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Ditko content worth exploring

Over the past few years I've been honored to write about the work of one of the most important, unique and distinctive artists in the world of comics - Mr. Steve Ditko - in DitkoMania. Rob Imes has been editing the revived publication, which was originated by Bill Hall. Rob's fanzine is a labor of love, and I like the fact that it is "home grown", put together the old fashioned way, with scissors, tape and tender loving care. Rob decides what to include, and his approach has been entertaining and thoughtful. While Rob has theme issues that often focus on Ditko's earlier work, he also reviews Ditko's latest output. I'm also in great company, sharing space with folks like Barry Pearl, Jason Sacks, Bruce Buchanan, Javier Hernandez, Dave Sim, Mort Todd, Batton Lash and Michael T. Gilbert (to name a few). DitkoMania has well thought out articles, wonderful artwork and a lively letters page. It's a real bargain, and I encourage anyone who enjoys the work of Steve Ditko to give it a try. You won't be disappointed.   

   http://www.ditko-fever.com/dmreturns.html

You can also read some reviews of earlier issues of DitkoMania at this site:

http://poopsheetfoundation.com/blog/2011/09/14/ditkomania-81-edited-by-rob-imes/

I think they're quite insightful.


Robin Snyder has been publishing a newsletter entitled The Comics for decades (yes, decades!), and it is always filled with interesting articles by pros (Ditko has contributed many essays over the years, detailing his involvement on Spider-Man. Essential reading for those interested in comics history), letters and artwork on all facets of comic books.  Robin produces a unique publication that centers on the positive aspects of the medium. Like Rob, his newsletter is a solo effort, and his output has been phenomenal. How he put together 12 issues a year, while also publishing the latest work of Mr. S. Ditko (lately on a Bi-Monthly basis) is beyond me. I would be remiss if I didn't add another important fact: Robin is one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to correspond with. I salute him!  Try a sample issue, and tell him Nick Caputo sent you! You can also order Ditko's latest output from Robin, as well as much of the work he has produced with Robin over the years, including gems like Static and the Mocker.   


http://ditkocultist.com/periodicals/order-the-comics/


These are impressive, small press publications that deserve attention. They stand out in a sea of slick publications (although mags like Roy Thomas' Alter Ego, still has the same enthusiastic feel they began with, and Roy is another class act).  I hope fanzines such as Rob and Robin's continue to surprise and thrill me for many years to come.       

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More Kirby War: Battle

For my 50th post (I never thought I'd make it this far!) I will examine the 10 stories Jack Kirby produced for Battle , an Atlas comic that originated in 1951 and ceased publication in 1960.   In 1959, concurrent with his output on monster, western and romance stories, Kirby was assigned a number of compelling war stories. Based on a thorough reading it appears that Kirby scripted as well as drew many of the pre-1960 stories (an examination of possible scripts in other genre stories will appear at a later date). There are many similarities in style, tone, emphasis of words, phrases, use of quotation marks and sound effects that point to Kirby’s input. I will focus on these patterns as I go through each story.     "Action on Quemoy!" Battle # 64, June 1959, Jack Kirby story ? Kirby pencils; Christopher Rule inks, Job # T-266. The opening narration is similar to the style Kirby often employed; a long paragraph of exposition (which would be seen...

The OTHER Kirby Rawhide Kid cover

Following up on my last post I've found  another alternate Jack Kirby western cover, this time featuring the Rawhide Kid. Kirby and Lee created a new Rawhide Kid when  the title was revived with issue 17, August 1960. Aided greatly by the original Rawhide Kid's artist, Dick Ayers, on inks, the new Kid was a success - a veritable James Cagney tough-guy in the west. Kirby worked on the strip for 16 issues, pulled away once he became more important on the super-heroes. He was followed by Jack Davis, Dick Ayers, Jack Keller and, for the longest run, Larry Lieber, who wrote and drew the strip continuously (with occasional fill-in stories by Dick Ayers, Werner Roth, and Paul Reinman) from # 42, October 1964, until # 115, April 1973 when it went all-reprint. Rawhide Kid finally rode into the sunset with issue # 151, May 1979. Rawhide Kid # 20, Feb 1961, Kirby pencils; Dick Ayers inks Issue #20 ...

Just a short note:

Kid's Stuff RETURNS! That's right! Starting on Monday, The Crapbox begins its annual march to Christmas with twice a week (maybe more?) reviews of comics aimed squarely at the younger set. We'll put the FORGOTTEN HEROES back in the Crapbox, but something tells me they won't be in there for long. Too many good ones got away without a review for me to not revisit that stack sometime early 2019.  However, there will be a slight change to Kid's Stuff this year. In the past I've focused Kid's Stuff on toy tie-ins, but this year I thought I'd do something a little different. While there are still MOUNDS of toys and video game comics floating around in the Crapbox, I thought we could tackle a different set of books. As a change of pace, so to speak. That's why this year I'll be digging out comics that were spinoffs of new or old kid's cartoons. I'm dubbing this year's run up to Christmas " Kid's Stuff: Saturday Morning Cartoon Ed...