L.A. Festival of Books

REVIEWS: My Adventures with Superman

Let It Be Re-Release

Great Comics: Jack B. Quick

Website Update X.0

Though not a major redesign, I just tweaked my website a bit to make it easier to buy my recent comics releases and trade paperbacks right from the front page, with a new header and bold hero image up top—the webstore still has the full catalog.

While I don't consider my skills much beyond an advanced beginner, I'm nevertheless proud of my web design skills that have allowed me to create and maintain my own website. I'm completely self taught and first began playing with html and created my wcgcomics.com website in 1998. In 2009, I rebuilt the site from the ground up in html/CSS format. Then in 2019, I re-designed the website, still using CSS format, and in 2022, migrated the entire site into WordPress, which also made it more mobile-friendly. (After this last transition, I posted a blog with a more comprehensive history of this journey.)

With the recent changes, my goal is to make the sale of my comics the focus of the website, without having to click to a second page to the webstore. The site also serves a promotional site as well as a repository of sorts of my announcements, publishing history, convention appearances and signings, etc. this information is all still there, but slightly less front and center. As for the news and announcements, they're still posted at the website, but of course, only after they've been posted on my various social media accounts. 

Other long term goals in upgrading my website include making it more of an open fluid graphic design and integrating a more modern payment system into my website. As to the former, my website is already fluid and mobile friendly, but my current format still adheres to a classic magazine-style web format—a more dynamic format looks more modern. As to the payment system—while my PayPal program of customized purchase buttons work fine, it's considered outdated integration technology. That said, the new integrated systems have, so far, been a bit beyond my current technological and coding abilities. 

Anway, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I do also enjoy the process of web design and coding. I'm glad I've been able to keep my skills and website fairly current to support my comics publishing and selling.

Ed Piskor RIP

I was saddened—and like most people, a bit shocked—to hear of the passing of cartoonist and podcaster Ed Piskor on April 1.

Though Piskor has been an active and prolific professional cartoonist for many years, I only stumbled across him during the pandemic, through his podcast/YouTube channel, Cartoonist Kayfabe, produced with his partner and fellow cartoonist Jim Rugg. I didn't think I'd cotton to what initially felt like a "bro vibe" on the show, but I soon came to appreciate their deep and broad knowledge, love and respect for comics and cartooning history and a wide array of comics genres and styles, from Robert Crumb, to Image, to Moebius/Jean Girard, Dick Tracy and more. Their podcasts were diverse, ranging from appreciations and overviews of specific comics and magazines, comics history and of  cartoonists and characters. They also conducted interviews of many great figures from comics, such as Todd McFarlane and Gary Groth. While Rugg seemed the more genial and diplomatic of the two (and a family man), Piskor came off as more of a blue collar bad boy/rebel with a strong Hip Hop vibe. But though it was certainly part of his authentic and genuine self, his enthusiasm and passion always came through, and even when citing work he didn't necessarily like, he never came off as rude or mean-spirited. They were very prolific podcasters—although I didn't listen to them religiously, their channel was a go-to when I was looking for something to listen to and watch while drawing.

What I partly admired about the show was what started as an exercise for the two friends and fellow pros to talk about comics as they no doubt did all the time in private, it clearly turned into a great promotional tool. Their subscriber base was very devoted and they were successful in mobilizing them to support and order their comics through traditional comic book stores and online. More power to them! In fact, in 2023, I even sent both a sample of my comics to put me on their radar. 

Piskor particularly seemed to be incredibly hard working and prolific. A Kubert School for Cartooning alum, I appreciated that he made no bones about the fact that he may not have been the most naturally gifted artist and cartoonist, but he certainly worked hard on his craft, showing that commitment and discipline can go a long way (the fact that he did this while also producing a podcast on a regular schedule was particularly admirable).

At left: When I visited the Fantagraphics Comics bookstore back in October 2023, I took this photo of a bookshelf that featured Piskor's work.

