tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41837220432174431062024-03-05T12:02:04.848-08:00Charlton NeoCelebrating the resurrection of the mighty Charlton Comics linePaul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-29260337117502391162016-04-19T05:28:00.003-07:002016-04-19T05:28:48.392-07:00Live, From Secaucus, It's...The Charlton Comics: Past, Present & Future Panel!Due to the peculiarities of Blogspot, it's a pain-in-the-tuchus to post audio files, so I've put up the audio of the <b>Charlton Comics Past, Present, and Future Panel</b> at the <a href="http://eastcoastcomicon.com/">East Coast Comicon</a> (April 16-17) at the New Jersey Meadowlands on my website, <a href="http://kupps.malibulist.com/2016/04/18/charlton-past-present-future-panel-east-coast-comicon-2016/">PaulKupperberg.com</a>. So, sit back, relax, and listen to Mort Todd, Jackie Zbuska, Keith Larsen, Karl Wildman, and myself discuss one of our favorite topics: Charlton Comics.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQh8PhyphenhyphenadUyhvkRtOw02ntvvSzc6YKua2J6adCrWoRm3WTrKwu1E8zcfuJN9VGsls4Tyeq5nCYa1TX3wLAntA-q1DE6f-mx2Yr3iQFpCl1GYMTKKb2WiXe_mDGfQqhaDSxkmX_ULbTQxv/s1600/CharltonEastCoastPanel2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQh8PhyphenhyphenadUyhvkRtOw02ntvvSzc6YKua2J6adCrWoRm3WTrKwu1E8zcfuJN9VGsls4Tyeq5nCYa1TX3wLAntA-q1DE6f-mx2Yr3iQFpCl1GYMTKKb2WiXe_mDGfQqhaDSxkmX_ULbTQxv/s400/CharltonEastCoastPanel2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left to Right: Keith Larsen, Paul Kupperberg, Mort Todd, Jackie Zbuska, Karl Wildman, <br />and a rare Charlton Comics cardboard box!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://kupps.malibulist.com/2016/04/18/charlton-past-present-future-panel-east-coast-comicon-2016/">Click here to listen to the Charlton Comics Past, Present, and Future Panel audio</a></b></div>
<br />Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-82152663211602589612015-11-11T11:50:00.000-08:002015-11-11T11:50:32.436-08:00Kissable Comics<div class="MsoNormal">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>By Shane O’Shaughnessy</i></span><!--EndFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Aloha, romance
revelers! Shane “Sweet Somethings” O’Shaughnessy here for the first time to
bring the love to the Charlton Neo blog with reviews of that oft forgotten
genre that flirted with the comics market for forty years! I’m going to sling
you the salacious stories straight outta the pages of Charlton’s line of
romance comics that I continue to ravish, er, collect for your pleasure! We’ll experience
tales of woe and woo, worry and wrongdoing, double-crossing double dates, all
for that final kiss firmly planted in every last panel! From the 40’s thru to
its last breathy gasp in the 80’s, Charlton supplied so many saucy strips that
we’ll have no trouble keeping it up for a long time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFYu40bot1ib3Dv6g-JQx6rJ9PXw8-DIrcX0GORsYvYAC2S7Xj3Ervn9CbpeCvp48gPcR7RoNH1_dcCZNgNCzQHbY1hFIDO-sVk60-aQX4dUlkUq_5fHWrBW9m8eb6NN6jdAquXXXp5Mg/s1600/Sweethearts_60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFYu40bot1ib3Dv6g-JQx6rJ9PXw8-DIrcX0GORsYvYAC2S7Xj3Ervn9CbpeCvp48gPcR7RoNH1_dcCZNgNCzQHbY1hFIDO-sVk60-aQX4dUlkUq_5fHWrBW9m8eb6NN6jdAquXXXp5Mg/s400/Sweethearts_60.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">For our first
installment, I’ve decided to pick one from a pile of recent acquisitions, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sweethearts</b> #60 from June 1961. The
early 60s comics maintained the clean-cut boys and doting darlings that was
prevalent in romance comics since the 40s, not yet getting into the “swinger”
scenes that would dominate the stories in later issues. Typically, the men were
all well-dressed businessmen with an eye on the prize of some lucrative job and
the women generally grappled with the idea that independence and singlehood as
a burden that must be remedied ASAP. (It’s here that I’d like to put forth that
I do not support nor agree with these antiquated heteronormative ideologies
when it comes to actual real-life relationships but am able to view such
simplistic storytelling with a healthy heap of humor as a bizarre artifact of a
past that I’m glad we have culturally grown out of. That, and because if I did,
I wouldn’t be married to an incredibly talented lady who makes twice as much as
I do which allows me time to write these silly blogs!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">According to the
fine folks at <a href="http://comicbookplus.com/">Comicbookplus.com</a> (where you can read this particular issue for
yourself), this issue is attributed to “Va-va-voom!” Vince Colletta and his
team of apes, giving us four whopping tales of whimsy, “Love Me Forever,” “Sacrifice
for Love,” “Crescendo,” and “The Way to a Man’s Heart.” Guessing by the titles,
the first is about vampires, the second about Satanists, the third about the
amours of Beethoven, and the last is some sort of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Voyage</i> deal. Let’s find out!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">After a cover
featuring a goopy-eyed woman clutching a “Dear Anne” letter, we find the inside
cover that hosts two ads, one for a voice recorder that etches into vinyl
(which I know more than a few underground artists who would destroy their
laptop for) and an ad for a 4-piece matched set of luggage! This knowledge will
prove important later as the products find their way into the stories! It makes
me wonder if the writing process for these tales was simply about finding ways
to incorporate their advertiser’s products into a narrative… probably.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Following a
banner promising us that “Charlton Comics Gives You More!” we head into our
first short, “Sacrifice for Love!” We are greeted with a splash of a
shifty-eyed middle-aged man casually strolling by our kissing couple while
thinking to himself how amazing “Young Marsh,” our finely-suited hunk, is doing
for himself, noting that the young’n is making more than he is. We never see
this guy again and can only assume that he goes home and cries himself to a
cold, bitter sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Through a poorly placed narrative box, we learn from our heroine
that she and Greg were "hayseeds" from upstate New York, that they’re both
college educated, and she’s given up on anything she’s learned and her diploma
to be married to him as he pursues that cheeriest of jobs, an ad executive!
Following the slimy trail of other ad execs before him, Greg tells his wife
that she’s got to be the grease in the wheel to get him a promotion by landing
a deal with scum-of-the-earth, Anton Rupel. Greg really hates this guy, nearly
frothing at the mouth as he calls him a “cannibal.” Our still-nameless heroine
suggest that, uh, maybe he should let one of the others at his office take the
account since he loathes Rupel so much, to which he replies that he would “scalp”
them! In short, Greg is terrifying. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlGAgYXLwwfZN4jKpGVcDjfoY0q7hFfEGj2ljdI1u6MwLT2d1gpdYYPSfDmuiDm1zdzSpXu4J4vYeOgMmoUuhAm9HhHGBQBj94pEYZ1svDZ0po5q3YzTSVLjvT6UvJdpcG8EH6kMwV83w/s1600/Romance_illo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlGAgYXLwwfZN4jKpGVcDjfoY0q7hFfEGj2ljdI1u6MwLT2d1gpdYYPSfDmuiDm1zdzSpXu4J4vYeOgMmoUuhAm9HhHGBQBj94pEYZ1svDZ0po5q3YzTSVLjvT6UvJdpcG8EH6kMwV83w/s320/Romance_illo-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">When she tries to
speak, he shuts her up by kissing her next panel. Trust me when I say this is a
sorry theme that runs through a lot of romance comics as it is usually
followed, this time included, when they say, “I didn’t care! Being in his arms
was worth it…” Hey, maybe she gets a kick out of it? Maybe this is why they’re
married: they’re cons who know how to chump rich weirdoes out of their money?
They probably leave a trail of broken men, like the one on the splash page, in
their wake! Perhaps she was about to say, “Greg, what if I… laced his drink
with arsenic?” Reading as many romance comics as I have, my mind likes to fill
in the details that I’m sure the writers were hinting at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The next scene
is the party at Greg’s company president’s house where Rupel directly propositions
our heroine while Greg leers on in the background. Baiting the obnoxious
pervert, she sets up a dinner date over at her and Greg’s place the following
evening. “I made a <u>conquest</u>...” she gloats to herself while her husband
gushes with gruesome glee! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">But alas, dear
reader, it’s that point in the story where our heroine’s pesky conscience pops
in and she begins to doubt the plan in play. What if this ruse just turns them
into horrible people? What if they’re already horrible people? Greg brandishes
her name, Edie, for the first time in this story as he admonishes her for her disgusting
display of last minute morality!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBm5LabOFdhLrZSpaKnEYce2Y8hyphenhyphenCSmnjev47lYf7w5Twh09lnPcfkszl1dsTHb27ZbcpQrw8kBmkTyhlRJANUkb5h_zVFmNH2YdVOJP0okdT4dLjmqmc_1HrDQa-zLVFKeO_sDKhjdFf/s1600/blog+illo-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBm5LabOFdhLrZSpaKnEYce2Y8hyphenhyphenCSmnjev47lYf7w5Twh09lnPcfkszl1dsTHb27ZbcpQrw8kBmkTyhlRJANUkb5h_zVFmNH2YdVOJP0okdT4dLjmqmc_1HrDQa-zLVFKeO_sDKhjdFf/s400/blog+illo-1+copy.jpg" width="341" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Through the
tried-and-true method that every American lad knows, Greg places his face
uncomfortably close to Edie’s and convinces her that everything is all right. All
is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> right as Edie stays awake all
night thinking of how much happier Greg would be back in their “village” in
Upper New York (because at anywhere not the City in New York you can still buy
torches for the bimonthly witch hunt) working for his dad’s firm but he’s too
stubborn and fetishisticly entwined with the human wart, Rupel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The next
morning, Edie pops one of her Floozie’s Little Helpers and gussies up their
house, making sure their wonder-box, a tape recorder, gets center stage because
“…it helped amuse guests when parties got dull!” Generally less questions were
brought up afterwards with a tape recorder than Greg’s party favor of lining
the house with plastic and bringing out his hatchet. We find Edie hunched over
the box as Greg stands near the blinds, shoulders stiff with his arms at his
side, twitching hands hidden from view, muttering how much of a “worm” Rupel
is. Slyly, Edie eggs him on, asking him what in particular Greg loathes about
the giant pus-sack, which leads to one of the angriest panels I’ve found in a
romance comic...<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qz5XI65fzrRpcxQCiISvIDIr237euOmuRv2fclpZXyFw49xYSPuSep4aqtfE0VnMO9JM6d2hFu5fOj7OM7yXaIEojXPeulyonMhcRJ4Ii-6r2AnfwMNaNbCFCl7BmcojcpXYM7P1Y0HH/s1600/blog-illo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qz5XI65fzrRpcxQCiISvIDIr237euOmuRv2fclpZXyFw49xYSPuSep4aqtfE0VnMO9JM6d2hFu5fOj7OM7yXaIEojXPeulyonMhcRJ4Ii-6r2AnfwMNaNbCFCl7BmcojcpXYM7P1Y0HH/s400/blog-illo-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Patrick Bateman,
I mean, Greg continues his tirade according to Edie’s narration as she cleverly
manipulates the recorder with her dirty dexterous hands. Greg admits that he’d
tell the slime ball what he felt “if he wasn’t important to the firm!” But his
smoldering is interrupted by the fat man arriving to stink up their house with
his putrid musk. Greg puts on his best host mask and suggests that Edie turn on
the recorder so they can listen to the swank dance music they’ve pirated from
the radio. Or maybe they have some sort of jug band they’re a part of, being
hayseeds and all. Yet instead of the backwoods twang of banjo finger picking,
Rupel is slapped in the face with Greg’s vitriol from the panel above! Rupel is
aghast and scurries back to his sweaty money pit without a word.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Greg’s life is
shattered! There goes years of hard sniping to get where he is! There goes the
swank apartment and the maids doting on their every need! There goes the
diamonds and the furs! Edie has left him a shell of his former self! “Did you
hate this life that much, Edie? Or is it me you hate?” Greg pleads with the
mischievous imp he once called wife! She responds by telling him that she
didn’t want anyone else to destroy his life, so that’s why she had to do it
herself! The comic ends with a perplexing sentiment…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J74cdtS2M0vI9YahK-Y91lS6rn_upk2v6dtT6Sbr8cVyCAdTDaXayZgQpakb2tZfcxAIfmpbmc0HhQb3DxQEz0Zu12rCM6UHdo8Cp6i8gAHoB5-VPmpoZFZUGJ9sKL1wtRgM7SEJ6AFM/s1600/blog-illo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J74cdtS2M0vI9YahK-Y91lS6rn_upk2v6dtT6Sbr8cVyCAdTDaXayZgQpakb2tZfcxAIfmpbmc0HhQb3DxQEz0Zu12rCM6UHdo8Cp6i8gAHoB5-VPmpoZFZUGJ9sKL1wtRgM7SEJ6AFM/s400/blog-illo-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">And so, our
psychotic couple’s tale gives us the heartwarming moral: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Destroy everything with the fire of love</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stay tuned for the rising action of "Crescendo!" in the next <i>Kissable
Comics</i>!</span><!--EndFragment-->
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 107%;">© Shane O’Shaughnessy</span></span></div>
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Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-42273288093019614532015-10-16T15:24:00.004-07:002015-10-16T15:24:58.674-07:00Support Your Local Filmmakers, or, Charlton Comics: The Movie<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv35zUZcVwcQQcBrlHrRhstonWkuSuY2om2xQQ3l4NU1P8kqguDrN3u8QnsM0N2_QZJ1uD2OEbTMV57kQjT39CPWIuonIR4lBz5OQysSzrvXi60P-vGBFvfrKGnYNREP1dFYb9FPlaSMQP/s1600/Charl-Frank2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv35zUZcVwcQQcBrlHrRhstonWkuSuY2om2xQQ3l4NU1P8kqguDrN3u8QnsM0N2_QZJ1uD2OEbTMV57kQjT39CPWIuonIR4lBz5OQysSzrvXi60P-vGBFvfrKGnYNREP1dFYb9FPlaSMQP/s320/Charl-Frank2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filmmakers Jackie Zbuska, Jude Breidenbach, <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">and Keith Larsen </span><br />with Judomaster master Frank McLaughlin.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's pretty remarkable when you stop to think of it: it's been just a little over a year, in August of 2014, since filmmakers Keith Larsen and Jackie Zbuska cornered me at my table at the Connecticut ComiCONN and started gushing about the panel I had moderated the day before. Needing a place to rest their convention-weary tootsies, Jackie and Keith settled into seats at the back of the room where I was speaking with guests Denny O'Neil, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Frank McLaughlin, and Bob Layton about our long-ago shared experiences at the defunct Charlton Comics, formerly of Derby, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
