Category: Comics

RIP: David Anthony Kraft

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David Anthony Kraft, author and publisher, died yesterday from COVID pneumonia.  Mr, Kraft was 68 or 69 (depending on the source).  

David Kraft began his career as a rock and roll journalist.  In 1974, Kraft founded Fictioneer Books which would go on to publish works by Robert E. Howard, Otis Adelbert Kline. and Jack London among others.  In 1975, he began working for Marvel Comics as editor of FOOM and later a writer on many of Marvel’s most popular characters.  Mr. Kraft also worked as a writer for DC Comics in 1976 and again in 1983/84. 

In 1983, he began publishing David Anthony Kraft’s Comics Interview.  The magazine ran for 150 issues with each issue focused on in-depth interviews with comic creators.  The magazine was a favorite with fans and pros alike.  It was a great source of background information, previews of new stories and art in those days before the internet.

My first exposure to David Anthony Kraft was through his Fictioneer Books publishing.  Dragonflame was written by Don McGregor with several illustrations by Paul Gulacy.  My favorite David Anthony Kraft comics were his Captain America stories with Mike Zeck and John Beatty.  And like so many comic fans, I was a regular reader of his Comics Interview magazine.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to David Anthony Kraft’s family, friends and fans.

“The Big Heat” – Dave Bannion by Patrick Zircher!!

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One of my favorite movies (it gets my highest recommendation) is The Big Heat.  Released the year I was born  (1958), The Big Heat was directed by Fritz Lang and starred Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby and Lee Marvin. 

I probably watch The Big Heat at least once a year.  TCM was showing it the other night.  I was checking out Twitter when the drawing above came into view.  Yes!  Patrick Zircher aka Patch must have been watching!  How cool is Patch’s take on Glenn Ford as  Dave Bannion?  Too cool not to share! 

Patch is pretty active on Twitter.  His posts are thoughtful and his art is wonderful.  Often we get both in a single helping.   

“Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story” by Jed McPherson, Marco Perugini and Shan Bennion is on Kickstarter Now!

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Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story by JED MCPHERSON (writer/ letterer), MARCO PERUGINI (artist) and SHAN BENNION (colorist) is running on  Kickstarter through June 6th.  CUDDLES is an oversized crime comic one-shot that will run 44 pages (32 page story plus additional content).  Here’s the synopsis…

Cuddles’ life ain’t too difficult. He’s got a cushy job collecting protection money for a local crime boss, but after he’s partnered up with the boss’ son, things start to go sideways. First, he finds out that his partner has been skimming off the top. Even worse, the FBI are hot on their trail. Cuddles quickly finds that he has to play all sides against each other in order to survive.

The Cuddles’ Kickstarter offers digital and physical options, prints, and add-ons which include other comics.  Below you can click on the images to see a page from Cuddles as well as the Deadbeat crime comic I added on for my order.  If you use the Cuddles’ Kickstarter link, you can check out more pages and get the full picture.  I love crime comics and am happy to support Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story by JED MCPHERSON, MARCO PERUGINI and SHAN BENNION.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter is Coming!

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It seems that everyone has heard of Charles Manson, The Boston Strangler, Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, The BTK Killer, and other infamous psychos.  Not as many folks have heard of Ed Gein.  Gein is a true life wacko who inspired Psycho (the book and film), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even The Silence of the Lambs (book and film).  Eric Powell is teaming with Harold Schechter to tell Ed Gein’s story.  Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

One of the greats in the field of true crime literature, Harold Schechter (Deviant, The Serial Killer Files, Hell’s Princess), teams with five-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Eric Powell (The Goon, Big Man Plans, Hillbilly) to bring you the tale of one of the most notoriously deranged serial killers in American history, Ed Gein.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? is an in-depth exploration of the Gein family and what led to the creation of the necrophile who haunted the dreams of 1950s America and inspired such films as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.

Painstakingly researched and illustrated, Schechter and Powell’s true crime graphic novel takes the Gein story out of the realms of exploitation and gives the reader a fact-based dramatization of these tragic, psychotic and heartbreaking events. Because, in this case, the truth needs no embellishment to be horrifying.

If this sounds like something you’d like, you can use this link to pre-order Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?

Here’s an interview with Eric Powell on the killer behind the monster in DID YOU HEAR WHAT EDDIE GEIN DONE?

Lead City by Eric Borden and Kyle Brummond on Kickstarter Now! Who’s With Me?

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Spring 1873 – Colman Cooper heads West with his wife Pearl and son Isaiah on their way to new beginnings in San Francisco. The hopes and dreams awaiting them at journey’s end are foremost in their minds as the wagon train sets out from Independence, Missouri. But the perils of the trail to California are many and exacts a heavy toll.

Falling behind the wagon train, they decide to take a southerly route to avoid the winter weather. They’re deep in the Nevada territory when this decision proves disastrous as they’re forced to ground by a deadly blizzard.

