DC Comics didn’t know they were launching the Silver Age of Comics 70 years ago when they published a revamped version of The Flash, the Golden Age speedster character, who—for all intents and purposes—died in 1950. When editorial director Irwin Donenfeld decided to start a book called Showcase as a tryout for new concepts and... 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Been a little while since I’ve done one of these (partly because I'm doing them three at a time), but here we are … these are the three latest DC Finest volumes I’ve read and enjoyed. DC Finest War: The Big Five Arrive by Robert Kanigher, Bob Haney, Joe Kubert, and Ross AndruThis is the... 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 →
