Patrick A. Reed
Born 89 Years Ago Today: Gene Colan, the Virtuoso of Figurework and the Man Who Defined Daredevil
Nobody drew like Gene Colan. That might sound like the sort of hyperbole one expects to read in a tribute piece, but in this case, it's true – Gene Colan was a total original, whose work looked nothing like any other comic artist's before or since.
The Pre-Marvel Monster Explosion: Celebrating Jack Kirby’s Creature Creations!
The Atlas Comics monster stories of the late 1950s cemented Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's working relationship, and laid the groundwork for the revolution they would launch with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. In honor of Jack Kirby's birthday, we've compiled this gallery of some of his finest Atlas-era covers!
I Want To Make This A Performance: Grant Morrison Discusses His Plans For ‘Heavy Metal’ [Interview]
When it was announced last month that Heavy Metal magazine had signed Grant Morrison to serve as their new editor-in-chief, it seemed to be the exact real-world approximation of that comic cliche: a team-up that nobody anticipated, but that makes perfect sense when considered from the right angle.
Heavy Metal is a title that, in its '70s/'80s heyday, redefined the limits of comic book form and content, much as Morrison has eschewed conventional stylistic and genre constraints throughout his career. Today, the magazine's name is shorthand for a specific style of exploitative genre fiction --- usually involving some combination of sci-fi, sword & sorcery, swearing, and sex --- but owners Jeff Krelitz and David Boxenbaum have been vocal about their hopes to expand the Heavy Metal brand and reignite the revolutionary spirit that it originally embodied.
ComicsAlliance sat down with Morrison at this summer's San Diego Comic-Con to talk about his personal history with Heavy Metal, ask some questions about his plans, and get a glimpse into the approach he's bringing to his new role at the magazine.
Building A Rock ‘N Roll Fantasy: Paul Cornell and Tony Parker Talk ‘This Damned Band’ [Interview]
Earlier this month, Dark Horse released the first issue of This Damned Band, a new series from writer Paul Cornell and artist Tony Parker that tells the story of the seminal early '70s band Motherfather --- a group that attempts to enjoy the trappings of rock stardom, but at the same time become mixed up in forces far beyond their control.
In advance of issue #2 hitting stands next week, ComicsAlliance had the opportunity to sit down with Cornell and Parker to talk about the series.
Recognizing the Definitive Bat-Brilliance Of Dick Sprang!
For a comic fan growing up in the '40s and '50s, one of the greatest conundrums was that of who wrote and drew the comics they loved – very few artists signed their work, even fewer writers were properly credited, and of those features that actually bore names, the credit often went to the feature's originator or the head of the studio, as opposed to the actual production team.
So, though he was the artist of that era who best captured the look and feel of the Dynamic Duo, Richard W. "Dick" Sprang spent his most productive years in relative anonymity. DC's arrangement with Bob Kane specified that Kane be the only name credited for Batman stories.
Building A Universe: A Guided Tour Through The Inner Workings Of Valiant Comics
Since their first tiles appeared on comic-shop shelves in 2012, the resurrected Valiant Comics has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Their new take on the characters and mythology of the original 1990s Valiant line, their pursuit of top-shelf creators, their focus on storytelling and world-building, and their gift for unorthodox marketing and promotion has drawn praise from both fans and press, led to a film development deal with Sony, and won scores of industry awards (and award nominations). They've proven themselves to be not just cashing in on past glories, but a company that's capable of pushing their stable of characters in new and exciting directions while remaining true to their roots.
Exclusive: Archie Comics Reveals ‘Archie Meets Ramones’!
Yes, it's true. In 2016, Riverdale's typical teenagers will be teaming up with New York City's original punks in a musical crossover for the ages. Saturday night at San Diego Comic-Con's "Comics & Pop Music: Making New Noise" panel, writers Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg revealed Archie Comics' latest, greatest, rockingest release to date, a special comic that brings together the formerly disparate worlds of CBGB's and Pop's Chocklit Shop in a hyperspeed bubblegum battle of the bands.
Celebrating Basil Wolverton’s Essential Insanity
Basil Wolverton is one of comics' great individual stylists, a creator whose idiosyncratic imagination has impacted generations of artists, and influenced a broad spectrum of popular culture. Cartoons, hot rod art, underground comix, skate design, and nearly every form that revels in the humorous and grotesque has drawn inspiration from the exaggerated absurdities that Wolverton called forth with his twisted-yet-delicate ink lines.
52 Years Ago: The Debut of the Avengers and the X-Men, the Birth of the Marvel Machine
On July 2nd 1963, the first issues of two different series hit newsstands, and launched franchises that would some day be recognizable to the entire world: The Avengers and The X-Men, the teams that would truly tie everything together and serve as the cornerstones of the Marvel Universe.
One of these books brought together the company's mightiest heroes; the other featured all-new characters and introduced the idea of mutants battling to save a world that hates and fears them.
75 Years Ago: ‘Brenda Starr’ Broke New Ground for Women in Comics
On June 30th, 1940, a new feature named Brenda Starr: Reporter debuted in the Chicago Tribune's Sunday Comic Book Magazine. The deck was stacked against the strip and creator Dale Messick from the beginning, yet the strip would go on to run for more than seventy years.