Rough Stuff #1 by TwoMorrows Publishing

No. 1 Summer 2006

$6.95

P R E S E N T S

GARC

UR ADA H T R

WALT

IMON ER S SO

NOWLAN

Featuring

KEVIN

GE PÉRE R O E

N DAVIS

ALA

RNE Y B N

OPÉZ ÍA-L

JOH

Celebrating the ART of Creating Comics!

Volume 1, Number 1 July 2006

Celebrating the ART of Creating Comics! EDITOR

Bob McLeod PUBLISHER

John Morrow DESIGNER

Michael Kronenberg

FEATURED ARTISTS PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington COVER ARTIST

Bruce Timm

Alan Davis

Arthur Adams

Walter Simonson

John Byrne

George Pérez

José Luis García-López

Bruce Timm COVER COLORIST

Bruce Timm SPECIAL THANKS

Alan Davis George Pérez Bruce Timm Kevin Nowlan José Luis García-López Arthur Adams John Byrne Walter Simonson Eric Nolen-Weathington David Hamilton Ken Steacy Michael Eury

ROUGH STUFF INTERVIEW 62

ROUGH STUFF FEATURE 16

Tight Pencils: The Answer or The Problem? Bob McLeod

ROUGH STUFF DEPARTMENTS 2

ROUGH STUFF™ is published quarterly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Bob McLeod, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: ROUGH STUFF, c/o Bob McLeod, Editor, P.O. Box 63, Emmaus, PA 18049, e-mail: mcleod.bob@gmail.com. Four-issue subscriptions: $24 Standard US, $36 First Class US, $44 Canada, $48 Surface International, $64 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Central cover art by Bruce Timm. Batgirl, Mark Moonrider, Superman, Batman, Starfire, Orion TM & ©2006 DC Comics. Jonni Future, Jack B. QuickTM & ©2006 America’s Best Comics, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2006 Bob McLeod and TwoMorrows Publishing. ROUGH STUFF is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

Kevin Nowlan

Scribblings From The Editor Bob McLeod

Pre-Pro A look at the art of the pros, before they were pros.

Cover Stories Walter Simonson and Kevin Nowlan reveal the process they go through when creating a cover.

102

Rough Critique Editor Bob McLeod critiques a would be artist’s sample page.

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SCRIBBLINGS FROM THE EDITOR:

elcome to the first exciting issue of Rough Stuff! Many of you may know that TwoMorrows’ magazine Back Issue had a regular feature called “Rough Stuff,” featuring pencil art by your favorite comic artists, and this magazine will be an expansion of that idea. We’ll have pencil pages, sketches, thumbnails,

cover roughs, art before and after inking, and everything else to do with the pencil art of comic books, by many of the hottest artists working today, as well as all of your favorites from the past. We’ll also have interviews and some unique features you’ll only find here, like “Pre-Pro,” previously unpublished early art by top professionals done before they broke into comic books! Haven’t you always wondered how their amateur art compared to yours? Take a look at the early art of Alan Davis and Kevin Nowlan in this issue! Another unique feature is “Cover Story,” where we show you some covers before and after inks, this time with covers by Walter Simonson and Kevin Nowlan. There’s also my “Rough Critique,” where I offer a constructive critique of a sample page sent in by an unpublished hopeful. Send in your sample, and maybe I’ll pick your work to publish and critique next issue! In addition, we’ll have articles about various aspects of pencil art, beginning this issue with my take on how penciling has gotten so doggone tight in recent years that it’s changed the job of the inker and affected the look of the finished art in what I feel is not a beneficial way. Thanks to the artists featured in this issue for contributing their insightful comments about their art, and special thanks to Kevin Nowlan, John Byrne, and Alan Davis for contributing extra scans. Thanks also to Michael Kronenberg for his fantastic layout design of this magazine, and of course to John Morrow and Michael Eury for bringing me on board and showing me the editorial ropes. We’re seeking high resolution scans of pencil and preliminary art and sketches by top artists. If you have something in your collection you’d like to share with our readers, please send me a scan at mcleod.bob@gmail.com. Pencil scans should be full size 300dpi jpegs, and ink scans should be full size 600dpi bitmap tiff files. Your letters and e-mails of feedback are welcome and encouraged. I’d like to have a regular letters page with your comments. I look forward to showing you some great art and to seeing some great art by you, as well! See you next issue in October (shown at left), which features more “rough stuff” from Matt Wagner, Jerry Ordway, Brian Apthorp, Frank Brunner, and others, a special tribute to the late Alex Toth, plus a new “Hex” cover by, and featured interview with, Paul Gulacy!

Bob McLeod, Editor mcleod.bob@gmail.com • www.bobmcleod.com

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D U R E F E A T

I S T A R T

BRUCE TIMM

to gs a lot of style in br m im T ce Bru uence . The Kirby infl es do e h er ev what nique he gives it a u is obvious, but ctions. s it in new dire n to the twist, and take gets right dow e h y, it ev br d design an ose With amazing e could draw th h ew kn e W g. cartoonin essence of good he can do! t look what else bu s, be ba xy cute se

BRUCE TIMM: These I remember well—my first batch of joker designs for the animated Batman. I was still trying to nail down an overall design look for the show, and these are too extreme and cartoony, didn’t really care for any of ‘em. Ultimately, I had Kevin Nowlan take a shot at him, and ended up basing the final design on one of his. Joker TM & ©2006 DC Comics

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BRUCE TIMM: I used to always make a point of sending drawings for the San Diego Comic-con program book, and this was intended for that purpose (one of the themes that year was “Flash Gordon’s suchand-such anniversary”)— but I didn’t like it enough to 4

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do a tighter clean-up.

BRUCE TIMM

BRUCE TIMM: Well, it’s just a page o’ heads... just doodles. JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

BRUCE TIMM: One of many many self-rejected cover ideas for TwoMorrows’ Modern Masters book. It’s a decent enough pose, but I didn’t like it enough to pursue further.

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BRUCE TIMM

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BRUCE TIMM: Honestly don’t know if this was done before or after that Batman Adventures Annual I did featuring him. It may be a warmup page for that book (seems likely); trying to blend Kirby and “animated” stylistics. Demon TM & ©2006 DC Comics

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BRUCE TIMM: Superman vs. JaxUr and Mala—just a doodle for fun. Sometimes these looser pieces, just banged-out in 20 minutes or less, look better than the slick, tighter stuff. I wish sometimes I had the balls to do something this rough for actual publication; maybe someday. Superman TM &

BRUCE TIMM

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BRUCE TIMM: Cover roughs for Gary Lovisi’s Hardboiled magazine—the title

BRUCE TIMM

character from Eugene Izzi’s story “Tommy the Tomato.”

BRUCE TIMM: One of those subjects I never get tired of drawing—this one’s inspired by Tom Sutton’s Frankenstein comics for Skywald’s Psycho.

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BRUCE TIMM: Simon Garth, the zombie: Jeez, it just occurred to me how sad it is that I actually know the zombie’s real name without having to look it up. Other than that, not much more to

BRUCE TIMM

say about this one.

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BRUCE TIMM: After finishing Avengers 11⁄2 , editor Tom Brevoort asked if there were any other Marvel properties I’d be interested in having a go at. Off the top of my head, I immediately thought of the F.F., and to make it really interesting I suggested doing a one-off treasury-sized F.F. book. Tom thought it would be a tough sell, but said he’d pitch it to the powers that be whenever I felt I had time to actually tackle it. Long story short, I never did find time. I got as far as dreaming up a rough story idea (the barrel-chested guy would have been the main villain of the thing, a kind of “interstellar Javert”), and did some warm-up sketches of the F.F.

BRUCE TIMM

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BRUCE TIMM: I wasn’t 100% satisfied with my Avengers 11⁄ 2 stuff, and wanted to find a better balance between Kirby-isms and Timm-isms. These pieces suggest the direction I was heading in, still very obviously “Kirbyesque,” but not trying to ape his style as directly as I had on the Avengers book. These are definitely some of the best Ben Grimm drawings I’ve ever done (that guy is frickin’ hard to get right). Woulda been a fun project, but y’know, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

BRUCE TIMM

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BRUCE TIMM: My friend Art Lee helped me out by inking some

BRUCE TIMM

backgrounds for Erik Larsen’s World’s Greatest Comics Magazine. For compensation, Art requested a color Hulk/Wolverine piece instead of money, and this is the prelim. (Also, to thank him more publicly, I worked his name into the Kirby bric-a-bric on Triton’s command console on page 12 of issue #7.) Hulk and Wolverine TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

For more on Bruce, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 3: BruceTimm, available now from TwoMorrows.

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TIGHT PENCILS The Answer or the Problem? By Bob McLeod

n the 1990s, comic book pencil art made somewhat of a dramatic change that perhaps many fans are unaware of, and

that change has had some very serious repercussions. There have always been many different styles of penciling; everything from the bare bones openness of, for example, a Gil Kane Conan page to the densely rendered Conan pages of

Barry Smith’s “Red Nails.” Some pencilers have always been sketchy and rough, like Bill Sienkiewicz, and some very

clean, like Jack Kirby. But prior to the ’90s, even the tightest pencils usually gave the inker some room to interpret and

put in their own style. Many of today’s pencils are printed without even being inked, and many jobs that are inked are virtually traced (sorry, inkers, I know how grating the dreaded ‘T’ word is...). This is not because the inker is necessarily less skilled, because many inkers working today are extremely talented. But in many cases, the pencils are so “tight” there is nothing much left for the inker to do except trace.

HOBGOBLIN #3, PAGE 1 Looser pencils allow the inker to be spontaneous with linework and contribute more of his own style to the art, creating art that combines the best skills of both artists. Art by Ron Frenz.

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n a page of comic art, there

was, exactly, they assumed that the inkers were just fol-

are several things which need

lowing the pencils, and they started incorporating render-

to be done to make the art

ing details into their pencils which had previously been

convincing and complete. First,

primarily the domain of the inker. Suddenly, inkers are now

the panel shapes need to be

expected to copy each little dash and dot and scribble

designed, and arranged on the

effect in the pencils, rather than applying their own set of

page. Then, the figures and backgrounds within the pan-

rendering techniques. Each long, wavy curl of hair is now

els need to be drawn in a dramatic composition. Next,

drawn to perfection in the pencils, and the inker often has

details, blacks, and lighting are added; and lastly, a ren-

to get out his french curve to laboriously trace those long,

dering style is applied. Before computer coloring, the

sweeping lines, rather than create his own hair patterns

lighting and blacks and rendering had to be done in either

with quick, natural strokes.

ALFREDO ALCALA

the pencils or the inks, to keep the art from looking too

This causes many problems. Artistically, it’s much easier

flat. Today, with the gradated color tones possible, some

to do flashy rendering techniques with a crowquill point or a

styles leave all of that up to the colorist, and that can be

brush than a pencil. Very often, the finished art now looks

fine... or not.

overly controlled and stilted. There’s no longer much art that

Before, a job could be weakened or strengthened by

looks “loose” and spontaneous. In the past, there were sev-

This was a simple outline in Buscema’s pencil breakdown. All the linework was done in the inking by Alcala.

the quality of the inking and coloring. Today, because the pencils are so tight, the inking seems to be much less relevant, and jobs depend much more on the ability of the colorist. Again, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, except that as pencilers are adapting to this new situation, the overall look of the art has changed in a way that I personally feel is not at all a move in the right direction. The inker’s job on many current books has radically changed from a dramatic artistic collaboration to simply covering pencils with skillfully clean ink lines. Breaking the art chores up among several people has always been a tricky proposition. Due to the monthly deadline, it’s just not possible for one person to pencil, ink, and color a 22-page comic. So the system of having a different artist handle each of these steps began. But inkers and colorists have their own styles and opinions, and the art can mutate quite a bit after it leaves the penciler’s hands. This can lead to wonderful collaborations like Kirby and Sinnott, Colan and Palmer, Miller and Janson, and Byrne and Austin, just to name a few. But it can also lead to disasters, like the inker erasing backgrounds, or making silhouettes out of detailed backgrounds, in order to meet the deadline. The colorist can put a dark purple over an area the inker spent an hour delicately rendering. As a result, some pencilers try to ink their own work, usually causing them to be unable to maintain a monthly schedule. Some inkers have tried to color their own work as well. But other pencilers decided the answer was to “bulletproof” their pencils, and started making their pencils tighter and tighter, so that in case they got an incompetent inker, all he would have to do is “trace” what was there. At the same time, a generation of pencilers grew up admiring the detailed rendering of the inkers of the ’70s and ’80s. Not really understanding what the inker’s job JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

eral inkers with strong personality in their inks who really had

the art. And many inkers today, since they are called on

a dramatic effect on whomever they inked. I’m thinking of

mostly to just make clean lines, haven’t developed their

inkers like Tom Palmer, Dick Giordano, Klaus Janson, Frank

drawing skills sufficiently and can’t really do much with loos-

Giacoia, Joe Sinnott, Alfredo Alcala, Rudy Nebres, and others.

er pencils. All of the inkers I named above could also draw

Today, there are many very talented inkers, but their inks

very well. When was the last time you saw any of today’s

rarely change the look of the art and almost never dominate

inkers draw anything?

RED SONJA Think all this linework was in the Maroto’s pencils? Think again. Neal Adams knocked this out of the park.

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Artistically, it’s much easier to do flashy rendering techniques with a crowquill point or a brush than a pencil. Very often, the finished art now looks overly controlled and stilted. There’s no longer much art that looks “loose” and spontaneous. In addition to the artistic change, though, this has also affected livelihoods. Pencilers who had good storytelling skills but not such good rendering skill and who were helped by talented inkers have been squeezed out of the business. Many of the most prolific artists of the ’60s and ’70s would probably not get work today. Books that are printed without an inker squeeze inkers out of the business. Pencilers must now spend hours and hours drawing in details that are more easily and quickly applied by an inker, making it more difficult to meet the monthly deadline. So many of the best pencilers can’t stay on a monthly schedule, and they earn less

money even though they’re doing more work.

BILL SIENKIEWICZ

At the same time, the inkers must carefully follow all of that detailed pencil rendering, slowing them down considerably and causing them to lose money as well. Much of what the inker is now doing is simply redundant. I know of

This was very tight pencils for Sienkiewicz. Unacceptably loose by today’s standards.

at least one top inker who quit working with a certain penciler because it just took too many hours to ink his pages. There is certainly a place for detailed drawing. But, if comic art must be split between pencil artists and ink artists, it only hurts everyone to make the inker less relevant. An inker like Klaus Janson, who has done some of the most artistic embellishing ever seen in comics, would

SUPERBOY #73

never be given the chance to develop his talent on

With all the lighting and line thicknesses and rendering in the pencils, what’s left for the inker to do except trace? Pencils by Adam DeKraker.

today’s pencilers. Much of my career was spent inking and penciling “breakdowns”; loose pencils with no blacks or rendering. Does anyone even pencil “breakdowns” anymore? If things continue along this path, will there be any inkers able to handle them if they do?

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D U R E F E A T

AL AN DAVIS

I S T A R T

drawing cellent figure Alan Davis’s ex ays a ytelling are alw or st al su vi d an on, series he takes er ev at h W . re pleasu ality. new level of qu ojects for he raises to a om various pr fr s ge a im of t rtmen Here’s an asso easure. your viewing pl

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ALAN DAVIS: Braintrust cover rough: Braintrust was published in Italy by creator Stefano Sacco (Unicorn). The brief Stefano gave me was for a traditional “heroes leaping out at the reader” image which could be used as a cover and a limited edition poster. I drew the rough in pencil on a sheet of A4 photocopy paper.

ALAN DAVIS: Lenz design: Lenz was the ClanDestine’s first major opponent. I seem to recall that I scribbled the rough design down on a sheet of notepaper while on holiday somewhere and tightened it up slightly when Marvel UK began looking for material to pad out the ClanDestine

ALAN DAVIS

issue #0.

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ALAN DAVIS: Excalibur rough: This was drawn on a sheet of A3 photocopy paper to be lightboxed/traced onto Marvel paper stock. I had drawn a thumbnail (which no longer exists) with a completely different layout but when I enlarged that image I decide it looked too dynamic for the romantic intention of the scene—so I decided to go for something far simpler. Excalibur TM & ©2006 Marvel

ALAN DAVIS

Characters, Inc.

