronx!  The weekend after that?  A trifecta in New York, with the Bronx Heroes Con!  (Three NYC cons, three weekends in a row!)  Plus two “beach” cons were held on opposite coasts, at Long Beach and Asbury Park.  (Long Beach had better surf, Asbury Park had better music.)

The Beatrix (AKA “Her Royal Heidiness”) has already mentioned a few of these elsewhere on these pages, but I’m gonna include them all, because this might just be a seminal benchmark event in the comics history!  Has there been this much comics awesome sauce ever before?  Is anyone staying home this weekend and doing work? 

Who is in the undisclosed location?

• Ethan Van Sciver
• Joe Staton
• Mike  Royer
• Mike Grell
• Peter Bagge

6 Comments on To Do This Weekend: Comic Con National!, last added: 5/21/2012

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Hi all,
Well I'm back with another couple of good reads that happen to be two Graphic Novels this go round. So read on and maybe try to get a hold of these most excellent reads.

Until next time all peace,

Library Ninja Bill

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