When news emerged of the allegations of misconduct and grooming came to light, I was saddened and disappointed. But, of course, not having any personal connection or familiarity with Piskor or the situation, I felt no need to weigh in or express an opinion and, like I would with any developing news story, waited to see how it would play out as more information emerged.

On April 1, when I first heard news of his death, my initial thought was that it might be some kind of sick April Fool's joke. But quick verification proved it was not.

Regardless of the truth, of course, Piskor and no one else deserved this kind of end or the kind of social media (and traditional media) pressure he received. I do agree that, ultimately, it was Piskor's decision and actions that led to his passing...but it may also have been a reflection of personal mental health issues as well as the fact that his self-identity was so wrapped up and defined by his profession.

In recent days, just by chance, some of their shows looking at the work of French cartoonist Moebius popped up on my feed recently, which I watched. Listening to them express their appreciation of Moebius was a joy and informative—though not much of what they observed was new to me, they helped me look at the work with fresh eyes, with a level of admiration and enthusiasm that was infectious. It's not clear whether Rugg plans to continue the channel in some way on his own, but Piskor, and his chemistry with Piskor, will be greatly missed.

Below: A sample of their show. 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

With a new season of baseball underway, it's a perfect time to highlight issue 10 of Rob Hanes Adventures! My pitch for the story (no pun intended): the one where Rob goes undercover on a minor league baseball team to investigate steroid use and gets more obsessed with trying to get a hit and on base than solving the case, leaving all of the work to his partner, Abner McKenna!

As this all suggests, this issue's story, titled "The Pride of the Chickenhawks," was a change of pace from my usual brand of globetrotting adventure, reflecting my interest in doing different kinds of stories. I'm glad that the series and characters give me the flexibility to play in different genres. This issue is as much a sports story (and comedy) as it is a mystery. The climax sequence involves a nail biter of a game that was fun to map out to suit my story needs, culminating with Rob (quite inadvertently) solving the case at the end with a clutch hit!

I loved capturing the feel and atmosphere of a ball park and game. It was also fun to design team logos—at the time, I had fairly recently started using digital drawing applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, which were invaluable in dropping in logos where needed throughout the issue, and placing the player names and numbers on the uniforms.

Sources of inspiration and reference for the story were Will Eisner's Baseball Comics (from 1949, but re-issued by Kitchen Sink in 1991, which were already in my personal collection), as well as a syndicated comic strip called Ozark Ike, which ran from 1949–58, by Ray Gotto. Gotto's strip is beautiful, tight work and his use of extreme perspective really makes the play action pop, which influenced my work in my own story—I've included samples of his strip in the gallery. Baseball films also were on my mind as I developed the story, particularly The Natural and The Pride of the Yankees (where, of course, I lifted the story's name), a favorite "male weepie" since childhood about Yankee legend Lou Gehrig, starring Gary Cooper.

Partly because it represents such a change of pace, I often cite and show off this issue when I exhibit to demonstrate the breadth of the series. The issue also got a bit of recognition when it was included in Tony Isabella's 1000 Comic Books You Must Read, from 2009!

WonderCon 2024 is in the books!

See You at WonderCon 2024!

Starting this Friday, I'll be at WonderCon 2024, booth #2183, at the Anaheim Convention Center, March 29–31! I'm sharing space at the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) booth. I'll have all back issues and a preview of Rob Hanes Adventures #25!

See you on the other side!

Hot Potato, Hot Potato

One thing I discovered when I became a parent was that a whole world existed I was totally unaware of until the kids came along, particularly in children’s entertainment. Sure, in later years my daughter watched the Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, Shake It Up, and Drake and Josh (and, even later, High School the Musical), as well as films like Sharkboy and Lava Girl, and Spy Kids.

But before them were the Wiggles. I remember first catching their show with my young children and later telling my wife, “I saw this weird children’s show where four grown men with Australian accents sing songs and do silly skits.”

Often referred to as the Beatles for toddlers, the group originally was made up four lads dressed in different colors to make them easily identifiable—Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt, Greg Page, and Murray Cook. Initially musicians (two of them had performed in a band with a bit of a cult following called The Cockroaches), most of the members had training and backgrounds in child development.