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ALAN DAVIS: Rouge and Phoenix: This was drawn as a joke that I faxed into editorial during the period I was plotting the X-books. I hadn’t sought the writing assignment and only ever intended to fill the role while a new regular writer was found. So I approached the job in a purely professional way as a “short term problem solver” rather than forging a long term plan of my own. There were always lists of characters, events and themes which had to be included in the two main X-books to spin off into the other X-titles. I enjoyed the challenge of pulling the disparate demands together in a, hopefully, cohesive and entertaining story, but there was one “request” that baffled me—a cover image with Wolverine and Jean Grey kissing. My question was always why, what is the story behind it? The answer was always the same, it’s what the fans want and it’s gonna be big—and it will boost sales! I sent my sketch as an alternative that would certainly boost sales. Rogue and Phoenix TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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ALAN DAVIS: The Nail TPB Cover: This is the original pencil art for The Nail trade paperback wraparound which was never inked. Shortly after I had penciled the image Mark Farmer told me that it was proving difficult to ink the new paperstock, which may not have been a problem with a large, simple image but with so many characters and details, it seemed easier to trace the image onto a more ink-friendly paper. I’m glad I did because the inked version was mislaid—lost or stolen? All characters TM & ©2006 DC

ALAN DAVIS

Comics

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ALAN DAVIS JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

ALAN DAVIS: Superboy’s Legion roughs: These were drawn, full size, on A3 photocopy paper to be traced onto the DC art boards. Aside from blocking out the flow of action (which is always fairly dense in a limited series) the majority of the work in the roughs was to refine the character and expression of the Legionnaires as distinct individuals. All characters TM & ©2006 DC

ALAN DAVIS

Comics

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ALAN DAVIS JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

ALAN DAVIS: Spider-Man Movie thumbnails: This was one of those “hurry up and wait” jobs. I had the plot and the movie script but very few refs, which is why there are “?” dotted around the thumbnails. The original is an A4 sheet of photocopy paper divided into four. Spider-Man TM & ©2006 Marvel

ALAN DAVIS

Characters, Inc.

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ALAN DAVIS: X-Men thumbnails: These are the usual sort of thumbs I do to block out the flow of a story without doing too much finished drawing. Aside from the fact that I believe thumbs can be counterproductive on group books, I can sometimes tie myself in knots trying to replicate the movement and dynamism of spontaneously drawn thumbs on the finished art stock. I would prefer to draw directly onto the final art board. All characters TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

For more on Alan, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 1: Alan Davis, available now from TwoMorrows.

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D U R E F E A T

I S T A R T

S M A D A R U H T R A

like it was t always looks ar s’ m da A rt A s to fans draw. It appeal so much fun to simple mainly for that and pros alike great is forms have H k. incrediin th I , on reas d blacks, and an an g n ti h lig l u onderf comics are weight, with w But he knows il. ta de l u ef os terpurp ever fails to en ble amount of n e h d an y, it erating real rsatility. all about exagg his amazing ve of g in pl m sa l st a smal tain. Here’s ju

ARTHUR ADAMS: JLA Armageddon: I used to do fairly tight layouts at about 1⁄ 4 page size. I also used to get a lot more work done, didn’t I? Maybe I should reconsider my current working methods? Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, TM & ©2006 DC Comics

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ARTHUR ADAMS JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

ARTHUR ADAMS: Smart Hulk: Well you know what they say about guys with big hands and big feet. They say they need big gloves and big shoes. Right? I think when Toybiz made these toys they actually did add the big gun (ripped off from a Dale Keown comic). However they did make it about 1⁄ 8 the size I’d intended. Oh well. Hulk TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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ARTHUR ADAMS JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

ARTHUR ADAMS

Inc.

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JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

ARTHUR ADAMS

DC Comics

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ARTHUR ADAMS

Inc.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

For more on Arthur, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 6: Arthur Adams, available now from TwoMorrows.

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ARTHUR ADAMS: Well, sadly, this is a fine example of what a dick I am. I was running behind on the ninth “Jonni Future” story so Scott Dunbier (Jonni Future editor) asked Chris Weston to pencil the tenth story for me to ink. He kindly said yes (even though I think he was working on something else at the time) and he turned in a swell job. But I wasn’t crazy about some of the story elements in the script and Chris had (rightly) stuck closely to it. But I had the pages, and I wasn’t crazy about the story. So I redrew some panels, changing the bits of the story that bugged me. I’m so naughty. Tee-hee! JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

D U R E F E A T

I S T A R T

N O S N O M I S R E T L WA

WALTER SIMONSON

dynambrought Kirby Walt Simonson d his vel on Thor an ics to a new le of the ries. He’s one many other se , and it t artists I know n ge lli te in t os m great in his art. With comes through comic nt energy, his da n u ab d an design a ting to see. Take ci ex s ay w al is art ! you don’ t agree look and see if

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WALTER SIMONSON: Back about 1986 when I was working for Marvel, the company commissioned me to do five pencil drawings to be given away as promotional prizes at an ABA convention in Washington, DC that year. This was one of the drawings I did. I think Marvel also commissioned five drawings from Moebius as well. Captain America TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

asked if I’d be interested in drawing some pages for a couple of issues that involved Kalibak. Todd wrote them, I penciled them, and

WALTER SIMONSON

WALTER SIMONSON: I’ve always loved Jack Kirby’s Fourth World characters. Todd Dezago was writing Impulse a few years ago and we got Scott Williams to ink them. Beautifully, I might add. Kalibak and Mister Miracle TM & ©2006 DC Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: My first issue of Orion and the first time I drew Orion and Kalibak meeting. I wanted power but I also wanted to show an equivalency of the characters as they are the two sons of Darkseid—hence the two equal-sized panel portraits in the center of the page. Kalibak and Orion TM & ©2006 DC

WALTER SIMONSON

Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: One of the few times I used any of the original mortal supporting cast from Kirby’s New Gods . My favorite bit is really Dave Lincoln’s line about minding the furniture. A boom tube explodes into his apartment and at this point, it’s all old hat with him. Using several inset panels enabled me to focus on the interactions of a couple of the characters, and still draw a large panel/image of the Boom Tube arriving despite the page having seven panels overall. Kalibak and Orion TM &

WALTER SIMONSON

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WALTER SIMONSON: Cover of Orion #3. I tried to suggest a crowd attacking Orion and still maintain a strong sense of negative space. Orion is the only (mostly) complete figure in the drawing. Love the sneaker at the top. Orion TM & ©2006

WALTER SIMONSON

DC Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: Because Kirby’s run of New Gods ended with the prophecy of the upcoming Darkseid/ Orion fight and he never drew it himself, that fight will always loom over those characters. But in my own run on Orion, I wanted to get it out of the way early so that readers wouldn’t have a clear idea of where the book was going to go next. Because the fight’s a big deal, I used an entire issue of Orion to show it, and snappy dialogue seemed out of place. The entire issue has only two word balloons and three captions. As a vicarious representation of Orion’s readers, I set the fight before a large audience in narrow horizontal panels running across the tops and bottoms of each page. Good guys were on the top; bad guys were on the bottom. This particular page shows the Deep Six on the bottom watching. And Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion are filming it all, moving through the audience above and below. All Characters TM & ©2006 DC Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: As the fight was reaching its climax, I broke up a few pages in non-rectilinear fashion to suggest the increasing chaos of battle. You read down a diagonal panel from the upper left to the lower right. So I oriented these diagonals this way and composed them to emphasize Darkseid planted, awaiting Orion’s attack. This must have been a copy made before the pencils were finished as the complete page also included the audience above and below. Orion and Darkseid TM &

WALTER SIMONSON

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WALTER SIMONSON: This story introduced Orion’s great dog in Greek mythology. This page shows the approach of Sirius. In this story, the two began as enemies. At the end, Sirius saves Orion’s life. The faces in the corners of the page were from a storyline I had in mind for the future that I abandoned when the title was cancelled. Sirius, in this version, is clearly Fenrir— the great wolf of Norse Mythology, and consequently, one of the Old Gods. I had some plans for him too as Sirius, but alas. That’s an ‘F’ rune in his fur on his forehead. Orion TM & ©2006

WALTER SIMONSON

DC Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: Orion finally kills Desaad in this issue [#12]. As Orion has really taken on the aspect of his godhood at this point, I pushed his anatomy beyond reasonable bounds. Captain Marvel— one of the few guest stars I used while I was working on Orion. The advantage of having a fairly graphic approach to drawing is that I could draw Billy Batson and Captain Marvel based on C.C. Beck’s work, and they don’t look out of line with the rest of the characters I’m doing. And really, that’s how Captain Marvel should look to me. Captain Marvel TM & ©2006 DC

WALTER SIMONSON

Comics

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WALTER SIMONSON: Orion is pursing a redesigned Black Racer to his own doom. In keeping with the notion that Orion and the Racer are jinking around frantically in this pursuit, I’ve skipped using panel borders for the sequence, relying on word balloon placement and overlapping compositional elements to guide the eye through the page. And I’ve run against convention in that the reader’s eye ends up in the lower left corner of the page instead of the lower right. Orion TM &

WALTER SIMONSON

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

WALTER SIMONSON: A page from the all-splash-page issue of Thor I did when he fought the Midgard Serpent. I’m credited with layouts, but in fact, I did pencils. I was dying to pencil this particular story, and Sal Buscema graciously stepped aside even though he was the regular penciler/inker of the book then. Sal inked this issue (another treat for me) and he got credit—and a few extra bucks—as the finisher. Thor TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

For more on Walter, pick up Modern Masters Vol. 8: Walter Simonson, available this July from TwoMorrows.

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WALTER SIMONSON: I ended up penciling the X-Men/ TeenTitans crossover back in the early ’80s. Naturally, when the two teams finally got together, it was worth an interior splash page to show them introducing themselves. I thought Chris Claremont did a lovely job capturing the personalities of the various characters in a rather crowded book. Terry Austin did some fine ink work and on the whole, I thought the book kicked ass. Teen Titans TM & ©2006 DC Comics X-Men TM & ©2006 Marvel

WALTER SIMONSON

Characters, Inc.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

D U R E F E A T

JOHN BYRNE

I S T A R T

vitalized and re re lly ta to e n yr John B ise in perman franch Su e th d ze gi ener much aracters had so ch is H . 0s ’8 e th ll he was a ious, d you could te asm was infect si personality, an u th en is H . e fan himself X-Men, he mad real Superman l’s ve ar M h it w had done ture and just as he dard for all fu an st e th t se d own, an their littleSuperman his those pages in of e m so t si vi e re artists. Here w . seen pencil form

JOHN BYRNE: Action Comics #584, page 5: Moving to DC “full time” for the first time was a process of discovery. Finding out what the “language” was “over there.” One of the first things I learned was that every inker seemed to have a different way of interpreting breakdowns—which is what I consider this particular image to be. So, sometimes I got finished looking pages, sometimes pages that look like they belonged more properly in coloring books. Sure was fun drawing Superman, though!

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

JOHN BYRNE: Superman #1, page 20: One of the greatest timesavers that occurred to me fairly early on in my career— fortunately!—was that not everything needs to be addressed in detail in the initial rough layouts. So, when I draw buildings collapsing or piles of rubble, I find it is so much more efficient to define the outline of the form and then simply start “scribbling”, letting the shapes and masses define themselves, rather than trying to “control” what should, after all, look like a random mess! Superman, TM &

JOHN BYRNE

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JOHN BYRNE: Man of Steel #3, page 5: When I was about 11 years old, my parents bought me a Jon Gnagy LearnTo Draw kit, based on the popular TV show of the time. Sitting in the back seat of my Dad’s old Plymouth, reading through the “manual” while my parents continued their shopping, I came to the chapter on perspective and vanishing points. Looking out the window of the car, I actually saw these things, consciously, for the first time. It was almost a religious experience. I’ve been in love with perspective ever since. Superman, TM &

JOHN BYRNE

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JOHN BYRNE: Man of Steel #4, page 15: Something to which I have always tried to pay attention is the way different flying characters use that power. Iron Man should not fly like the Angel, who should not fly like Superman, and so on. Superman, I have long felt, “flies from the chest”, as if there is something inside his ribcage that provides the lift. Superman, TM & ©2006 DC

JOHN BYRNE

Comics

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

JOHN BYRNE: Action Comics #831, pages 2-3: Working from a full script, as I did on True Brit, or my recent Action Comics gig, always exercises different “muscles” artistically. Writers, unless they are artists themselves, don’t “see” the pictures in the same way I do, which means an interesting part of the job becomes finding ways to draw what is asked for in a suitably dynamic fashion. Superman, TM &

JOHN BYRNE

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JOHN BYRNE JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

JOHN BYRNE: Doom Patrol #13, pages 18-19: A few years ago I began experimenting with incorporating into the drawings 3-D models I made with a computer modeler. The first time I did this was in OMAC, where I “built” the time machine, and then traced it onto the pages. Later I worked on creating models that looked like inked drawings, and pasting them directly into the artwork (a lot of this in the Generations series). Recently, I’ve returned to tracing the images again, for a more “organic” blend. The Batmobile on this page is such an image. Doom Patrol, TM &

JOHN BYRNE

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JOHN BYRNE JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

JOHN BYRNE: Blood of The Demon #7, and Blood of The Demon #16: I wanted Blood Of The Demon to look quite different from my other work. Rougher, more textured—nastier! I think I succeeded! Spectre and Demon, TM &

JOHN BYRNE

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For more on John, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 7: John Byrne, available now from TwoMorrows.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

INTERVIEW

KEVIN NOWLAN By Bob McLeod

evin Nowlan is one of my favorite comic book artists, and he’s been a fan favorite since he first got published. His style has also been very influential on many of the artists working in comics today. I’ve unfortunately never had the pleasure of meeting Kevin in person, but I dis-

covered in this interview that he and I have a lot in common in how we regard our comic book art. This interview was conducted via e-mail. I’ve never interviewed anyone before, and I’m hoping I’ll sound a bit more coherent this way. I asked Kevin to give me a brief bio so I could introduce him, and he did it so succinctly I’ll let him tell it: KEVIN NOWLAN: Born in Nebraska, 1958. Youngest of

BOB MCLEOD: Kevin, thank you so much for this

six. Started drawing comics in 1982. My first professional

interview. No one in my family seems to know

job was penciling a Dr. Strange fill-in for Al Milgrom.

where my art talent came from. Are you the first

The Jack B. Quick stories that I did with Alan

artist in your family, and were your early artistic

Moore are the highlight of my career so far. They’re funny, very original and I was allowed to pencil, ink, letter and

a great uncle who was a landscape painter and print maker. He was very talented and by

[Now how many of you would

sheer coincidence, I was named after him.

have guessed that? -Bob]

Most of my siblings drew and painted but

Other highlights would

KEVIN NOWLAN: I don’t remember if I

Origin story and the

ever inked this or not

Outsiders Annual.

more shadows on the figure to give it some additional drama. That’s one of the nice

KEVIN NOWLAN: No, I’m not the first. I had

sometimes color them myself.

be the Man-Bat Secret

but I think it needs

efforts encouraged?

I’m working on a

I’m the only one who made a career out of it. I was always encouraged. My parents were very supportive. MCLEOD: It’s always fascinating to

couple of covers

me when the last kid in a family

right now and I’m

makes a bigger splash than all the

drawing a short

others before him. Do you think

Goon story for Dark

your birth order had anything to

Horse. I’m also drawing

do with your art?

things about drawing

short origin stories for

NOWLAN: I didn’t make a bigger

Batman; it’s hard to

Elongated Man and Adam

splash than all the others before

overwork the shad-

Strange that will appear in

me. My brother is very talented in

ows. As Wally Wood

DC’s 52 series.

many areas, including art. He just

said, “When in doubt,

didn’t focus on one specific skill like

black it out.”

I did. I have very talented siblings.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

KEVIN NOWLAN: Batgirl pin-up pencils: I was trying to put a little more depth into this figure by twisting the pose and lowering the point of view. I left a few details for the inking stage but most of the information is there.

