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 →
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 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 →
For one brief, shining moment in August 1971, Marvel changed their comics to 48 pages and raised their price to 25-cents. And the books, for the most part, featured NEW, double-sized stories of around 34 pages. DC Comics had raised their price and page-count a couple of months earlier, but used reprints from their extensive... 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 →
It’s hard to believe, but 60 years ago, three of Marvel Comics most famous issues debuted on the very same day, July 2, 1963: Avengers 1, X-Men 1, and Fantastic Four Annual 1. Buying all three issues would set you back 49 whole cents at the time, but you could probably put a child through... Continue Reading →
IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME! In 1961, the company that would become known as Marvel Comics had a reduced outcome of just eight or so comics per month, due to an onerous distribution deal with their main competitor, National Periodical Publications, better known as DC Comics. Publisher Martin Goodman and editor Stan Lee published a steady diet... Continue Reading →
Tales From My Spinner Rack! Episode 15 takes a tour of my very own spinner rack, with stops along the way to examine some of my favorite covers. From Superman to Adam Strange, from the Demon to Captain America, from the Incredible Hulk to (Choke! Sob!) My Love Story Queen Size Special, and with special... Continue Reading →
