On September 14, BACK ISSUE #51 ships, and editor Michael Eury is featuring a bittersweet interview with the late Adrienne Roy, who passed away in December 2010. Ms. Roy is known for her color work on some of the key DC comics of the 1970s and ’80s (New Teen Titans, among many, many others), and she was even featured as a character in several comics of that era, so loved was she by the creators she worked with. It’s a great tribute to a great lady.

This “all interview” issue also features Part 2 of our STEVE ENGLEHART interview, begun in Alter Ego #103 (released last month). plus “Pro2Pro” interviews between WALTER SIMONSON and ERIK LARSEN, DOUG MOENCH and LEN WEIN, and comics letterers TODD KLEIN and JANICE CHIANG, plus an in-depth discussion with JOHN OSTRANDER. And check out the cover above; that’s one of the last Batman illustrations produced by the late MARSHALL ROGERS, who was Englehart’s partner on Detective Comics.

Here’s the link for a free PDF preview.

It’s a great issue (as usual for Mr. Eury), and you can order here.

When Nathan Wilson and Eric Nolen-Weathington approached me about doing a Modern Masters book on Frazer Irving, I had to ask, “Frazer who?” Cause I don’t follow many current comics, and hadn’t been exposed to his work.

My loss!

This guy is Good. With a capital “G”. I now know what I was missing, and after seeing just a few samples of his work on Witch Boy and The Return of Bruce Wayne, I was sold.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out this free preview and be amazed.

And then if you’re as impressed with Frazer’s work as I am, go to this link to preorder Vol. 26 of our Modern Masters series, or pick it up at your local comic book store on September 21.

Thanks to all who wrote asking if we weathered Hurricane Irene here in Raleigh, North Carolina. We’re all high and dry here, after a weekend of heavy rain and high winds, but little actual damage. We’re much more fortunate that so many others who are dealing with flooding and power outages in other areas. Having lived through the aftermath of Hurricane Fran several years ago (which really tore up our lovely town), my hearts out to all those who didn’t fare as well as we did.

ALTER EGO #104 is in the house, proudly celebrating the 50th anniversary of Fantastic Four #1—and the birth of Marvel Comics! Editor ROY THOMAS presents a new, never-before-published interview with STAN LEE—featuring a number of real surprises—and rare art and artifacts by JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, JOE SINNOTT, DICK AYERS, ROY THOMAS, and others, plus lots more secrets behind the Marvel Mythos! Also included are JIM AMASH’s interview with 1940s Timely editor AL SULMAN, P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, and MICHAEL T. GILBERT presenting another episode of Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt. It’s all behind a new cover by RON FRENZ and JOE SINNOTT, offering a pastiche of the cover of Fantastic Four #1.

You can order here!

TwoMorrows Publishing returns to Comic-Con for our 16th consecutive year, at booth #1301 (our usual spot, right up front beside the Golden & Silver Age Pavilion, just inside the doors for Hall B). Be sure to stop by and see the “super” surprise LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya is creating for our booth, and bring your kids to meet our life-size Minifig Storm Trooper, appearing daily!

This year, TwoMorrows will be debuting these magazines:
• Jack Kirby Collector #57 (on Legendary Kirby characters)
• Alter Ego #103 (featuring a career-spanning Steve Englehart interview)
• Back Issue #50 (a special full-color issue on Batman in the 1970s and ’80s)
• BrickJournal #15 (spotlighting LEGO Mecha building)

We’ll also have DVD and Blu-ray copies of the Harvey Award-nominated documentary Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist by Jon and Andrew Cooke.

Other new books on hand include:
• Alter Ego: Centennial (the 100th edition of Roy Thomas’ magazine, released as a double-sized book)
• Carmine Infantino: Penciler, Publisher, Provocateur (by Jim Amash and Eric Nolen-Weathington)
• Modern Masters Volume 25: Jeff Smith (spotlighting the creator of BONE)
• Minifigure Customization: Populate Your World! (showing amazing ways to personalize LEGO figures)
• And our very own limited edition LEGO Tulip Kit, designed by BrickJournal editor Joe Meno!

Most everything at our booth will be on sale, including $10 Modern Masters books, plus almost every book and magazine at 40% off! Last year we sold out of many items quickly, so get there early, and be sure to pick up your FREE copy of of our newly updated Catalog.

Join editor Roy Thomas (one of this year’s Comic-Con special guests), publisher John Morrow, and associate editors P.C. Hamerlinck and Bill Schelly for the “50 Years of Alter Ego” panel on Friday, July 22 from 3:30-4:30pm in Room 24ABC.

On Friday night, July 22, Roy Thomas will be in attendance at the annual Eisner Awards ceremony, where Roy’s ALTER EGO magazine is nominated for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism.

Roy Thomas will also be signing autographs and greeting fans at the TwoMorrows booth on Friday from 10:00-11:00am and Saturday from 1:00-2:00pm.

