In 1975, Jack Kirby found himself at a crossroads. His five-year contract with DC Comics was coming to an end. It had been an intensely creative and frustrating period for the artist and Kirby made the difficult decision to return to Marvel, the company he helped make famous in the 1960s. Kirby signed a three-year... Continue Reading →
San Diego Comic-Con is looming large in some of our lives, and I will once again be presenting a Tales From My Spinner Rack LIVE! panel. This year’s topic is “1975: Kirby Returns to Marvel,” and I’ll be teaming up with Kirby experts Mark Evanier (author, Kirby King of Comics) and John Morrow, editor-publisher of... Continue Reading →
Yep, Comic-Con is right around the corner (July 23-26, with Preview Night on July 22, at the San Diego Convention Center) and both Tales From My Spinner Rack! and I will be front-and-center (sorta) once again! "The Stories Behind Cover Story: Six Decades of Comic-Con" • Comic-Con Museum • Wednesday, July 22, 10:30 AM First... Continue Reading →
Just in case you missed my appearance on the San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog's first SDConCast of their 15th (!) season, you can now watch it right here, right now, through the wonders of technology! Once again, the nice people at the Unofficial Blog (Kerry and James), teamed me up with my friend and fount... Continue Reading →
It’s Comicon season once again, with at least three major cons in the past month or so, I thought this would be the perfect time to look back at some of my earliest convention—and comic fandom—memories! Tales From My Spinner Rack Episode 30: "Comicon Memories Part 1: The New York Years," chronicles that long-ago time!... Continue Reading →
Tales From My Spinner Rack LIVE! returns to WonderCon on Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 PM in Room 209. I'll be joined by WonderCon special guest Mark Evanier as we take a deep dive into the artistic history of Batman in honor of his 87th birthday on March 30, the date when Detective Comics 27... Continue Reading →
Thanks to everyone who joined me for the first-ever Tales From My Spinner Rack livestream! I had a very enjoyable hour and 15 minutes chat with a lot of great questions, ranging from my comics collection to my years with San Diego Comic-Con, and other conventions I attended. I even got a few good ideas... Continue Reading →
On July 24, 2025, Tales From My Spinner Rack! debuted a brand-new, graphics-filled presentation at Comic-Con International: San Diego in celebration of the premiere weekend of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps. “Our Favorite Fantastic Four Covers by Jack Kirby” took panel attendees back in time to view all 101 Fantastic... Continue Reading →
Normally at this time of year, I do a blog post chronicling my Comic-Con experience. Well, vlogging is the new blogging, so here’s a visual essay of “Everything I Got at Comic-Con!” including comic books, graphic novels, magazines, and even a Wookie! This is a different kind of Tales From My Spinner Rack! video, focusing... Continue Reading →
The big week is here ... it's time for Comic-Con 2025 and wow, talk about double the pleasure, double the fun (and you know me … fun is my middle name) … I will be on TWO panels this year! The first is Tales From My Spinner Rack LIVE!, based on my YouTube channel, on... Continue Reading →
Tales From My Spinner Rack LIVE! returns to Comic-Con International with a special panel presentation looking back at “Our Favorite Fantastic Four Covers by Jack Kirby” from the artist’s run on the title from 1961 through 1970! The panel will be on Thursday, July 24 at 12:00 PM in Room 9. Moderator Gary Sassaman will... Continue Reading →
Jim Shooter died on Monday, June 30 of esophageal cancer. He was supposed to appear at HeroesCon last weekend, but word quickly spread that he was very ill. The one-time editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics was a controversial figure in the industry to say the least, and I’m sure just about every obituary you’ll read about... Continue Reading →
Watch the Season 14 premiere of SDConCast, the official podcast of the San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog, kicking off this season with its annual tradition featured special guest, moderator extraordinaire and writer, Mark Evanier (newsfromme.com). But there’s a twist! Also joining iwas returning guest Gary Sassaman (that's me!), former director of multiple departments at Comic-Con... Continue Reading →
IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME! Join me at WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center, March 28-30 for Tales From My Spinner Rack LIVE! featuring the world premiere of my latest episode titled, “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” on Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 PM in Room 209. Take a nostalgic look back at Stan Lee and Jack... Continue Reading →
Today marks the fourth anniversary of my retirement. Cue the golden sunset (pictured above). Back in 2021, just after I retired from an almost 21-year career at San Diego Comic-Con, I wrote this post, which I’ve just re-read. The thing that stands out most for me (besides the fact I worked pretty much for 44... Continue Reading →