Batgirl pin-up inks: The doublelit shadows are easier than they look, even if you’re drawing something without photo reference like I did here. You just need to deal with one light source at a time and keep them far enough apart so that you get some interesting black shadows in the middle of the object. They’re handy when you want to define the edge of a dark object against a dark background. Batman and Batgirl TM & ©2006 DC Comics

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN:

Watching my brother draw race cars and monsters when

tells me that’s uncommon. When did you decide on

I really enjoy doing

I was a little kid probably inspired me quite a bit.

comics as a profession? NOWLAN: I’d always wanted to draw comic books, or

pieces like this. It’s the kind of drawing you never get to do in a story or even on a cover. A few years ago I started to figure out how to draw

MCLEOD: What formal art training have you had, if any? NOWLAN: I went to a trade school that taught design and a

sidered “cartooning.” After I graduated from the trade

minimal amount of illustration. They told us we were wasting

school I worked in a printing shop for about four years

our time trying to draw and that none of us

doing paste-up and logo designs. I rarely got to do any

would get paid for doing drawings. I wish I’d

illustrations, so it was starting to look like those

had a chance to attend the Joe Kubert school

instructors were right. Out of frus-

or apprentice with an established comic artist.

tration I began working on

Batman’s cape so that

I had to pick everything up so haphazardly

it has that leathery

and I still feel there are things I haven’t

batwing look. This

learned to do correctly.

wide layout gave me

MCLEOD: Do you think formal training is

around with it.

important for comic art? If you had it to do

between the pencils and the inks here. I think I like the contrast between the

over, would you get a degree in art somewhere, or go to the Kubert School? I had a little formal training, but I’m also mostly selftaught. I really wish I had taken some painting classes along the way. NOWLAN: Yes. I wish someone had

heavily rendered

pushed me in that direction. I really could

Batman and the

have used some formal education.

lighter approach on Batgirl and Robin. I

MCLEOD: What drew you to

believe most of the

doing comic art, as opposed to,

inks are pen but

say, commercial art or fine art or

there’s a little brush-

animation? I knew from the age

work on the right

of five that I wanted to be a car-

side of the cape.

comic book samples that I hoped would land me a job at Marvel and DC. The more

plenty of room to play

Not much difference

comic strips or animation or anything that could be con-

toonist of some sort, but everyone

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

tedious

the printing shop job got, the harder I worked on my

teered to show my samples to some editors. I got the

comic samples. Eventually it paid off.

call from Al Milgrom shortly after that. I definitely wasn’t

ready. I hadn’t even drawn any stories yet and suddenly I MCLEOD: How did you get started professionally in

was being asked to pencil a full issue of a monthly title

comics? Did you feel you were ready when your big

and it was due in 30 days. Al told me to think about it

break came, or was it more difficult than you thought it

overnight and when he called back the next day I

would be? I did a lot of learning on the job, but I

explained to him that I didn’t think I was ready and I

remember thinking the first job I saw by you was very

politely declined his offer. He thought for a moment and

competent.

then said, “Do it anyway.” It was painful trying to figure

NOWLAN: Terry Austin saw some of my work in

out what I was supposed to do and worrying about the deadline but like you said, I learned a lot

Amazing Heroes and the Comics Journal and volun-

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: Batgirl/Joker cover thumbnail: It may be rough but this small cover sketch has almost all the elements worked out. I even roughed in an idea for a logo design which DC bought and used on all four of the “DC First” titles. The details of the buildings aren’t very clear but the basic shapes are there. Batgirl and Joker TM & ©2006 DC Comics

KEVIN NOWLAN: Batgirl/Joker cover pencils: I made the figures a little bigger and moved them up a bit. Batgirl’s knees are in the frame now which seems to work better compositionally. I spent a fair amount of time trying to get the pleats, wrinkles and shadows on the Joker’s clothing to look right but after that everything fell into place fairly easily. I was surprised how fast the buildings came together. The pitted edge of the wall in the foreground shows one of my favorite Wally Wood tricks for suggesting weathered stone.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

KEVIN NOWLAN: Batgirl/Joker cover inks: When I started on the inks I tried very hard to maintain the textures and gray values that I saw in the pencils. The shadow on the wall between them was originally going to be solid black but I liked the pencil crosshatching so I went with that.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: I was consciously trying to give Superman and Green Lantern distinct features and physiques. Gil Kane basing Green Lantern on his then-neighbor Paul Newman stuck in my mind, so I pictured him being a little shorter and with sharper features than Superman. The pencils are a bit loose in places but everything critical is worked out with more clarity. Superman and Green Lantern TM & ©2006 DC Comics

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

in buildings that had personality and char-

KEVIN NOWLAN:

acter. I took photos and clipped pictures

This is the kind of pre-

out of magazines and studied artists like

liminary sketch that

Kaluta and Moebius. That exercise with

makes a drawing

the Buscema Conan’s is a good suggestion. I guess the idea is to seek out someone who’s good at the skill you want to develop and study their work. At that point I was studying everyone because I

come together very smoothly. Everything is here: Perspective, composition, lighting... it just needs a little

had so much to learn.

refining. Unfortunately,

MCLEOD: Who were your main influ-

I seldom finish layouts

ences? I see a lot of Frazetta in there.

to this degree so I end

Were you obsessed by him or anyone

up fighting them when

else at some point in the beginning, or did

I try to work out the

you just study everyone you came across?

final pencils.

NOWLAN: Frazetta is there in the inking,

Batman and

especially the pen and ink crosshatching,

Catwoman TM &

but I think I was getting that from Wrightson

before I had a chance to see Frazetta’s pen and ink work. At the time, I knew him as a paperback cover painter. I don’t think I was ever obsessed with him like I was with Bob Oksner and Neal Adams. It’s difficult to come up with a good list of influences because it would include almost everyone. MCLEOD: Bob Oksner. There’s a name you don’t hear much anymore. I love his art. It’s a shame he’s not better known

just out of necessity. I’m flattered that you thought my work was competent. I quickly learned how many things I didn’t know how to draw.

KEVIN NOWLAN: This is just a very

MCLEOD: Can you expand a bit on how exactly you went about improving your art after you landed that first job at Marvel? Anything you can recommend for struggling young artists? For instance, when I was starting out and struggling to make my

quick, simple layout to establish the basic composition for the cover painting for

figures more dynamic, I got a Buscema Conan

Legends of the DCU

comic and copied every Conan figure in it about

#39. Lots of little

11⁄ 2" tall (no matter how big they were in the

details changed but

comic), just to get a feel for how he twisted the

getting the large

torso and posed the arms and legs.

shapes worked out at

NOWLAN: Drawing that first story made me aware

this stage is very

of how little I knew. The first big obstacle was the

important.

buildings. I started out drawing those shoe box

Superman TM &

skyscrapers and started to look around me at lived-

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: Prelim for the cover of Adventures of Superman #609. I was trying for a more exaggerated, almost cartoony look on this one. I think the best Superman art has a nice balance between realism and exaggeration and I kept trying to find out where that line was. Superman TM & ©2006 DC Comics

today. Very charming figure drawing. Anything in particu-

MCLEOD: Very well put. I totally agree. Speaking of

lar you admire about Oksner, or tried to emulate?

enjoying drawing, do you keep a sketchbook?

NOWLAN: Many things. His inking has a nice organic

NOWLAN: No.

feel to it. He combines cartooning with realism beautifully. I like the way his poses suggest personality. People are

MCLEOD: Do you still draw for fun, or do you just want

rarely standing still doing nothing. His drawings suggest

to do anything but draw in your free time?

someone who really enjoys drawing.

NOWLAN: I rarely draw just for fun but I can still thoroughly enjoy drawing if things come together well.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

KEVIN NOWLAN: Adventures of Superman #609 inks: The shadows on Superman’s face make me think I might have been inspired by some of Bernie Wrightson’s work. I didn’t have a good brush handy so I inked it with a pen.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: Tomorrow Stories #1 cover rough: After I finished the pencils for the cover I made a reduced copy and crudely pasted logos on to see how everything would fit together. The drawing of Jack was made much easier by referencing a couple of snapshots of my son, Spencer. The mildly malevolent expression came from him and never would have occurred to me at that point.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

MCLEOD: I only ask because it’s something I often get sounds like I don’t like to draw, which isn’t true. But

KEVIN NOWLAN: Tomorrow Stories #2, pg. 2 Pencils: As you

after drawing all day, I need to get away from my draw-

can see, I’ve lettered

asked. I always hate this question, because if I say no, it

ing table and do something else. I’ve never understood how artists find time to do sketchbooks. NOWLAN: I feel the same way. I know it’d be good for me but I can’t justify it. MCLEOD: When you draw, do you imagine a finished

and inked most of the lettering even before the pencils are finished. It’s not as backwards as it seems. There’s so

drawing in your mind and then just put it down on

little space available

paper, or do your drawings evolve after you begin mov-

that working this way

ing the pencil?

lets me know exactly

NOWLAN: They almost never appear fully formed in my

how much room is left

head before I start drawing. Sometimes I have a rough

for the drawings.

idea but for the most part they evolve through a series of

Officer Pete was

sketches.

completely redrawn before I started the inks.

MCLEOD: Me, too. What’s your drawing process? Do you use a lightbox to get a clean drawing, or do you develop the pencils right on the page? Do you do thumbnail layouts? NOWLAN: I like to do thumbnails first. If I can work out a strong composition at that stage, everything else seems to fall into place very easily. Then I’ll lightbox or

I penciled small details like the wrinkles in Jack’s overalls very carefully so that I wouldn’t have to whiteout corrections

Artograph it up to an intermediate size, work out the

when I inked them.

details a little more and then go up the final size.

KEVIN NOWLAN: Batman Black and White #4, “Monsters in the Closet”, pg. 3, layout: I made

MCLEOD: Artograph? Get out! And I thought I was “old school”! I have an old Artograph in the closet I bought back when I worked up at Neal’s studio, since Neal used one. I figured whatever Neal did must be the best way to do things! I used it a while, but it always seemed like more trouble than it was worth. The room has to be really dark to see the image well. (If anyone wants to buy it, I’ll give them a good price...!) I eventually bought

copies of the rough pencil layout and added some big shad-

a xerox copier and enlarged drawings with that for

ows with a sharpie. It

years, and now I scan them and enlarge them on the

made me a little more

computer. But you still like to use the Artograph?

brave with the black-

NOWLAN: A little. As you said, it’s easier to trace over

spotting and helped

an enlarged copy of a sketch so the Artograph isn’t used

me visualize the final

much these days. It still comes in handy in a pinch.

page before I started in with the finished

MCLEOD: Do you consider your usual finished pencils

pencils. All the move-

to be tight or loose? How much thinking do you save for

ment here is left-to-

the inks?

right. It probably didn’t

NOWLAN: I think they’re fairly tight. You couldn’t shoot from them but another inker could figure them out without too much trouble. I don’t save much for the inks. Textures maybe, but not details.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: Hawkman #33 pencils: I worked out the composition and almost all the rendering on the three figures before I gave much thought to the background. I knew the horizon would be tilted and we’d be looking up at the buildings but not much more. Hawkman and Hawkgirl TM & ©2006 DC Comics

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

KEVIN NOWLAN: Hawkman #33 inks: I fixed one of Hawkgirl’s wings and moved Hawkman’s right foot down, then started to work out the background. That big gap on the right side of the cover seemed like a good spot for a fire hydrant. I think it was covered with text when the cover was printed. I was horrified to see that someone substituted a lowresolution file for my 600 dpi color seps so it looked really bad when the book was printed but there was nothing anyone could do about it. These things happen.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

MCLEOD: Have you ever penciled for another inker,

I’ll try to preserve as much of them as possible. If they’re

and if so, how did you like it? I don’t recall seeing any-

lacking—and this applies even if I’m the guy who did the

one else ink your pencils. I know personally, having

penciling—I’ll look for ways to dress them up with ink.

done so much inking, the finish is very important to me

Shadow effects, textures... anything I can think of. I just

and I’m never very satisfied with anyone else inking my

want the final results to be as strong as possible.

pencils, no matter how much I like their inking on other pencilers. Do you feel that way?

MCLEOD: What’s your opinion on the direction the

NOWLAN: Definitely. My first two jobs at Marvel were

business has gone in recent years, with many pencilers

inked by Terry Austin and Carl Potts. They did a great job

doing very tight pencils that don’t leave much room for

but I didn’t know what to give them. At the time, I was

creative input from the inker?

more focused on the finish or a piece and wasn’t paying

NOWLAN: If it works for them that’s fine. It can get bor-

much attention to structure so it was probably difficult for

ing working over tight pencils because you really do feel

someone else to interpret my lines.

like a “tracer”. But I’ve also worked over layouts that had a dearth of information and I felt like the penciler was

MCLEOD: Yeah, I remember seeing those jobs now.

taking money out of my pocket. Gil Kane and Mike

Terry and Carl both draw well, so I’m sure they could

Mignola were fun to ink because they gave me everything

handle it. I don’t mean this particularly as a good thing

I needed but left room for me to contribute a little.

or a bad thing, but you’re considered a fairly dominating inker. Do you think of yourself that way? Can you

MCLEOD: That is exactly how I feel. I love inking loose

explain how you feel about inking other pencilers, with

pencils, but I think I should get paid for finishing the

respect to blending your style and theirs?

penciler’s drawing if they’re too loose. You mentioned

NOWLAN: That’s an understatement. It started when I

earlier that the “Jack B. Quick” jobs are the highlight of

didn’t know how to ink a penciler I was working with and

your career. I really enjoy your “Jack B. Quick” work.

couldn’t make sense of his shadow patterns. I tried to

That type of comics is much more to my taste than dark

rework them but the more I drew the less it looked like

super-heroes. It’s just so much fun. Do you have a pre-

his work. Certain editors seemed to like the results and

ferred genre of comic art?

before long they were expecting me to put my own mark

NOWLAN: I like variety and JBQ gave me a chance to

on everything I inked. I’ve even had people complain

draw things that I’d never been able to include in a

about me being too faithful to the penciler. I haven’t

comics story before. Old people, old cars, old houses. I

resolved any of this but I’m doing less inking now so the

don’t mind superheroes though. I’d like to think that I’m

problem doesn’t crop up much these days.

fairly adaptable.

MCLEOD: That happened with me as well. I’ve gotten a

MCLEOD: Any genre you’d like to do but haven’t gotten

few very tight pencilers who didn’t understand why I didn’t

to yet?

put in more of my style, apparently unaware they didn’t

NOWLAN: Yeah, there’s still a few I haven’t had a chance

leave me any room to do it! What is your main priority and

to try. I’d like to do a retro Sci-fi story and maybe some teen

intent in inking? When I ink, my main concerns are form

humor. I love the old Archie comics by Harry Lucey and Dan

and light. The rendering style is irrelevant to me as long as

DeCarlo. I’ve been trying to collect some of Bob Oksner’s

the image has weight and looks three-dimensional. You use

Binky comics as well. I think something like that would be

a lot of split lighting and blacks, as I do. But many current

fun to draw. Not much call for it these days.

artists focus much more on often superfluous linework (at

For more on Kevin,

least in my opinion) and let the colorist worry about form.

MCLEOD: Do you ever get the urge to do some landscape

Can you tell us your thoughts on this?

painting like your great uncle? I never cared about painting at

NOWLAN: I think we developed an approach that relies

all until I hit 50 and suddenly it’s what I want to do most.

less on color. That’s why spotting blacks seemed to be

NOWLAN: The urge hasn’t struck me yet. I think I still

such an important skill for our generation of inkers. I think

prefer pen-and-ink or pencil. Paint intimidates me.

be sure to pick up

we’re getting to the point where the colorist has much

Modern Masters Vol.

more to say about the finished look of a piece than the

MCLEOD: Well, Kevin, I hope you’ve enjoyed this as

4: Kevin Nowlan,

inker does.

much as I have. I hope we can meet in person some-

available now from TwoMorrows.

When I’m inking, my main intent intent is to produce an effective piece of art. If the pencils look good to me,

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

time. Take care and thanks again.

