INTERVIEW NEW ‘COMIC SHOP NEWS’ OWNER, DAVE WITTING

BY GALAXY

GALAXY:

Hello everyone! We’re here at the secret headquarters of the renowned Comic Shop News, sitting down with its new owner, Dave Witting. Welcome to the show Dave!

DAVE: Hi Galaxy! It’s a pleasure to be here.

GALAXY: Let’s dive right in. What made you want to take ownership of this iconic newspaper?

DAVE: My wife is wondering the same thing <laughs>. As you know, this is a 36-yearold, print only newspaper, solely available in comic book shops. It’s kinda crazy to take this on. That said, I’ve been reading Comic Shop News for years - it’s a big part of the industry - and when the founders announced their retirement, I didn’t want to see it go away.

GALAXY: I remember reading it as a kid too. It’s amazing that it’s been published weekly, non-stop, since 1987. This may be the longest running print publication in all of comics. What changes, if any, do you have in store?

DAVE:

Great question! For me, the core value of the newspaper has been curation. Each month you have about one hundred or so new comics coming out. It’s easy to see everything coming out, but how do you know what’s worth adding to your pre-order list? When you read Comic Shop News each week, we’ll tell you the 20 best comic pre-orders for that week. That’s not changing. What is changing is the scope of products we cover. It used to just be comic books, now we’re covering toys, games, models etc. We’ve also refreshed the design of the newspaper and introduced a bunch of fun, new, exclusive content. I guess you could say, we’re changing Comic Shop News from being a smaller version of the Previews catalog to becoming the Wizard magazine for pre-orders. Still focused on curation of the best new stuff to preorder, but it’s a lot more fun to read.

GALAXY:

To date, Comic Shop News has just been available as a print newspaper in comic book shops. Is that changing?

DAVE: Nope. The whole purpose of the newspaper has been to get readers to support their local comic shop, and that’s not changing.

We’re also staying focused on print. The irony in that statement is I’ve spent the better part of my career in tech. I built a software agency that works on the “bleeding edge” of tech. I’m very familiar with digital - and it has its place - but there is something magical about holding a comic book in your hands. I like the throwback nature of putting out a weekly print newspaper - it’s a nice break from your screen - and we’re going to stick with that medium for now. We’ll use technology to improve our workflow, and hopefully grow our audience, but CSN is a 36-year-old print newspaper, and that is still our focus.

GALAXY:

I’ve noticed that beyond covering more products, you’re introducing a broader range of articles and talent highlights. You did a nice interview with the creator of Gargoyles, Greg Weisman. You covered the passing of famed toy designer, Mark Boudreaux, who designed the iconic Millennium Falcon toy for Kenner. It seems you’re broadening your editorial coverage as well.

DAVE: I’m glad you picked up on that, and it’s absolutely true. I’ve been collecting comics, toys and games for over forty years. I started my career in TV Animation working for Disney, DreamWorks and Fox. I produced video games for Hasbro. Comics, toys, and animation have all been a big part of my life, and I love sharing those interests with CSN. I still go to my local comic shop every Wednesday. I’m still digging through dusty back-issue bins. I’m covering all the stuff that I think is relevant, and I am betting that more people like me love the newest Marvel movie as much as they love Roger Corman’s terrible Fantastic Four movie from the 1980s. I’m not qualified to be a newspaper Editor, but I’m still just a fanboy myself.

GALAXY:

You certainly are not afraid of deep cuts. You covered the original Heavy Metal movie, Sybil Danning comics and a brief history of the Hostess cupcake superhero ads…

DAVE: <Laughs> Someone had to.

GALAXY: From a business perspective, what are you looking to accomplish over the next six months?

DAVE: Three things.

First, we’ve got to get our new design and editorial flow locked down. We’re close. We’re getting a ton of positive feedback about the changes, but we have one more design pass to really get it dialed in. Also, it takes us around 20 hours per week to create an issue. I think we can trim that down with technology, and by being smarter with how we use our time.