And the annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel will take place on Sunday, July 24 at 10:00am in Room 5ABC. Walter Simonson, Erik Larsen, Mike Royer, and Richard Kyle are this year’s panelists, as moderator Mark Evanier quizzes each about how Kirby influenced them. TwoMorrows publisher John Morrow and Jack Kirby Museum curator Rand Hoppe will be in attendance, and hope to see you there as well.

So you say you like Batman—not the sometimes homicidal maniac of today, but the heroic dark creature of the night of the 1970s and early ’80s, before Frank Miller inadvertently changed the course of the character with one (albeit great) “imaginary” tale set 20 years in the future? Is that what’s bothering you, fella?

Well, you’re in luck. BACK ISSUE #50 is a special 50th Anniversary issue spotlighting “Batman in the Bronze Age”, with the entire issue in FULL-COLOR! Editor Michael Eury has got DENNY O’NEIL, NEAL ADAMS, and PAUL LEVITZ discussing Batman in the 1970s and beyond in a “Pro2Pro” roundtable. There’s praise for (and lots of artwork by) JIM APARO, plus Batman’s Unsung Creators (DAVID V. REED, BOB BROWN, ERNIE CHAN, and JOHN CALNAN),the Joker’s Daughter, the Batman Family, Nocturna, Untold Legend of the Batman, and the one that started all the mess, Miller’s Dark Knight. The issue just went to the printer, and should be out at the end of July.

Did I mention it’s ALL FULL-COLOR? And only $1 more than usual; what a bargain!

The Diamond Order Code is MAY111320. And you can download a FREE PDF PREVIEW of the issue RIGHT HERE, right now!

By now, you’ve probably heard of the passing of Gene Colan. It’s personally heartbreaking for me, as I’m sure it is for many of you. Of all the artists working at Marvel in the 1960s, his was, to my mind, the most distinctive, recognizeable style there. After seeing his pencils for the first time, with their detailed shading, I had to wonder, how in the world does an inker take something so rendered, and turn it into simple black-&-white ink lines?

Some were great at it (like Tom Palmer). Others struggled with it, as I would have if I’d had to ink it. But just like when you’d put a powerful inking style over Kirby (as when Wallace Wood inked Jack), you couldn’t subdue Colan’s style underneath. He told great stories, and when he came to DC and started drawing Batman (with Klaus Janson inking him), I couldn’t have been happier.

Gene had continued doing amazing commissioned drawings for fans up until recently, and those beautiful pieces showed that, like a select few (Will Eisner comes to mind), he just kept getting better as he got older (even more amazing considering his past eyesight problems).

Tom Field wrote a wonderful book on Gene which we published several years ago, called Secrets In The Shadows. It’s been sold out a couple of years now, but we’ll be re-releasing it shortly as a Digital Edition. It tells Gene’s story beautifully, and I’m thrilled we were able to produce it while Gene was here to see it. Tom did an amazing job on it, and I know Gene was proud of it too.

My pal George Khoury just wrote a wonderful tribute to Gene, and you can (nay, should) go read it here.

As part of a crossover with Back Issue #51, ALTER EGO #103 (just nominated for “Best Comics-Related Journalism” in the 2011 Eisner Awards) takes an in-depth look at the career of STEVE ENGLEHART. The issue ships in late July, and debuts at Comic-Con International: San Diego at the TwoMorrows Publishing booth #1301, where editor and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief and writer ROY THOMAS will be on hand to meet fans and sign copies each day.

ENGLEHART is widely acclaimed for his scripting work at Marvel, DC, Warren, and other companies, and this issue (the first part of a two-part interview, continuing in Back Issue #51 in August) covers it all: The Defenders—Captain America—Master of Kung Fu—The Beast—Mantis—with rare art and artifacts by SAL BUSCEMA, JIM STARLIN, TOM SUTTON, DON HECK, BOB BROWN, and others. Plus, we present JIM AMASH’s interview with early artist GEORGE MANDEL (Captain Midnight, The Woman in Red, Blue Bolt, Black Marvel, etc.)—FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK—and MICHAEL T. GILBERT uncovering the secret of Will Eisner’s letterer in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt.

You can download a FREE PDF preview of the issue at this link.

Whheeeeewwww! I just finished the latest issue of my own mag, Jack Kirby Collector #57, dealing with Kirby’s use of myths and legends in his work. It’s at the printer now, and barring any snags on press, it should debut next month at Comic-Con, and go in the mail right after we return from the West Coast.

This issue actually has quite a bit about Comic-Con in it, including a transcript of Kirby’s panel discussion from the very first full con in 1970. Lots of interesting questions for the “King” there, since he’d just left Marvel to go to DC, and his Fourth World books were about to launch. In hindsight, there’s some pretty telling answers to fans’ questions by Jack.

Of course, I wouldn’t be a publisher if I didn’t state that you can order it (print or digital form) here.

Just wanted to let everyone know that our printer had some snags this month, and these new issues are running late:

Alter Ego #102
Back Issue #49
BrickJournal #15

All are printed; we’re just waiting on them to arrive here at TwoMorrows so we can get them mailed to subcribers. I’m sorry for the inconvenience; they should be in the mail shortly.