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ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

PRE-PRO

ave you ever wondered how your favorite pro’s art looked back before he turned pro? Back when he was just sitting at home dreaming about becoming a comic book artist? How would his early efforts compare with yours? Well, each issue we’re going to show you some examples of just that! The following art was contributed by some of our featured artists. It was done by them before they started working in comics professionally. But it’s easy to see they’d soon be ready for the big time! Starting out this issue is a fantastic coloring book page done by this issue’s interview guest Kevin Nowlan, way back in 1978 when he was about 20 years old. Next up are these comic strips drawn by none other than Alan Davis. I think the characters in the strip are speechless at how well he was drawing even back then! Alan comments: “This a comic strip I drew in my late teens and in a style that was obviously inspired by the fantastic work of Frank Bellamy on Garth. It was drawn purely for fun; I never planned to get into comics. The original is drawn on a sheet of A4 paper (at print size, I didn’t know about working for reduction) with Rotring pens and felt tips— although the term original may not be accurate since I drew and redrew the strips countless times tracing each draft from a mix of previous versions— which was fairly easy since I drew/inked on typing paper.” And just to show that I wouldn’t ask our guests to do anything I wouldn’t do, here’s a vintage zipatone feast by me circa 1973, when I was working in the production dept. at Marvel. — Bob McLeod JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

D U R E F E A T

´ P E GEORG EREZ

I S T A R T

te. nnial fan favori re pe a is z re George Pé , Pérez did d for Superman di e n yr B at h W ans, an and the Tit for Wonder Wom ose gy and life to th er en ew n g ng artists n bringi e hardest worki th of e on en be ays nging series. He’s alw the most challe g in pt ce ac in revels in comics, and assignments.

´ GEORGE PÉREZ: Donna Troy rough: I usually dislike doing cover sketches since I usually do a lot of changes as I go along. This one was pretty straightforward, but I added one more Donna Troy figure (when she was a Darkstar) and eliminated the question-mark borders. Wonder Girl TM & ©2006 DC Comics

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Avengers, Vol. 3, Issue 1, page 13: This return to The Avengers was an important thing for me as I was working to revitalize my career. I penciled this issue extremely tight, although I didn’t fill in all the blacks, as I’m oft prone to, even when I know it’s unnecessary. The Avengers TM & ©2006 Marvel

´ GEORGE PEREZ

Characters, Inc.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ GEORGE PEREZ: AVENGERS/JLA #2, page 23: I actually started this page at a dance studio as I waited for my wife. When I got home I realized that Cap looked too small and that Batman was too high up on the page and might get cropped. I copied the entire page to a new board with a lightbox and changed Batman’s posture so that he’d be more reactive to Ben Grimm’s unexpected appearance. I also changed Ben’s trunks to pants once correct reference was provided. I also added Johnny Storm to the panels with Reed and Sue and erased Cap from panel 5. All characters ©2006 DC Comics and TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Page 31 from JLA/AVENGERS #2: This shows just how tight my pencils were for this book, despite the fact that I was inking it myself. Corrections are so much easier to do in the pencil stages. Also, should anything have happened that mandated getting someone else to ink the books, the pencils would have been easy to follow. All characters ©2006 DC Comics and TM & ©2006 Marvel

´ GEORGE PEREZ

Characters, Inc.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Wonder Woman 14 layout: This was my original layout for the splash of Wonder Woman, Vol. 2, #14. I changed it to a threepanel page with Diana getting progressively closer to the reader. I also eliminated Hermes for story purposes. Since I was leading up to a double-pager for pages 2 and 3, the first page splash just felt too large and could strip some of the impact from the reveal on the page turn.

´ GEORGE PEREZ

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ GEORGE PEREZ: This commission of Princess Diana is just one of the many examples of how many different ways I could draw an easily identifiable Wonder Woman without always having to fall back on her usual trademark costume. Wonder Woman TM & ©2006 DC Comics

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Solus cover pencils: This was actually going to be the cover to my last issue of Solus. When it became apparent that I would not be drawing the interior art, Leonard Kirk, who did draw the book, redrew the cover, following my design.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ GEORGE PEREZ

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Solus inventory sketch: I’ve actually forgotten the name of this character who was originally going to be the main antagonist of the Solus series when Barbara Kesel’s concept was a good deal different then the final version. This character sheet never got finished.

´ GEORGE PEREZ: Solus Lindy design: Barbara Kesel and I really loved this early version of Solus ’ Lindy character since she looked so normal. I’m afraid that it was that normality that CrossGen President Mark Alessi didn’t care for and he asked if we’d make Lindy prettier and her costume tighter. We also ditched the glasses.

For more on George, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 2: George Pérez, and the Modern Masters: InThe Studio With George Pérez DVD, both available now from TwoMorrows.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

D U R E F E A T

I S T A R T

´ ´ L A Í C ´ IS GAR OPEZ

JOSE LU

many a Lopéz has as José Luis Garcí is clasames. His art n as h e h as s skill makthe same time, at t en rr cu d sic an r DC’s rfect choice fo ing him the pe Marvel any a die-hard style guides. M e his d over to sampl se os cr as h n awing is so fa projects. His dr er h ot d an an e is. wares on Batm expert inker h an at h w e ic ot ople fail to n good, many pe t all around. He’s a class ac

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCÍA-LOPEZ: Road to Perdition: Great time working with Max A. Collins. My only regret is that I didn’t have enough time to do the finishes also.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCÍA´ LOPEZ: Those funny Batman characters were great to do. It was like the play of ying and yang with the more somber Batman. Superman, Joker, Prankster TM &

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA´ LOPEZ: DC Style Guide: Again, an ideal situation. The first DC Style Guide was the fruit of a visit to the Time/Warner offices to have a basic and ample idea about what the guide was going to be. I did a few sketches over there and then went back to Florida, where I spent the next year sending back and forth sketches and finished pencils. Superman TM &

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA´ LOPEZ: DC Style Guide: Everything worked all right despite the distance and no fax or Internet to make things faster (best for me, more time for the beach). All characters TM & ©2006 DC Comics

´ ´ JOSE´ GARCIA-LOPEZ: Batman Returns: The best experience I had in licensing. I did about fifty sketches like these in fifteen days without any concrete reference about the movie. Batman TM & ©2006 DC Comics

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA´ LOPEZ: Batman Returns: I just took clues from the first movie and had a great amount of freedom. Luckily, they chose almost all those earlier sketches. I just had to adjust details after I got the first shots from the movie. Batman TM &

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA´ LOPEZ: Batman #353, pg. 11: I did the story while living in Florida, and the sun illuminates everything there. I guess I could’ve put more shadows in there if I’d been living in NY or Chicago at the time. Batman, Joker TM & ©2006 DC

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

Comics

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA´ LOPEZ: “Founding Fathers”: It is a pity this is unpublished. The story was funny and I really enjoyed working in those historical characters: Jefferson, Franklin, etc. I tried to move them around like actors in an opera. Ah, the black guy was inspired by [comedian] Sinbad

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

(I guess).

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCÍA´ LOPEZ: Twilight: These pages were just a gimmick for establishing the characters’ look as created by me. They were not used for anything in particular, only to fill a bureaucratic

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ

requirement of DC.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

´ ´ JOSE´ LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ For more on José, be sure to pick up Modern Masters Vol. 5: José Luis GarcíaLópez, available now from TwoMorrows.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

COVER STORIES

hat happens between the initial layout

of a cover, and the finished, printed piece? Usually a lot of changes— some brought about by the pencil artist, some by the inker (assuming they’re not the same person as the penciler), and some at the request of an editor or publisher. We asked a couple of this issue’s pros to give us a little insight into these classic covers.

ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

WALT SIMONSON: Cyberforce: Cover for Cyberforce #0 for Top Cow. I wrote and drew the issue based on ideas from Mark Silverstri and David Wohl. The whole issue was my version of an Image comic of the time, full of overwhelmingly large images on each page and a few small inset panels to carry the story. And a lot of rendering. The cover shows the large image and rendering approach fairly well.

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

KEVIN NOWLAN: Adventures of Superman #621, pencils: This is more like it. A fairly subdued expression on Superman’s face as well as more natural body language that fits in with the rest of the composition as well. I can tell by looking at the rendering that I was enjoying this one. I didn’t leave much to do in the inks. Superman TM & ©2006 DC Comics

KEVIN NOWLAN: Adventures of Superman #621, preliminary: This is a pencil and marker prelim for the cover of The Adventures of Superman #621. Superman is being startled by some human-insect hybrid bug children. As you can see, I had trouble with the Superman figure. I was trying to overdo the startled expression.

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KEVIN NOWLAN: Adventures of Superman #621, inks: This was fun to ink. I really like the way the bug kids turned out. Cloth diapers read as diapers much better than their disposable counterparts. I added rim lighting on Superman’s arm and back to separate them from the shadows on his cape.

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101

ROUGH CRITIQUE By Bob McLeod f you’re serious about improving your penciling, send us a sample page and I’ll publish and critique one page per issue by our readers. Many beginners

struggle with the same problems, and I think it’s often very helpful to see a critique of someone else. Keith Grachow sent me this very nice Fantastic Four sample page and bravely consented to having it published in our first issue.

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ROUGH STUFF • JULY 2006

Keith, I really like your sample very much in some areas, but not so much in other areas. I’ll begin with what I like. It’s rare that I see a sample page with so many backgrounds, and that’s vital to creating a professional level page. Backgrounds require a knowledge of perspective and set design that most beginners lack, and don’t spend nearly enough effort on. Your panel layout is easy to follow, and your storytelling is clear even without a script. These are not minor accomplishments. I also really like the personality you’re giving your actors. Yes, I said actors. The characters in a comic book need to be good actors to tell an interesting story, and it’s up to the penciler to keep them from being too wooden. I also like the way you’re moving the camera, and varying the distance with close-ups and long shots. I like that you’ve attempted some dramatic lighting, with the cast shadow in panel 2. Now for what I don’t like so much. Comics are first and foremost about people. You simply must study anatomy more and improve your figure drawing. You show a nice, natural feel for figures, but you still don’t really know the basic muscle groups and how the figure moves. In pnl. 2, Franklin’s pose is awkward. It often helps to get into the pose yourself and see what feels natural. You’ve also drawn his legs too long for his body. It’s also always a good idea to consider the silhouette shape of your figures. Your Torch in pnl.1 has an awkward shape with his arm parallel to and equal in size to his leg. Contrast it with my Torch figure’s silhouette. The Torch’s hands in pnl.4 are too exaggerated. The distance between them is not sufficient for them to vary in size so much. There are times when you’ll want to exaggerate the foreshortening like this to make a more dynamic pose, but don’t do it on small figures like this. When drawing established characters like the FF, you need to be able to draw them similar to the way we’re used to seeing them. That face on the Torch in pnl. 1 is just not Johnny Storm. That’s not his nose. Franklin is OK, but inconsistent from panel to panel. A better understanding of the skull and facial features will enable you to keep your faces looking more consistently like the same person. I know from experience that the Thing is a bit of a pain to draw, but you do have to take the time to draw all those bricks, and there’s a certain interlocking way of drawing them, if you want to do them properly. And the Thing’s anatomy is not based on a normal human’s, as you’re attempting. He’s much more rounded in every body part, and has no neck. He only has three fingers, with much bigger feet and hands. When you draw a figure throwing a punch, you want to have him put his whole body into the punch, so have him leaning forward much more. The figure being punched needs to be

knocked for a loop, not just knocked slightly off-balance, as yours is. Think of Charlie Brown upside down with his socks knocked off by a batter hitting the ball at him. This is where you need to study Jack Kirby, or John Buscema. They’ve done your homework for you, and all you need to do is imitate what they do. Always exaggerate action! Beyond being able to draw, what makes a page look professional is thinking more about where you place the various elements in a panel. Unless the background is the dominant element in a panel, which doesn’t apply in any of these, begin by placing the figures. You want to focus on them in a more deliberate way. In pnl.1, the Thing figures are shoved up near the panel border, while empty space is left below the Torch. The Thing figures need to be moved down away from the border. In pnl.2, you needlessly crop off Franklin’s head. Heads and hands are usually what we want to see. If you must crop something, crop off his knee. But why not get the whole figure in, as I’ve done? In pnl.4, you barely get Franklin’s head into the panel. I like using him as a framing device to focus on the Torch, but he needs to be more in the panel. In pnl.5, your figures are on the left and your backgrounds are on the right, dividing the panel in two. Torch almost appears to be bumping into a building. You need to center the figures in the panel, then design the backgrounds around them. Pnl. 6 is too heavily weighted on the left with large forms. Reed can be moved over a bit, and Torch can come in from a different angle to better balance the panel. Invisible Girl looks squeezed up against the panel border. Rather than carefully arranging your figures, you’ve painted yourself into a corner. When placing figures, and main background elements, into a panel, try to group them, rather than thinking of them as separate forms. In the same way that you want your individual figures to have an interesting silhouette, you also want to group your forms into a pleasing shape. Look how the figures in my panel 6 form a united arc. Another important thing to consider is leading the readers eye. In pnl.1, your Torch is taking us right off the page. Better to turn him around and lead us to the next panel. Similarly, in pnl.5, I’d rather see him flying toward us and the last panel, instead of toward the right panel border and off the page. Pnl.3 looks unfinished. What is that on the right and the upper right? Otherwise, this panel is good, but keep in mind speech balloons need to go somewhere. Finally, it’s always better to design your elements using diag-

onals, rather than horizontals and verticals. The gun in pnl.4 should be angled rather than parallel to the panel border. That’s it for this time. Keep studying and you’ll get there. Thanks for sharing your page with us. Readers who want to submit a page for a critique in future issues should e-mail a 300dpi scan to me at mcleod.bob@gmail.com or mail a photocopy to: Rough Stuff Critique P.O. Box 63 Emmaus, PA 18049

JULY 2006 • ROUGH STUFF

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GiVE BACK TO THE CREATORS WHO GAVE YOU YOUR DREAMS.

Get’cha More Mods! EURY RETURNS! FREE Scoops! Number 18, Summer 2006 • Hype and hullabaloo from the publisher determined to bring new life to comics fandom • Edited by John Morrow

Longtime TwoMorrows stalwart ERIC NOLENWEATHINGTON has a passel of new MODERN MASTERS books lined up for the coming months. Next up is SPIDER-MAN artist supreme MIKE WIERINGO, who happens to hail not too far from TwoMorrows’ own hometown in North Carolina! Then comes KEVIN MAGUIRE, fanfavorite artist of the JLA and other top books! Both these gents have made their mark on the industry with their enormous talent, and are more than deserving of the title “Modern Master.” And ERIC N-W is pulling out all the stops, enlisting the help of TODD DEZAGO and GEORGE KHOURY to compile the ultimate look at both artists’ lives and careers, including gobs of unseen art. Look for MODERN MASTERS VOL. 9: MIKE WIERINGO in October, and MODERN MASTERS VOL. 10: KEVIN MAGUIRE in December, each costing a measly $19 US POSTPAID.

Funny Under Wear!

A couple of our editors (and most of our competitors) may not be speaking to us after the side-splitting parodies PETE VON SHOLLY did of them in COMIC BOOK NERD ($11 US, still available), but don’t let that stop you from showing your own FULL FRONTAL NERDITY with our hilarious CBN T-SHIRTS! Choose from WHIZZER or PURVIEWS, both printed in full-color on heavy white t-shirts, and available in sizes L, XL, and XL. They’re $25 EACH US, so be one of the best-dressed nerds this summer, and get ’em today!

Faithful Companions Our readers are NUTS about our line of COMPANION books, offering behindthe-scenes info on their favorite series of all-time, from the JLA, LEGION, and THUNDER AGENTS to MIRACLEMAN, FAWCETT COMICS, and more! We’ve got a bunch of new ones coming soon, so stay tuned. And next up? Don’t miss ROY THOMAS’ all-new ALL-STAR COMPANION VOL. 2 in October ($26 US), with more on the JSA!

And he’s brought Superman with him in his latest book, THE KRYPTON COMPANION, spotlighting the Silver Age Supes, back when kryptonite came in multiple colors and super-pets scampered across the skies! BACK ISSUE! magazine editor MICHAEL EURY explores the legacy of classic Superman editors MORT WEISINGER and JULIUS SCHWARTZ through all-new interviews with NEAL ADAMS, MURPHY ANDERSON, CARY BATES, RICH BUCKLER, NICK CARDY, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍALÓPEZ, KEITH GIFFEN, ELLIOT S! MAGGIN, JIM MOONEY, DENNIS O’NEIL, BOB OKSNER, MARTIN PASKO, BOB ROZAKIS, JIM SHOOTER, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and other fan favorites! Plus there’s Super-artist CURT SWAN’s 1987 essay “Drawing Superman,” JERRY SIEGEL’s “lost” imaginary story “The Death of Clark Kent,” MARK WAID’s tribute to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman’s appearances in the media and in Marvel Comics, and rare and previously unpublished artwork by Swan, Adams, WAYNE BORING, ALAN DAVIS, ADAM HUGHES, PAUL SMITH, BRUCE TIMM, and even a roundtable discussion with modern-day creators (including JOHN BYRNE, JEPH LOEB, and ALEX ROSS) examining Superman’s influential past! And wait’ll you read Bizarro No. 1’s introduction (by SEINFELD writer David Mandel)! It’s all behind a super cover by DAVE GIBBONS, and is available in late July for $29 US.

