If you’re feverishly waiting for your copy of Mike W. Barr’s Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion (and why wouldn’t you be? It’s an awesome book!), don’t give up hope! It was supposed to be shipping by now, but DC Comics’ legal department requested some changes, and we’re in the process of wrapping those up, and hope to have it to press, and in stores, within another 4-6 weeks. Please be patient; it’ll be worth the wait!
You may not be able to see it from where you’re typing, but there’s a mad flurry of activity going on at TwoMorrows HQ right now! We’ve just sent our Summer 2008 book titles into the Bookstore Market (can you believe we have to have them planned out this far in advance?). Also, I’m in discussions with our editors about what our Free Comic Book Day publication will be for 2008. All our mag editors have turned in their issue covers and descriptions through July 2008, so I can include them in our brand spankin’ new 2008 color catalog (I’ll be sequestering myself to complete it over the next couple of weeks, so it’ll be printed in plenty of time for New Years).
All this, plus our everyday tasks of getting our regular books and mags to press, keeps me really hopping! Stay tuned, for details on some new stuff over the next few weeks.
Due to popular demand, TwoMorrows now accepts American Express and Discover for purchases. This is in addition to Visa, MasterCard, Paypal, check, money order, cash, gold bullion, and really, really good brownies for purchases made at www.twomorrows.com or by phone, fax, email, snail mail, in person, at conventions, by carrier pigeon, pony express…
From artist Loston Wallace, here’s Kirby’s version of Dr. Doom, translated to a “Jack” o’Lantern. That oughtta scare away the trick or treaters!
In the New York Times September 16 edition, a special real estate section called “Key” features a photo essay on Stan Lee’s past residences, with remembrances of each by Stan. Under the photo of his Hewlett Harbor cottage (1952-1980), Stan wrote, “During my years there I helped create Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, among others.”
It’s nice to see Stan used the words “helped create” in discussing those characters, implying they were co-creations.
Thanks to Craig McNamara for pointing me to it!
There’s a nice review of Danny “Write Now” Fingeroth’s new book, ‘DISGUISED AS CLARK KENT: JEWS, COMICS AND THE CREATION OF THE SUPERHERO, here:
What have we been doing at TwoMorrows HQ these last few weeks, while this blog has remained largely silent? One of the things going on has been gearing up for the launch of our new magazine, BrickJournal! It’s the ultimate resource for Lego enthusiasts of all ages, and is produced with assistance from the corporate LEGO Group headquarters in Denmark. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s edited by my old pal Joe Meno, and spotlights all aspects of the LEGO Community, much the way our currrent mags cover the art and history behind comic books.
Joe’s been producing BJ for several years, but only in digital form (much like the new PDF versions of our other mags). The first eight issues have averaged over 100,000 downloads each, so there’s a really strong, vital Lego community that’s embraced the mag already. Now we’ll be branching it out into a print edition as well, starting with a new issue #1 (Volume 2) shipping in February 2008. In the meantime, the new issue (#9) is available as a FREE digital edition by clicking the link above, or here. So click away, and if you like what you see, consider subscribing, and getting the first 8 digital editions!
So, why would TwoMorrows opt for a magazine about LEGO, when our core audience is interested in comics? Well, anyone who’s been to Comicon International: San Diego in recent years undoubtedly saw the LEGO Group’s massive booth and display (with the life-size Batman statue shown above). As in the past, this year’s con saw large crowds engulfing that booth, proving there’s a fair amount of crossover between Lego and comics fans. I see the two audiences as very compatible, if not joined at the hip. LEGO enthusiasts are just as rabid about their hobby as comics fans are about theirs, and if each audience exposes the other to their interests, it’s bound to impact both in a positive way.
Besides, LEGO is something I grew up with (and my two daughters are currently as well), just like comics. You had LEGO bricks at your house, and you know you loved them. Just like with comics, I suspect our readers will be amazed when they see what adults are doing with them.
You can find out more about the past, present, and future of BrickJournal and the Lego community at www.brickjournal.com
If you saw Image Comics’ recent hardcover Silver Star volume (collecting all six Kirby issues), you know what a nice job they did representing Jack’s work. I’d been able to send them crisp black-and-white copies of almost all the original art, and the book turned our really beautifully, with great new coloring to make it well worth the cover price.
However, we don’t have nearly as clean art for Captain Victory, and though we sent Image what we had, there’s a lot missing that would have to be rescanned from the printed comics. Since this is a once-in-a-liftime chance to re-present Captain Victory, Image has decided to cancel orders on their upcoming CAPTAIN VICTORY hardcover and resolicit for early 2008. In the meantime, Image is putting out a call to all art collectors who are in possession of Kirby’s original Captain Victory pages. Anyone with access to original CAPTAIN VICTORY artwork is encouraged to e-mail Image Comics via info@imagecomics.com.
If you’ve got good repros or originals of CV, send ’em in, so this volume can be as good as it can be!