The upshot of their gushing (and, I add modestly, it was a great panel, especially if the reaction I was receiving was any indication) was that they wanted to make a documentary about Charlton Comics, the whole kit and kaboodle, from its start behind bars to its offices in a bowling alley to its slow, lingering death and recent resurrection. Would I be interested in helping, either by being interviewed or introducing them to people to be interviewed...whatever.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53OtxT2QTz4l7Bl6TTmZ5rhvpyx3lefyIow0frI8k6HYyaG2TViukZdp4oriS5sM_ZC83jAr5utxzITAXy0DUWDU_R7Jnxb6vRWCZykDSyF7rG-j2exym0G4w6iP9e0GudU0uovAiYSQZ/s1600/Charl-Staton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53OtxT2QTz4l7Bl6TTmZ5rhvpyx3lefyIow0frI8k6HYyaG2TViukZdp4oriS5sM_ZC83jAr5utxzITAXy0DUWDU_R7Jnxb6vRWCZykDSyF7rG-j2exym0G4w6iP9e0GudU0uovAiYSQZ/s320/Charl-Staton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe Staton tries to remember the formula to E-Man's success</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sure, I said. Be happy to do what I can. And then I expected <i>never</i> to hear from them again. I mean, I get hit up several times a month by email or at conventions to take part in some grand scheme--a book, a movie, a start-up something or other--and they never, I repeat <i>never</i>, come to fruition.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2I54L3HHP293eAG1yhOUvOHk213HIvsFFt9EQB3E5i8kyXExIZeN-Rv8Hzw5OCda2NMg6YLUBibRQ0c59gr5_RHabrgahjJHXmYjo8EnwuFxJPJ6UpTsTc3fYcKapLpug069oC_WqvYe/s1600/Charl-Neal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2I54L3HHP293eAG1yhOUvOHk213HIvsFFt9EQB3E5i8kyXExIZeN-Rv8Hzw5OCda2NMg6YLUBibRQ0c59gr5_RHabrgahjJHXmYjo8EnwuFxJPJ6UpTsTc3fYcKapLpug069oC_WqvYe/s320/Charl-Neal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interviewing the legendary Neal Adams at the <br />2015 Connecticut ComiCONN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Shows what I knew about these guys.<br />
<br />
One year later, Jackie and Keith are friends and I've become somewhat involved in <b>Charlton Comics: The Movie</b>, from being interviewed for the film's trailer (near the site of the old Charlton Publications factory and offices) to moderating the panel that featured the world premiere of said trailer at the 2015 Connecticut ComiCONN (which becomes <a href="https://www.facebook.com/terrificon?fref=ts" target="_blank">TerrifiCon</a> in 2016) to traveling to Rhode Island with them next month (Sunday, November 8) for the Charlton Comics: The Movie panel at RI Comic Con (at 12:15 pm)...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJORVdOrofukq9UnwbXOuU4VVBEHeAff3xviqiWJEcxH0HsTQVAnqklO7eyMaA8ViNMwkxihklPw6_q1E0gZVBJ29pJkr23Ej7J5_8kJI_JKRyKrYjxnr1y35x7UeCDUDdrr70g8zU6gD/s1600/Charl-Denny2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJORVdOrofukq9UnwbXOuU4VVBEHeAff3xviqiWJEcxH0HsTQVAnqklO7eyMaA8ViNMwkxihklPw6_q1E0gZVBJ29pJkr23Ej7J5_8kJI_JKRyKrYjxnr1y35x7UeCDUDdrr70g8zU6gD/s320/Charl-Denny2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denny "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" O'Neil on camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
...And did I mention the new Indigogo fundraising campaign that just launched? <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/charlton-comics-the-movie#/" target="_blank">You can check it out here, including the aforementioned trailer</a>...and while you're there, please, <i>please</i>, <b><i>please</i></b> contribute to help make the dream of <b>Charlton Comics: The Movie</b> a reality. And I'm not just talking about the dream of my one chance for stardom ("I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Larsen!"), but of the chance to tell a story about the comic book industry that we only <i>thought</i> we knew! The stories that producer and ace researcher Jackie has been uncovering are unbelievable...and those are just the ones that she can tell!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOCkgKIncREk2tWXhQrM5XdFhIiPOTAHblzHtGkPxT3SzwIDHeVm9zey_x_JKubRHqGMnnybjlPNC1ElA40w6m4zAm34uGFYxw8Bm4ZUBo6HTRVhYOWBphCekOClLIEbijNi-j_JVco56/s1600/Charl-Sinnot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOCkgKIncREk2tWXhQrM5XdFhIiPOTAHblzHtGkPxT3SzwIDHeVm9zey_x_JKubRHqGMnnybjlPNC1ElA40w6m4zAm34uGFYxw8Bm4ZUBo6HTRVhYOWBphCekOClLIEbijNi-j_JVco56/s320/Charl-Sinnot1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Joe Sinnott reminiscences</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sure, the perks being offered to contributors are really cool, but what's even cooler's the opportunity to be a part of history in the making.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3I0kxJMS1Fmszb6lQ8qeYEilC0LplOgI6RIP0VqDGb67Gq4Fu8XR85guuBYMSZsyx_Dxd2snJBfWXFXPn-Rgp3EhdvboGeL0yPQywrlEReq2TjrSzjfAN1QWRiNKLPjOPtC4-JklH1kHO/s1600/Charl-Layton%2526crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3I0kxJMS1Fmszb6lQ8qeYEilC0LplOgI6RIP0VqDGb67Gq4Fu8XR85guuBYMSZsyx_Dxd2snJBfWXFXPn-Rgp3EhdvboGeL0yPQywrlEReq2TjrSzjfAN1QWRiNKLPjOPtC4-JklH1kHO/s320/Charl-Layton%2526crew.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackie and Keith with Charlton alumnus Bob Layton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Make mine <b>Charlton Comics: The Movie</b>!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ldT7PBZ78kD65NQ-tVlDji8jC2rDlQkP4PDsH640spPvMpY5QjPBYj857jwgCFgU8Wz_QTtjG0BrdeivoDHKpUAo1222CdnIn7CTxb-ckwnxc_PKOJ3u60occKi9lWC0a9EO2ztAfb-t/s1600/Charl-2015pnl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ldT7PBZ78kD65NQ-tVlDji8jC2rDlQkP4PDsH640spPvMpY5QjPBYj857jwgCFgU8Wz_QTtjG0BrdeivoDHKpUAo1222CdnIn7CTxb-ckwnxc_PKOJ3u60occKi9lWC0a9EO2ztAfb-t/s320/Charl-2015pnl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mort Todd, Roy Thomas, Paul Kupperberg, TJ Ford, Keith Larsen, <br />and Jackie Zbuska at the 2015 Charlton Comics: Past,<br /> Present & Future panel at CT ComiCONN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/charlton-comics-the-movie#/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIyao5sl33uHxzcVZ0aF4ifT3LswZP8wPatXowPDcgAZLkRKbsYKStnBD7Lwh8LDCkT4zbKulRoQ7SQ-Qm5JYQkQ7trx6W99sHYTu5NqkG_AnkGd5hR2ideD_zcJ0YiGUezMjw0KGwApI/s200/Charl-theLogo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-74170856389350330742015-08-16T09:27:00.003-07:002015-08-17T09:40:23.869-07:002015 Charlton Comics Panel with special guest Roy Thomas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJUx8wa-71536zUpX1jBnwMg3-hY43MtM9-X7MVTcZfm7dv2XbWrZr5HNqzuRdRCEgEMTXICt4fzrMi1coShM9QYo7hNoLcVY6vWf82NSrTP3GKh-gqggHLZ5HGxHITghF6gBxcHi_Te4/s1600/11894636_1637600253150367_3262216278679068689_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJUx8wa-71536zUpX1jBnwMg3-hY43MtM9-X7MVTcZfm7dv2XbWrZr5HNqzuRdRCEgEMTXICt4fzrMi1coShM9QYo7hNoLcVY6vWf82NSrTP3GKh-gqggHLZ5HGxHITghF6gBxcHi_Te4/s400/11894636_1637600253150367_3262216278679068689_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TC Ford, Roy Thomas, Mort Todd, and Paul Kupperberg. Photo by Charlie Hunt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At 3:00pm on Saturday, August 15 I had the pleasure of sitting down for almost an hour and a half with Roy Thomas, Mort Todd, TC Ford, and filmmakers Keith Larsen and Jackie Zbuska for the 2015 Connecticut ComiCONN Charlton Comics panel. We talked Charlton past, present, and future, and premiered the teaser trailer for the epic Charlton Comics: The Movie documentary!<br />
<br />
You can check out the trailer at <a href="http://www.charltonmovie.com/#!video-vault/ck0q" target="_blank">Charlton Comics: The Movie</a> and hear the panel, posted on my website, <a href="http://kupps.malibulist.com/2015/08/16/roy-mort-tc-craig-jackie-me-the-2015-charlton-comics-panel/" target="_blank">PaulKupperberg.com </a>(this because of the rigors Blogger puts you through to post audio files here).Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-30162246064626394262015-05-01T07:29:00.001-07:002015-05-01T07:29:31.348-07:00Celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2015 With Charlton Neo<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">By Dan
Johnson<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu75qVVnGJ4jjLlzYdDLDb54Kbh3DIM3P5NhFsqgbmsRvEatZSUQ0wMNdWRQ_wCtAg9fztU9ljBPNlZRLoS8TYl4Jf05WYb7rW8gbiybA2nNtvndlUv-95tKrjtqPEvdup49cbvvypbUU/s1600/FCBD1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu75qVVnGJ4jjLlzYdDLDb54Kbh3DIM3P5NhFsqgbmsRvEatZSUQ0wMNdWRQ_wCtAg9fztU9ljBPNlZRLoS8TYl4Jf05WYb7rW8gbiybA2nNtvndlUv-95tKrjtqPEvdup49cbvvypbUU/s1600/FCBD1.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a></div>
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Attention
Neophytes! Saturday, May 2 is Free Comic Book Day and Charlton Neo Comics is
getting ready to celebrate this most joyous (and geeky) of all days. First off,
starting at midnight on May 2 and until midnight May 3, we are granting free
access to <b><i>all</i></b> of the <b>Pix-C web comics</b>!
This is your chance to sample our strips and also learn how you can become a sponsor so you can get access
to new installments every week.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Second,
several of Charlton Neo’s creators and supporters will be guests at Free Comic
Book Day Events around the country. You can come out and talk comics with the
following individuals at the following locations:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Paul Kupperberg</b>- <span style="color: red;"><b>Heroes Comics
& Cards</b></span>, 197 Westport Ave., Norwalk CT 06851. For more information, visit: <a href="http://heroescomicsandcards.com/">http://heroescomicsandcards.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Dan Johnson</b> and <b>Rick Davis</b>- <b><span style="color: red;">Comics
Conspiracy</span></b>, 108 North St., Asheboro, NC 27203. For more information, visit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Comic-Conspiracy/112017175493040?ref=bookmarks">https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Comic-Conspiracy/112017175493040?ref=bookmarks</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Rodney Bennett</b>- <b><span style="color: red;">The Comic
Dimension</span></b>, 2823 Spring Garden St., Suite E, Greensboro, NC, 27403. For more
information, visit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecomicdimension">https://www.facebook.com/thecomicdimension</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>William Boyer</b>- <span style="color: red;">Classic Comics</span>, 169
Lowes Foods Dr., Lewisville, NC 27023.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">For more information, visit: <a href="http://classiccomicsonline.net/classiccomicsonline.net/Home.html">http://classiccomicsonline.net/classiccomicsonline.net/Home.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Brian Morris</b>- <span style="color: red;">The Danville Public
Library</span>, in cooperation with Villains Con, 319 N. Vermilion St., Danville,
Illinois 61832. For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.danville.lib.il.us/">http://www.danville.lib.il.us/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Daniel Gorman</b>- <span style="color: red;"><b>Heroic Adventures
Comics and Pop Culture Store</b></span>. Located at 126 Gnau Ave. SW, Massillon, Ohio
44646. For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.heroicadventurescomics.com/">http://www.heroicadventurescomics.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-72913265584192039682015-04-10T06:06:00.000-07:002015-04-10T06:06:54.336-07:00Roger McKenzie: The Devil He Knows<style>
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<h1>
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-weight: normal;">Interview by Dan Johnson</span></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m_UNJCJ0dRjifRuegh1QWKzVd5OXBchuEcw_JMAmX0nH1zKpZwMCtxC_iGA738Fz0W4V95DHrp2QkvkNEx5R9q7LLBLlEiz-VZ76JSaOsFDhooTfvRPvz_iO-0XT4N2RnWXi-Rmw9UJ3/s1600/Roger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m_UNJCJ0dRjifRuegh1QWKzVd5OXBchuEcw_JMAmX0nH1zKpZwMCtxC_iGA738Fz0W4V95DHrp2QkvkNEx5R9q7LLBLlEiz-VZ76JSaOsFDhooTfvRPvz_iO-0XT4N2RnWXi-Rmw9UJ3/s1600/Roger.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Times;">Charlton Neo’s Roger McKenzie Talks About
Netflix’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daredevil</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The big event for comic book fans this weekend is the
premiere of Netflix’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daredevil</i>. The
Man Without Fear, whose show is the first step towards <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Defenders</i> mini-series on Netflix, has had a number of talented
writers and artists weaving his tales for over fifty years now. A few of them
gathered recently in Hollywood to celebrate the premiere of the series,
including our very own Roger McKenzie. Between his writing for comics and
hobnobbing with the Hollywood Elite, Roger sat down for a quick interview to
discuss his take on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daredevil</i> and
also give us the inside scoop on his upcoming projects for Charlton Neo Comics.
</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Dan Johnson: First off, congratulations on getting
the invite to the Hollywood premiere for Daredevil. What did you think when you
got that invitation?</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Roger McKenzie:</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"> “Who? Me?” <span style="color: black;">David Bogart, Senior Vice
President of Operations & Procurement, Publishing, Marvel Entertainment,
LLC called me a week or so before the premiere with a most kind invite! So he
really got the ball rolling. So he’s to blame. I’d be planning to watch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daredevil</i> here at home, never imagining
I’d be seeing him on the Big Screen in Hollywood!</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
You mentioned your wife, Tami, couldn’t attend the event, so you went with
Charlton Neo Publisher Mort Todd. From there you arranged a meeting of the West
Coast Charlton Neo Crew. Who all did you see while in California?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> Mort and I had a great
dinner with Arrowhead and ACP Publisher, William Mull (who graciously picked me
and Mort up from LAX!). There was also my longtime friend, Kevin VanHook and
man-about-town Daerick Gross, Sr., the amazing artist on our brand new
Knightingales comic!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
Excellent! I want to ask you about Knightingales later. First, tell us about
the trip to Hollywood and premiere. They gave you the full red carpet
treatment, right?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> The trip was fine and
fortunately I DIDN’T trip as I shambled my way along the red carpet looking for
spare change…</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
And you were able to meet Charlie Cox, the actor playing Daredevil. What was
your impression of him on the screen and in person? Does he live up to the
persona of the Man Without Fear?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> On screen, Charlie captured
the essence of Matt Murdock/Daredevil perfectly. Off screen he’s charming,
gracious, and even mugged for a few photos with the likes of me! Hopefully that
won’t affect his career too negatively…</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
Who else did you meet from the show at this event?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> Besides Charlie, I met
Skylar Gaertner who portrayed young Matt Murdock, and, from Marvel, Joe Quesada
and Jeff Loeb! </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson: I
know you can’t give anything away, but what was your impression of the episodes
you saw? Is this series going to be true to the comics?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> We got to see the first
two episodes. They were both very true to the spirit of the comics. I think
fans of Daredevil will be very happy with the direction the series is heading
as well as the characterization. There’s enough of a “back story” to establish
the characters and keep it interesting without bogging down the storyline, and
just the right amount of Daredevil action. The stories are character-driven. I
like that. A lot.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson: I
know movies and television shows always take bits and pieces from the various
incarnations of superheroes. Was there anything on the screen that you saw that
you could point to and say, “That’s mine. That line is one I wrote or that
action is what I would have that character make.”?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> No specific lines of
dialogue particularly jumped out at me as mine from the comic book scripts.