PATS ON BACKS!

A hearty round of kudos goes out to editor MIKE MANLEY for his work on DRAW! Magazine, which just got its second-in-a-row EISNER AWARD Nomination for Best Comics-Related Periodical! The Eisners are handed out each year at Comicon International: San Diego, where TwoMorrows is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s BILL FINGER AWARD for Excellence in Comic Book Writing (ALVIN SCHWARTZ and HARVEY KURTZMAN are this year’s winners). And one more shout-out goes to Rascally ROY THOMAS, whose own ALTER EGO magazine is nominated for “Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation” in this year’s HARVEY AWARDS (named after the aforementioned Mr. Kurtzman). After knocking back to a mere 8 issues of AE in 2006, ROY is gearing up to take the mag back to monthly status in ’07, much to the delight of his devoted readership! Look for Roy’s ALTER EGO #61 in August, featuring the most comprehensive look at the AMERICAN COMICS GROUP (ACG), and STANDARD/NEDOR COMICS, ever compiled. And a big congratulations to all these deserving winners and nominees!

Hot off the presses is our brand new, FULLCOLOR, 2006 CATALOG UPDATE, available online now www.twomorrows.com (you can either download a whopping big PDF file of it, or log in and request that we mail you a FREE COPY)! It lists all of our back issues and current items, plus a bunch of advance scoops on publications that we’ll be unveiling between now and the beginning of 2007! Get yours now!

Pros@Cons!

Thanks to everyone who visited our booths at San Francisco’s WONDERCON and Charlotte, NC’s HEROES CON. See us at: COMICON: INTERNATIONAL (San Diego, CA, July 19-23, 2006) WIZARDWORLD: CHICAGO (Chicago, IL, August 3-6, 2006)

BALTIMORE COMICON (Baltimore, MD, September 9-10, 2006) COPYRIGHTS: Justice Society, Batman, Superman TM & ©2006 DC Comics. Fantastic Four, Spider-Man TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. All others ©2006 their respective owners.

CONTACTS:

John Morrow, publisher, JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR editor, & for subscriptions: twomorrow@aol.com Roy Thomas, ALTER EGO editor: roydann@ntinet.com Michael Eury, BACK ISSUE! editor: euryman@msn.com Mike Manley, DRAW! editor: mike@actionplanet.com Danny Fingeroth, WRITE NOW! editor: WriteNowDF@aol.com Bob McLeod, ROUGH STUFF editor: mcleod.bob@gmail.com Read excerpts from back issues and order from our secure online store at:

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TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

THE TWOMORROWS LIBRARY NER! D WIN R A W A EISNER

THE DARK AGE Documents the ‘80s and ‘90s era of comics, from THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and WATCHMEN to the “polybagged premium” craze, the DEATH OF SUPERMAN, renegade superheroes SPAWN, PITT, BLOODSHOT, CYBERFORCE, & more! Interviews with TODD McFARLANE, DAVE GIBBONS, JIM LEE, KEVIN SMITH, ALEX ROSS, MIKE MIGNOLA, ERIK LARSEN, J. O’BARR, DAVID LAPHAM, JOE QUESADA, MIKE ALLRED and others, plus a color section! Written by MARK VOGER, with photos by KATHY VOGLESONG. (168-page trade paperback) $24 US

DICK GIORDANO

CHANGING COMICS, ONE DAY AT A TIME

STREETWISE

TOP ARTISTS DRAWING STORIES OF THEIR LIVES

MICHAEL EURY’s biography of comics’ most prominent and affable personality!

An unprecedented assembly of talent drawing NEW autobiographical stories:

• Covers his career as illustrator, inker, and editor, peppered with DICK’S PERSONAL REFLECTIONS on his career milestones! • Lavishly illustrated with RARE AND NEVER SEEN comics, merchandising, and advertising art (includes a color section)! • Extensive index of his published work! • Comments & tributes by NEAL ADAMS, DENNIS O’NEIL, TERRY AUSTIN, PAUL LEVITZ, MARV WOLFMAN, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, JIM APARO & others! • With a Foreword by NEAL ADAMS and Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ!

• Barry WINDSOR-SMITH • C.C. BECK • Sergio ARAGONÉS • Walter SIMONSON • Brent ANDERSON • Nick CARDY • Roy THOMAS & John SEVERIN • Paul CHADWICK • Rick VEITCH • Murphy ANDERSON • Joe KUBERT • Evan DORKIN • Sam GLANZMAN • Plus Art SPIEGELMAN, Jack KIRBY, more! Cover by RUDE • Foreword by EISNER

TITANS COMPANION A comprehensive history of the NEW TEEN TITANS, with interviews and rare art by MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PÉREZ, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, LEN WEIN, & others, a Silver Age section with NEAL ADAMS, NICK CARDY, DICK GIORDANO, & more, plus CHRIS CLAREMONT and WALTER SIMONSON on the X-MEN/ TEEN TITANS crossover, TOM GRUMMETT, PHIL JIMENEZ & TERRY DODSON on their ‘90s Titans work, a new cover by JIMENEZ, & intro by GEOFF JOHNS! Written by GLEN CADIGAN.

ALTER EGO COLLECTION, VOL. 1 Collects the first two issues of ALTER EGO, plus 30 pages of NEW MATERIAL! JLA Jam Cover by KUBERT, PÉREZ, GIORDANO, TUSKA, CARDY, FRADON, & GIELLA, new sections featuring scarce art by GIL KANE, WILL EISNER, CARMINE INFANTINO, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MURPHY ANDERSON, DICK DILLIN, & more! (192-page trade paperback) $26 US

(224-page trade paperback) $29 US

(160-Page Trade Paperback) $24 US

THE

(176-pg. Paperback) $24 US

ART OF GEORGE TUSKA BEST OF THE LEGION OUTPOST

HERO GETS GIRL!

THE LIFE & ART OF KURT SCHAFFENBERGER MARK VOGER’s biography of the artist of LOIS LANE & CAPTAIN MARVEL! • Covers KURT’S LIFE AND CAREER from the 1940s to his passing in 2002! • Features NEVER-SEEN PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS from his files! • Includes recollections by ANDERSON, EISNER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, ALEX ROSS, MORT WALKER and others! (128-page Trade Paperback) $19 US

THE LEGION COMPANION • A history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, with DAVE COCKRUM, MIKE GRELL, JIM STARLIN, JAMES SHERMAN, PAUL LEVITZ, KEITH GIFFEN, STEVE LIGHTLE, MARK WAID, JIM SHOOTER, JIM MOONEY, AL PLASTINO, and more! • Rare and never-seen Legion art by the above, plus GEORGE PÉREZ, NEAL ADAMS, CURT SWAN, and others! • Unused Cockrum character designs and pages from an UNUSED STORY! • New cover by DAVE COCKRUM and JOE RUBINSTEIN, introduction by JIM SHOOTER, and more!

Collects the best material from the hardto-find LEGION OUTPOST fanzine, including rare interviews and articles from creators such as DAVE COCKRUM, CARY BATES, and JIM SHOOTER, plus neverbefore-seen artwork by COCKRUM, MIKE GRELL, JIMMY JANES and others! It also features a previously unpublished interview with KEITH GIFFEN originally intended for the never-published LEGION OUTPOST #11, plus other new material! And it sports a rarely-seen classic 1970s cover by Legion fan favorite artist DAVE COCKRUM! (160-page trade paperback) $22 US

ALL-STAR COMPANION VOL. 1 ROY THOMAS has assembled the most thorough look ever taken at All-Star Comics: • Covers by MURPHY ANDERSON! • Issue-by-issue coverage of ALL—STAR COMICS #1—57, the original JLA—JSA teamups, & the ‘70s ALL—STAR REVIVAL! • Art from an unpublished 1945 JSA story! • Looks at FOUR “LOST” ALL—STAR issues! • Rare art by BURNLEY, DILLIN, KIRBY, INFANTINO, KANE, KUBERT, ORDWAY, ROSS, WOOD and more!!

A comprehensive look at Tuska’s personal and professional life, including early work with Eisner-Iger, crime comics of the 1950s, and his tenure with Marvel and DC Comics, as well as independent publishers. The book includes extensive coverage of his work on IRON MAN, X-MEN, HULK, JUSTICE LEAGUE, TEEN TITANS, BATMAN, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, and many more! A gallery of commission artwork and a thorough index of his work are included, plus original artwork, photos, sketches, previously unpublished art, interviews and anecdotes from his peers and fans, plus George’s own words! (128-page trade paperback) $19 US

(208-page Trade Paperback) $26 US

(224-page Trade Paperback) $29 US

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS COMPANION

COMIC BOOK ARTIST COLLECTION, VOL. 3 Reprinting the Eisner Award-winning COMIC BOOK ARTIST #7 and #8 (‘70s Marvel and ‘80s independents), featuring a new MICHAEL T. GILBERT cover, plus interviews with GILBERT, RUDE, GULACY, GERBER, DON SIMPSON, CHAYKIN, SCOTT McCLOUD, BUCKLER, BYRNE, DENIS KITCHEN, plus a NEW SECTION featuring over 30 pages of previouslyEach lists PUBLISHED COMICS WORK in unseen stuff! Edited by JON B. COOKE. detail, plus ILLOS, UNPUBLISHED WORK, and more. Filled with rare and unseen art! (224-page trade paperback) $29 US (68/100 Pages) $8 US EACH

WALLY WOOD & JACK KIRBY CHECKLISTS

The definitive book on WALLACE WOOD’s super-team of the 1960s, featuring interviews with Woody and other creators involved in the T-Agents over the years, plus rare and unseen art, including a rare 28-page story drawn by PAUL GULACY, UNPUBLISHED STORIES by GULACY, PARIS CULLINS, and others, and a JERRY ORDWAY cover. Edited by CBA’s JON B. COOKE. (192-page trade paperback) $29 US

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Magazines & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail) • Softcover books, $3 ($10 Airmail) • Hardcover books, $6 ($15 Airmail)

COMICS ABOVE GROUND SEE HOW YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS MAKE A LIVING OUTSIDE COMICS

COMICS ABOVE GROUND features top comics pros discussing their inspirations and training, and how they apply it in “Mainstream Media,” including Conceptual Illustration, Video Game Development, Children’s Books, Novels, Design, Illustration, Fine Art, Storyboards, Animation, Movies & more! Written by DURWIN TALON (author of the top-selling PANEL DISCUSSIONS), this book features creators sharing their perspectives and their work in comics and their “other professions,” with career overviews, neverbefore-seen art, and interviews! Featuring: • BRUCE TIMM • LOUISE SIMONSON • BERNIE WRIGHTSON • DAVE DORMAN • ADAM HUGHES • GREG RUCKA & MORE! (168-page Trade Paperback) $24 US

COMIC BOOKS & OTHER NECESSITIES OF LIFE WERTHAM WAS RIGHT! SUPERHEROES IN MY PANTS! Each collects MARK EVANIER’S best essays and commentaries, plus new essays and illustrations by SERGIO ARAGONÉS! (200-page Trade Paperbacks) $17 US EACH ALL THREE BOOKS: $34 US

TRUE BRIT

CELEBRATING GREAT COMIC BOOK ARTISTS OF THE UK A celebration of the rich history of British Comics Artists and their influence on the US with in-depth interviews and art by: • BRIAN BOLLAND • ALAN DAVIS • DAVE GIBBONS • BRYAN HITCH • DAVID LLOYD

• DAVE MCKEAN • KEVIN O’NEILL • BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH and other gents!

(204-page Trade Paperback with COLOR SECTION) $26 US

MODERN MASTERS SERIES Edited by ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON

A new series of trade paperbacks devoted to the BEST OF TODAY’S COMICS ARTISTS! Each volume contains RARE AND UNSEEN ARTWORK direct from the artist’s files, plus a COMPREHENSIVE INTERVIEW (including influences and their views on graphic storytelling), DELUXE SKETCHBOOK SECTIONS, and more!

VOL. 1: ALAN DAVIS

(128-Page Trade Paperback) $17 US

VOL. 2: GEORGE PÉREZ (128-Page Trade Paperback) $17 US

VOL. 3: BRUCE TIMM

(120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE COMPANION VOL. 1

SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS: GENE COLAN

A comprehensive examination of the Silver Age JLA written by MICHAEL EURY (author of the critically acclaimed CAPTAIN ACTION and co-author of THE SUPERHERO BOOK). It traces the JLA’s development, history, imitators, and early fandom through vintage and all-new interviews with the series’ creators, an issue-byissue index of the JLA’s 1960-1972 adventures, classic and never-before-published artwork, and other fun and fascinating features. Contributors include DENNY O’NEIL, MURPHY ANDERSON, JOE GIELLA, MIKE FRIEDRICH, NEAL ADAMS, ALEX ROSS, CARMINE INFANTINO, NICK CARDY, and many, many others. Plus: An exclusive interview with STAN LEE, who answers the question, “Did the JLA really inspire the creation of Marvel’s Fantastic Four?” With an all-new cover by BRUCE TIMM (TV’s Justice League Unlimited)!

The ultimate retrospective on COLAN, with rare drawings, photos, and art from his nearly 60-year career, plus a comprehensive overview of Gene’s glory days at Marvel Comics! MARV WOLFMAN, DON MCGREGOR and other writers share script samples and anecdotes of their Colan collaborations, while TOM PALMER, STEVE LEIALOHA and others show how they approached the daunting task of inking Colan’s famously nuanced penciled pages! Plus there’s a NEW PORTFOLIO of neverbefore-seen collaborations between Gene and such masters as JOHN BYRNE, MICHAEL KALUTA and GEORGE PÉREZ, and all-new artwork created specifically for this book by Gene! Available in Softcover and Deluxe Hardcover (limited to 1000 copies, with 16 extra black-and-white pages and 8 extra color pages)!

(224-page trade paperback) $29 US

(168-page softcover) $26 US (192-page trade hardcover) $49 US

VOL. 4: KEVIN NOWLAN

AGAINST THE GRAIN: MAD ARTIST

(120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

WALLACE WOOD

The definitive biographical memoir on one of comics’ finest artists, 20 years in the making! Former associate BHOB STEWART traces Wood’s life and career, with contributions from many artists and writers who knew Wood personally, making this a remarkable compendium of art, insights and critical commentary! From childhood drawings & early samples to nearly endless comics pages (many unpublished), this is the most stunning display of Wood art ever assembled! BILL PEARSON, executor of the Wood Estate, contributed rare drawings from Wood’s own files, while art collector ROGER HILL provides a wealth of obscure, previously unpublished Wood drawings and paintings. (336-Page Trade Paperback) $44 US

VOL. 5: GARCÍA-LÓPEZ (128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

VOL. 6: ARTHUR ADAMS (128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

VOL. 7: JOHN BYRNE

(128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

MODERN MASTERS: IN THE STUDIO WITH GEORGE PÉREZ DVD This DVD companion to the Modern Masters book series gives you a personal tour of George Pérez’s studio, and lets you watch step-by-step as the fan-favorite artist illustrates a special issue of Top Cow’s Witchblade! Also, see George as he sketches for fans at conventions, and hear his peers and colleagues—including Marv Wolfman and Ron Marz—share their anecdotes and personal insights along the way!

VOL. 8: WALT SIMONSON (128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR NEW 2006 FULLCOLOR CATALOG, OR DOWNLOAD IT NOW AT www.twomorrows.com

(120-minute DVD) $35 US

WRITE NOW! (edited by DANNY FINGEROTH), the magazine for writers of comics, animation, & sci-fi, puts you in the minds of today’s top writers and editors. Each issue features WRITING TIPS from pros on both sides of the desk, INTERVIEWS, SAMPLE SCRIPTS, REVIEWS, exclusive NUTS & BOLTS tutorials, and more.

