Category: Comics

The Best Noir Comics

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Eddie Muller (Host of TCM’s Noir Alley) and Michael Kronenberg (Designer/Artist for the Film Noir Foundation) posted their choices for the Top Ten Noir Comics.  Their list is a good one as you can see above.

I’ve read 8 of their top 10 only missing out on Crime Suspense Stories (their first choice!) and Blacksad.   I’ve heard great things about both and plan to check them out at some point.

My top three (in alpha order) would be:

  • Chandler by Steranko
  • Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
  • Richard Stark’s Parker adapted by Darwyn Cooke.

If you’re a fan of crime fiction/noir, then check them out.  I’d also add one more.  That would be Frank Miller’s Sin City yarns and I’d start with The Hard Goodbye.

Andy Smith’s “Dynamic Hero Templates”

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My buddy, Andy Smith has been a working professional artist for over 25 years.  He’s worked for all the major companies and equally impressive; Andy has been the author and artist on several “how-to” books on drawing super-heroes  and comics.

Andy’s latest book is on Kickstarter and is titled, Dynamic Hero Templates.  The 48 page book is 11″ x 8.5″ in a landscape format.  It features 8 varying male physiques so there’s a variety of body shapes to use to design your characters.

Andy created Dynamic Hero Templates for all ages and skill levels.  He also priced the book at $10 which is not only affordable but less than the $12.95 price point after his Kickstarter ends.  If you missed out on Andy’s earlier books or are a fan of his art, there are addition levels of support that will get you exactly what you crave.  Dynamic Hero Templates also would make an excellent gift!

Ken Meyer, Jr. Presents Adams, Kirby, Kane, Frazetta and More!

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Ken Meyer, Jr. presents a monthly column called Ink Stains. In the column Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts a fanzine from his collection.  Here’s Ken…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

In Ink Stains 114, Ken shares with us Gaslite #10 which is a fantastic fanzine.  Gaslite #10 is filled to the rim with talent and features a cover by R. Crumb, Jack Kirby art and interview, a Dick Giordano interview, Frank Frazetta sketch, Klaus Janson spot illo, Neal Adams art and interview, Kirby and Dan Adkins full-pager, Bill Gaines interview, Vaughn Bode art and interview, Isaac Asimov interview, Gil Kane backpiece and more.

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

Steranko Fanzine Art and More!

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Ken Meyer, Jr. presents a monthly column called Ink Stains. In the column Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts a fanzine from his collection.  Here’s Ken…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

In Ink Stains 112, Ken shares with us Comic Crusader #14 which is another amazing issue.  Comic Crusader #14 features a cover by Dennis Fujitake and Bill Black, more Fujitake and Black art as well as art by Don Newton, Martin Greim, Jack Kirtby, Steve Ditko,  a full pager by Steranko, articles, stories and more!  What a classic fanzine.

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

Maberry’s & Milnes V-Wars: God of Death Preview!

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Jonathan Maberry’s V-Wars is being adapted into a Netflix series starting this fall.  V-Wars concerns humans facing a potential apocalypse not of zombies but of vampires!

As a companion piece and direct tie-in to the V-Wars series, creator Maberry and IDW Publishing are teaming up once more for a fanged foray into this horrific universe with the V-Wars: God of Death one-shot coming to comic shops May 29.

If this sounds like something you’d like SyfyWire has an advanced look: EXCLUSIVE: THE VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE GETS REAL IN IDW’S V-WARS: GOD OF DEATH.

The “Stumptown” Trailer is Here!

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The Stumptown trailer is here and the synopsis is below.

Based on the “Stumptown” graphic novel series, follows Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders) as a strong, assertive, and sharp-witted army veteran with a complicated love life, gambling debt, and a brother to take care of in Portland, Oregon. Her military intelligence skills make her a great P.I., but her unapologetic style puts her in the firing line of hardcore criminals and not quite in alliance with the police.

Ken Meyer, Jr. Presents Steranko, Ditko, Black, Greim and Much More!

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Ken Meyer, Jr. presents a monthly column called Ink Stains. In the column Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts a fanzine from his collection.  Here’s Ken…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

In Ink Stains 109, Ken shares with us Comic Crusader #13 which is amazing considering the talent this fanzine contains.  Comic Crusader #13 features a cover by Jim Steranko (!), an illo by Steranko inked by Bill Black, a 19 page story written & illustrated by Marty Greim, a Bill Black full page illo (plus spot illos  by Wild Bill), an 8 page Mr. A story written an illustrated by Steve Ditko (!), a Gil Kane back cover and much more!  What a classic fanzine.

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

Brubaker & Phillips Have a Bad Weekend

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been killing it with their Criminal stories.  Coming on July 16th…

… JUST IN TIME FOR CONVENTION SEASON-the ultimate comic con crime tale!

Comics won’t just break your heart.

Comics will just kill you.

Hal Crane should know, he’s been around since practically the beginning. Stuck at an out-of-town convention, waiting to receive a lifetime achievement award, Hal’s weekend takes us on a dark ride through the secret history of a medium that’s always been haunted by crooks, swindlers, and desperate dreamers.

BAD WEEKEND – the story some are already calling the comic of the year from its serialization in CRIMINAL #2 and 3-has been expanded, with several new scenes added and remastered into a hardcover graphic novel, in the same format as BRUBAKER and PHILLIPS’ (KILL OR BE KILLED, FATALE, CRIMINAL) bestselling MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES. This gorgeous package is a must-have, an evergreen graphic novel every true comics fan will want to own.

Collects CRIMINAL #2-3 with expanded content.

Criminal: Bad Weekend is available for pre-order now!