Lots of actions tho, that I would (and did) have the characters make. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Johnson: In spite of the
trip to the West Coast, you still kept busy with your work for Charlton Neo.
You have some big projects coming up. First off, there is the reboot of
Yellowjacket. Tell us about that.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">McKenzie:</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> The
original Charlton Comics first comic book was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yellowjacket</i>, an anthology of superhero and horror stories launched
September 1944. Artist Rodney Bennett and I have dusted off the old character,
modernized him some while at the same time trying to very much keep the “Old
School” magic that made comic books fun. If you want dark, grim, violent and
depressing comic book superheroes, then don’t waste your time on Yellowjacket.
If, on the other hand, you’d like your heroes to be…well…heroes again, then you
just might like the new Yellowjacket! Rodney and I are working on the first
adventure now. And if will appear either in the pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Charlton Arrow</i> or as a weekly PIX-C Sunday Funnies webcomic!<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
And then there is Knightingales, which you mentioned. Tell us about that.</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> Here’s our tagline: “First
do no harm. Then try to survive. Nurses Cynthia Doyle and Betsy
Crane--Knightingales in a world gone horribly wrong...” Artist Daerick Gross,
Sr. and I will be debuting Knightingales as a weekly PIX-C Sunday strip
beginning 4/12/15! </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Johnson:
Sounds great! So that is something else Arrowheads can look forward to this
weekend. And finally, when do you think you’ll be invited to your first
Hollywood premiere for a Charlton Neo adaptation?</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McKenzie:</b> Any minute now!</span></div>
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Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-86954963769190750092015-04-08T07:46:00.002-07:002015-04-08T07:46:25.179-07:00Jay and Eddie’s March 28, 2015 Comic Book Show<i>By Dan Johnson</i><br />
<br />
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{page:Section1;}</style>The 2015 Con Season officially kicked off for me on Saturday, March 28. On
that day, I attended Jay and Eddie’s Comic Book Show at the Winston-Salem Hotel
and Spa in Winston-Salem, NC. The show was a one-day event that ran from 10:00
AM until 4:00 PM. In spite of some initial confusion in locating the hotel, the
day was a blast.<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Joining me at the con were two of my Charlton Neo collaborator, Rodney
Bennett (who is working with me on the reboots of Gunmaster and Rocky Jones)
and Will Boyer (who is working with me on <i>Hip Hop</i> for Pix-C). The Charlton Neo
Crew was given the best seat in the house, next to actress Amber Dawn Fox, who
recently played Officer Bello on season five of <i>The Walking Dead</i>. Being a fan of the show, but not
having seen this past season, I did my best to avoid spoilers. Amber seems like
a very nice young lady (as you can tell from the photos I have included, she
has great taste in reading material). I hope her character made it out of this
season alive (although I know how this show rolls and anyone could become lunch
on the run for a zombie at any moment). </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3y9nuPTWlSlsthwozo5mr-sY82M7-sxi6WEtJLPisa1atSGDx7BIPdESCIyRs3UQwmuvlQxNLvJxu50BV85wd_Ygbt1qLtaIoAAArxsZS77rebvEpSCnta0LAvThKrX2yjVVOQ5bINep/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3y9nuPTWlSlsthwozo5mr-sY82M7-sxi6WEtJLPisa1atSGDx7BIPdESCIyRs3UQwmuvlQxNLvJxu50BV85wd_Ygbt1qLtaIoAAArxsZS77rebvEpSCnta0LAvThKrX2yjVVOQ5bINep/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B6.png" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
<h2>
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<h2>
The seats we had were also pretty sweet as we were right across from a
dealer who had some nice $2.00 Silver Age and Bronze Age books for sale. I was
able to pick up a few comics I had been looking for thanks to this gent,
including two Silver Age Charlton comics, <i>Fightin’ Air Force</i> #29 and <i>Fightin’
Marines</i> #54.</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGayrwEcbijFXM33zwSfDPBo0Z7qU45WLBRZMP5MDfqCPPAtwAANz2epASxkLVW0j3_OaWoDER_uMJEUJfuKatUxaQDSiJbNrdRr3xfkDFbXmgW5Yn-9bRJya5qd4opZK9A87VvhJGnP7/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGayrwEcbijFXM33zwSfDPBo0Z7qU45WLBRZMP5MDfqCPPAtwAANz2epASxkLVW0j3_OaWoDER_uMJEUJfuKatUxaQDSiJbNrdRr3xfkDFbXmgW5Yn-9bRJya5qd4opZK9A87VvhJGnP7/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B8.png" height="400" width="276" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXSoyHlZ_7nCl4ZCZh-yrcpCrMHLXRCdAPFn3NKB6qs_1xrp0FB26Sh4UDp_wRSMdzu9aYPc-4XX4LtVRqd5DyJPw2-LXRgCki0UgvKnYDyXnTS0Wa-IFWgEtG8xp8ZunkUmccrpATjVU/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXSoyHlZ_7nCl4ZCZh-yrcpCrMHLXRCdAPFn3NKB6qs_1xrp0FB26Sh4UDp_wRSMdzu9aYPc-4XX4LtVRqd5DyJPw2-LXRgCki0UgvKnYDyXnTS0Wa-IFWgEtG8xp8ZunkUmccrpATjVU/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B9.png" height="400" width="271" /></a></div>
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</div>
<h2>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></h2>
<h2>
I really wanted to explore the show more, but getting across the aisle was
the best I could do for the most part since we had a pretty steady stream of
patrons come by our tables in the six hours we were at the show. In that time,
I talked to anyone and everyone that came by about Charlton Neo, as well as <i>The
Flash</i> television series, <i>Avengers: Age of Ultron</i> and the comic books I had
found earlier at the show. We even had a couple of writers who expressed an
interest in working with Charlton Neo and I discussed what we were looking for
at this time. These folks must have liked what they heard because I got
submissions from both of them just a few days after the show. </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4hEa-SW4SqhL1RRnhLrCPG99zl7zcv2Nb0E7OFbBetbaQCHNSJpoROSpmIInSA1HjrDl8VWqOmuifzGJXTBoSzlFPGjg6-dTuFBuN4mQ00UfjjHKFbSs4jiEm3BCXMIJc2krvlgO7c8h/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4hEa-SW4SqhL1RRnhLrCPG99zl7zcv2Nb0E7OFbBetbaQCHNSJpoROSpmIInSA1HjrDl8VWqOmuifzGJXTBoSzlFPGjg6-dTuFBuN4mQ00UfjjHKFbSs4jiEm3BCXMIJc2krvlgO7c8h/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B4.png" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I
also had some friends stop by the table to chat for a while, including my
friend Kevin C. Hunt, who you can see dressed up as Doctor Doom. Indeed, Kevin
snapped a number of the photos that accompany this review and I’m grateful he
was able to help us capture some moments from this show.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9AC_F2GSGzU6cd7U-BoT8Cr_qGjtIj8wcMVe-OjHEQAyt_Zr7jQcaZm7CzKM5aWtS7wGZWzb8drITozU1AhC5V28qROkEI8Ci9bIZVnH2Xhv8vgXnygdOBC4NokfmKMLP7_HyrER4o_z/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9AC_F2GSGzU6cd7U-BoT8Cr_qGjtIj8wcMVe-OjHEQAyt_Zr7jQcaZm7CzKM5aWtS7wGZWzb8drITozU1AhC5V28qROkEI8Ci9bIZVnH2Xhv8vgXnygdOBC4NokfmKMLP7_HyrER4o_z/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B5.png" height="320" width="291" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rodney
took some commissions and knocked them out of the park (as you can see from the
photos). The one of War Machine was for Robert Muhammad, a gentleman that
Rodney and I have both met at various local cons over the past few years.
Robert is also one of our newest members at the Charlton Neo Comics Facebook
Page.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH-NboJCIvM_p2HBIO5-THobgrGX6gVnGpqQeULVilajwlqgD-WGPmQAV_zUuQa5ECJoN0o7xhBPwVDxOOiTwEsv69s0Rxutm0ice_NBDHfekAw2eAuQBIBtXiBQibnEw2cWkKe7vCoUV/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH-NboJCIvM_p2HBIO5-THobgrGX6gVnGpqQeULVilajwlqgD-WGPmQAV_zUuQa5ECJoN0o7xhBPwVDxOOiTwEsv69s0Rxutm0ice_NBDHfekAw2eAuQBIBtXiBQibnEw2cWkKe7vCoUV/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B1.png" height="400" width="223" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6iRLqpwA1_fdejYrOimr-j3aYLWaYvoTePNGq7LkkSHHO63TZzcrGf-mqR4Lmou2Gf31hkcoN-ePMma3btAHzwb3qg1fDRO3xL2obyMmpztKWwsL6cI6ABcsEOOFDp4C0ESvKP27FRTO/s1600/jay+and+eddie's+comic+book+show+march+28+2015+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6iRLqpwA1_fdejYrOimr-j3aYLWaYvoTePNGq7LkkSHHO63TZzcrGf-mqR4Lmou2Gf31hkcoN-ePMma3btAHzwb3qg1fDRO3xL2obyMmpztKWwsL6cI6ABcsEOOFDp4C0ESvKP27FRTO/s1600/jay+and+eddie's%2Bcomic%2Bbook%2Bshow%2Bmarch%2B28%2B2015%2B2.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">After
the show wrapped up, Rodney, Will and I headed over to a nearby Pizza Hut where
we discussed plans for our various Charlton Neo projects. Rodney and I have a
great story arc mapped out for Gunmaster and we discussed what we wanted to do
with this character and concept. Also, Will and I plotted out Hip Hop’s
destiny, including a rival we will be introducing into the strip and a
potential love interest. So, all in all, the day was fun and productive. And
really, you can’t ask for anything better of a comic book show than that, can
you?</span></div>
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© Dan Johnson</div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-74949909766671000342015-03-21T10:24:00.002-07:002015-03-21T10:24:44.349-07:00FREE Pix-C Weekly Web Comics Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://issuu.com/morttodd/docs/pixc" target="_blank"><img alt="http://issuu.com/morttodd/docs/pixc" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-xQGWc8LKIWEf3CzWlea4VWBNdkUf3rhJ5iOGlfNcV_62l9RNnSqOLH7dF-BMUjvCB5TEKqYv9cHSV-VOH72zzRK87LebONhykKhUDwIh0XVggoEdTc63vTD2VPt0K9aTMWwLUJpSlP7/s1600/PixC-PDFcover.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
In case you haven't been paying attention, Charlton Neo's <a href="http://morttodd.com/Pix-C.html" target="_blank">Pix-C Weekly Web Comics</a> site has just passed its first month of bringing you some of the best new and classic comic strips on the internet! (That's right. We said it!)<br />
<br />
Don't believe us?<br />
<br />
Not willing to risk as little as $1 a month as a <a href="https://www.patreon.com/MortTodd" target="_blank">Patreon sustaining supporter</a> of Charlton Neo, Comicfix, and Pix-C to gain unlimited access to the Pix-C site?<br />
<br />
Yeah, we thought you'd be skeptical (even thoigh we haven't let you down yet!). So, here...have a <a href="http://issuu.com/morttodd/docs/pixc" target="_blank">FREE 38-page preview of all nine Pix-C comic strips</a> on us, also featuring creator bios and more!<br />
<br />
Check it. <i><b>Now!</b></i> Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-56233559991641757572015-02-24T06:01:00.001-08:002015-02-24T06:01:34.888-08:00She’s Off to See the Wizard (World Convention)
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">By Barbara
Kaalberg</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAc7PUVoYpc6jVY0wsfntXjdmzM0IUG-6VsuKmbhlKLSl_k_KLdtne8siOYd9N7G_I3sdbW00qVr0HdJaQWxHSsIBKmZAvSfDINZ1EvacQJIrT5cWW_83MltGd9l2Z0NTmMJuYPEYWOJ7/s1600/IMG_20150208_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAc7PUVoYpc6jVY0wsfntXjdmzM0IUG-6VsuKmbhlKLSl_k_KLdtne8siOYd9N7G_I3sdbW00qVr0HdJaQWxHSsIBKmZAvSfDINZ1EvacQJIrT5cWW_83MltGd9l2Z0NTmMJuYPEYWOJ7/s1600/IMG_20150208_hdr.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Wizard World Madison (Wisconsin) was a hit! I haven't had a table
at a convention for years, but when Wizard came to me and asked if I would be
interested in being a guest at the first ever WW Madison, I jumped at the
chance to promote Charlton Neo. </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I was in kind of a panic, however, because while I did have a
great Neo banner and a couple of thousand Neo flyers to hand out, I hadn't done
much of note in the last few years of my own to promote and I had an eight-foot
corner table to fill! I scrounged around in my studio and came up with twenty-five
years worth of comp copies for books I had worked on, around forty-five
interiors of pages I hadn't sold to auction houses through the years, plus bits
and bobs of this and that. I threw it all in with the Charlton banner and one
of my own (for “The Empress of Inks”)...I even threw in a box of twenty-five
years worth of Xerox copies of pencils that I had saved for no apparent reason.