Though they started in their native Australia, on the strength of the popularity of their children's show and the catchiness of signature songs like “Hot Potato,” "Wake Up Jeff“ and Fruit Salad” that entertained parents as much as their pre-school target audience, they soon became an international phenomenon, eventually invading the U.S. Indeed, our household amassed quite a collection of their shows on VHS and then DVD. We even went to one of their concerts at the now-gone Universal Ampitheatre at Universal City, here in L.A. in 2007. (We saw Weird Al Yankovic there!)

As an aside, I remember feeling seen when the tv show 30 Rock did an episode featuring a kids group called “The Woggels,” who a character on the show, Jenna Maroney (played by Jane Krakowski), tries to “Yoko,” i.e., break up the band by hooking up with one of the members.

Anyway, I recently watched a 2023 documentary about the group that dropped on Prime called, Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles, which included their participation in clips and as talking heads. They’re older, of course, and in fact due to both serious illness and age, only one remains active with the group, though there have been periodic reunions of the original quartet. (While some people were understandably upset when cast changes occurred, since their primary audience is children, they have the advantage of finding a fresh audience every 3-5 years.) To their credit, they’ve also pointedly brought more diversity and inclusion to the show, adding members and supporting characters who are women, people of color, and even non-binary—the documentary covers some of the inevitable griping they received from certain quarters when the changes were announced.

Of course, once my kids outgrew them, I lost touch with them as well, but it was wonderful to catch up with them, see that they’ve remained a success, and revisit nice memories connected to my kids’ childhood and early years as a parent—they definitely were a part of that.

Exhibiting at WonderCon 2024

I'm happy to announce that I’ll be at Booth 2183 at WonderCon 2024, sharing space at the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) booth!

As always, all back issues of Rob Hanes Adventures will be available, along with preview pages from the upcoming milestone 25th issue of the series–a story made up entirely of “Sunday” pages, where Rob goes back to 1930s China and meets many of the classic soldier of fortune characters that inspired the series! Come by and say hi!

Culver Studios Legacy

Will Eisner Week 2024

That's a Wrap!

Had a great time as the guest on That Silverline Show on Tuesday last night. My thanks to hosts Tim T.K., Jose Fuentes, Kasisi D. Harris, and David Rios for a fun time, and the opportunity to talk shop and to answer questions about the creative process and my comic-book series, Rob Hanes Adventures.

If you missed it, it's available on their YouTube channel. I’m told I even sounded coherent!

 

That Tuesday Night Show on Silverline!

I'm the guest this Tuesday night on That Silverline Show on Tuesday, on the Silverline Comics YouTube channel on March 5 @ 8pm PST/11pm EST.

Hear about my action-adventure comic-book series, Rob Hanes Adventures, my several decades self-publishing and producing comics, my Inkpot Award, and more!

See you there!

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Valentine's Day Post

Update on Rob Hanes Adventures #25

I’m entering the home stretch of the milestone 25th issue of Rob Hanes Adventures, where Rob goes back to the 1930s for a story that teams him up with other soldiers-of-fortune from the era who readers familiar with classic comics may recognize—and even if you don’t, it’ll still be a fun ride!

In tribute to the era, each page is a complete “Sunday page.” It’s a fun exercise that’s required a slightly different rhythm and beat, where each page contains a complete sequence, ending with a mini-cliffhanger or punchline. It’s also one of my longer stories in awhile, and I look forward to its release this summer. Whether the story is “real” or “imaginary,” readers will have to decide!

Meanwhile, I’m also already looking ahead to the issue that follows (#26)—it’s not only another change of pace for the series, but pretty much a complete 180 degree turn from issue 25. In fact, one could say it takes Rob from the jazz age to the space age—but ‘nuff said for now, I’ll keep it at that!

Oh, and here's a bit of trivia—that classic old-school "Rob Hanes" logo was designed and gifted to me as a surprise by comic book writer and classic adventure comics fan Kurt Busiek back in the '90s!