FOUR-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS: $24 Standard, $36 First Class (Canada: $44, Elsewhere: $48 Surface, $64 Airmail).

“For those who want to make writing their life, or are just interested in the process, WRITE NOW! is an invaluable resource.” Christos N. Gage, Deadshot writer

WRITE NOW! #11

WRITE NOW! #12

WRITE NOW! #13

STAN LEE, NEIL GAIMAN, MARK WAID, PETER DAVID, J.M. DeMATTEIS, TOM DeFALCO, DENNY O’NEIL, & 18 others reveal PROFESSIONAL WRITING SECRETS, plus DeFALCO & RON FRENZ on working together, JOHN OSTRANDER on creating characters, and an all-new SPIDER-GIRL cover by FRENZ and SAL BUSCEMA!

DC Comics president PAUL LEVITZ on the art, craft and business of comics writing, STEVE ENGLEHART on writing for today’s market, survey of TOP COMICS EDITORS on how to submit work to them, Marvel Editor ANDY SCHMIDT on how to break in, T. CAMPBELL on writing for webcomics, plus a new GEORGE PÉREZ cover!

X-MEN 3 screenwriter SIMON KINBERG interviewed, DENNIS O’NEIL on translating BATMAN BEGINS into a novel, Central Park Media’s STEPHEN PAKULA discusses manga writing, KURT BUSIEK on breaking into comics, MIKE FRIEDRICH on writers’ agents, script samples, new RON LIM/AL MILGROM cover, and more!

(80-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE THESE 5 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF 4: ONLY $36

WRITE NOW! #1

WRITE NOW! #2

WRITE NOW! #3

WRITE NOW! #4

WRITE NOW! #5

Get practical advice and tips on writing from top pros on BOTH SIDES of the desk! MARK BAGLEY cover & interview, BRIAN BENDIS & STAN LEE interviews, JOE QUESADA on what editors really want, TOM DeFALCO, J.M. DeMATTEIS, & more!

ERIK LARSEN cover and interview, writers STAN BERKOWITZ (JLA cartoon), TODD ALCOTT (“ANTZ”), LEE NORDLING (Platinum Studios), ANNE D. BERNSTEIN (MTV’s “Daria”), step-by-step on scripting Spider-Girl, 10 rules for writers, & more!

BRUCE JONES on writing The Hulk, AXEL ALONSO on state-of-the-art editing, DENNY O’NEIL offers tips for comics writers, KURT BUSIEK shows how he scripts, plus JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JOEY CAVALIERI, & more! New MIKE DEODATO cover!

HOWARD CHAYKIN on writing for comics & TV, PAUL DINI on animated writing, DENNY O’NEIL offers more tips for comics writers, KURT BUSIEK shows how he scripts, plus FABIAN NICIEZA, DeFALCO & FRENZ, & more! New CHAYKIN cover!

WILL EISNER discusses his comics writing, J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI on Hollywood writing, BOB SCHRECK details his work on Batman, DENNY O’NEIL’s notes from his writing classes, FABIAN NICIEZA, PAUL DINI, & more! CASTILLO/RAMOS cover!

(88-page magazine) $9 US

(96-page magazine) $9 US

(80-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE THESE 5 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF 4: ONLY $36

WRITE NOW! #6

WRITE NOW! #7

WRITE NOW! #8

WRITE NOW! #9

WRITE NOW! #10

BRIAN BENDIS and MICHAEL AVON OEMING in-depth on making an issue of Powers, MARK WAID on writing Fantastic Four, BOB SCHRECK’s interview continues from last issue, DIANA SCHUTZ, SCOTT M. ROSENBERG, & more! OEMING cover!

JEPH LOEB and CHUCK DIXON give indepth interviews (with plenty of rare and unseen art), JOHN JACKSON MILLER discusses writing, MARK WHEATLEY on his new Image series, & more NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s on writing! TIM SALE cover!

Part One of “how-to”crossover with DRAW! #9, as DANNY FINGEROTH and MIKE MANLEY create an all-new character as ideas are proposed and modified to get a character’s look & origins! Plus interviews with DON McGREGOR & STUART MOORE!

NEAL ADAMS discusses his own writing (with rare art and a NEW ADAMS COVER), GEOFF JOHNS discusses writing for comics, secrets of PITCHING COMICS IDEAS, MICHAEL OEMING and BATTON LASH on writing, plus NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s!

Interviews and lessons by Justice League Unlimited’s DWAYNE McDUFFIE, Hate’s PETER BAGGE, comics scripter/editor GERRY CONWAY, writer/editor PAUL BENJAMIN, plus more NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s on writing! JLU cover!

(80-page magazine) $9 US

(88-page magazine) $9 US

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Magazines & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail) • Softcover books, $3 ($10 Airmail) • Hardcover books, $6 ($15 Airmail)

BACK ISSUES DRAW! (edited by MIKE MANLEY) is the professional “HOW-TO” magazine on comics, cartooning, and animation. Each issue features indepth INTERVIEWS & STEP-BY-STEP DEMOS from top comics pros on all aspects of graphic storytelling. NOTE: Contains nudity for purposes of figure drawing. INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS. 2005 EISNER AWARD NOMINEE for Best Comics-Related Periodical.

BEST OF DRAW! VOL. 1 BEST OF DRAW! VOL. 2

“This is a great look into the workings of the comic industry and quite worth picking up.” popimage.com on DRAW!

DRAW! #5

Compiles interviews and how-to’s from the first two sold-out issues of DRAW!, featuring DAVE GIBBONS, BRET BLEVINS, JERRY ORDWAY, KLAUS JANSON, RICARDO VILLAGRAN, GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY, STEVE CONLEY, PHIL HESTER and ANDE PARKS, and more! Cover by BRET BLEVINS!

Compiles interviews and how-to’s from DRAW! #3 and #4, featuring ERIK LARSEN (penciling), DICK GIORDANO (inking), BRET BLEVINS (figure composition), KEVIN NOWLAN (penciling and inking), MIKE MANLEY (Web Comics), DAVE COOPER (digital coloring), and more! Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN!

Interview, cover, and sketchbook by MIKE WIERINGO, BRIAN BENDIS and MIKE OEMING show how they create the series Powers, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw great hands”, “The illusion of depth in design” by PAUL RIVOCHE, must-have art books reviewed by TERRY BEATTY, plus links, a color section and more!

(200-page trade paperback) $26 US

(156-page trade paperback) $22 US

(88-page magazine) $9 US

DRAW! #6

DRAW! #7

DRAW! #8

DRAW! #9

DRAW! #10

Interview, cover, and demo with BILL WRAY, STEPHEN DeSTEFANO interview and demo on cartooning & animation, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw the human figure in light and shadow,” a stepby-step Photoshop tutorial by CELIA CALLE, expert inking tips by MIKE MANLEY, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more!

Interview, cover, and demo with DAN BRERETON, ZACH TRENHOLM on doing caricatures, “Drawing In Adobe Illustrator” step-by-step demo by ALBERTO RUIZ, “The Power of Sketching” by BRET BLEVINS, “Designing with light and shadow” by PAUL RIVOCHE, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more!

From comics to video games: an interview, cover, and demo with MATT HALEY, TOM BANCROFT & ROB CORLEY on character design, “Drawing In Adobe Illustrator” step-by-step demo by ALBERTO RUIZ, “Draping The Human Figure” by BRET BLEVINS, a new COMICS SECTION, International Spotlight on JOSÉ LOUIS AGREDA, a color section and more!

Part Two of crossover with WRITE NOW #8! MIKE MANLEY & DANNY FINGEROTH create a comic from script to print (with final COLOR COMIC inserted!), BANCROFT & CORLEY on bringing characters to life, Adobe Illustrator tutorial by ALBERTO RUIZ, Noel Sickles’ work examined by BRET BLEVINS, PvP’s SCOTT KURTZ, art supply reviews, a color section and more!

RON GARNEY interview, step-by-step demo, & cover, GRAHAM NOLAN on creating newspaper strips, TODD KLEIN and other pros discuss lettering, “Draping The Human Figure, Part Two” by BRET BLEVINS, ALBERTO RUIZ with more Adobe Illustrator tips, interview with Banana Tail creator MARK McKENNA, links, a color section and more!

(96-page magazine) $9 US

(88-page magazine) $9 US

(104-page magazine) $9 US

DRAW! #11

DRAW! #12

DRAW! #13 (JULY)

STEVE RUDE demonstrates his approach to comics & drawing, ROQUE BALLESTEROS on Flash animation, political cartoonist JIM BORGMAN on his daily comic strip Zits, plus DRAW!’s regular instructors BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY on “Drawing On LIfe”, more Adobe Illustrator tips with ALBERTO RUIZ, links, a color section and more! New RUDE cover!

KYLE BAKER reveals his working methods and step-by-step processes on merging his traditional and digital art, Machine Teen’s MIKE HAWTHORNE on his work, “Making Perspective Work For You” by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, Photoshop techniques with ALBERTO RUIZ, Adult Swim’s THE VENTURE BROTHERS, links, a color section and more! New BAKER cover!

Step-by-step demo of painting methods by cover artist ALEX HORLEY (Heavy Metal, Vertigo, DC, Wizards of the Coast), plus interviews and demos by Banana Sundays’ COLLEEN COOVER, Pigtale’s OVI NEDELCU, behind-the-scenes on Adult Swim’s MINORITEAM, regular features on drawing by BRET BLEVINS, MIKE MANLEY, links, color section & more! HORLEY cover!

HOW TO CREATE COMICS FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT

HOW TO DRAW COMICS FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT

REDESIGNED and EXPANDED version of the groundbreaking WRITE NOW! #8 / DRAW! #9 crossover, with over 30 pages of ALL-NEW material, including “full” and “Marvel-style” scripts, new tips on coloring, expanded writing lessons, and more!

See the editors of DRAW! and WRITE NOW! magazines create a new comic from script & roughs to pencils, inks, and colors —even lettering—before your eyes!

(112-page magazine) $9 US

(96-page magazine) $9 US

(108-page trade paperback) $18 US

TRADE PAPERBACK

DVD

(120-minute DVD) $35 US • Bundled with WRITE NOW! #8 & DRAW! #9: $42 US

FOUR-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS IN THE US: $24 Standard, $36 First Class (Canada: $44, Elsewhere: $48 Surface, $64 Airmail).

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Magazines & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail)

Edited by ROY THOMAS

The greatest ’zine of the ’60s is back, all-new, and focused on Golden & Silver Age comics and creators with articles, interviews, unseen art, plus FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!

AE #3: (100 pgs.) ALEX ROSS cover & interview, JERRY ORDWAY, BILL EVERETT, CARL BURGOS, Giant FAWCETT (FCA) section with C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, & more! $9 US

AE #4: (100 pgs.) 60 years of HAWKMAN & FLASH! ROY THOMAS remembers GIL KANE, intvs. with KUBERT, MOLDOFF, LAMPERT, FOX, FCA with BECK & SWAYZE, KUBERT covers, more! $9 US

AE #5: (100 pgs.) JSA issue! Intvs. with SHELLY MAYER, GIL KANE, MART NODELL, GEORGE ROUSSOS, FCA with BECK & SWAYZE, NEW INFANTINO / ORDWAY wraparound cover, more! $9 US

AE #6: (100 pgs.) GENE COLAN intv., how-to books by STAN LEE & KANIGHER, ALLSTAR SQUADRON, MAC RABOY section, FCA with BECK & SWAYZE, COLAN & RABOY covers, more! $9 US

AE #7: (100 pgs.) Companion issue to the ALL-STAR COMPANION! J. SCHWARTZ intv., JLA-JSA teamups, MAC RABOY, FCA with BECK & SWAYZE, BUCKLER & BECK covers, more! $9 US

AE #8: (100 pgs.) Bio of WALLY WOOD, ADKINS & PEARSON intvs., KUBERT intv., FCA w/ BECK, SWAYZE, & ORDWAY, MR. MONSTER, WOOD & KUBERT covers, more! $9 US

AE #9: (100 pgs.) JOHN ROMITA intv. & gallery, plus ROY THOMAS’ dream projects! FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, & TUSKA, MR. MONSTER, ROMITA & DICK GIORDANO covers! $9 US

AE #10: (100 pgs) CARMINE INFANTINO intv. & art, neverseen FLASH story, VIN SULLIVAN & MAGAZINE ENTERPRISES, FRED GUARDINEER, AYERS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, more! $9 US

AE #11: (100 pgs) Interviews with SYD SHORES, MICKEY SPILLANE, VINCE FAGO, MAGAZINE ENTERPRISES Part Two, FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, DON NEWTON, MR. MONSTER, more! $9 US

AE #12: (100 pgs) GILL FOX on QUALITY COMICS, neverseen PAUL REINMAN Green Lantern art, origins of ALLSTAR SQUADRON, FCA, MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD, more! $9 US

AE #13 (100 pgs.) TITANS OF TIMELY/MARVEL Part Two! JOE SIMON & MURPHY ANDERSON covers, Silver Age AVENGERS section (with BUSCEMA, HECK, TUSKA, & THOMAS) & more! $9 US

AE #14 (100 pgs.) JSA FROM THE ’40s TO THE ’80s! MIKE NASSER & MICHAEL T. GILBERT covers, intvs. with ORDWAY & LEE ELIAS, neverseen 1940s JSA pgs., ’70s JSA, & more! $9 US

AE #15 (108 pgs.) JOHN BUSCEMA TRIBUTE ISSUE! BUSCEMA covers & interview, unseen art, ROY THOMAS on their collaborations, plus salute to KURT SCHAFFENBERGER, & more! $9 US

AE #16: (108 pgs.) COLAN, BUSCEMA, ROMITA, SEVERIN interviews, ALEX ROSS on Shazam!, OTTO & JACK BINDER, KURTZMAN, new ROSS & FRADON/SEVERIN covers, more! $9 US

AE #17: (108 pgs.) LOU FINE overview & art, ARNOLD DRAKE & MURPHY ANDERSON interviews, plus EISNER, CRANDALL, DAVIS & EVANS’ non-EC action comics, FCA, LOU FINE cover, more! $9 US

AE #18: (108 pgs.) STAN GOLDBERG interview & art, plus KIRBY, DITKO, HECK, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, EVERETT, WALLY WOOD’S Flash Gordon, FCA, KIRBY & SWAYZE covers, more! $9 US

AE #19: (108 pgs.) DICK SPRANG interview & art, JERRY ROBINSON on FRED RAY, BOB KANE, CARMINE INFANTINO, ALEX TOTH, WALLY WOOD, FCA, SPRANG & RAY covers, more! $9 US

AE #20: (108 pgs.) TIMELY/ MARVEL focus, INVADERS overview with KIRBY, KANE, ROBBINS, BOB DESCHAMPS intv., panel with FINGER, BINDER, FOX, & WEISINGER, FCA, rare art, more! $9 US

AE #21: (108 pgs.) IGER STUDIO with art by EISNER, FINE, MESKIN, ANDERSON, CRANDALL, CARDY, EVANS, “SHEENA” section, THOMAS on the JSA, FCA, DAVE STEVENS cover, more! $9 US

AE #22: (108 pgs.) EVERETT & KUBERT interviewed by GIL KANE & NEAL ADAMS, ROY THOMAS on Sub-Mariner, COLAN, BUSCEMA, SEVERIN, WOOD, FCA, BECK & EVERETT covers, more! $9 US

AE #23: (108 pgs.) Two unseen Golden Age WONDER WOMAN stories examined, BOB FUJITANI intv. Archie/ MLJ’s JOHN ROSENBERGER & VICTOR GORELICK intv., FCA, rare art, more! $9 US

AE #24: (108 pgs.) NEW X-MEN intvs. with STAN LEE, COCKRUM, CLAREMONT, WEIN, DRAKE, SHOOTER, THOMAS, MORT MESKIN profiled, FCA, covers by COCKRUM & MESKIN! $9 US

AE #25: (108 pgs.) JACK COLE & PLASTIC MAN! Brother DICK COLE interviewed, Cole celebrated by ALEX TOTH, THOMAS on All-Star Squadron #1, JERRY BAILS tribute, FCA, cover by TOTH! $9 US

AE #26: (108 pgs.) JOE SINNOTT interview, KIRBY and BUSCEMA art, IRWIN DONENFELD, Superman art by SHUSTER, BORING, SWAN, FCA, Mr. MONSTER, covers by SINNOTT & BORING! $9 US

AE #27: #20:(108 (108pgs.) pgs.) VINTIMELY/ SULLIMARVEL focus, KIRBY INVADERS VAN intv., “Lost” HULK overview with1948 KIRBY, covers, the NY KANE, CON, ROBBINS, BOB DESCHAMPS “Great Unknown” artists, intv., panel FCA, withALEX FINGER, KURTZMAN, TOTH, BINDER, FOX, & WEISINGER, MR. MONSTER, covers by FCA, rare art, more! $9 $9 US US BURNLEY & KIRBY!

