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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
On March 30, 1939, a new hero greeted comic book fans on their local spinner racks. “The Bat-Man” swooped onto the cover of Detective Comics 27, nabbing a criminal in the act. Welcome to Tales From My Spinner Rack Episode 29: “My Favorite Batman Artists, From Bob Kane to Jim Lee!” In honor of Batman’s... 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 →
PSST! … Tales From My Spinner Rack fans, I’ve been keeping a secret from you. Before I got my comic book spinner rack, I had another, “secret” spinner rack, this one dedicated to paperback books. Episode 28 reveals the story behind that other rack, the one devoted to my James Bond vintage paperback collection! Welcome... Continue Reading →
Tales From My Spinner Rack! rockets into the new year with Episode 27, “Steranko & Adams: Comic Book Revolutionaries!" which takes a look back at the tumultuous 1960s and the two artists who revolutionized superhero comics in the latter half of that decade, Jim Steranko and Neal Adams! Steranko started first at Marvel on Nick... Continue Reading →
Well, it’s that time of year once again, so here I am with my annual Christmas card, which sadly is digital only, because I’m cheap and hate the Post Office. I want to wish each and everyone of you who is reading this a very Merry Christmas and the hope of a Happy New Year... Continue Reading →