Second, we need to get a handle on our printing costs. We just got whacked with a 25% cost increase for printing, and our shipping costs have tripled. We pay to have these bundles created, then we sell them to shops at (roughly) our cost to give away to customers. It’s a labor of love, and we just need to break even every month. These printing and shipping increases make it more difficult to get CSN out. Some shops can’t afford to carry Comic Shop News, and we’re trying to make it easier on them. We need to get the printing costs down to make sure all comic shops can afford to carry CSN. Lastly, we need to get the word out that Comic Shop News has totally changed. It’s much better. The newspaper originally started as a fanzine, and then became a big checklist of just the new comics coming out. It’s not that anymore. Now it’s more like Wizard magazine for preorders. Fun to read, and filled with cool stuff you can pre-order at your local comic shop that you might have missed.

GALAXY: Before we wrap up, Dave, I saw that you ran a recent reader poll, asking which was the better newspaper? The Daily Bugle or the Daily Planet. Love it. Which one would you choose?

DAVE: (Laughs) Yeah, we got a ton of great responses to that question. Obviously, the Daily Planet has a higher level or journalistic integrity, but I’m going with the Daily Bugle. They have a stronger editorial voice and I like that Parker kid’s photographs.

GALAXY: Awesome choice. Thank you for your time today, Dave. We’re all excited to see where you take Comic Shop News!

DAVE: Thanks Galaxy and I’m looking forward to reading your book, Almost Dead. See you at the next Comic Con!

BY ROB LOCKETT

The Movies

For fans of popular zombie fests such as The Walking Dead, Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland, such shows would not exist without the works of the ultimate zombie horror master George A Romero. Inspiration and Romero’s innovative DNA can be found throughout modern zombie movies and other contemporary horror films like 28 Days later, World War z and Warm Bodies. While he did not invent the zombie film (the first credited zombie movie titled White Zombie was released in 1932 and starred Bela Lugosi), he reinvented the genre into the great walking behemoth it’s known as today. Branded as the godfather of the Zombie flick, George Romero’s best works include such horror classics as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and collaborative works such as Creepshow. Though the man did not consider himself strictly a zombie horror film director, most of his more recognised films have defined the Zombie flick subgenre. As well as adding plenty of gore and a minimalist style, Romero is renowned for what are considered now the common tropes of the Zombie film: including the lumbering gait, heavy gore factor, low budget ingenuity and cutting social commentary on provocative themes such as: social stratification, racism, and grotesque consumerism. Romero’s films time and again show that though zombies might be a horrifying consequence, humanity is the true monster.

The list of his films and directorial contributions include:

• Night of the Living Dead (1968)

• There’s Always Vanilla (1971)

• Season of the Witch (1973)

• The Crazies (1973)

• The Amusement Park (1975)

• Martin (1977)

• Dawn of the Dead (1978)

• Knightriders (1981)

• Creepshow (1982)

• Day of the Dead (1985)

• Monkey Shines (1988)

• The Dark Half (1993)

• Bruiser (2000)

• Land of the Dead (2005)

• Diary of the Dead (2007)

• Survival of the Dead (2009)

His most notable films include the unholy trinity of the undead including his acclaimed series: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of Dead. In addition to this, Romero has also received critical acclaim for films such as Creepshow and Martin.

What Inspired Them

Romero was an avid film buff, even from a very young age and displayed a deepseeded fascination for the horror genre. Born in the Bronx, New York to European immigrants, Romero would regularly ride the subway train to rent film reels to watch in his own home

The most prominent one was the operatic film The Tales of Hoffman, a love of which Romero shared with fellow director Martin Scorcese. Romero also loved his horror films and was a collector of horror anthology books, which would later inspire his collaboration with Stephen King on the production of Creep Show

Romero attended university in Pittsburgh at Carnegie-Mellon. After graduating, he quickly stepped into the film industry making short films and television commercials. However, it was not until his coveted production of the Night of the Living Dead that he shot to prominence.

