I’ve been going nuts trying to wrap up the new Kirby Collector, and it’s almost done. Pages 2-75 are complete, and will be guest-proofread tomorrow by Eric Nolen-Weathington, pinch-hitting while Chris Irving gets back up to speed from his travels.

All that’s left is the letter column (one of the most fun parts of putting an issue together), and the table of contents and house ads (probably the least fun/most boring parts). Then, I’ll spend a solid day cleaning up scans, and it’ll be off to press, for release either last week of April, or first week of May (just about on schedule, give or take a week).

Check it out:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=106926

Newsarama is featuring an interview with our own Christoper Irving, about his just-released book The Blue Beetle Companion. We literally got our copies from the printer today, so as soon as Chris gets back in the office tomorrow (following his trip to the Emerald City Con in Seattle to handle our booth, and to interview Peter Bagge for the first volume of his new Comics Introspective book series), he’ll be getting copies mailed out.

I remember meeting Chris for the first time back at a 1990s San Diego Comicon, and wondering why a guy so young would be so interested in the same Golden and Silver Age creators that I am. He’s a bit older now, but he hasn’t lost one ounce of the enthusiasm he had back then, as anyone who reads the Blue Beetle Companion will easily be able to tell.

If you haven’t yet ordered your Von Sholly Bundle (containing Comic Book Nerd, his parody of the comics fan press, plus both issues of his Crazy Hip Groovy Go-Go Way Out Monsters spoof of old monster mags), you’re missing out on non-stop laughs. So whatareyouwaitingfor?

I’m thrilled to announce that ALTER EGO and BACK ISSUE have both been nominated for an Eagle Award in the category of “Favourite Magazine About Comics”. To vote for your favorite, just log on to http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/vote.asp

Polls close at midnight (BST) Sunday, April 22, 2007. The winners are to be announced at the Bristol International Comic Expo on Saturday, May 12 2007.

Congratulations to editors Roy Thomas and Michael Eury, as well as their many contributors, for making both mags worthy of such acclaim!

By now, you’ve probably heard about the death this week of artist Marshall Rogers. This one hits really hard; he was only 57 years old, and should’ve had a long life and career ahead of him. Hearing of his passing made me flash back to 1978, when I got to meet him.

I was 15 years old, not yet able to drive, but my mother took my best friend Matt Turner and me to the Atlanta Fantasy Fair, at the old Dunfey Hotel in Atlanta. It was only my second comic con (my first being a very small one in my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama), and I was blown away by the sheer number of people there. But one of the highlights was getting to meet Marshall Rogers.

The guy sat at his table the whole weekend, batting out sketch after sketch of Batman. But as cool as his figurework was, each drawing was filled with meticulously rendered architectural backgrounds, of cityscapes with detailed windows, fire escapes, brickwork, and more. The fact that he penciled them so tightly, then managed to just as exactly ink them using two black Design markers (one thin nib, and one fat), just floored me. I remember thinking how much Terry Austin’s rapidograph style added to the look of his work, having seen his actual pencils. But even without Terry’s inks, the guy’s work was just awe-inspiring.

My buddy Matt and I sat in on a panel with Marshall, talking about his Batman work (which, if memory serves, was just about to wrap up at the time). At the Program Book for the convention featured a really cool Rogers revamp of Blackhawk (I’ve gotta call Matt and see if he still has a copy of the cover; if so, I’ll post it here). I kept waiting and waiting for DC to announce a Blackhawk relaunch with Marshall as artist, but it never happened.

In talking to Marshall at the con, I mentioned a great, really creepy full-page Darkseid close-up from one of his Mr. Miracle issues. He said that he hung the original art on his front door to keep salesmen away.

A couple of years ago, I got the chance to talk to him again (not that he remembered me from when I was 15, mind you). I approached him about inking the cover to Jack Kirby Collector #35, and he instantly agreed. He said he loved Jack’s work, and I think some of the dynamism shows in his art.

The guy was great, and it’s a shame he didn’t do more comics work than he did. Still, what he did was fabulous. I’ll miss him a lot.

Yeah, this blog has been a bit quiet over the last few days, but don’t think we’re sitting back, doing nothing here in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition to wrapping up the new issue of the Jack Kirby Collector (due to press next week), we’ve been doing a lot of major marketing of our line to various sources, with more continuing. Our circulation manager, Bob Brodsky, has been burning up the phone lines with follow-up calls for our efforts, and doing a fantastic job, as has Eric Nolen-Weathington (remember him?), and Chris Irving (who’s heading out tomorrow to handle our booth at the Emerald City Con in Seattle).

I’ve also got to get both Comics Gone Ape! and Brush Strokes With Greatness (our Joe Sinnott biography) to press over the next two weeks, plus finish an article about Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics (due Friday; yikes!). And I’ve started back playing my French Horn in my church’s brass choir (I was a music major for two years before switching to art, and haven’t touched the shiny beast in over 20 years, so practice is definitely in order), so if you’re on the East Coast and hear dogs howling, you’ll know why.

Anyway, I’ll post here as I get time, but know that the wheels are turning full-steam ahead at TwoMorrows, even when you don’t see a post here for a day or two.

We just sent the final files for Comics 101, our Free Comic Book Day publication, to the printer today. Orders were nothing short of sensational (wish we had numbers like this on our regular magazines!). Be sure to stop by your local comics shop on May 5 and ask for your free copy. Our editors knocked themselves out to come up with some really great “how-to” and comics history pieces, so if you like the kind of stuff we publish, you’ll love this one. And of course, the price is right!

We’ve been getting a lot of e-mails and phone calls, asking if we’ll be offering this publication on our website, or making it available for sale. We will have some additional copies available for ordering at www.twomorrows.com starting on May 5, for people who may not live near a comics store (or whose store didn’t order any). But there will be a small charge for them (to be determined), to cover our printing and shipping costs. Likewise, if there’s any left by then, we’ll bring a few to our upcoming convention appearances to sell at a nominal cost. But you can save your money by getting yours at your local comics shop. That’s what FCBD is all about; getting warm bodies into comic stores!

Thanks to all the retailers who ordered so heavily; and be sure to thank your local retailer when you get your copy. He (or she) had to pay a small amount per copy to help offset our production costs and Diamond’s distribution cost.

There’s an online interview with BACK ISSUE magazine editor Michael Eury, about his new project, The Supervillain Book, on “The Pulse”.

Just look for the feature “EURY & MISIROGLU ON THE SUPERVILLAIN BOOK”, click away, and enjoy!

Hey, it’s late, but it’s still Friday for another hour and 13 minutes, Pete!