I ALWAYS use to make copies of the pencils before I started inking in case I
did something stupid, like spill my coffee on the original pencils. Originally,
I’d planned to toss the Xeroxes out but decided, instead, to throw them in a
box and just put a sign on it that said, "So You Want To Be An Inker? FREE
Copies of Pencils (minimum two per person) To Practice, Practice,
Practice."</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd9qKDDI2nHkqU6gkAgJrD8fy69wJcAfLDdSsQJUnf2y9H51v2klr-Td6jRoYFUspdzUQCAUcz__FrFKok5zigGumcv-iBV7cIc2gH2_E5rWBB8gwhZsBa9TE49IIMmUSH7Ehno8kRXWk/s1600/IMG_20150206_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd9qKDDI2nHkqU6gkAgJrD8fy69wJcAfLDdSsQJUnf2y9H51v2klr-Td6jRoYFUspdzUQCAUcz__FrFKok5zigGumcv-iBV7cIc2gH2_E5rWBB8gwhZsBa9TE49IIMmUSH7Ehno8kRXWk/s1600/IMG_20150206_hdr.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The traffic those free copies generated past my table was
amazing! Several people thanked me profusely for the idea of giving the copies
away. People paused to dig through my box of freebies and then browsed my table
for sale items. It also gave me the chance to give my Charlton sales pitch. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HGQXaPJoo-g0Qojma0Nd31a-KGPoRE3LUC4pHMyJdtHA3ytDsdZg36i-s7SEwCKmSEYqjgCv2D7N16yZPxWz-yeJrWyjyKEesdhQ7OZOjjfb2xftZAL3C13BLvn-EcGWdprmia_AisRq/s1600/IMG__193041_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HGQXaPJoo-g0Qojma0Nd31a-KGPoRE3LUC4pHMyJdtHA3ytDsdZg36i-s7SEwCKmSEYqjgCv2D7N16yZPxWz-yeJrWyjyKEesdhQ7OZOjjfb2xftZAL3C13BLvn-EcGWdprmia_AisRq/s1600/IMG__193041_hdr.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I did very, very well. The one thing I wish that I had more of
was comics for little kids. I had some <span id="goog_989019663"></span><span id="goog_989019664"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barbie</i>
comics that I had done for Marvel back in the 90's, some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mask</i> from NOW Comics, some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Godzilla</i>
from Dark Horse, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonder Woman</i> from DC
(another big favorite!), and a few odds and ends. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barbie</i> comics were gone within two hours
on the first day. Little girls and adults both wanted them. People kept
coming up to me and saying, "Someone told me you had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barbie</i> comics. Do you have any left?" The big thing
I noticed was whole families turning out for the con, a lot dressed in family
friendly cosplay, but the little ones were having a hard time finding stuff for
themselves! Children’s comics, girls comics, funny animal comics, and humor
comics would have flown off my table had I had them. This gives me great
hopes for a future <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charltoons</i> book!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I also had a very, very positive response to the news that
Charlton has re-booted under the Charlton Neo name. A lot of enthusiasm
for non-traditional comics was expressed. I came home with only a handful
of unsold comps and two pages of original art left. Very successful con. All it
cost me was gas money and my time. I even got to sleep in my own bed that
night. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Win</span></i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">© Barbara Kaalberg</span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-38661239647002567912015-02-21T06:44:00.000-08:002015-02-21T06:44:03.371-08:00“Say, Mister, Could You Stake a Fellow American to a Meal?”<i>By Paul Kupperberg</i><br />
<br />
I wrote this piece in September 2013 (slightly altered in this iteration), a kind of apology/plea for understanding as I kept coming to people with my hand out, asking them to support (i.e. spend money) <a href="http://crazy8press.com/" target="_blank">Crazy 8 Press</a>, the prose publishing endeavor with which I am involved (along with fellow Neo contributors Bob Greenberger and Michael Jan Friedman, and four other authors). Now, on top of Crazy 8 and a currently ongoing <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1881107045/pangaea-1" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign for a new anthology, Pangaea</a>, we can add Charlton Neo (in general) and <i>Paul Kupperberg's Secret Romances</i> (specifically), plus the <a href="https://www.patreon.com/MortTodd?rf=511359" target="_blank">Neo/ComicArt Patreon sustaining supporter campaign</a>, and the <a href="http://morttodd.com/Pix-C.html" target="_blank">Pix-C Weekly Web Comic</a> site, and all of a sudden, I seemed to be in deep "sell" mode!<br />
<br />
As has been widely discussed for several years now, the publishing industry has undergone a seismic shift in how it functions. The big publishing houses are all absorbing one another, these behemoths having adopted the Hollywood mentality of relying on blockbuster bestsellers over a wider and more diverse catalog of titles, and brick and mortar retail outlets are getting harder to find...and those that still exist are slowly giving over display space previously used for books for Kindle displays and to sell toys, games, and other specialty items. Mainstream comics, now almost exclusively the domain of superheroes, have never before been more reflective of their corporate roots, while the indie comics publishers take satisfaction in sales of only a few thousand copies.<br />
<br />
Guys like me and my friends and colleagues involved in Charlton Neo and Crazy 8 Press never expected we would have to become our own publishers in order to be able to publish the work we wanted to create the way we created it, but circumstances have kind of forced our hands. And, believe me, none of us want to spend as much time as we're forced to badgering you nice people just to take a look at our wares, much less lay out your hard earned cash to buy it! We'd really rather be hunkered down in our little dens, writing and drawing and leaving the marketing to our publishers...except nowadays, we <i>are</i> our publishers...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="st"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">“Say, Mister, Could You Stake a Fellow American to a
Meal?”</span></b></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJfIkV4uB-RubSQubzzrO-cgv-pfn5bSOKrFrgTixh6yUqh1ActMs8NxusaRPTx8EVeWBjXJTHX8tyLxP2IuJxiQ24Co-kKpCI7gkyhD9NMR9QL_2_8TRZKFGKRTZx3M6tFkMS6FEOFth/s1600/treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1948-john-huston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJfIkV4uB-RubSQubzzrO-cgv-pfn5bSOKrFrgTixh6yUqh1ActMs8NxusaRPTx8EVeWBjXJTHX8tyLxP2IuJxiQ24Co-kKpCI7gkyhD9NMR9QL_2_8TRZKFGKRTZx3M6tFkMS6FEOFth/s1600/treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1948-john-huston.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
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--</style><span class="st"><span style="font-family: Times;">That’s the
line Humphrey Bogart (as down on his luck gold prospector Fred C. Dobbs) uses
on the Man in the White Suit (played by director John Houston) he keeps
accosting for a handout in the 1948 film classic, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Treasure of the Sierra Madre</i>. Down and out in Mexico, Bogie inadvertently
hits up the same guy for money, until, on his third trip to that same well, the
Man in the White Suit says, “</span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">Such
impudence never came my way. Early this afternoon I gave you money...while I
was having my shoes polished I gave you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i>
money...now you put the bite on me again. Do me a favor, will ya? Go
occasionally to somebody else -- it's beginning to get tiresome.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Bogie is humbly apologetic: “I
never knowed it was you. I never looked at your face--I just looked at your
hands and the money you gave me. Beg pardon, mister, I promise I'll never put
the bite on you again,” and the Man generously lays one last peso on him--“This
is the very last you get from me. Just to make sure you don't forget your
promise, here's another peso"...the peso Dobbs uses to buy the lottery ticket
that provides him and fellow prospectors Howard and Curtin with their
grubstake.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">These days, I feel a lot
like Fred C. Dobbs. I keep coming up to you, over and over again, hat in hand,
asking you for a couple of pesos...or, in my case, to buy my books/comic books and the books/comic books
of my fellow writers involved in our own humble little attempt at mining gold out
of the cold, hard mountains we call Crazy 8 Press and Charlton. But unlike Fred C. Dobbs, I’m
trying awfully hard not to take advantage of your good will and
generosity...and, also unlike the hapless prospector, if you do decide to drop
that peso in my cup, you’re getting something in return beyond the warm glow of
a good deed done: I hope you’ll find that you’ve exchanged your hard-earned
cash for a damned good read, either by me or by fellow Crazy 8 inmates, Michael
Jan Friedman, Aaron Rosenberg, Bob Greenberger, Russ Colchamiro, Glenn Hauman,
Peter David, and Howard Weinstein, and fellow Neophytes Roger McKenzie, Mort Todd, and too many great and generous creators to list here. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Charlton Neo creators and Crazy 8 authors don’t take
our readers for granted, of that I can assure you. I’ve been a writer in the
public eye for almost four decades, during which I’ve attended I don’t know how
many scores of conventions and book fairs, probably in the hundreds if I
bothered to count, and never once has my reaction to a reader or fan who has
approached me with something I’ve written to be signed or a hand to shake been
anything but a grateful “thank you!” Just this past weekend, I was a guest at
the Baltimore Comic-Con where one hyper-apologetic fan stopped me in my
wanderings around the convention floor to tell me how much he’d enjoyed my work
over the years, repeating how he hated to bother me, but would I mind signing
his book...? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">What I said to him was the
honest truth: He had nothing to apologize for and not only was it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> a bother, but I was happy and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">honored</i> to do it. I know how I feel when
I get to meet someone whose work I admire. I also know how it feels to have an
admirer tell me what my work has meant to them. It is, quite simply, a win-win
situation: One of us has met someone we admire; the other has had the
satisfaction of hearing that what we’ve written has touched that reader.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Because without our readers,
we’re just a bunch of weirdos hunched over our word processors and drawing boards in the basement,
talking to no one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So even if you don’t have a
peso to spare at the moment but you’ve <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i>
enjoyed anything I (or Mike or Aaron or Bob or Russ or the rest of us) have
written, or if one of our stories has touched you or made a difference in your
world, you can still do a solid for a fellow American <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by helping us spread the word
about Charlton Neo, Pix-C, and Crazy 8 Press</i></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Share our blogs and websitex. Follow us on social media. Talk
about us on Twitter; re-Tweet our Tweets. Mention us on Facebook, “Like” the our Facebook pages, “Share” the posts of Neo and Crazy 8 creators, or do
whatever it is you do on Tumblr or whatever form of social media you kids are
on these days. Tell your friends. Hell, tell your enemies! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And if you’re flush and can
support us with your dollars to buy our books and comics, print or digital editions,
let people know what you’ve read and what you think of it. Twitter, Facebook,
Tumblr, or better yet, write a quick review on Amazon.com or
BarnesandNoble.com, or post it on your own blog or website. What’s better than
a recommendation of a good read from a friend? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">We’d like your money, sure,
but we’re just as grateful for your moral support and your efforts at word of
mouth to spread the word. Support us with the knowledge that the advantage of
your support accrues not to some faceless behemoth of a corporate publisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but
directly to the creators themselves</i></b>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="font-family: Times;">Fred
C. Dobbs may not have looked his benefactor in the face, but know full well
that the Charlton and Crazy 8 creators <i>do</i> and appreciate everything you do for us, whether it’s
buying our books or posting a link to our website. It takes a lot of time,
energy, and sweat to write a book or create a comic book, and just as much to see it through to
publication. Which reminds me of one last quote from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sierra Madre</i>, this one spoken by grizzled old prospector Howard
(Walter Houston):</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7nH6s90OVHYgCt5OCH3AI4xksmZTr0FpedYzKth0uAyPWXjD-MNBEzRaRdmWWYr8jqtNaUKcOHRbTBWFtRZ634jd_oCroh9-RfIG89tucc0mQlRKopOypJBoMlaVe0M9lKkd3Bm-SfPQ/s1600/treasure_of_the_sierra_madre_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7nH6s90OVHYgCt5OCH3AI4xksmZTr0FpedYzKth0uAyPWXjD-MNBEzRaRdmWWYr8jqtNaUKcOHRbTBWFtRZ634jd_oCroh9-RfIG89tucc0mQlRKopOypJBoMlaVe0M9lKkd3Bm-SfPQ/s1600/treasure_of_the_sierra_madre_4.png" height="228" width="320" /></a><span class="uficommentbody"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></span></div>
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="font-family: Times;">“</span></span><span style="font-family: Times;">A thousand men, say, go searchin' for gold. After six
months, one of them's lucky: one out of a thousand. His find represents not
only his own labor, but that of nine hundred and ninety-nine others to boot.
That's six thousand months, five hundred years, scramblin' over a mountain,
goin' hungry and thirsty. An ounce of gold, mister, is worth what it is because
of the human labor that went into the findin' and the gettin' of it.”</span><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So, yeah, even if you’ve
already handed over a peso or two (or three or four!) to me, I’ll be back in
your face soon enough, asking for a handout...but in return, I’ll try my
damnedest to entertain you. As will the rest of the Charlton Neo and Crazy 8 gangs, so I hope you’ll
forgive our impudence.</span>
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Paul Kupperberg</span></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-37211538951734821552015-02-04T05:41:00.002-08:002015-02-04T05:41:56.983-08:00Paul Kupperberg's Secret Romances #1 On Sale Now!
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<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CHARLTON NEO MEDIA PRESENTS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAUL KUPPERBERG’S SECRET ROMANCES #1</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">February 3, 2015</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oVY9xPNcqMdk8ZdncfwWWcWLF7mxr7IbNKGyPZf0p1jLMRHW2obfbaJhcvdqmKitKJ6O9EsNZXkSxGGqPBnxzSdlphq40X3COS_kFFS-_vdrOxStFqA3ca9sK3HgUVtEY6_z1oT3R11T/s1600/SR1cov1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oVY9xPNcqMdk8ZdncfwWWcWLF7mxr7IbNKGyPZf0p1jLMRHW2obfbaJhcvdqmKitKJ6O9EsNZXkSxGGqPBnxzSdlphq40X3COS_kFFS-_vdrOxStFqA3ca9sK3HgUVtEY6_z1oT3R11T/s1600/SR1cov1.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Happily Ever After” Ain’t What it
Used to Be!</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></i></b>
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Following on the heels of
the successful launch of The Charlton Arrow, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Charlton Neo Media</b> (under the direction of Editor-In-Chief Mort
Todd, Executive Editor Paul Kupperberg, Managing Editor Roger McKenzie, and
Assistant Editor Dan Johnson) is proud to present its newest title, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul
Kupperberg’s Secret Romances #1</i></b>, the first issue of a two-issue
miniseries,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">With a cover by legendary artist <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez</b> (himself a veteran of the classic Charlton
Comics romance comics line), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul Kupperberg’s Secret Romances #1 </i></b>is
3<i><b>6</b></i>-page, full-color comic book featuring four comic and one text tale of love
and romance in the 21<sup>st</sup> century, written by Paul Kupperberg, the
Harvey, Eisner, and GLAAD Media Award nominated writer behind the Summer 2014
blockbuster “Death of Archie” story line and the young adult novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kevin</i> (Grossett & Dunlap), featuring
the coming of age story of the first gay character in Archie Comics history:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You Have
the Right to Remain Smitten!”</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two cops, one squad car, and the proof absolute that
familiarity breeds contempt. Or does it? Art by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pat</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tim Kennedy</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jeff Austin</b>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyV5Uobqp5LcXaNb8n06fc2zIspMHbhIDG6SI-U-9mFSGhjEyncitvDDDHsiie_LWC8DsETI4iD_A2-ulX9MB02qlkxRWsv4GIvS4zegWA5bArrIoJi9CuGa5BQ5RYQ4efXn0T8XcVCv0/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyV5Uobqp5LcXaNb8n06fc2zIspMHbhIDG6SI-U-9mFSGhjEyncitvDDDHsiie_LWC8DsETI4iD_A2-ulX9MB02qlkxRWsv4GIvS4zegWA5bArrIoJi9CuGa5BQ5RYQ4efXn0T8XcVCv0/s1600/03.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“The Man
With A Copy of ‘The Catcher In The Rye’”</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before suitors could exchange photos on the internet, first
meetings were fraught with anxiety...especially for a young woman who feels all
first meetings are doomed. A text story, illustrated by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rob Kelly</b></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cybermatch.com”</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t always get who you want, but
sometimes you get who you need. An internet dating site provides Carl with a
very different girl of his dreams. Art by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">P.D.