When the storm breaks, Colman spies a town on the horizon, or is it two towns? Colman knows it’s their only chance and he heads out to get help. The Cooper family is forced to seek refuge in Dugganville where they become stranded at the worst possible time. The town is host to a deadly annual contest that has attracted a collection of thieves and killers from far and wide. Without his good wife’s counsel Colman finds his way into Lead City.

Pitted against seven deadly fighters, Colman must find a way to outlast his adversaries in the anything goes, tooth and nail battle for survival. Who will win the richest prize in the West? A raven-haired pistolera with a penchant for lullabies. A jack Mormon looking for redemption. A Nepali man-of-war with a legendary blade. An Aussie sporting a mean Irish brogue and a chip on his shoulder. A Confederate guerrilla looking for a fortune. A Buffalo Soldier looking for revenge and a Shaolin Monk looking for a challenge. Ten thousand dollars goes to the best.

Before Deadwood, Before Tombstone, Before Durango there was Lead City.

Lead City is a comic series on Kickstarter,  Created by Eric Borden (writer) and Kyle Brummond (artist), Lead City looks to be a fun ride and is available in both digital and printed formats.  Additional rewards include prints, bundles and original art.  Click on the preview page above to see a larger size and then click over to the Lead City Kickstarter to see even more preview pages and your chance to get on board.  If you do, I’ve saved you a spot right next to me.  ; )

WE ARE THE TWILIGHT by Benjamin Morse on Kickstarter Now!

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We Are the Twilight, is a new 4 issue comic series created, written, drawn, colored and lettered by Benjamin Morse.  It is on Kickstarter now.  Here’s the synopsis…

Enter the story’s hero– Captain Lancet. He’s a 1930’s All-American crime buster* who accidentally creates the world’s greatest villain before waking up a century in the future. He’ll need to adjust to a strange new world– Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with some cyberpunk dystopia sprinkled in– if he wants to overthrow the totalitarian vampire cult that now dominates the future.*some of these things are not, strictly speaking, the truth.

If you’re a fan of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, Fleischer Bros Superman cartoons, Golden Age Comics or old school horror and crime stories, We Are Scarlet Twilight is made for you! I hope you’ll check it out!

Here are some preview pages.  

We Are the Twilight Kickstarter offers digital as well as individual issues. Because Morse wants to get his comic to as many people as possible, the digital issue is only two bucks. I spend more than that on daily iced coffee!

I jumped on this Kickstarter, We Are the Twilight looks like a fun ride. Click here for more info.

THE DUSK by Segura, Little & Hahn on Kickstarter Now!

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THE DUSK, is a new graphic novel created by Alex Segura & Elizabeth Little (writers) and David Hahn (artist), with Ellie Wright (colorist) and Taylor Esposito (letterer).  It is on Kickstarter now.  Here’s the synopsis…

Down below the abandoned skyscrapers and crumbling colonial architecture, beneath the buzzing lights and ragged billboards, is a fading, floundering city propped up by vice, extortion, and fear. This is BLACKSTONE—a dark, mirror image of Boston or Philadelphia. A city whose history dates back to the earliest days of our nation.

A once-mighty industrial titan—now teetering on the edge of oblivion. A city that used to mean something. Blackstone public defender Jaime Nuñez – former baseball hero, now a divorced dad to a precocious teen – is always trying to do his best. But the criminal justice system is not without limits. When Jaime comes into an unexpected fortune and some surprising, super heroic tools, he discovers there might be another, more direct way to do some actual good in the world.

Here are some preview pages.  Click on them to see a larger view.

The Dusk Kickstarter offers digital, individual issues as well as an all-in-one graphic novel. There are variant covers (Gabriel Hardman, Derek Charm, Rebekah Isaacs, Jamal Ingle, Francesco Francavilla, Howard Chaykin), t-shirts, and more that can be added on.

I jumped on this Kickstarter, The Dusk looks like a fun ride. Click here for more info.

George C. Romero’s “The Rise” – A “Night of the Living Dead” Prologue

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 George C. Romero (George Romero’s son) is teaming with Diego Yapur (pencils/inks) and DC Alonso (colors) to bring us a comic book prequel to his father’s classic Night of the Living Dead.  The new series will be published by Heavy Metal.  Romero said this about working with Heavy Metal:

“With regard to the comic, I think it’s safe to say that working with Heavy Metal has given me the unprecedented pleasure of not only staying true to my original intentions for the story, but has also given me the freedom to explore the universe and the time period in a much more detailed way than a feature film script ever could.”

I’ll definitely want to check this series out.  Syfy.com has a four page preview and short interview with Romero in their post GEORGE C. ROMERO RESURRECTS ‘NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’ WITH NEW PROLOGUE COMIC ‘THE RISE’.