A Really Big Shew...

Today is the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ splashy introduction to the U.S. on the Ed Sullivan Show! I was about 15 days shy of my 2nd birthday—and more significantly, it was my brother’s first birthday (so happy birthday to him)!

Though I was too young to see or remember their debut (my dad reportedly had a repairman come out quickly to fix our tv so that he and my mom could watch the show), I've nevertheless been a huge fan of anything Beatles my whole life and imprinted on them early. Just a few years after their Sullivan debut, we badgered our parents and received their Capitol Records Early Beatles’ compilation album (as seen in the accompanying photos). Then when I was five, an uncle came home bearing the newly-released Sgt. Pepper album for us—their new look totally puzzled to us. There were other touchstones—hearing Meet the Beatles at a family party; seeing Let It Be in a local store; discovering the Abbey Road album at the apartment of our aunt and her cool groovy roommate; staying up late way past our bedtimes (with our parents' permission) when we discovered a local channel was playing Help!; and going to the first revival moviehouse we ever went to in order to watch a double bill of A Hard Days Night and Help!.

By our teens (which technically was after the band broke up), we had a full collection of Beatles albums. So, yes, the Beatles were a big presence in my childhood and throughout my life.

When I was in college in the ‘80s, the university I attended screened that Sullivan episode of the Beatles’ appearance—I realize now that was in 1984, to mark the 20th anniversary of their appearance! And now here we are marking the 60th.

Quite a few years back, I picked up the DVD pictured in the photo gallery that contained the first four appearances of the Beatles on Sullivan, from 1964-65. (As many know, Davy Jones also performed on the same show the Beatles made their first appearance—the cast of the Broadway musical “Oliver!” performed in that broadcast, with Jones as as the Artful Dodger.)

Update: I rewatched those Sullivan episodes. As I mentioned to my wife, it's amazing what passed for entertainment in those days lol. That said, I recognize that tastes (and humor changes). But I have to say, I found most of the acts unwatchable and couldn't sit through them, even for the nostalgia factor. 

It Was a Very Good Year...

REVIEWS: Blue Eye Samurai

I’m enjoying a lot of great series and films right now, but one that’s totally captured my attention and admiration at the moment is Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix.

Yes, it’s got an impressive voice cast, including Randall Park, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Masa Oka, George Takei, Ming-Na Wen, Maya Erskine, Brenda Song, and Kenneth Branagh. But the writing, animation (by a French company), storytelling, production design, staging, fight choreography, and more, are all also topnotch across the board—the series is stylish, emotionally complex and engaging, full of twists and surprises, and conveys a strong sense of place and environment. The fairly graphic sexual content and explicit fight scenes—still done with taste and style (mostly lol)—also puts it into solid adult/R-rated territory. Japanese art and culture—both traditional and more recent pop culture ranging from Kurosawa to Lone Wolf and Cub—are all clearly part of its DNA.

Though it focuses on a warrior—who is mixed race and, as such, seen as a demon and outcast—seeking personal revenge in Edo era Japan, a time when the country had closed itself from the outside world (approximately the early 1600s to late 1860s), the series is also set against the larger canvas of the political rivalries of the time involving rival clans and a bit of European/Western incursion. It also touches on other issues, such as gender identity and inequity. One of the pleasures of the show is watching changing alliances and finding friends in unexpected places. There also are moments of comedy to lighten the mood. The warrior, of course, has a comic sidekick—an other abled character voiced by Oka. I’ve even been struck by the music—from traditional score, to traditional Japanese gagaku music, to Metallica, and a bloody fight scene that used what sounded like a rollicking Japanese rockabilly song as the underscore. One entire episode presented the story in real time, intercut with it being told in retrospect as a stylized kabuki play(!).

I don’t want to give away much more of the story since the way it unfolds and reveals back stories is part of the fun, but I’m two episodes from the end, and so blown away by its brilliance and art. (It’s already been renewed for a second season).