Romero used the horror film The Night of the Living Dead as a mouth-piece for the political turbulence of the time. Taking place in the late 60s, Romero was inspired by the hippie movement to create not only a very entertaining horror masterpiece but a film that was able to subvert common horror conventions and explore a nihilistic vision of the 1960s in the backdrop of the Vietnam conflict, race riots, civil rights movement and growing animosity towards the US government.

Why Romero Chose Zombies

Romero chose the subgenre of zombies as a way of exploring an even darker metaphor about contemporary society. For a visionary filmmaker such as Romero, the zombie serves as a vessel to explore humanity’s innate greed and materialism, as well as the inherent dangers of conformity and herd mentality. Despite modern innovations and the desire to speed up their undead, Romero’s signature movement of the slow lumbering gait was purposeful in showing the inevitability of death in an apocalyptic wasteland, and how like the zombies devour human flesh, society will ultimately eat itself in the individual pursuits of greed and self-interest.

The Free Domain Debacle

Considered a masterpiece and produced on a shoestring budget of $114,000, the Night of the Living Dead is considered Romero’s best work and a film that boasted mainstream success, earning more than $200 million worldwide (when adjusted for inflation). So as one of its producers and investors, why did Romero make very little money from it? The answer lies within its marketing and distribution.

Night of the Living Dead is part of our public domain catalogue of works, which means that copies of the film are free to watch and share and not subject to the same copyright laws as say a film like Zombieland for comparison. This is why Night of the Living Dead has had countless home video releases by different production companies, as all they were required to do was obtain a copy of the film, and from that moment on, could release it freely without paying any compensation to Romero or his collaborators.

The reason why Night of the Living Dead is public domain is the fault of the film’s distributor, who failed to list the required copyright notice on the theatrical prints. This happened after the film’s title was changed from its original name Night of the Flesh Eaters. (this happens more often than people think – for instance Star Wars Return of the Jedi was originally called Revenge of the Jedi until a last minute name change.) Prints using the title: Night of the Flesh Eaters contained the copyright notice, however the new prints that were made using the title Night of the Living Dead failed to list the copyright notice.

For distribution companies and production houses this seems like a no-brainer, but sadly it cost Romero a lot of commercial recognition for his efforts.

The Unholy Trinity Of The Living Dead

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

His debut film, and a crowd favorite, Night of the Living Dead originally met mixed reviews on its release but is now considered a cult classic and a masterpiece of the Zombie subgenre. The film was made on a shoestring budget in comparison to most modern films. At the cost of $115,000, Romero and a group of university friends were the main financial contributors, along with a handful of private investors.

Night of the Living Dead was shot in Pittsburgh and the low budget dictated a lot of the location shooting, favouring abandoned buildings and a rural farmhouse as the main focus point for the setting. As with other low budget classics, Romero and the crew were able to innovate and work around their financial limitations. Romero opted to use 35mm black and white film in order to smooth over the rougher production edges, as well as using an extraordinary amount of ham and bosco sauce to simulate the blood and entrails of the undead.

The film also took a progressive step by casting an African American lead Duane Jones, who gives a commanding performance and subverts common stereotypes of the time period, leading the desperate group of survivors before, (spoilers) becoming a victim of the much more horrific monster lurking out in the shadows in the final act of the film.

The film lays testament to revolutionising the modernist Zombie film, shifting quite deliberately out of the gothic world of cemeteries and deep dark woods into the modern suburbanite home. It was a watershed moment in the horror film variety, and a limping gnashing testament to the horrors of the time, including the civil rights movement, the assassination of Dr Martin Luthor King jr and the Vietnam war.

A smashing success at the box office, this low budget underdog went on to make over $30million worldwide.

Dawn Of The Dead

While Night of the Living Dead is a solid debut, many consider Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead as his masterpiece. His step into color heralds a new style to the visionary director’s repertoire, and the perfect canvas for his horrifyingly violent and mercilessly savage critique on the grotesqueness of American consumerism.