Angel Gabriele</b> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Forget Me
Not”</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s never too
late to find love, and the introduction of Rose and Darren leave the senior
citizens feeling as though they’ve known one other forever. Art <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/studiogartand.produtions?fref=ufi"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Dærick Gröss Sr.</span></b></a> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Men Like
Henry Bertram”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Judge and
Mrs. Crowley are pillars of their 1950s era community who will stand for no
deviations...certainly not the sort practiced by men like Henry Bertram. Art by
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pat</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tim Kennedy</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bob Smith</b>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Paul Kupperberg’s Secret Romances #1</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> is not
available in stores, only by mail order through our homepage
http://morttodd.com/secrom1.html or from Amazon.com, $6.99 + shipping for the
print edition at <a href="https://www.createspace.com/5259448">https://www.createspace.com/5259448</a>, or $2.99 for the digital
Kindle edition at <a href="http://amzn.to/1vq78Jd">http://amzn.to/1vq78Jd</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Be sure to visit the <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Charlton Neo website</a> for all
the latest news and information on Charlton Neo, Or follow us on Facebook
(<a href="http://facebook.com/groups/CharltonNeo/">Facebook.com/groups/CharltonNeo/</a> ) and Twitter (@CharltonNeo).</span></div>
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Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-21947765034847979592015-02-04T05:05:00.000-08:002015-02-04T05:05:28.169-08:00E-Man: Appreciation and Inspiration<style>
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--></style><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">by Darren
Goodhart</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></i>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">This all
started while I was working on a new drawing featuring the character Liberty
Belle. As most Charlton fans know, Liberty Belle made her first appearance in
the back pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i> (#5 to be exact)
in her one-and-only appearance (so far) by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve
Ditko. As I was working on the piece, it got me to thinking about all of the
characters that appeared in the pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>,
which led me to thinking about a “dream” project that I think most Charlton
fans would</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">ve loved to see back in the day:
an E-Man annual that would feature all of the characters who had appeared in
the book.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt01dn762QLHCWdUmNXEKwJxq9CE9KA7QXQfhaDVrHz7WwmGFowpekBUN9Mb0xGyFwIDrC0KDpH5dyjWVFXQwkYrvWv12oHAzkcAafMwPx5z6ILShKZ1LWCPPxR_4lViKc1BfMR-skItfq/s1600/E-ManCover_Step01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt01dn762QLHCWdUmNXEKwJxq9CE9KA7QXQfhaDVrHz7WwmGFowpekBUN9Mb0xGyFwIDrC0KDpH5dyjWVFXQwkYrvWv12oHAzkcAafMwPx5z6ILShKZ1LWCPPxR_4lViKc1BfMR-skItfq/s1600/E-ManCover_Step01.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Before I
get too far ahead though, I have to admit, I was sort of a latecomer to Charlton
Comics when I was a kid. My brother wasn</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">t and I
distinctly remember him getting copies of Charlton</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hee-Haw</i> comic, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Partridge Family</i> book, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bugaloos</i> comic, and George Wildman</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s incredible work on Charlton</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s run on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Popeye</i>. I, of course,
was looking over those books and in particular loved Wildman</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s Popeye (even eventually teaching myself to draw
Popeye by copying Wildman</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s work),
but still I always hesitated buying anything from them for a couple of reasons;
1) I was pretty much concentrating on DC and Marvel comics, and 2) my Dad put a
limit on how many comics I could buy in a week: two.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwTXz70WBpFgvhQhNF5RcSb9kG0PoACcOCaZzR30qI3RcrBYIWxjzEGI-DDNsHIUfj8PiEgJMu0fZ0UdFhY6BtQfpM3XApMOyHk9ZN7rzgH7aaTvOVHt1IPj7Gvdr4inmJ07KDhkvIjjw/s1600/E-ManCover_Step02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwTXz70WBpFgvhQhNF5RcSb9kG0PoACcOCaZzR30qI3RcrBYIWxjzEGI-DDNsHIUfj8PiEgJMu0fZ0UdFhY6BtQfpM3XApMOyHk9ZN7rzgH7aaTvOVHt1IPj7Gvdr4inmJ07KDhkvIjjw/s1600/E-ManCover_Step02.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">One week
though, I was in the grocery store where I regularly bought my comics, and
there wasn</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">t really anything that was
particularly appealing to me from the Big Two and I saw a couple of these <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i> comics from Charlton (#6 and #9). I
flipped through the books and though the art was a little more cartoony than
what I was used to, I thought “What the heck…” and picked them up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, I
absolutely loved them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>E-Man and
his girlfriend Nova Kane were really cool and friendly characters and the
stories by writer Nicola Cuti were just a lot of fun. I really started to love
Joe Staton</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s artwork the more I kept looking
at it and I was just absolutely enchanted. On top of all of that, both issues
featured back-up stories with this odd robot cab driver called Rog-2000,
written by the aforementioned Mr. Cuti and drawn by another artist I had never
heard of, John Byrne. Again, I was just enchanted as could be.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39qd_8udWoD9UkusuLMGsJFdjpX1XmNvz_x5UvZbP8PJOm6R6gQX1HUUpWurXfzvXW6LTLTzxeYjgrrEFJ1Tfdr7dmFUkHjs1p0zdFsmXQkcT_nIimXOt2DILmAcLhE7NsI_V29uYvsCF/s1600/E-ManCover_Step03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39qd_8udWoD9UkusuLMGsJFdjpX1XmNvz_x5UvZbP8PJOm6R6gQX1HUUpWurXfzvXW6LTLTzxeYjgrrEFJ1Tfdr7dmFUkHjs1p0zdFsmXQkcT_nIimXOt2DILmAcLhE7NsI_V29uYvsCF/s1600/E-ManCover_Step03.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, I was
always drawing when I was a kid and I started off by copying pictures out of
comics in pencil on some really cheap paper that my Dad used to bring me. By
the time I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">d picked up these copies of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>, I started to use a black Flair
pen to ink my drawings and I was going further and coloring them with colored
pencils. I started to create my own comics and one of the very first things I
ever did was a little 9-page E-Man story with E-Man (flying solo) in a rematch
with the Brain/Genius villain (sorry, the character</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s name escapes me) from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>
#9. I was in the habit of starting a comics story and never really finishing
it, but this one was different. I was just excited drawing this thing and I
went on and actually completed it (and I wish like crazy that I still had it; I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">d certainly show it if I did).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJXmZr8lAs5En_zhyphenhyphenR48xG-oenc54FdHElONavLOz3zKdQACGDjw1AAd-nDQ5OU-ewCiT0vtZI-byRkQlIcAHtHvzmVl8ppjkcZAZ_Y4_GMsMUc7No01onESK-uuXXhTq1I2zeD_lMwi9/s1600/E-ManCover_Step04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJXmZr8lAs5En_zhyphenhyphenR48xG-oenc54FdHElONavLOz3zKdQACGDjw1AAd-nDQ5OU-ewCiT0vtZI-byRkQlIcAHtHvzmVl8ppjkcZAZ_Y4_GMsMUc7No01onESK-uuXXhTq1I2zeD_lMwi9/s1600/E-ManCover_Step04.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Eventually,
I managed to find more issues of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>
over time, though some of them still escaped me. I didn</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">t discover the back-ups featuring The Knight, Travis, and Liberty Belle
until just a few years ago, thanks to the <a href="http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Diversions of the Groovy Kind blog</a>. I
look back now at that time in Charlton and comics history and there really wasn</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">t anything like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>
out there from anyone. Oh sure, you certainly had super-hero comics, but
nothing like the tongue-in-cheek adventures of E-Man and Nova, and yet those
stories also contained some great thrilling parts and some real poignant
moments. The back-up stories were always trying something new and you think of
the range of stories--the gritty adventure of super-agent Link Chain, The
Knight, the light fantasy of the time-traveler Travis, broad super-heroics with
the star-spangled Liberty Belle, the even broader adventures of Steve Ditko</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s silent crime fighter Killjoy, and the wacky
situations faced by Rog-2000 faced...this was fun stuff!</span></div>
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<span lang="PT" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: PT; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">As I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">ve gotten
older, I find more inspiration from that original run of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E-Man</i>. There was a real go-for-broke attitude with that title and
while it might seem quaint in comparison to the world-shattering, constantly
character re-defining moments that we see in comics today, I don</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">t think that</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s a bad
thing at all. In fact, I think it</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s just the
thing we need a little more in our comics today.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdnVj_fap_kTMMXYfxYnN77vD_95QdF62lG-JpetBdN8zXFdAP9WSn2o8V5x7HwdbyUhKw-NqzUzIHwvHpgbbtuJyv-y5fo_WzkZVwnnfRpRIVy1pcWrKNkYvyRU7HqHHKJzUXJm8zU4A/s1600/E-ManCover_Step06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdnVj_fap_kTMMXYfxYnN77vD_95QdF62lG-JpetBdN8zXFdAP9WSn2o8V5x7HwdbyUhKw-NqzUzIHwvHpgbbtuJyv-y5fo_WzkZVwnnfRpRIVy1pcWrKNkYvyRU7HqHHKJzUXJm8zU4A/s1600/E-ManCover_Step06.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Consider
this a huge salute to Joe Staton, Nicola Cuti, John Byrne, Steve Ditko, Joe
Gill, Tom Sutton, and Wayne Howard for the terrific work they provided on that
original run. This inspired me at the age of 13 and it</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">s still inspiring me today at the age of 52...and I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">d bet that I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">m not the only one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVtXtP_m1PcboY1ScDM3ML0PtFHNWmPPPZRGJ5gAn3Dj_gwHP9YsP3kZnAmnWpNbCk0n7REliuWKc-dQfIXZ4sEif6DR0CkJUx3yhKh4EI4gDPe6OGrGNcTDy7bjet6mEEqlCvwSYJnMd/s1600/E-ManCover_Step07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVtXtP_m1PcboY1ScDM3ML0PtFHNWmPPPZRGJ5gAn3Dj_gwHP9YsP3kZnAmnWpNbCk0n7REliuWKc-dQfIXZ4sEif6DR0CkJUx3yhKh4EI4gDPe6OGrGNcTDy7bjet6mEEqlCvwSYJnMd/s1600/E-ManCover_Step07.jpg" height="640" width="363" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Darren
Goodhart</span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-60296421159170927022015-01-29T09:03:00.002-08:002015-01-29T09:03:49.578-08:00Steve Ditko's Static at Charlton<style>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">By Von Grimm</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToCJeu6F7IzkKMaUTHkNxwQ2bQWT5HfZZY07Oj6TQ9Am3a7WL1N76vdHb8UfKVIXelZTh-33Piwt_RWCLe9FBwlKr8Hs7hYT0YbJg-DI1xH6h4BKHHzzAbrHhkzYAUZ6y6Tid22JZoZ_V/s1600/Charlton_Action_Featuring_Static_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToCJeu6F7IzkKMaUTHkNxwQ2bQWT5HfZZY07Oj6TQ9Am3a7WL1N76vdHb8UfKVIXelZTh-33Piwt_RWCLe9FBwlKr8Hs7hYT0YbJg-DI1xH6h4BKHHzzAbrHhkzYAUZ6y6Tid22JZoZ_V/s1600/Charlton_Action_Featuring_Static_11.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span id="goog_1819469937"></span><span id="goog_1819469938"></span>Like many long time comic fans, I fell in love
with the medium at a young age. I learned to read from comics. Comics have been
a lifetime passion of mine. One of the artists responsible for this passion was
one of Charlton's (and indeed the entire industry's) shining stars, the
legendary Steve Ditko.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I first discovered Ditko's work in reprints: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Origins of Marvel Comics</i> collection,
as well as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Marvel Tales</i>, which
reprinted Ditko's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man</i> run from
the beginning. Even at a young age, Ditko's work spoke to me more than most of
the current books being published. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Then one day, while pouring through the spinner
rack at the local K&B drugstore, I came across something that I thought was
called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Static</i>, but on closer
inspection, it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charlton Action
Featuring Static</i>! What was this? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I flipped through the comic, instantly
recognizing that oh so familiar art style. New Ditko! My ten year old mind
boggled! I had to have it! Thus, this became my first Charlton. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I had seen some Charltons before. Some of the
funny animal and war reprint books that were then on the stands. Strange books,
these Charltons, with their old fashioned but cool artwork and their cheap
paper. The company was in their last gasp, not that my ten year old self knew
anything about that at the time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But this was Ditko! All Ditko! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYZ4BRLf0EVY_2zRSaOAIC5IKhT3SvmuQfYvRVR9ceykWsQvKvoBsqvHBXSVddttXvNnvM5oM7xGtepnIthowHCAJkRGKNvYqxYcsDbMDBolFSOryKRAWPO81BFiMtmBJLQTbNmNZ356M/s1600/Steve_Ditko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYZ4BRLf0EVY_2zRSaOAIC5IKhT3SvmuQfYvRVR9ceykWsQvKvoBsqvHBXSVddttXvNnvM5oM7xGtepnIthowHCAJkRGKNvYqxYcsDbMDBolFSOryKRAWPO81BFiMtmBJLQTbNmNZ356M/s1600/Steve_Ditko.jpg" height="188" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In classic comic hero fashion, Stac Rae
undergoes a scientific experiment which allows him to manipulate the electrical
energy of the space environment suit that he and his friend, Dr. Serch, have
been working on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Stac and Co. are soon drawn into a murder scene
as Dr. Serch's colleagues are being killed off by "The Armed Man." I
really liked the AM design, a classic Ditko motif that would have been at home
in Spider-Man, Blue Beetle, or a number of other Ditko strips. (In fact,
thinking about it, it's pretty similar to Iron Arms from Captain Atom. Hmm...!)