AE #28: (108 pgs.) JOE MANEELY spotlight, scarce Marvel art by EVERETT, SEVERIN, DITKO, ROMITA, extra-size FCA, LEE AMES intv., covers by MANEELY & DON NEWTON! $9 US

AE #29: (108 pgs.) FRANK BRUNNER intv., EVERETT’s Venus, Classics Illustrated adapting Lovecraft, LEE/KIRBY/ DITKO prototypes, ALEX TOTH, FCA with GENE COLAN, BRUNNER cover! $9 US

AE #30: (108 pgs.) SILVER AGE JLA special, ALEX ROSS on the JLA, MIKE SEKOWSKY, DICK DILLIN, GOLDEN AGE SIMON & KIRBY scripters speak, FRENCH HEROES, ROSS & RUDE covers! $9 US

AE #31: (108 pgs.) DICK AYERS intv., HARLAN ELLISON’S Marvel work (with Bullpen artists), LEE/KIRBY/ DITKO prototypes, Christmas cards from cartoonists, AYERS & RAY covers! $9 US

AE #32: (108 pgs.) Golden Age TIMELY ARTISTS intv., MART NODELL, MIKE GOLD on the Silver Age, art by SIMON & KIRBY, SWAN, INFANTINO, KANE, GIORDANO & GIL KANE covers! $9 US

AE #33: (108 pgs.) MIKE SEKOWSKY tribute, intvs. with wife PAT SEKOWSKY and Golden Age inker VALERIE BARCLAY, art by ANDERSON, ANDRU & ESPOSITO, INFANTINO, FRENZ covers! $9 US

AE #34: (108 pgs.) QUALITY COMICS, intvs. with ALEX KOTZKY, CHUCK CUIDERA, DICK ARNOLD, TOTH, KURTZMAN, art by FINE, EISNER, COLE, CRANDALL and NICHOLAS covers! $9 US

AE #35: #20: (108 (108pgs.) pgs.)STAN TIMELY/ LEE, MARVEL focus,DICK INVADERS JOHN ROMITA, AYERS, overview with KIRBY, KANE, ROY THOMAS, & AL JAFFEE ROBBINS, BOB DESCHAMPS on the 1940s & 1950s Golden intv., FINGER, Age at panel Timely/with Marvel, FCA, BINDER, FOX, & ROMITA WEISINGER, MR. MONSTER, and $9 US FCA, rarecovers! art, more! $9 US JAFFEE

AE #36: (108 pgs.) JOE SIMON intv. & cover, GOLDEN AGE HEROES of Canada, ELMER WEXLER, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on MR. MONSTER’S ORIGINS, FCA, ALEX TOTH, and more! $9 US

AE #37: (108 pgs.) BECK & BORING covers, SY BARRY intv., Superman “K-Metal” story, FCA with C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, DON NEWTON, and Shazam!/Isis!, MR. MONSTER, and more! $9 US

AE #38: (108 pgs.) JULIUS SCHWARTZ tribute & interviews, art by INFANTINO, ANDERSON, KUBERT, KANE, TOTH, SWAN, SEKOWSKY, FCA section, INFANTINO and HASEN covers, more!! $9 US

AE #39: (108 pgs.) Full issue JERRY ROBINSON spotlight, with comprehensive interview and unseen Batman art, AL FELDSTEIN on EC, GIL FOX, MESKIN, ROUSSOS, & ROBINSON covers! $9 US

AE #40: (108 pgs.) JULIUS SCHWARTZ memorial issue with tributes by pros, GIL KANE interview, comprehensive interview and unseen art by RUSS HEATH, GIL KANE and HEATH covers! $9 US

AE #41: (108 pgs.) BERNIE WRIGHTSON on FRANKENSTEIN, art by KALUTA, BAILY, MANEELY, PLOOG, KUBERT, BRUNNER, CRANDALL, FCA #100, & more! WRIGHTSON, SWAYZE covers! $9 US

ALTER EGO #42 Covers by FASTNER & LARSON and ERNIE SCHROEDER, a celebration of DON HECK, WERNER ROTH, and PAUL REINMAN, rare art by KIRBY, DITKO, AYERS, Hillman & Ziff-Davis remembered by SCHROEDER, HERB ROGOFF, and WALTER LITTMAN, FCA, ALEX TOTH, & more!

ALTER EGO #43

ALTER EGO #44

ALTER EGO #45

ALTER EGO #46

Flip covers by TUSKA and JSA/All-Star Squadron/Infinity Inc. Interviews with Golden Age The VERY BEST of the 1960s-70s STEVENS, yuletide art by SINNOTT, special! Interviews with JOE Sandman artist CREIG FLESSEL and ALTER EGO! EVERETT/SEVERIN BRUNNER, CARDY, TOTH, KUBERT, IRWIN HASEN, MURPHY 1940s creator BERT CHRISTMAN, cover, classic 1969 BILL EVERETT NODELL, and others, interviews ANDERSON, JERRY ORDWAY, MICHAEL CHABON on researching interview, art by BURGOS, GUSwith Golden Age artists TOM GILL 1940s Atom writer ARTHUR his Pulitzer-winning novel Kavalier TAVSON, SIMON & KIRBY, and (Lone Ranger) and MORRIS WEISS, ADLER, art by TOTH, SEKOWSKY, & Clay, art by EISNER, KANE, KIRBY, others, 1960s gems by DITKO & E. exploring 1960s Mexican comics, HASEN, MACHLAN, OKSNER, & AYERS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, NELSON BRIDWELL, FCA, TOTH, FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, INFANTINO, FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, & more! & more! & more! ORDWAY cover, more! (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US (108-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #47 MATT BAKER, Golden Age cheesecake artist of PHANTOM LADY, plus art from AL FELDSTEIN, VINCE COLLETTA, ARTHUR PEDDY, JACK KAMEN & others, FCA, BILL SCHELLY talks to BUD PLANT, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, and more! (100-page magazine) $9 US

(108-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #48 The late WILL EISNER discusses ’40s Quality Comics with art by FINE, CRANDALL, COLE, & CARDY! EISNER tributes by STAN LEE, GENE COLAN, & others! ’40s Quality artist VERN HENKEL interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER, TOTH, & more! (100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #49

ALTER EGO #50

ALTER EGO #51

ALTER EGO #52

Golden Age Batman artist/Bob JOE GIELLA on the Silver Age at Interview with CARL BURGOS’ ROY THOMAS covers his 40-YEAR daughter! Unused 1941 cover laycareer in comics, with ADAMS, Kane ghost LEW SAYRE DC, the Golden Age at Marvel, and outs by BURGOS and other Timely BUSCEMA, COLAN, DITKO, GIL SCHWARTZ interviewed, the JULIE SCHWARTZ, with rare art by titans! The 1957 Atlas Implosion, KANE, KIRBY, STAN LEE, ORDWAY, Golden & Silver Ages of INFANTINO, GIL KANE, MANNY STALLMAN, and the BLUE PÉREZ, ROMITA, and many others! AUSTRALIAN SUPER-HEROES, SEKOWSKY, SWAN, DILLIN, FLAME! Also, FCA, MICHAEL T. Also, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT Mad artist DAVE BERG interviewed, MOLDOFF, GIACOIA, SCHAFFENGILBERT and MR. MONSTER and and MR. MONSTER and more! FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on BERGER, and others, JAY SCOTT more! WILL EISNER, ALEX TOTH and PIKE on STAN LEE, MARTIN (100-page magazine) $9 US more! THALL, and more! (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #54

ALTER EGO #55

MIKE ESPOSITO on DC and Marvel, ROBERT KANIGHER on the creation of Metal Men & Sgt. Rock (with comments by JOE KUBERT & BOB HANEY), art by ANDRU, INFANTINO, KIRBY, SEVERIN, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, GIL KANE, plus FCA with SWAYZE, ALEX TOTH, & more!

ALEX ROSS cover, JACK & OTTO BINDER, KEN BALD, VIC DOWD, and BOB BOYAJIAN interviewed, FCA with MARC SWAYZE & EMILIO SQUEGLIO, Christmas Card Art from CRANDALL, SINNOTT, HEATH, MOONEY, and CARDY, 1943 superheroine Pin-Up Calendar, and more!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #56

ALTER EGO #57

ALTER EGO #58

ALTER EGO #53 Halloween issue! GIORDANO & THOMAS on STOKER’S DRACULA, never-seen DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strip, MIKE ESPOSITO on his work with ROSS ANDRU, art by COLAN, WRIGHTSON, MIGNOLA, BRUNNER, BISSETTE, KALUTA, HEATH, MANEELY, EVERETT, DITKO, and others! (100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #59

Issue-by-issue index of Timely/Atlas GERRY CONWAY & ROY THOMAS Batman & Superman in the Golden NEAL ADAMS cover, interviews & Silver Ages, ARTHUR SUYDAM super-hero stories by MICHELLE on their ’80s “X-Men Movie That with Superman creators SIEGEL & interview, NEAL ADAMS on NOLAN, art by SIMON & KIRBY, Never Was!” with art by ADAMS, SHUSTER, Golden/Silver Age DC 1960s/70s DC, SHELLY MOLDOFF, EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, COCKRUM, BUSCEMA, BYRNE, production guru JACK ADLER, AL PLASTINO, Golden Age artist AYERS, HEATH, SEKOWSKY, KANE, KIRBY, HECK, & LIEBER, NEAL ADAMS & TV iconoclast (& FRAN (Doll Man) MATERA Atlas artist VIC CARRABOTTA comics fan) HOWARD STERN on SHORES, SCHOMBURG, MANEELY, interviewed, the first comic book Adler, art by CURT SWAN, WAYNE & SEVERIN, GENE COLAN & ALLEN interview, ALLEN BELLMAN on ’40s Thor, SIEGEL & SHUSTER, FCA, Timely, FCA, 1966 panel on EC BORING, AL PLASTINO, plus FCA, BELLMAN on 1940s Timely heroes, FCA, MR. MONSTER, & BILL Comics, & MR. MONSTER! Edited MR. MONSTER, SUYDAM cover, & MR. MONSTER, & more! Edited by more! Edited by ROY THOMAS ! SCHELLY! KIRBY & VON SHOLLY by ROY THOMAS. ROY THOMAS. cover! Edited by ROY THOMAS. (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US (100-page magazine) $9 US

SUBSCRIBE! Twelve Issues in the US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail). NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUB, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

COLLECTED JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, VOLS. 1-5 These TRADE PAPERBACKS reprint the first 22 sold-out issues of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR! Each volume includes OVER 30 EXTRA pieces of unpublished Kirby art!

The KIRBY COLLECTOR (edited by JOHN MORROW) celebrates the life & career of the “King” of comics through interviews with Kirby & his contemporaries, feature articles, & rare & unseen Kirby art. Now in tabloid format, with Kirby’s art at even larger size.

SILVER STAR: GRAPHITE EDITION (160 pgs.) Kirby’s sixissue “Visual Novel” for Pacific Comics is reproduced from his powerful, uninked pencil art! Includes Kirby’s illustrated movie screenplay, never-seen sketches, pin-ups, and more from his final great comics series! $24 US

VOLUME 2 (160-page Trade Paperback, reprinting #10-12) $22 US

VOLUME 3 (176-page Trade Paperback, reprinting #13-15) $24 US

VOLUME 4 (240-page Trade Paperback, reprinting #16-19) $29 US

NEW! VOLUME 5 (224-page Trade Paperback, reprinting #20-22) $29 US

VOLUME 1 (240-page Trade Paperback, reprinting #1-9) $29 US

CAPTAIN VICTORY: GRAPHITE EDITION (52 pgs.) Kirby’s 1975 Graphic Novel in original pencil form. Unseen art, screenplay, more! Proceeds go to preserving the 5000-page Kirby Archives! $9 US

KIRBY UNLEASHED: (60 pgs.) New, completely remastered and updated version of the scarce 1971 portfolio/biography, with 8 extra black-and-white and 8 extra color pages, including Jack’s color GODS posters, plus other art not seen in the 1971 version. $24 US

TJKC #23: (68 pgs.) Interviews with KIRBY, DENNY O’NEIL & TRACY KIRBY, more FF #49 pencils, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE, unused 10-page SOUL LOVE story, more! $9 US

TJKC #24: (68 pgs.) BATTLES! KIRBY’S original art fight, JIM SHOOTER interview, NEW GODS #6 (“Glory Boat”) pencils, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE, more! Kirby/ Mignola cover. $9 US

TJKC #25: (100 pgs.) SIMON & KIRBY! KIRBY, SIMON, & JOHN SEVERIN interviews, CAPTAIN AMERICA pencils, unused BOY EXPLORERS story, history of MAINLINE COMICS, more! $9 US

TJKC #26: (72 pgs.) GODS! COLOR NEW GODS concept drawings, KIRBY & WALTER SIMONSON interviews, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE, BIBLE INFLUENCES, THOR, MR. MIRACLE, more! $9 US

TJKC #27: (72 pages) KIRBY INFLUENCE Part One! KIRBY and ALEX ROSS interviews, KIRBY FAMILY Roundtable, all-star lineup of pros discuss Kirby’s influence on them! Kirby / Timm cover. $9 US

TJKC #30: (68 pgs.) ‘80s WORK! Interviews with ALAN MOORE & Kirby Estate’s ROBERT KATZ, HUNGER DOGS, SUPER POWERS, SILVER STAR, ANIMATION work, more! $9 US

TJKC #31: (84 pgs.) TABLOID FORMAT! Wraparound KIRBY/ ADAMS cover, KURT BUSIEK & LADRONN interviews, new MARK EVANIER column, favorite 2-PAGE SPREADS, 2001 Treasury, more! $13 US

TJKC #32: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! KIRBY interview, new MARK EVANIER column, plus Kirby’s Least Known Work: DAYS OF THE MOB #2, THE HORDE, BLACK HOLE, SOUL LOVE, PRISONER, more! $13 US

TJKC #33: (84 pgs.) TABLOID ALL-FANTASTIC FOUR issue! MARK EVANIER column, miniinterviews with everyone who worked on FF after Kirby, STAN LEE interview, 40 pgs. of FF PENCILS, more! $13 US

TJKC #34: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! JOE SIMON & CARMINE INFANTINO interviews, MARK EVANIER column, unknown 1950s concepts, CAPTAIN AMERICA pencils, KIRBY/ TOTH cover, more! $13 US

TJKC #35: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! GREAT ESCAPES with MISTER MIRACLE, comparing KIRBY & HOUDINI, Kirby Tribute Panel with EVANIER, EISNER, BUSCEMA, ROMITA, ROYER, & JOHNNY CARSON! $13 US

TJKC #36: (84 pgs.) TABLOID ALL-THOR issue! MARK EVANIER column, SINNOTT & ROMITA JR. interviews, unseen KIRBY INTV., ART GALLERY, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE, more! $13 US

TJKC #37: (84 pgs.) TABLOID HOW TO DRAW THE KIRBY WAY issue! MARK EVANIER column, MIKE ROYER on inking, KIRBY interview, ART GALLERY, analysis of Kirby’s art techniques, more! $13 US

TJKC #38: (84 pgs.) TABLOID KIRBY: STORYTELLER! MARK EVANIER column, JOE SINNOTT on inking, SWIPES, talks with JACK DAVIS, PAUL GULACY, HERNANDEZ BROS., ART GALLERY, more! $13 US

TJKC #39: (84 pgs.) TABLOID FAN FAVORITES! EVANIER column, INHUMANS, HULK, SILVER SURFER, tribute panel with ROMITA, AYERS, LEVITZ, McFARLANE, TRIMPE, ART GALLERY, more! $13 US

TJKC #40: (84 pgs.) TABLOID “WORLD THAT’S COMING!” EVANIER column, KAMANDI, OMAC, tribute panel with CHABON, PINI, GOLDBERG, BUSCEMA, LIEBER, LEE, ART GALLERY, more! $13 US

TJKC #41: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! 1970s MARVEL, including Jack’s last year on FF, EVANIER column, GIORDANO interview, tribute panel with GIBBONS, RUDE, SIMONSON, RYAN, ART GALLERY, more! $13 US

TJKC #42: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! Spotlights Kirby at ‘70s DC Comics, from Jimmy Olsen to Spirit World! Huge Kirby pencil art gallery, covers inked by KEVIN NOWLAN & MURPHY ANDERSON! $13 US

TJKC #43: (84 pgs.) TABLOID! Kirby Award winners STEVE & GARY SHERMAN intv., 1966 KIRBY intv., Kirby pencils vs. Sinnott inks from TALES OF SUSPENSE #93, Kirby cover inked by SINNOTT! $13 US

TJKC #44: (84 pgs.) TABLOID MYTHS & LEGENDS issue! MARK EVANIER column, unseen KIRBY interview, ART GALLERY with DEMON, THOR, ATLAS, Kirby cover inked by MATT WAGNER! $13 US

TJKC #45: (84 pgs.) TABLOID TIME MACHINE! EVANIER column, intv. with son NEAL KIRBY, two complete ‘50s stories, PAST and FUTURE art galleries, Tribute Panel, 3-D KIRBY COVER! $13 US

SUBSCRIBE: 4 tabloid issues: $40 Standard, $56 First Class (Canada: $64, Elsewhere: $68 Surface, $84 Airmail).

