Slowed a bit down in October for a number of reasons, but I did enjoy everything I read. Dead Lions by Mick Herron • 4 Stars on GoodreadsThis is the second book in the Slough House series by author Mick Herron, which form the basis for the the Apple TV show Slow Horses which I... Continue Reading →
I have certainly gotten my reading mojo back. Ten books in August, and here’s seven more I’ve read in almost my favorite month, September. The start of fall is also the start of "Book Season," and I have planned a trip to one of my favorite book towns in the U.S. in my favorite month,... Continue Reading →
Tales From My Spinner Rack! Episode 35, titled “Secret Hearts: DC Romance Comics by John Romita,” tells the story of the time—from 1957 to 1965—when one of Marvel’s greatest artists did some of his finest work in the world of romance comics at another company, work that is virtually unknown to most comic fans today.... Continue Reading →
It’s Tales From My Spinner Rack’s Third Anniversary! Our September 6, 2026 Live Stream on YouTube was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who joined in and asked questions. I really enjoyed talking to you all. Tales From My Spinner Rack! is celebrating its third anniversary and its biggest episode ever, “Kirby’s Last Stand at... Continue Reading →
WOW! Ten books this month … must be a record. One of the highlights of San Diego Comic-Con for me this year was picking up all five volumes (so far) of Image/Skybound’s Universal Monsters series. I love the old monster movies and these have been on my radar for a couple of years now, but... Continue Reading →
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 →
Only four books this month as Comic-Con loomed large in my life. It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell • 4 Stars on GoodreadsI always look forward to the arrival of the new Lisa Jewell book each summer and this year was no exception, although I will admit to being a little disappointed in... Continue Reading →
Way back in 1979, I received my first—and only!—art assignment from Marvel Comics. It was to draw the inside front cover of Marvel Super Special 15, featuring an adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the big-screen recreation of the famous TV series. It was a dream come true, even if it didn’t—SPOILER ALERT!—have a... Continue Reading →
As the summer wind comes blowin’ in, from across the sea, here’s everything I read in the exceedingly fast month of June. Batman: Daylight Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey • 5 Stars on GoodreadsI know a lot of you kids out there are all hepped up on Scott Snyder and Nick... Continue Reading →
64 years ago, the creation of the Marvel Universe took a giant leap forward when three of the company’s most famous heroes debuted in their first comic book appearances ALL ON THE SAME DAY! Yep, hard as it is to believe, the Amazing Spider-Man, the Mighty Thor, and the Astonishing Ant-Man all hit newsstands on... Continue Reading →
A book by one of my favorite authors, a fascinating history of Hannibal Lecter, and three—count ‘em, THREE!—DC Finest volumes make up my May reading list. Ironwood by Michael Connelly • 5 Stars on GoodreadsDespite having a minor stroke last year which temporarily affected his vision, Michael Connelly is on a roll, with 2026 being... Continue Reading →
Here we go with another look at my three latest DC Finest purchases and reads … and this time, it’s All Batman, All the Time! There’s already been two Batman volumes in 2026, and there’s three more on the horizon between now and the end of the year, plus another Bat-centric Team-ups volume (which just... Continue Reading →
On June 23, 1960, a new and different comic book appeared on newsstands. And while giant-sized comics costing 25 cents were nothing new—Dell, Archie, and Harvey had been doing them for years—Giant Superman Annual 1 was something very different for DC Comics, it’s first-ever, 80-page, all-reprint issue, and the first giant-sized issue to star comics'... 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 →
Lots of graphic novels and comics collections in this month’s reading stack, along with one very disappointing crime/thriller novel. The Delivery by Andrew Welsh-Huggins • 2 Stars on GoodreadsGod, this book was tedious. I read Welsh-Huggins' first Mercury Carter book (The Mail Man) a while back and had problems with that one, too, to be... Continue Reading →