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The second tale, Pet Monster, seems a pretty
standard take on the "Creature on the loose" genre, until the last
page. The half splash reveal seemed grotesque to me back then, although it's
truly tame by modern standards (and those of the time, most likely). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But it's the third story which is my favorite
of this trio. “The Beginning” relates the tale of Captain Brak, a space cop who
becomes merged with a living universe (eat your heart out, Grant Morrison!) to
become a hero. This is a story in the mold of Ditko's own Shade and the
Levitz/Ditko Starman and I wish there were more of it. It remains to this day
one of my favorite Ditko stories. Pure imagination unleashed! *</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbA7TDjc5V2F2XyRjjtsfMPiUEtANOH_L3p8geTAJj-_8D076ENC7H6OAklQdOXNw1-KF3XPxVSbgkg-AfLd96IBHz51qCmQaMhfX0YiiskkJITDz73VTKgBWI7y7HwVAWn-Jl_yRD1Rd/s1600/dec+1985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbA7TDjc5V2F2XyRjjtsfMPiUEtANOH_L3p8geTAJj-_8D076ENC7H6OAklQdOXNw1-KF3XPxVSbgkg-AfLd96IBHz51qCmQaMhfX0YiiskkJITDz73VTKgBWI7y7HwVAWn-Jl_yRD1Rd/s1600/dec+1985.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Along the bottom of the first few pages of “The
Beginning” are examples of other concepts Ditko was working on. I eagerly
scanned across all these "new" characters wondering at the story and
names behind each of them. Some of them I've learned about: Mr. A, Killjoy,
Missing Man. Most remain a mystery to me. Mysteries I hope to solve one day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I long ago lost my original copy of CA #11, but
thanks to my friend, Steven Butler, and the good people at <a href="http://www.mycomicshop.com/">www.mycomicshop.com</a>
I have replaced it and picked up many other great Charltons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Not too long ago, I received <a href="http://ditko.blogspot.com/p/ditko-book-in-print.html" target="_blank">2oww1! and severalother Snyder-Ditko comics</a>. New Ditko! My on-the-verge-of-turning-forty-years-old
mind boggles...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Oh, and then I discovered Dr. Graves. But
that's a story for another time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: x-small;">© Von Grimm</span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times;">*</span> Ditko’s Static was retitled, recolored,
relettered and slightly rewritten from its original 1983 debut in Eclipse Monthly, from which Ditko pulled
the serial following editorial disagreements.</i></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-36771506903170672432015-01-12T05:54:00.000-08:002015-01-12T05:54:00.241-08:00Writer In Progress 5: Tales of the Red Pen
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<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Derek Adnams</span></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj32SXJN_xNVD9qWoGt39H4MXSqZiXBAX5qNdqcCa93IIea-sNdx6Tt2tSQJr-gXi9mAWMtB0gKGAOiF370BrfFS-EwYJdO0pBjWoJVUOR7IUk3kn9lf3-jeaiju0pij5oC8eLSB62K11i/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj32SXJN_xNVD9qWoGt39H4MXSqZiXBAX5qNdqcCa93IIea-sNdx6Tt2tSQJr-gXi9mAWMtB0gKGAOiF370BrfFS-EwYJdO0pBjWoJVUOR7IUk3kn9lf3-jeaiju0pij5oC8eLSB62K11i/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And thus we arrive at the
last, and what has become my favorite, part of my personal writing process–the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Re-Write</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, as I call it:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">The Red Pen Edit</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">When I began this series in
November, I opened with a great quote from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kurt
Vonnegut</i> about the two kinds of writers: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Swoopers”</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Bashers”</i>...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span id="goog_2049201161"></span><span id="goog_2049201162"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">This seems to be an
appropriate place to begin discussing the re-write process. I’m a “Swooper,” even
when writing the script, based on a carefully planned outline and detailed
story. Sitting at the computer with my notebook <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(see above)</i> in front of me, the script just sort of pours out. I
know it’s a first draft, so any inconsistencies and mediocrities will be ironed
out with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Red Pen Edit</b>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Once the draft is done and I
break the ramblings into pages, I print the whole thing out. Some pages will be
fully realized script, and those I will look over for grammatical and
formatting mistakes, ways to improve dialogue, and to ensure that the scene
accomplishes what it is intended to do in the best <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and most efficient</i> way possible.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSmTE9EQWWwBZAHdSHxSPFkB78yFQSFVr3XJhyphenhyphengn7Od0ztUhB3sOXN0Az6ZE0uuycF3woRQHpmLfqUwIEdCYcPsbsv4RA0lIfV9EkbwteJKfCrseIO3k93sZNWmRvMxA7gMAG9CK80juM/s1600/swoopers+bashers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSmTE9EQWWwBZAHdSHxSPFkB78yFQSFVr3XJhyphenhyphengn7Od0ztUhB3sOXN0Az6ZE0uuycF3woRQHpmLfqUwIEdCYcPsbsv4RA0lIfV9EkbwteJKfCrseIO3k93sZNWmRvMxA7gMAG9CK80juM/s1600/swoopers+bashers.png" height="267" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Then there are the pages
that only include some vague panel descriptions or a snippet of “cool”
dialogue. Those get almost totally rewritten, or, in some most cases, written
for the first time, with the aforementioned red pen. I like the tactile
experience of using a pen, and it gets me into a different mind space than the
one I’m in while typing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And red brings back all
sorts of wonderful memories of High School English papers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Once the Red Pen Edit is
complete, I give it a day to percolate a little bit, then read through my notes
and scribbling, making sure everything makes some sort of sense. Then it’s back
to the computer to type everything out, another form or a re-write as panel
descriptions and dialogue can often change and be enhanced at this stage as
well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Once it’s all said and done,
or written and done, the script will have gone through five stages<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">:</b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">1. Story</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"> –
A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brainstorm</i> of all the ideas you
want to include in the comic book, realized in some sort of narrative framework</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">2. Structure</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;">
– Taking that story and working it into <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Three Act Structure</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hero’s
Journey</b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">3. Break-Down</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"> – Taking your structured story and molding it into the format of a
comic book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">paying close attention to
page turns and reveals</i>, as well as giving your artistic collaborator room
to create</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">4. Script</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"> –
Where you turn pictures in your head into words on a page, which will then turn
into pictures in an artist’s head and then assemble themselves on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">different</i> page</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">5. Re-Write</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;">
– Throwing away about 80% of what you just did and making it better!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Now you’re ready to submit
your masterpiece to the good people at Charlton Neo!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">The End</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Further Reading (or, Books That Make Me Seem Kinda’
Smart)</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Words for Pictures: The Art and
Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by Brian Michael Bendis</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5p0EGLUY34SvU8DmG7wAtgxwO13VdjK-f4CRgQrU4BulaHR23J9Zy_LtaR5XVCayBvGP1C8aPXBICyMSWpuNE2iolwEVRNhwGgMC-NbEOqOKkqjKzJSmlR9vLGHgeuKBXfL5EELtz0uY/s1600/wordsforpictures-103366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5p0EGLUY34SvU8DmG7wAtgxwO13VdjK-f4CRgQrU4BulaHR23J9Zy_LtaR5XVCayBvGP1C8aPXBICyMSWpuNE2iolwEVRNhwGgMC-NbEOqOKkqjKzJSmlR9vLGHgeuKBXfL5EELtz0uY/s1600/wordsforpictures-103366.jpg" height="400" width="313" /></a></div>
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Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-21166846341827193532015-01-03T08:15:00.002-08:002015-01-14T09:52:25.774-08:00Love in Bloom<style>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By Paul Kupperberg</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5jeWv2gqFNMYQ1UnWQ3m-NK_wxtldaHqj8nHLC_Kby8MbhTT4iJuI3TS6REpqSUwZ585tLZKIKjO1WP83jcpHLn82FK6Ul5CWGoCukabrl8sBeigK94ZJixzQr1o44f_-gxP8IAYLaxc/s1600/SecRom_2-color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5jeWv2gqFNMYQ1UnWQ3m-NK_wxtldaHqj8nHLC_Kby8MbhTT4iJuI3TS6REpqSUwZ585tLZKIKjO1WP83jcpHLn82FK6Ul5CWGoCukabrl8sBeigK94ZJixzQr1o44f_-gxP8IAYLaxc/s1600/SecRom_2-color.jpg" height="640" width="416" /></a></div>
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There’s nothing quite like the moment when contributors
copies of the hot off the press newest project you’ve worked on arrive at your door.
The box or package is opened and out spill copies of the work, all brand new
and shiny. Often, this is the first time I’ve seen the finished story or book.
Just the other day, the surprise in the package were copies of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archie Loves Betty and Veronica Mad Libs</i>,
a project I wrote over a year ago. And just as good as finally getting to see
the finished piece was the fact that the book carries my byline. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mad Libs</i> do not, as a rule, run writer’s
credit. Instead, the cover and title page usually just read “Concept created by
Roger Price & Leonard Stern,” but at the insistence of the licensor, my
pals and gals at Archie Comics, I was given the rare <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mad Libs</i> title page byline.</div>
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Not that my name hasn’t been on enough publications that one
more or less was going to make a difference. It’s appeared in plenty of credit
boxes, book and comic book covers, tables of content, title pages, and in
footnotes and endnotes of comics history and reference books.</div>
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Anyway, a couple of days after the arrival of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mad Libs</i>, Mort Todd sent me a PDF of the
first issue of an upcoming Neo title for proofreading that elevated my name to
a place it had never been. That I never expected it to wind up. Not just above
the title...but actually a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">part</i> of
the title. As in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul Kupperberg’s Secret
Romances</i>. Like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” or “Stan Lee Presents”...only,
you know, not.</div>
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While it’s definitely a massage to the ego having your name
in the title, it’s also a little embarrassing. And, in the case of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul Kupperberg’s Secret Romances</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> my idea. My working title for the project
had been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Postmodern Love Stories</i>,
which was how I pitched it--beginning in 2011, pre-Charlton Neo--to whatever
comic book publishers I could reach out to. Those that bothered to respond
praised the material but passed on the book because, as they all said, “romance
comics don’t sell.” Of course they don’t; you can’t sell what isn’t being
published.</div>
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But logic being what it is to those who have already made up
their minds, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Postmodern Love Stories</i> made
the rounds, after which it kind of just lay there, not forgotten but going
nowhere. Until mid-2014, when it suddenly became apparent to me that I finally
had access to an editor who might be open to my proposal: me!</div>
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Well, Charlton Neo, to be exact. I pitched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Postmodern Love</i>, Neo said yes, and my
orphaned project finally had a home. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ideal</i>
home. The original Charlton Comics had been a prolific publisher of romance titles
and, like the other genres that modern mainstream comics has seen fit to ignore
in favor of all-superheroes, all the time, Charlton Neo believes in comics
without capes to add flavor to the otherwise homogenous stew of bulging biceps
and colorful costumes.</div>
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It was Mort’s idea that we change the title to connect the
comic to its Classic Charlton roots. I ran the list of Charlton romance titles
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Romance</i> seemed to be the best
fit. Mort also thought it would be a good idea to add my name to the title, purely,
as I recall, as a marketing move. We were having these discussions mid-year,
during the height of the media attention I was receiving for having written “The
Death of Archie,” so exploiting my name seemed to make sense at the time, I
suppose. Whatever...it got me a comic book with my name in the title.</div>
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And, no, the title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doesn’t</i>
mean that these are tales of my own romances, secret or otherwise (well, with
the exception of an incident that ended up being used as a springboard for one
of the stories), just good old fashioned love stories with a nod towards 21<sup>st</sup>
century realities. And snark. A lot of snark. I mean, have you met me?!</div>
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It’s not out of line, nor without some poetic symmetry, to
say that getting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Romances</i> to
publication has been a labor of love, and wouldn’t have been possible without
the aid and abetment of a whole lot of talented and generous people, beginning
with artists Pat and Tim Kennedy, who penciled three stories for the proposal,
and scrivener<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>extraordinaire Jack
Morelli who lettered two of the above. But I’ll go into more depth on the
ladies and gentlemen who brought my scripts to reality in the next go-round on
this here blog.</div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Paul Kupperberg's Secret Romances #1</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
by Paul Kupperberg, Pat and Tim Kennedy, P.D. Angel Gabriele, Daerick Gross Sr., Rob Kelly, Jeff Austin, Bob Smith, Jack Morelli, Matt Webb, and Mort Todd.<br />
Cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez </div>
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<i><span style="color: red;">Available February 1, 2015...receive your copy by Valentine's Day!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://morttodd.com/secrom1.html"><span style="font-size: large;">http://morttodd.com/secrom1.html</span></a> </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Happily Ever After" Ain't What it Used to Be!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">© Paul Kupperberg</span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-58820130656427296242014-12-20T06:58:00.001-08:002014-12-20T06:58:50.007-08:00Anatomy of a Neo Story-Part 4<style>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Paul Kupperberg</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAKRluIcZlyhnzlsmRfkw0itwPRh8GKDjEF0dsmZ3LDnkdtHa2YOP3CEVbVwEtYWbQwlVoyf3-6gdH9Jc9h20IJhvySSEmldBeguVAv4nXvqsg6nG2cq8WBE8Y5RS87IEBpuP-1ttdsxM/s1600/CharltonNoirstudio2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAKRluIcZlyhnzlsmRfkw0itwPRh8GKDjEF0dsmZ3LDnkdtHa2YOP3CEVbVwEtYWbQwlVoyf3-6gdH9Jc9h20IJhvySSEmldBeguVAv4nXvqsg6nG2cq8WBE8Y5RS87IEBpuP-1ttdsxM/s1600/CharltonNoirstudio2.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of the artist's workspace while drawing "Digger" Graves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Ideas are a dime a dozen. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I get ideas for stories,
characters, scenes, bits, whatever, all day long. I get them while I’m working
on other projects, while I’m driving, while I’m making dinner, while I’m watching
TV, while I’m in the shower. My mind is always working, always processing my
thoughts in that mysterious way that turns random electrical pulses in the
brain into a story or a creative concept. I couldn’t shut it off even if I
wanted, which, of course, I don’t. Ideas are my job, my bread and butter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I have probably twenty or
thirty of them a day...although, truthfully, most of them turn out not to be
very good . <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Execution</i> of a good idea
is hard enough; execution of a bad one is downright painful. The young,
inexperienced writer thinks all their ideas are gold; the experienced ones, in
the words of Kenny Rogers, “knows when to hold ‘em and knows when to fold ‘em.”
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">With about a thousand comic
book stories under my belt and almost two decades behind an editor’s desk, I’ve
developed a pretty good sense of what will work and what won’t. Sure, it’s
easier to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to other writer’s
ideas, but once I get past the initial “Eureka!” thrill moment of the birth of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> idea, I can usually spot it for the
dog it is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Likewise, I know a good one
when it comes my way<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> The way you
know if an idea has any legs is that when you sit down to develop it, it will
almost (as we say) “write itself.” Characters come to life, <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/2014/10/another-thing-he-learned-along-way-i.html" target="_blank">you can hear their “voices” in your head</a>, and situations and stories suggest themselves almost as
fast as you can write them down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">So it was with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Digger Graves, Paranormal P.I.</i> As I
recounted in an <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/2014/10/anatomy-of-neo-story-part-1.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>, the bare bones concept--“Son of Dr.
