JOE STATON

'Dick Tracy' Is Hanging Out With The Spirit (And More)
'Dick Tracy' Is Hanging Out With The Spirit (And More)
'Dick Tracy' Is Hanging Out With The Spirit (And More)
While it's often overlooked from readers --- like me --- who tend to focus on monthly superhero titles, the Dick Tracy newspaper comic strip has been steadily chugging along as one of the most entertaining stories in the medium. It's consistently surprising and entertaining, and part of that comes from the fact that Joe Staton and Mike Curtis are always finding something new and innovative to do with their story. Like, say, providing readers with some of the most unexpected crossovers in comics. They've done it before, but now, they're kicking off 2017 with what will undoubtedly stand as the crossover of the year, as Dick Tracy meets up with The Spirit --- yes, Will Eisner's The Spirit -- to fight immortality crimes. And that's just the start of it.
'Saga,' 'Sex Criminals' And 'Dick Tracy' Win At The 2015 Harvey Awards
'Saga,' 'Sex Criminals' And 'Dick Tracy' Win At The 2015 Harvey Awards
'Saga,' 'Sex Criminals' And 'Dick Tracy' Win At The 2015 Harvey Awards
Last weekend at Baltimore Comic-Con, the 27th annual Harvey Awards were held, and in one of the least surprising developments in the history of the Harveys, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' Saga took home a few more awards to add to a shelf that I'm sure is already collapsing under the weight of its many honors. Named for MAD Magazine editor and cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman (who, interestingly enough, did not win the award he was nominated for this year), the Harveys are voted on by industry professionals, and this year's winners represent a pretty interesting crop of current comics, including CA favorites like Lumberjanes, Hellboy In Hell, and even Dick Tracy. Check out a full roster of winners and nominees below!
The Evolution of Catwoman: Best Catwoman Stories by Decade
The Evolution of Catwoman: Best Catwoman Stories by Decade
The Evolution of Catwoman: Best Catwoman Stories by Decade
Many of comics’ most popular heroes have been around for decades, and in the case of the big names from the publisher now known as DC Comics, some have been around for a sizable chunk of a century. As these characters passed through the different historical eras known in comics as the Golden Age (the late 1930s through the early 1950s), the Silver Age (the mid 1950s through the late 1960s), the Bronze Age (the early 1970s through the mid 1980s) and on into modern times, they have experienced considerable changes in tone and portrayal that reflect the zeitgeist of the time. With this feature we’ll help you navigate the very best stories of DC Comics’ most beloved characters decade by decade. This week, we’re taking a look at the best Catwoman comics.
Ask Chris #231: Fixing Funky/Dick
Ask Chris #231: Fixing Funky/Dick
Ask Chris #231: Fixing Funky/Dick
Q: How would you have written the Funky/Dick crossover? -- @damnyouwillis A: You know, Dave, it's been a long time since I've been as mad at a comic as I was at the soggy lump of anticlimax that was the Funky Winkerbean/Dick Tracy crossover last month. I mean, I'd call it a disaster, but disasters are usually exciting and have consequences. Funky/Dick was not, and did not.
Funky Winterbean/Dick racy: The Crossover Of The Year Is Here
Funky Winterbean/Dick racy: The Crossover Of The Year Is Here
Funky Winterbean/Dick racy: The Crossover Of The Year Is Here
Friends and neighbors, it is truly a blessed day: Funky/Dick is finally here. A few months back, we found an announcement buried in an article in Variety, of all places, that revealed plans for ComicsAlliance's two favorite comic strips, Funky Winkerbean and Dick Tracy, to cross over at the start of the year. Now, the day has come, and there is a very good chance that Les Moore will either be violently murdered or framed for murder. If I was a betting man, I'd put money on the latter, but in my heart, I know I'm hoping for the former.
How Did Dick Tracy Solve Li'l Orphan Annie's Disappearance?
How Did Dick Tracy Solve Li'l Orphan Annie's Disappearance?
How Did Dick Tracy Solve Li'l Orphan Annie's Disappearance?
Q: How did Dick Tracy solve the case of Li'l Orphan Annie's disappearance and was it appropriately insane? -- @willwise3 A: Oh Will. Will, Will, Will. I want to take a moment to thank you for letting me talk about what is unquestionably the single greatest crossover of the year. For those of you who may have missed it, the Little Orphan Annie comic strip ended a while back with what has to be the most harrowing cliffhanger to ever hit the newspaper page. After eighty years of adventures, Annie went out in the middle of a story where she'd been kidnapped by an actual war criminal called the Butcher of the Balkans, locked up on a boat bound for an unknown shore, with Daddy Warbucks wondering if he would ever see his beloved daughter again. Seriously, that was the last strip, and Annie's final fate until it was announced that Dick Tracy would step up and solve the case last summer. As for whether or not that story was "insane," well, let me put it this way: It involves SUPER-POWERED MOON PEOPLE, ATOMIC WEAPONS, AND A TIME MACHINE.
'Funky Winkerbean' And 'Dick Tracy' Are Crossing Over
'Funky Winkerbean' And 'Dick Tracy' Are Crossing Over
'Funky Winkerbean' And 'Dick Tracy' Are Crossing Over
For some reason, Variety, the Hollywood newspaper known mainly for a tendency to go hard on pun headlines, did a piece today on the endless march of depression that is Funky Winkerbean and how the creeping despair that infests every inch of Westview is actually something of a blessing for the floundering newspaper comics page. It's an interesting take on a brand of misery that we've become pretty familiar with over the years here at ComicsAlliance, but buried towards the end of the article is one of the most exciting announcements I've seen all year: "In January, Funky characters are slated to meet Dick Tracy, who is published by a different syndicate, the result of a meeting with Dick Tracy artist Joe Staton at a comics convention." Please, Santa Claus, if you're listening, let this be a story about Dick Tracy being called in to investigate the murder of Les Moore.
Dick Tracy Solves Mystery Of Little Orphan Annie's Abduction
Dick Tracy Solves Mystery Of Little Orphan Annie's Abduction
Dick Tracy Solves Mystery Of Little Orphan Annie's Abduction
In the world of superhero comics, it's pretty safe to say that readers have become pretty well-accustomed to crossovers. In the big shared universes at Marvel and DC Comics, characters show up regularly in each other's books all the time, and even if they're keeping to themselves, there's always the big, universe-spanning event comics that are rolling out like clockwork to bundle them all together for your reading enjoyment -- or for your reading, at least. In the world of newspaper strips, however, that sort of thing is much more rare. Sure, you occasionally get stuff like Tom Batiuk arranging for a shockingly boring cross-time comic book sale in Crankshaft and Funky Winkerbean, but even that's pretty small and confined to one character. As a result, it's always notable when the newspaper characters start jumping into each other's strips. Especially when it's two-fisted cop Dick Tracy gearing up to rescue Little Orphan Annie from the clutches of a murdering terrorist known only as "The Butcher of the Balkans," a thing that is actually happening iny our newspaper right now.
The Silver Surfer Cometh This Summer!
The Silver Surfer Cometh This Summer!
The Silver Surfer Cometh This Summer!
Press Release There's one superhero on everyone's mind and it's the sentinel of the spaceways himself-the Silver Surfer! Starting this Wednesday, get prepared to experience the past, present and future of the Silver Surfer as Marvel celebrates one of the most unique heroes to ever grace the pages of a comic book ...