Taking place in the Monroeville mall in Pennysylvania, the shopping mall is a welcome refuge for a desperate band of survivors of a rising Zombie invasion but also a place of immense carnage and the stark realities of living under a capitalist illusion while undergoing a zombie apocalypse.

Dawn of the Dead rapidly establishes the setting to how a zombie infection spreads in populated areas— which are soon crawling with the undead. News broadcasts govern the television screen and illustrate arguments between academics on how to best manage the crisis.

Though at this point, modern society and civilisation as we know it has collapsed. The survivors scramble to a traffic helicopter, and flying across unpopulated areas, they witness the countryside wrought with the undead. Gamer fans of the Dead Rising series will be familiar with this dramatic opening. After only just barely surviving a stop for fuel, they find a place to collect themselves: a massive structure, a shopping mall, The grandiose Monroeville Mall, which offers a landing and safety. Their extended stay becomes the perfect setting for Romero’s graphic critique of humanity and American consumerism, showcasing the idea that man’s pursuit of its own material objects breeds a darker monster than the living dead, as each side consume indiscriminately and en masse.

Monroeville Mall was one of the first mega shopping malls of its time. Each of its individual outlets and shop fronts contain food, clothing, tools, guns—all your typical consumer or doomsday prepper could ask for. Zombies also flock to it, and despite the odd human meal, they’re not particularly hungry, but driven by their own subconscious desires. Zombies remember their consumer drive, making them less unspecified creatures and with a tiny scrap of their humanity remaining underneath all of the entrails and blood. On this note, Romero notes his overt link between consumers and zombies: humans have a need for commercial and materialistic indulgence, mirroring the zombies’ obsessive need to eat human flesh—vices neither party necessarily needs, they just want. The band of heroes resolve to stay in the shopping mall and transform its large storage and utilities area into their simulated apartment. Towards the final act of the film they are unintentionally liberated by a biker gang that crash through the mall, allowing the mass hordes of zombies to re-enter the mall and give the humans reason to leave, though this tale ends in a bitter pastiche of consumer genocide as each opposing side diminish one another.

Overall, the film blends Romero’s signature style of blood and gore in a ubiquituous colour scheme, and takes its time (unlike the Snyder remake) to explore life inside what could be perceived as an oasis in the zombie apocalypse, only for its human survivors to discover that their material trappings ultimately inprison them. Romero is also accompanied by veteran special fx guru Tom Savini, who uses a special blend of makeup and blood formula to give the zombies a ghoulish and yet cartoonish semblance. Like Night of the Living Dead, this acclaimed entry in the Zombie subgenre still continues to inspire decades after its initial release.

Day Of The Dead

The final instalment in Director George Romero’s Living Dead trilogy was not as universally beloved as its predecessors Night of the Living Dead (1968) or Dawn of the Dead (1978), although it has gained a new cult status over the decades to become a fan favourite.

The plot of the film takes place months after their first emergence, and the zombie plague has ravaged the entire world, with only a few remaining survivors tasked with trying to stop the human race from becoming extinct. A rapidly depleting scientific research team conducts various experiments on zombies inside a large Florida bunker under an increasingly authoritarian military rule. There’s absolutely no radio contact with the outside world, and the pressure has reached boiling point: the soldiers are impatient for results that the team are struggling to provide. Tense rather than terrifying, but with a strong dark comedy undercurrent, it rests on the sardonic and world nihilistic observation that with or without zombies, the living will still rip each other apart. A fitting conclusion to a remarkably incisive and introspective series, Day of the Dead serves as a landmark in the horror genre and another showcase for Romero’s harnessing of his Zombie craft.

For all Zombie flick fans, there is no doubt the significance of Romero’s work in the genre, and should feel welcome to rewatch some of his most beloved classics, not only for the visual tropes of the time, but Romero’s biting themes and social commentary that still resonate today.

BY: CHRIS G.