Graves, supernatural investigator”--popped into my head during a Facebook
Messenger chat with Roger McKenzie, and <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/2014/10/anatomy-of-neo-story-part-2.html" target="_blank">came to life in a subsequent work session</a> that lead straight into the first script, “’I’ of the Beholder!” which
was handed off to <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/2014/10/anatomy-of-neo-story-part-3_29.html" target="_blank">artist Andrew Mitchell to bring to life</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">And, man, did he ever! The
East Village of Digger’s reality is a world full of the demonic, the damned,
and the dead, and Andy captured the casually weird and spooky ambience I had
pictured in my mind’s eye while I was writing the script. Last time around, I
posted Andy’s preliminary sketch for the first page of the story, re-presented
here for the sake of comparison...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGo9wdd8J0LIXwXArO6q5L9eDyI4TPNkmUdc4Pvc7yEV9FMxc11o-0r_imbJAnp5BY6T5v1Gd-2kauYSmDxbLduuIKwPc6oYY5bwdxPAlqbLKY9XAJdkS9d4QCPBKbbvsO-k8K54LF60n/s1600/DGsketch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGo9wdd8J0LIXwXArO6q5L9eDyI4TPNkmUdc4Pvc7yEV9FMxc11o-0r_imbJAnp5BY6T5v1Gd-2kauYSmDxbLduuIKwPc6oYY5bwdxPAlqbLKY9XAJdkS9d4QCPBKbbvsO-k8K54LF60n/s1600/DGsketch4.jpg" height="400" width="302" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">...With the near-finished
art...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_nJbv9gQuLhkRBgLu76t1V4iGv20faJHx6OSos8x9j51GuZc6l4F1Kngc-nzib_YFTlBb6oZ9DFdiQO-RlESEJaus3dmXsmtALhxpZuvtkqBZHQyMTpCKaKHM9PfML2V8lCvYuBFUOuS/s1600/Digger-inks-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_nJbv9gQuLhkRBgLu76t1V4iGv20faJHx6OSos8x9j51GuZc6l4F1Kngc-nzib_YFTlBb6oZ9DFdiQO-RlESEJaus3dmXsmtALhxpZuvtkqBZHQyMTpCKaKHM9PfML2V8lCvYuBFUOuS/s1600/Digger-inks-1.jpg" height="400" width="264" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">...Which is followed by
final art, with Mort Todd’s lettering laid in...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMocPt8p7Cqqz-XPjxBq_hXvIIZQ1zHsc7ghYjM7IFkSsmOGDWYPsIc1IdYFvZpeOQ_FLR0hhDLBseUm2VAkTUN1hoc4tVhuXBHMsyNh2ZqjIqODZJFTsLosS4jkl46UELuujTgQ1jTwX/s1600/Digger_Letters-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMocPt8p7Cqqz-XPjxBq_hXvIIZQ1zHsc7ghYjM7IFkSsmOGDWYPsIc1IdYFvZpeOQ_FLR0hhDLBseUm2VAkTUN1hoc4tVhuXBHMsyNh2ZqjIqODZJFTsLosS4jkl46UELuujTgQ1jTwX/s1600/Digger_Letters-1+copy.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">...And, the fabulous
finished page, colored by the talented Matt Webb...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7pAC_XnVeGRD8bRfEPkbKmzFziRy-q21r8LkRdVSoMmIgQacYP4k1vVPIgGRgramV98uh-vZv6kf2goBBLHjEuVBq6mC8Rw7B8de2b5JOQhg1yP05iRdJPhozqoytA2d-V8j7wzWasJZ/s1600/Digger-Color_1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7pAC_XnVeGRD8bRfEPkbKmzFziRy-q21r8LkRdVSoMmIgQacYP4k1vVPIgGRgramV98uh-vZv6kf2goBBLHjEuVBq6mC8Rw7B8de2b5JOQhg1yP05iRdJPhozqoytA2d-V8j7wzWasJZ/s1600/Digger-Color_1+copy.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span style="font-family: Times;">And there you have it...how an idea makes its way from a spark to a comic book story. But this isn't the end of "Digger" Graves. The next story has already sparked in my brain, just waiting for me to get it on paper so we can start the whole process over again.</span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Paul Kupperberg / Art ©
Andrew Mitchell</span></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-57272568432058440962014-12-16T07:52:00.000-08:002014-12-16T07:53:16.266-08:00Writer In progress 4: The Script Is The Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZpxB4wVmDEWIcw18F0ZeKc30XqXgbh9qy7QAhPmnb2yM7AWOUfh_Vvcs8yZwbJBTc1VjGda_P5cq380wb2wBLAqpmIq8nDckKECEJi01N-RJ2_31_8PkRKREZd5Tx23HAaWIwl7iXXET/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZpxB4wVmDEWIcw18F0ZeKc30XqXgbh9qy7QAhPmnb2yM7AWOUfh_Vvcs8yZwbJBTc1VjGda_P5cq380wb2wBLAqpmIq8nDckKECEJi01N-RJ2_31_8PkRKREZd5Tx23HAaWIwl7iXXET/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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--</style><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Derek Adnams</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span id="goog_1962286856"></span><span id="goog_1962286857"></span>Ah – the script! Where most
novice writers immediately begin before doing all the frontend work discussed
in the last three posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And that’s fine, because, at
least for me, it’s the most enjoyable step of writing a comic book!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">With all the “structure”
previously discussed, one would think that the script itself would adhere to a
rigid format. Well, it doesn’t! Unlike the screenplay and the story or novel,
which needs to have a set format to even be looked at by a publisher, the comic
book script has no such thing! Of course, there are aspects all comic book
scripts need, like page and panel numbers, panel descriptions and dialogue, but
it can be formatted any way you want!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">When looking for a format
that works, there are a ton of resources available today, like</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><b> </b></span><a href="http://www.comicsexperience.com/2013/11/comic-book-script-archive-comics-experience-re-launch-repository-of-pro-scripts/" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">The Comics Experience Comic Book Script Archive</span></b></a>.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">I use a mash-up of the
formats Scott Snyder and Jonathan Hickman employ on their scripts, all of which
were available in the back of various hardcover collections.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The script is really a
letter to your artistic collaborator, telling them how you envision the story
so they can take those written words and interpret them through their own prism
into what will eventually be shared with the world. That being said, there are
two common ways to write a script: Marvel Method and Full Script.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Marvel Method</span></i><span style="font-family: Times;"> is when a basic plot with a few details is given to the artist and they
go on to interpret it any way they feel works best. The writer then goes back
and retrofits the dialogue into what the artist has drawn. I tend to do this
with prolonged action scenes. Unless there are specific motifs or details that
need to occur, I will five the artist instructions along these lines: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Pages 14 – 16: have the characters fight,
just make sure Character A gets hit on the head and is lying unconscious in the
last panel of Page 16.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">For non-action scenes, I
write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Full Script</i>. This is similar to
a screenplay in which everything is spelled out, literally, for the artist. Full
script<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>is how most modern comic
books are written, and it does serve as the best representation of the writer’s
intent. I like writing full script<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, </b>mainly
because that is how I have always written comic books, even when my buddy Brandon
Bullock and I were making comics on copier paper back in high school. It leaves
no question in the artists mind as to what is going on and allows the writer to
include little details, imagery, and motif in case you want to get all literary
and stuff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Another common issue when
writing a comic book script is whether to write the action first or the
dialogue. Again, there’s no real set method, so what I do depends on the focus
of the scene or “beat.” If it’s a “talking heads” scene, I’ll write the
dialogue then break it into panels, taking the page count and the page turn and
reveal breakdown into consideration. If it’s action, and it needs to happen a
specific way so I’m actually scripting what transpires, I’ll write each panel
out, then break it into pages, then add any dialogue, if necessary. I’m not a
proponent of dialogue during fight scenes, unless it can add subtext to what is
transpiring, or one of the characters is Spider-Man.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">A few rules I have acquired
over the years have made my relationships with artistic collaborator much
better. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The first is to script no more
than 5 or 6 panels per page.</i> This gives the artist plenty of room to
show-off and add panels if they feel a different approach will improve the
visual flow. I stole this from Jonathan Hickman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The second rule-of-thumb I
employ regards word count. You don’t want so much dialogue that the balloons cover
the art, so, according to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2000 A.D.’s</i>
submission guidelines; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you want no more
than 25 words per balloon or caption, with a maximum of three balloons or captions
per panel.</i> This may seem draconian, but honestly, once I incorporated this into
my writing, it made the editing and rewriting phase much easier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">And that’s where we’ll
pick-up next time!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Next Week </span></b><span style="font-family: Times;">–
The Red Pen Edit</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Further Reading (or, Books That Make Me Seem Kinda’
Smart)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Making
Comics: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Storytelling Secrets of
Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by Scott
McCloud</span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_rbK9yRC7y5BeHztKXiE3N7K8r7C9MgNdEg8hcIoJYjv7igYyiWZ7wHxDqMvq1BapG5EYA0T8YAKbOdaf87C3oiJa5iiDVvrcyh4omwYovkZAa_Z70iCu3oSyDTzC1wTtpEFLBc4uXct/s1600/cover-mc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_rbK9yRC7y5BeHztKXiE3N7K8r7C9MgNdEg8hcIoJYjv7igYyiWZ7wHxDqMvq1BapG5EYA0T8YAKbOdaf87C3oiJa5iiDVvrcyh4omwYovkZAa_Z70iCu3oSyDTzC1wTtpEFLBc4uXct/s1600/cover-mc2.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comics
and Sequential Art: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Principals and
Practices of the Legendary Cartoonist</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
by Will Eisner</span></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J8FJ9w-2Scqv8Ueo4wfx1Fdq-_9QS3cMqmWQkhu_PLzmhFO0iEg53AYA1a9kRc91x17lOSxTcFnxR8ltkZcAevVnH-nOJJvx7Ekr436IANY_hxdluoZYt-ucB6lleseXr9BR5UFvvG-L/s1600/comics-and-sequential-art-cvr-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J8FJ9w-2Scqv8Ueo4wfx1Fdq-_9QS3cMqmWQkhu_PLzmhFO0iEg53AYA1a9kRc91x17lOSxTcFnxR8ltkZcAevVnH-nOJJvx7Ekr436IANY_hxdluoZYt-ucB6lleseXr9BR5UFvvG-L/s1600/comics-and-sequential-art-cvr-300.jpg" height="320" width="255" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span><span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Graphic
Storytelling and Visual Narrative</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by Will
Eisner</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVT7GEbV_7vfUXZ_3Duzu38NpgxQwr5N6_-VDWBijqpBetI8mJMuwiVUwrV_AsqCOpfS0pwHkV9WIE8xDHbtrlewVRqhNzvpLCoRf-G0JG5ahgPBFYWbr_EdONmh4HiHIa5TYjuKCRFV5/s1600/graphic-storytelling-cvr-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVT7GEbV_7vfUXZ_3Duzu38NpgxQwr5N6_-VDWBijqpBetI8mJMuwiVUwrV_AsqCOpfS0pwHkV9WIE8xDHbtrlewVRqhNzvpLCoRf-G0JG5ahgPBFYWbr_EdONmh4HiHIa5TYjuKCRFV5/s1600/graphic-storytelling-cvr-300.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;">©
Derek Adnams</span></span></span>
</div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-63097104599142395342014-12-06T09:30:00.000-08:002014-12-06T09:30:02.181-08:00Writer In Progress 3: Breaking It Down
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Derek Adnams</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYUrnV2t89JRZM2sStYS-EOWi1rDxkhuAjehV7nH3T9OObhLiZvbCaiqQNGG-Y8bn8IBChA7iR_DL75yRW5OzH7En16wpovtiTkUpPBYztTFC68n2RDo60jFsrNAbdPQn1MWEAEaVCPDI/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYUrnV2t89JRZM2sStYS-EOWi1rDxkhuAjehV7nH3T9OObhLiZvbCaiqQNGG-Y8bn8IBChA7iR_DL75yRW5OzH7En16wpovtiTkUpPBYztTFC68n2RDo60jFsrNAbdPQn1MWEAEaVCPDI/s1600/book+o+rhymes.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">I am a self-confessed
structure junkie. That’s not a secret, and now that I have my story all worked
out and I’ve made sure it fits into both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Three Act Structure</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hero’s
Journey </b>(see the previous installment of “Writer in Progress”), I can further
satisfy my craving by constructing the actual comic book I’m writing by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Breaking It All Down For A Four-Color
World.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The first step is to look at
the story and decide which format best suits what I’m looking to accomplish. Is
this a 22 page one shot? A graphic novel?A 6-pager for the good people at
Charlton Neo? Or have I written my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sandman</i>-esque
Magnum Opus? If you’re a beginner like me, you’re probably looking at nothing
longer than a four issue mini-series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">For our purposes here, let’s
assume I have a 22 page one-shot on my hands. Once I know for sure how long the
project will be, I break the story into “beats” or “scenes,” a.k.a. the major
actions that take place in the story. It’s always a good idea to either open with
action or a unique visual image, and to start the narrative as late into the
story as possible without ruining the integrity of the tale. No one wants to
read about the hero going to the grocery store...unless, of course, that’s the
story you’re writing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Trey Parker and Matt Stone,
the creators of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">South Park</i>, have a
great technique they use when working out story beats. In a speech they
delivered at NYU (I think), they said that they make sure that between each
beat they can say either “therefore” or “but.” For example: this happens <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">therefore</i> this happens <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but </i>this happens <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">therefore</i> this happens <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but</i>....
You see where this is going. I find this very useful in making sure the story
has the necessary twists and turns to keep a reader’s attention and isn’t a
boring linear list of events.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Once the major beats have
been worked out, the next step is deciding how many pages each beat will need
to properly convey the story. Remember, people buy comic books for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">visual</i> aspect, so no matter how catchy your
dialogue is, the audience for a 22 page talking head book is not very abundant.
I try to keep consecutive talking head pages to no more than two at a time,
breaking them up with some sort of prolonged visual action or effect.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Probably the most useful
piece of advice I received when I was beginning to seriously write came from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alan Moore’s Writing for Comics</i>. In it
he stated that he would write the numbers 1 through 22 down the side of a piece
of paper, then detail what takes place on each page, being sure to remember
that odd-numbered pages are page turns and even numbered pages are reveals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">I’ll repeat: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">odd-numbered pages are page turns and even
numbered pages are reveals.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">What this means is that you
want your cliff-hanger story points to occur on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">odd</i>-numbered pages, and then have the resolutions to those
cliff-hangers or the introduction of a new character happen on an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even</i>-numbered page. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Now that I know what will
happen on each page of the comic book, and the story beats are worked out, the
action scenes, as well as the page-turns and reveals, you get to the fun part!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Next Week </span></b><span style="font-family: Times;">–
The Script</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Further Reading (or, Books That Make Me Seem Kinda’
Smart)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Alan Moore’s Writing for Comics</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;"> by Alan Moore</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gbJ_ZIn-_EpgyJj1D1cls6P4DUx6IyEJ3z7l0ZdCE2UUG0-Rkvb5JULX8dWfjMIMSqtb_r7uLiRI4F9J0Xdnpy66suYKjI4c6Lq-bbACwuZgqJBx7DeuEm_8IcFn75ot6wpafsjoIdg2/s1600/amoorewriting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gbJ_ZIn-_EpgyJj1D1cls6P4DUx6IyEJ3z7l0ZdCE2UUG0-Rkvb5JULX8dWfjMIMSqtb_r7uLiRI4F9J0Xdnpy66suYKjI4c6Lq-bbACwuZgqJBx7DeuEm_8IcFn75ot6wpafsjoIdg2/s1600/amoorewriting.png" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;">by
Scott McCloud</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEDDTixmc3-9NdADLH-N4yUhFO2TvudyV7IkLKMX7jtRmpc8k9a9hdfZlB_aRr6frQuH-SrabQjh59ZAozjTmKKWJKENNL0-xEZB3xeW1dLy0HvTHz_etaMB_iTLWjBJ-nL-bXcl70nCI/s1600/understanding+comics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEDDTixmc3-9NdADLH-N4yUhFO2TvudyV7IkLKMX7jtRmpc8k9a9hdfZlB_aRr6frQuH-SrabQjh59ZAozjTmKKWJKENNL0-xEZB3xeW1dLy0HvTHz_etaMB_iTLWjBJ-nL-bXcl70nCI/s1600/understanding+comics.png" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">©
Derek Adnams</span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-20673576192723873242014-12-04T04:57:00.002-08:002014-12-04T09:09:41.542-08:00At Long Last...PROcastination 2<i>By Roger McKenzie</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hlpv05BbMi1IAFQkYUgA46KLwn9JeCxne-xgvraf0JBM_2_zE_IN-t9zCh6UAPToOAnBL04MV4gxpEYVqzKkDU8i3gzsP1wEhXT3PSTR1rT7aR7E-CBBBNcL2c1gU9fedSNuCW_odGer/s1600/chained_to_desk_hero_17s8d48-17s8d49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hlpv05BbMi1IAFQkYUgA46KLwn9JeCxne-xgvraf0JBM_2_zE_IN-t9zCh6UAPToOAnBL04MV4gxpEYVqzKkDU8i3gzsP1wEhXT3PSTR1rT7aR7E-CBBBNcL2c1gU9fedSNuCW_odGer/s1600/chained_to_desk_hero_17s8d48-17s8d49.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">So how
then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> you get started? I’ve tried
various things over the course of my career in (and out) of comic. And have a
few suggestions that I hope will help.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">I used
to set a “page count” goal for myself. Five pages a day. I can do that. After
all, I’ve written five pages a day before. Many times. But not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every</i> time. And therein lies the trap.