Remembering Carl Weathers

Happy 95th Birthday, Jules Feiffer

I’m a little late, but I wanted to mark the 95th birthday (on Jan. 26th) of cartoonist, author, children’s book writer, comics historian, playwright, and screenwriter Jules Feiffer! 

I’ve always been aware of Feiffer when I was growing up, occasionally seeing his Feiffer strip that appeared in the Village Voice. And like many people my age, he introduced me to golden age comic book work through his seminal book, The Great Comic Book Heroes (1965), which I came across in the '70s. Though I was familiar with most of the classic comic book heroes featured, it was through this book that I first learned of the Spirit by Will Eisner—with whom Feiffer famously got his start in comics as an assistant (and eventually a writer) on the series, which ran as a syndicated Sunday newspaper comic book insert from 1940 to 1952.* About 10 years ago, I also read Feiffer's wonderful memoir, Backing Into Forward, which I reviewed here. It was a great read, though I initially read it out of curiosity about his years in Eisner’s shop!

The Great Comic Book Heroes also served as a bit of an early personal memoir for him—I loved how he included a cover shot of one of his own home made comics made as a child (included in the accompanying photo gallery), which was a comfort knowing I wasn’t the only one who did that!

I had the opportunity to see and meet Feiffer in 1994 when he spoke as part of an "American Comix" lecture series sponsored by the Los Angeles Central Public Library. Afterwards, when I asked him to sign my copy of his book, The Man on the Ceiling, I brought up an anecdote from The Great Comic Book Heroes—one of his first assignments as Eisner’s assistant was signing the artist’s name on the stories, claiming he was immediately better than Eisner himself. So Feiffer chuckled when I asked him to sign in Eisner’s name, inscribing my book, “Jules Feiffer aka Will Eisner.”)

Feiffer is an old-school lefty, who came of age professionally during a heady time in New York when the city was still the center of much of the art, entertainment and publishing worlds. Intellectuals, playwrights, actors, movie directors and, yes, cartoonists like Feiffer mingled and cross-pollinated at parties and salons in those days. On stage, he worked with people like Alan Arkin, and on film, Mike Nichols (Carnal Knowledge) and Robert Altman (Popeye). (I recently rewatched a documentary about Nichols and May, and was delighted to see Feiffer included among the talking heads throughout the piece.)

Feiffer is a talented hyphenated artist, but proudly a cartoonist first—in his twilight years he has returned to producing graphic novels, being one of the first to dabble in the form, with 1979’s Tantrum.

I’ve heard that Feiffer also wrote a never-produced screenplay for a film adaption of Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates—that screenplay has always been a bit of a holy grail of mine.

Anyway, happy birthday to one of the greats.

Revisiting the Rocketeer

I recently re-watched The Rocketeer, a film that still stands up and I've always enjoyed. Though the movie never quite manages to kick into high gear, it's fun and well done, nicely capturing the spirit and charm of creator-writer-artist's Dave Stevens' original comic book series. (The movie turned out to be director Joe Johnston's calling card for Captain America: The First Avenger, which shares a similar milieu.)

I followed it by pulling the graphic novel collection of the original comic book series off my bookshelf to re-read and savor Stevens' great writing and art.

It also turned out to be the perfect time to watch the documentary, Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, a great overview of his life and career, which recently became available on Prime. Though I know many of the talking heads in the documentary and often saw Stevens at his booth at San Diego Comic-Con, I never found the opportunity to meet Stevens personally (he tragically passed away in 2008 due to a rare form of leukemia).

An interesting side note: in December 1991, following The Rocketeer's release in June, I went to see Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at the Mann National Theater in Westwood (in L.A., now closed and torn down)—actors Bill Campell and Jennifer Connelly, who were dating at the time, sat in the seats in front of me!

Visit to Capitol Records

For the first time since moving to L.A. more than 40 years ago, I visited the storied Capitol Records building in Hollywood, located on Vine Street, near the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Vine.