T H E U LT I M AT E C O M I C S E X P E R I E N C E !

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE celebrates comic books of the 1970s, ’80s, and today through recurring (& rotating) departments. 100 PAGES, $9 US. 6-ISSUE SUBS: $36 Standard, $54 First Class (Canada: $66, Elsewhere: $72 Surface, $96 Airmail).

#1: PÉREZ, KIRBY, BUSCEMA, INFANTINO, KUBERT!

#2: HUGHES, RUDE, WAGNER, JONES, STEVENS!

#3: EVANIER, GIFFEN, MAGUIRE, BOLLAND!

“PRO2PRO” interview between GEORGE PÉREZ and MARV WOLFMAN (with UNSEEN PÉREZ ART), “ROUGH STUFF” featuring JACK KIRBY’s PENCIL ART, “GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD” on the first JLA/AVENGERS, “BEYOND CAPES” on DC and Marvel’s TARZAN (with KUBERT & BUSCEMA ART), “OFF MY CHEST” editorial by INFANTINO, & more!

“PRO2PRO” between ADAM HUGHES & MIKE W. BARR (with UNSEEN HUGHES ART) and MATT WAGNER and DIANA SCHUTZ, “ROUGH STUFF” HUGHES PENCIL ART, STEVE RUDE’s unseen SPACE GHOST/ HERCULOIDS team-up, Bruce Jones’ ALIEN WORLDS & TWISTED TALES, an “OFF MY CHEST” editorial by MIKE W. BARR on the DC IMPLOSION, & more!

“PRO2PRO” between KEITH GIFFEN, J.M. DeMATTEIS and KEVIN MAGUIRE on their JLA WORK, “ROUGH STUFF” PENCIL ART by ARAGONÉS, HERNANDEZ BROS., MIGNOLA, BYRNE, KIRBY, HUGHES, two unknown PLASTIC MAN movies, a look at the Joker’s history with O’NEIL, ADAMS, ENGLEHART, ROGERS & BOLLAND, an editorial by MARK EVANIER, & more!

#6: WRIGHTSON, COLAN, THOMAS, GODZILLA!

#7: APARO, BYRNE, LEE, EVANIER, & MORE!

#8: ADAMS, VON EEDEN, & ’70s BLACK HEROES!

#9: RUDE, TRUMAN, GIL KANE & COSMIC HEROES!

TOMB OF DRACULA revealed with GENE COLAN and MARV WOLFMAN, LEN WEIN & BERNIE WRIGHTSON on Swamp Thing’s roots, STEVE BISSETTE and RICK VEITCH on their Swamp work, pencil art by SMITH, BRUNNER, PLOOG, BISSETTE, COLAN, & WRIGHTSON, editorial by ROY THOMAS, GODZILLA comics (with TRIMPE art), CHARLTON horror, PREZ, and more!

SWAN/ANDERSON cover, history of BRAVE AND THE BOLD, JIM APARO interview, tribute to BOB HANEY, FANTASTIC FOUR ROUNDTABLE with STAN LEE, MARK WAID, and others, EVANIER & MEUGNIOT on DNAgents, pencil art by ROSS, TOTH, COCKRUM, HECK, ROBBINS, NEWTON, and BYRNE, DENNY O’NEIL editorial, a tour of METROPOLIS, IL, & more!

DENNY O’NEIL & Justice League Unlimited voice actor PHIL LaMARR discuss GL JOHN STEWART, NEW X-MEN pencil art by NEAL ADAMS, ARTHUR ADAMS, DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI, ALAN DAVIS, JIM LEE, ADAM HUGHES, STORM’s 30-year history, animated TV’s black heroes (with TOTH art), TONY ISABELLA and TREVOR VON EEDEN on BLACK LIGHTNING, & more!

MIKE BARON and STEVE RUDE on NEXUS past and present, a colossal GIL KANE pencil art gallery, a look at Marvel’s STAR WARS comics, secrets of DC’s unseen CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS SEQUEL, TIM TRUMAN on his GRIMJACK SERIES, MIKE GOLD editorial, THANOS history, TIME WARP revisited, an allnew STEVE RUDE COVER, & more!

#12: GIBBONS, BYRNE, MILLER, FRENZ!

#13: STATON, CARDY, EISNER, ROMITA!

#15: PLOOG, COLAN, WAGNER, KUBERT!

’70s and ’80s character revamps with DAVE GIBBONS, ROY THOMAS & KURT BUSIEK, TOM DeFALCO & RON FRENZ on Spider-Man’s 1980s “black” costume change, DENNY O’NEIL on Superman’s 1970 revamp, JOHN BYRNE’s aborted SHAZAM! series detailed, pencil art gallery with FRANK MILLER, LEE WEEKS, DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI, CHARLES VESS, and more!

CARDY interview, ENGLEHART and MOENCH on kung-fu comics, “Pro2Pro” with STATON and CUTI on Charlton’s E-Man, pencil art gallery featuring MILLER, KUBERT, GIORDANO, SWAN, GIL KANE, COLAN, COCKRUM, and others, EISNER’s A Contract with God; “The Death of Romance (Comics)” (with art by ROMITA, SR. and TOTH), & more!

#14: GRELL, COCKRUM, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, KIRBY! DAVE COCKRUM and MIKE GRELL go “Pro2Pro” on the Legion, pencil art gallery by BUSCEMA, BYRNE, MILLER, STARLIN, McFARLANE, ROMITA JR., SIENKIEWICZ, looks at Hercules Unbound, Hex, Killraven, Kamandi, MARS, Planet of the Apes, art & interviews with GARCÍALÓPEZ, KIRBY, WILLIAMSON, and more! New MIKE GRELL/BOB McLEOD cover!

“Weird Heroes” of the 1970s and ’80s!MIKE PLOOG discusses Ghost Rider, MATT WAGNER revisits The Demon, JOE KUBERT dusts off Ragman, GENE COLAN “Rough Stuff” pencil gallery, GARCÍALÓPEZ recalls Deadman, DC’s unpublished Gorilla Grodd series, PERLIN, CONWAY, & MOENCH on Werewolf by Night, & more! New ARTHUR ADAMS cover!

#4: BYRNE, CLAREMONT, CASEY, SIMONSON!

#5: ROSS, HUGHES, LYNDA CARTER, LOU FERRIGNO!

“PRO2PRO” between JOHN BYRNE and CHRIS CLAREMONT on their X-MEN WORK and WALT SIMONSON and JOE CASEY on Walter’s THOR WORK, WOLVERINE PENCIL ART by BUSCEMA, LEE, COCKRUM, BYRNE, & GIL KANE, LEN WEIN’S TEEN WOLVERINE, PUNISHER’S 30TH & SECRET WARS’ 20TH ANNIVERSARIES (with UNSEEN ZECK ART), & more!

Covers by ALEX ROSS & ADAM HUGHES, Wonder Woman TV series in-depth, LYNDA CARTER INTERVIEW, WONDER WOMAN TV ART GALLERY, Marvel’s TV Hulk, SpiderMan, Captain America, & Dr. Strange, LOU FERRIGNO INTERVIEW, super-hero cartoons you didn’t see, pencil gallery by JERRY ORDWAY, STAR TREK in comics, & JOHN ROMITA SR. editorial on Marvel’s movies!

#10: ADAMS, GRELL, KALUTA, CHAYKIN!

#11: BUSCEMA, JUSKO, BOLLAND, ARAGONÉS!

NEAL ADAMS and DENNY O’NEIL on RA’S AL GHUL’s history (with Adams art), O’Neil and MICHAEL KALUTA on THE SHADOW, MIKE GRELL on JON SABLE FREELANCE, HOWIE CHAYKIN interview, DOC SAVAGE in comics, BATMAN ART GALLERY by SIENKIEWICZ, SIMONSON, PAUL SMITH, BOLLAND, HANNIGAN, MAZZUCCHELLI, and others, and a new cover by ADAMS!

#16: ZECK, ARTHUR ADAMS, GUICE, GOLDEN, KIRBY! “Toy Stories!” Behind the Scenes of Marvel’s G.I. JOE™ and TRANSFORMERS, “Rough Stuff” MIKE ZECK pencil gallery, ARTHUR ADAMS on Gumby, HE-MAN, ROM, MICRONAUTS, SUPER POWERS, SUPER-HERO CARS, art by HAMA, SAL BUSCEMA, GUICE, GOLDEN, KIRBY, TRIMPE, & new ZECK sketch cover!

ROY THOMAS, KURT BUSIEK, and JOE JUSKO on CONAN (with art by JOHN BUSCEMA, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, NEAL ADAMS, JUSKO, & others), SERGIO ARAGONÉS & MARK EVANIER on GROO, DC’s never-published KING ARTHUR, pencil art gallery by KIRBY, PÉREZ, MOEBIUS, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, BOLLAND, & others, and a new BUSCEMA/JUSKO Conan cover!

#17: TIMM, HAMNER, INFANTINO, HUGHES! “Super Girls!” Supergirl retrospective with art by STELFREEZE, HAMNER, & others, Spider-Woman, Flare, Tigra, DC’s unused Double Comics with unseen BARRETTO and INFANTINO art, WOLFMAN and JIMENEZ on Donna Troy, Female comics pros Roundtable, Animated Super Chicks, art by SEKOWSKY, OKSNER, PÉREZ, HUGHES, GIORDANO, plus an 8-page COLOR ART GALLERY and COVER by BRUCE TIMM!

COMING SOON FROM TWOMORROWS!

DRAW! #13 (AUG.) Step-by-step demo of painting methods by cover artist ALEX HORLEY (Heavy Metal, Vertigo, DC, Wizards of the Coast), plus interviews and demos by Banana Sundays’ COLLEEN COOVER, Pigtale’s OVI NEDELCU, behindthe-scenes on Adult Swim’s MINORITEAM, regular features on drawing by BRET BLEVINS, MIKE MANLEY, links, color section & more! HORLEY cover! Edited by MIKE MANLEY.

BACK ISSUE! #18 (SEPT.)

“BIG, GREEN ISSUE!” Tour of Celebrates 50 years since NEAL ADAMS’ studio (with inter- SHOWCASE #4! FLASH interviews view & gallery), DAVE GIBBONS with SCHWARTZ, KANIGHER, “Rough Stuff” pencil art, interINFANTINO, KUBERT, & views with MIKE GRELL (Green BROOME, Golden Age artist Arrow), PETER DAVID (Incredible TONY DiPRETA, 1966 panel with Hulk), a “Pro2Pro” chat between NORDLING, BINDER, & LARRY GERRY CONWAY and JOHN IVIE, FCA, MR. MONSTER, neverROMITA, SR., the un-produced before-published, full-color Flash She-Hulk movie, & more. GREEN cover by CARMINE INFANTINO, LANTERN cover by ADAMS! and more! Edited by ROY Edited by MICHAEL EURY. THOMAS.

(100-page magazine) $9 US

MODERN MASTERS VOL. 8: WALTER SIMONSON (JULY)

BEST OF DRAW, VOL. 2 (AUG.)

Features an EXTENSIVE, CAREERSPANNING INTERVIEW lavishly illustrated with rare art from Walter’s files, plus an ENORMOUS SKETCHBOOK SECTION of some of Walter’s finest work, including UNSEEN AND UNUSED ART! (128-page trade paperback) $19 US

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

ALTER EGO #60 (NOW!)

(100-page magazine) $9 US

WRITE NOW! #13 (NOW!)

KIRBY COLLECTOR #46 (NOW!)

KIRBY’S FOURTH WORLD focus, including FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW GODS, and more! Rare interview with KIRBY, MARK EVANIER’S regular column, two FOURTH WORLD pencil art galleries, a NEVER-REPRINTED 1950s STORY, new Kirby covers inked by MIKE ROYER & JOHN BYRNE, & more! Edited by JOHN MORROW.

(84-page magazine) $9 US

(84-page tabloid) $13 US

THE KRYPTON COMIC BOOK NERD COMPANION (JULY) #1 (NOW!)

Compiles material from issues #3 Unlocks the secrets of Superman’s PETE VON SHOLLY’s side-splitting and #4 of DRAW!, including Silver and Bronze Ages, when parody of the fan press, including tutorials by, and interviews with, kryptonite came in multiple colors such publications as WHIZZER, ERIK LARSEN (savage penciling), and super-pets flew the skies! the COMICS URINAL, ULTRA DICK GIORDANO (inking Features all-new interviews with EGO, COMICS BUYER’S GUISE, ADAMS, ANDERSON, CARDY, techniques), BRET BLEVINS BAGGED ISSUE!, SCRAWL!, (drawing the figure in action, and GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, GIFFEN, , COMIC BOOK ARTISTE, and MOONEY, O’NEIL, OKSNER, figure composition), KEVIN more, as we unabashedly poke PASKO, ROZAKIS, SHOOTER, NOWLAN (penciling and inking), fun at ourselves, our competitors, WEIN, WOLFMAN, and others, MIKE MANLEY (how-to demo on and you, our loyal readers! Go to plus tons of rare and unseen art! Web Comics), DAVE COOPER www.twomorrows.com for a By BACK ISSUE’S Michael Eury! (digital coloring tutorial), and sneak preview in March! more! Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN. (224-page trade paperback) (64-page COLOR (156-page trade paperback with $29 US one-shot magazine) color section) $22 US $11 US

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR: Four issues US: $40 Standard, $56 First Class (Canada: $64, Elsewhere: $68 Surface, $84 Airmail). BACK ISSUE!: Six issues US: $36 Standard, $54 First Class (Canada: $66, Elsewhere: $72 Surface, $96 Airmail). DRAW!, WRITE NOW!, ROUGH STUFF: Four issues US: $24 Standard, $36 First Class (Canada: $44, Elsewhere: $48 Surface, $64 Airmail). ALTER EGO: Twelve issues US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail). FOR A SIX-ISSUE ALTER EGO SUBSCRIPTION, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

HOW TO CREATE COMICS, FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT TPB (JULY) REDESIGNED and EXPANDED version of the groundbreaking WRITE NOW! #8 / DRAW! #9 crossover! DANNY FINGEROTH & MIKE MANLEY show step-by-step how to develop a new comic, from script and roughs to pencils, inks, colors, lettering—it even guides you through printing and distribution, & the finished 8-page color comic is included, so you can see their end result! PLUS: over 30 pages of ALL-NEW material, including “full” and “Marvelstyle” scripts, a critique of their new character and comic from an editor’s point of view, new tips on coloring, new expanded writing lessons, and more! (108-page trade paperback) $18 US