Late last year, while I happened to be driving past the iconic structure in the middle of the work day, on a sudden impulse, I decided to stop and check it out up close. It helped that I immediately found a metered parking spot across the street, making the visit pretty easy and straightforward.

Although I learned there's no public street entrance into the building—access appears to be through a private garage with a security entrance—I was thrilled to discover the Hollywood Walk of Fame Stars for the individual Beatles all in a row, appropriately placed near the building's base, as seen in the video at the bottom of this post. Nearby were stars for Joan Crawford, Bob Dylan and Buddy Holly.

I reside less than 10 miles from Hollywood (and only need to take local streets), but going there sometimes feels like a big production and hassle due to traffic, parking, and because it's so touristy.

That said, I've visited Hollywood many times for shows (such as at the Pantages and Kodak Theaters), dinner (including Musso and Frank's), movies (the original Graumann's Chinese Theater), and drinks (with my wife); and shopped at Amoeba Records. In all those years, however, it never really registered with me how close I'd often been to the building, since it's just around the corner from the Pantages and a block from Amoeba. So I'm glad I finally swung by!

REVIEW: The Boys in the Boat

Saw The Boys in the Boat in the movie theater this past week. I read the book last year (by Daniel James Brown) and learned afterwards that George Clooney was directing the movie adaptation. So I made a point to see it in a theater. The book and film tell the inspiring story of the underdog junior varsity 8-man crew team from the University of Washington that came out of nowhere to win the West Coast regional college championship and then the national championship regatta on the East Coast (beating national powerhouses like Penn State and the Ivy League schools), earning the right to compete in the 1936 Olympics—the games held in Berlin that Hitler used as a propaganda showcase.

Like the book, the film is primarily told from the point of view of real-life rower Joe Rantz. A true product of the Depression, he was abandoned by his family when he was around 14 and forced to fend for himself. Many of his fellow rowers faced similar tough challenges, in contrast to those programs with athletes from more affluent families and better funded programs and schools. Rantz’s personal story is incredibly harrowing and amazing, making the success he found as a rower and later in life all the more inspiring.

While the film doesn’t follow the details of the story closely, it certainly does in spirit, through scenes that touch on or hint at the backstories. The book provides fuller portrayals of the other individuals who took part in these events, including the other rowers and the coaches, but they nevertheless are touched upon here and the actors (particularly Joel Edgerton and James Wold as the coaches) do great jobs bringing them to life. As I watched the film, I actually thought the full story might have worked better as a limited streaming series. The film also makes great hay in the climactic final race as the underdog American rowers face off against the competing teams from other countries, including the favored Germans, egged on by chants of "Deutschland! Deutschland!" (And, yes, the Fuhrer attends the race.)

As an aside, a few years back, I read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, about the harrowing story of World War II POW survivor Louis Zamperini (Angelina Jolie directed the film adaptation, but I’ve never seen it). For me, the two books are complementary—like Rantz, Zamperini also competed at the 1936 Olympics, in track and field, where Zamperini had quite the personal experience (he was nearly arrested trying to steal a Nazi flag on display lol). Presumably because of this, Zamperini is briefly mentioned in The Boys in the Boat book as one of the passengers aboard the ship carrying the U.S. Olympics Team to Europe. So I wondered whether, as a nod, he might have a cameo in the film—he doesn't, but the ‘36 Olympics breakout star, Jesse Owens, is acknowledged, as he is in both books. Owens even has a line in the film when the crew team encounters him during the Games' opening ceremony.

Though I'm a fan of Clooney, I've always found his work as a director to be competent, though not exceptional. But it's hard to miss with such an underdog, inspirational feel-good story that hits the expected notes for these kinds of inspirational sports biopics, so I greatly enjoyed the film, particularly since I had read the book. I also thought it was beautifully shot, which made me glad I saw it on the big screen! I also learned that the lead in the film, Callum Turner, will be appearing in another period piece around the same era, as he’s billed as the co-lead with Austin Butler in the upcoming Masters of the Air mini-series set to stream soon on Apple+, another series under the Band of Brothers mantle.