Because sooner or later the day will come when you don’t reach your goal. So
you try to write more than five the next day to make up the difference and that
doesn’t happen either and before long the whole plan crashes and burns.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
always found it better to set a specific <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">time</i>
to write. Especially if you don’t have a deadline. If you are a “newbie,” for
example, juggling a real job (or two), maybe a family. You know…life. Carve
yourself a specific chunk of time. It doesn’t matter how much. Or how little.
It’s your time, though. To write. Or draw.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or just
to sit there. Yes. Or even to just sit there. Because, even if you just sit
there for however long your allotted time is, you are creating a discipline for
yourself. You are, in effect, showing up for work and putting in your time. And
sit there…just sit there…long enough, odds are you’ll start writing or drawing
out of sheer boredom…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">We are,
you see, creatures of habit. After a while you’ll sit down at your allotted
creative time because that’s what you do.<br />
<br />
Another trick I learned from an article written by pulp writer Lester Dent,
creator of Doc Savage, is to stop writing in the middle of a sentence. Then,
when you begin again, you can pick right back up where you left off and get
started without that blank page staring at you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
here’s the thing: If you simply <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">must</i>
procrastinate, then procrastinate later. Otherwise you’re doing it all wrong,
you see…</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Roger McKenzie</span></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-34964698582921874312014-12-02T06:05:00.002-08:002014-12-02T06:05:24.802-08:00PROcrastination<style>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">By Roger Mckenzie</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dmxPkMkgyEgHfhTjJwxqXalKju8rWe7-cGOT6RthL36Ltdnf0US_iQb5JOHVrPiNY4TumJuDwqgt5mwAaX7ADG-7G6jIbF4xIXCAzATo2bTdoaTrThun4yvn9__cdDROWvC9iaHAoV6R/s1600/procrastination-flowchart-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dmxPkMkgyEgHfhTjJwxqXalKju8rWe7-cGOT6RthL36Ltdnf0US_iQb5JOHVrPiNY4TumJuDwqgt5mwAaX7ADG-7G6jIbF4xIXCAzATo2bTdoaTrThun4yvn9__cdDROWvC9iaHAoV6R/s1600/procrastination-flowchart-2.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
been meaning to write this blog for a while. But, ironically, I kept putting it
off for other things. Like the latest spellbinding episode of Jerry Springer. Or
checking Facebook because surely there’s been a new kitten video posted since
the LAST time I looked--five minutes ago.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">Procrastination.
It happens to many of us. Maybe most of us. Because time is our best friend…and
our worst enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if you are a
freelance writer or artist, procrastination can be a back breaker.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Why</i> we
procrastinate would take a book to explain. A large book. I’m not going to
explain the whys…but give you a tip or two on how to overcome the inertia of
getting started. And dealing with the dreaded “Blank Page Roadblock.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">You <i>will</i>
face it head-on. Probably already have many times. The empty word processor
screen with the blinking cursor. Blink. Blink. Blink. Waiting for you to write
something. <i>Daring</i> you to begin. Reminding you of the last time you tried and
how badly that worked out. Or that blank and pristine art board. Reminding you
there’s still so much you don’t know…how much you still need to learn. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">So you
put it off. Until later. And the mountain grows. And the next time you sit down
to create something the mountain is more daunting than it was before. And so
you put it off again. Until later. Until you tell yourself “Tomorrow!” That’s
right, tomorrow you’ll have a fresh start. Really dig in. Work hard. Get that
story finished!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">Except
tomorrow winds up being just like today and pretty soon all the yesterdays of
procrastination pile one on another until you spiral downward and your dream of
writing or drawing comics begins to dim. To fade away, slowly but surely. And
the doubts begin. Sure you <i>want</i> to do this. You <i>know</i> you can, And you will, you
tell yourself with steely-eyed <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>determination…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt;">…later… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Roger
McKenzie</span></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-69833815748784532642014-11-22T06:54:00.001-08:002014-11-22T06:54:40.462-08:00A Charlton Memory<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><i><span style="font-family: Times;">By Dave Noe</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></i>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWWTVPJaAEZTtBX5Qc1Z6v2lPmD4Y_jVPnrxQ9xLF2mREmXu_gKp7OfLysz8vDZ3R1lfZS-6rwX-VhpMU3-Nu0YD01YPyu7w-jRWwWqfC6rlbzMVI3fjJNGjOVSHxq_L_crSWxaCmM9U0/s1600/608753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWWTVPJaAEZTtBX5Qc1Z6v2lPmD4Y_jVPnrxQ9xLF2mREmXu_gKp7OfLysz8vDZ3R1lfZS-6rwX-VhpMU3-Nu0YD01YPyu7w-jRWwWqfC6rlbzMVI3fjJNGjOVSHxq_L_crSWxaCmM9U0/s1600/608753.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a><span style="font-family: Times;"><span class="5yl5">When I was a youngster just starting to collect comics, some
of the first books I had was…<i>Spider-Man</i>. Yep, I loved the ol’ Webhead, him and
the Fantastic Four. I must have had twenty or thirty of those Marvels in my
special comic book box (it had handles!). One day, I decided to go back and
read some of those old comics from the year before, when I noticed something
strange. My box had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">extra</i> comics in
it. These comics were different than anything I had ever seen. They were from
companies called Gold Key and Charlton. They were ghost stories and monster
stories.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
<span class="5yl5">I was just a kid. I didn’t remember buying them. I didn’t have
any money anyway, so I couldn’t have bought them. My parents claimed that they
didn’t buy them. Surely they were putting me on. It seemed like the comics just
magically appeared. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them tremendously, and read them
over and over until they were nearly shreds of pulp.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
<span class="5yl5">Not long after that, I was sitting in the waiting room of an
auto garage with my mom while she had some work done on the car. I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</i> bored. There was nothing to do but
pester Mom about buying me a candy bar from the vending machine. The news on
the TV was mind numbing. Finally, she told me to come sit down and read a
magazine. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="5yl5"><span style="font-family: Times;">“Here,” she
said. “Here’s a comic book.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
<span class="5yl5">What?? I had been through that stack of boring torn up
magazines several times, and I had not seen any sign of a comic book. Yet, here
was a perfectly good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostly Tales</i>,
just sitting there waiting to be read. Incredible! It was like magic.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
<span class="5yl5">Many years later, I decided to introduce my young nephew to
the wonders of comic books. I pulled out an old well read stack of comics from
my collection. It was a well rounded selection, including some magical
Charltons, of course. Well, you should have seen the look in his eyes when he
started shuffling through the stack. Finally, he locked onto a book that caught
his attention, and you’ll never guess what it was. That’s right… <i>Spider-Man</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
<span class="5yl5">Oh, well, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
My guess is that once he goes through all the Spideys a few times, he will give
the pile another going over and magically discover a whole new world, including
Charltons old and new.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="5yl5"><span style="font-family: Times;">© Dave Noe</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-41550927470671372742014-11-18T06:57:00.001-08:002014-11-18T06:57:37.460-08:00Writer In Progress 2: It's the Structure, Stupid!
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By Derek Adnams</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When last we saw our intrepid <a href="http://charltonneo.blogspot.com/2014/11/writer-in-progress.html" target="_blank">Writer in Progress</a>, I was
writing the story that would become a full blown comic book script. Well, I may
have misspoken. When I say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“story,”</i>
what I mean is a brainstorm of the events that will take place in the arc, put
into chronological order, with whatever pieces of dialogue, particular scenes
and motifs that are germane to the tale. It certainly is not a full blown short
story, ready for submission to a literary journal. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“story,”</i> as I see it, is the basic material I’ll use for the
eventual script. But it’s always missing something, and that something is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">structure</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I must confess – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am
a structure junkie</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always
felt my ideas were good, but it wasn’t until I started studying story
composition and screenwriting that I discovered how much fun writing within
defined borders could be. This is why I have gravitated to writing comic books,
which, while having the unlimited budget of imagination also have some of the
most stringent physical constraints of any medium.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it comes to structuring the story, I put the draft
through two filters: The Three Act Structure and The Hero’s Journey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Three Act
Structure</b> is the tried and true Rosetta Stone of screen writing, and what
it does is give your plot cohesion, rising action, and a resolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Opening</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Inciting Incident</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Act 1 Turning Point</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Mid-Point</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Act 2 Turning Point</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Crisis</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Climax</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Resolution</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Final Page</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I call Step 9 “Final Page” instead of “Denouement” because I
don’t want my story to have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the
Rings Disease</i>, where the story is really over but there’s another hour of
Hobbits crying that the audience has to sit through. When it’s done, it’s
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once I know that the story has all these elements, I then
worry about character, which brings me to Joseph Campbell’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hero’s Journey</b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>The Ordinary World</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>The Call to Adventure</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Refusal of the Call</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Meeting with the Mentor</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Crossing the Threshold (end of Act 1)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Tests, Allies & Enemies</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Approach</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Ordeal (near mid-point)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>The Reward</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
Road Back (3/4 of the way through)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Resurrection
(climax)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Return
with the Elixir</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you compare The Three Act Structure to The Hero’s Journey,
you’ll notice that they overlap, but The Hero’s Journey is much more concerned
with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hero</i>, hence the name. It’s
important to note that The Hero’s Journey <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does
not</i> have to happen in the order stated above. “Meeting with the Mentor” could
easily happen during the “Test, Allies & Enemies” portion, at the beginning
of Act 2.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What is important is
that every part of these two structure templates serves the character and the
story you want to become your comic book masterpiece.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So now that you have a well structured tale and a compelling
hero to put through the ringer, how do you turn this into a comic book script?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Next Week – </b>Breaking
It All Down For A Four-Color World</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Further Reading (or,
Books That Make Me Seem Kinda’ Smart)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics</i> by Dennis O'Neil </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FhpNiV8UAuVt9mOUDgKBwUIWo_jdYKi20fvqluk4PXBDybePCqsfrQeisq3sagBFIZh9Qdis2vhO_0ODq5E7vt7yvLhq1qQf4e3uzYAPrZNDT4p6ofbcU1DfkFB0oL2SbMezYPNZvTNI/s1600/DC+Comics+Guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FhpNiV8UAuVt9mOUDgKBwUIWo_jdYKi20fvqluk4PXBDybePCqsfrQeisq3sagBFIZh9Qdis2vhO_0ODq5E7vt7yvLhq1qQf4e3uzYAPrZNDT4p6ofbcU1DfkFB0oL2SbMezYPNZvTNI/s1600/DC+Comics+Guide.jpg" height="400" width="292" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>© Derek Adnams</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-86337991605544362232014-11-14T06:25:00.000-08:002014-11-14T06:26:10.690-08:00Lost Treasures 5: Dick Giordano In LoveCan you feel the love? More from the collection of Rob Jones' recently uncovered treasure trove
of photocopies of Dick Giordano's Charlton Comics covers.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhS9z-H7xSu5JqDnsDpq_tBJAd8uiE32kVJXIHthVQ_V9yn0UeAjql7XdkLlZalUZavH9ffdixuKUgDTczSV7FeGAeAhvUDuaZWmgVsJfrP9WJBwjJGZtiylK4bTa_NEF72S_Xj7D1sS6/s1600/NurseBetsyCrane_17-July-62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhS9z-H7xSu5JqDnsDpq_tBJAd8uiE32kVJXIHthVQ_V9yn0UeAjql7XdkLlZalUZavH9ffdixuKUgDTczSV7FeGAeAhvUDuaZWmgVsJfrP9WJBwjJGZtiylK4bTa_NEF72S_Xj7D1sS6/s400/NurseBetsyCrane_17-July-62.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nurse Betsy Crane</i> #17 (July 1962) Inks by Vince Colletta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvqzbOelidLGhjUYLWpo2W1elqoxvcR1fwqOIYbH1G4pKVhNDvxDdARtvnWfM9LVWhBrMXDKSr8JKZSxUvMbUS7AqsiAPckgL1JGodRmTOLl1ea9vY4d-valljOjD1v58aQcX0YEj0ZOW/s1600/RomanticSecrets_51_Sept-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvqzbOelidLGhjUYLWpo2W1elqoxvcR1fwqOIYbH1G4pKVhNDvxDdARtvnWfM9LVWhBrMXDKSr8JKZSxUvMbUS7AqsiAPckgL1JGodRmTOLl1ea9vY4d-valljOjD1v58aQcX0YEj0ZOW/s400/RomanticSecrets_51_Sept-64.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Romantic Secrets</i> #51 (September 1964)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4P4o8UAw3Se4YCJbiGyFc3rU-9kO_l9q5xGlVwvsB6PtdC9hpIYNdznUkLsQiIhYB0rIQBLLz2YT_1A7DvhDQIgAIq_M5582XPy27dyZVlP0f242mRewF3Sq2Yl8wdqQcLRJkx3FvYCd/s1600/RomanticStory_72_June-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4P4o8UAw3Se4YCJbiGyFc3rU-9kO_l9q5xGlVwvsB6PtdC9hpIYNdznUkLsQiIhYB0rIQBLLz2YT_1A7DvhDQIgAIq_M5582XPy27dyZVlP0f242mRewF3Sq2Yl8wdqQcLRJkx3FvYCd/s400/RomanticStory_72_June-64.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Romantic Story</i> #72 (June 1964)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQ60Uei_HTp2jk0jABo6A_Vp6T9wxFfQAsAf2txpELSIN5Ym5pBwFUXdu6H5RXb5Bxc4u25Kq55pZlkqhLA4T_3yUQJDI4t-3uiCsxbZVgNXfd_rQnKdnV2egZ7LeuUdMuCQ5MCH2h9rB/s1600/Sweethearts_75_Jan-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQ60Uei_HTp2jk0jABo6A_Vp6T9wxFfQAsAf2txpELSIN5Ym5pBwFUXdu6H5RXb5Bxc4u25Kq55pZlkqhLA4T_3yUQJDI4t-3uiCsxbZVgNXfd_rQnKdnV2egZ7LeuUdMuCQ5MCH2h9rB/s400/Sweethearts_75_Jan-64.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sweethearts</i> #75 (January 1965)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9nbz3JCnPkvkMN79wwjafl67BTdIWagcMO-SUeOKEqsiszL1vRMWUL-gcUI_SWua8m2n_YP1liSWxJzXiqM7ta0bbxdq4sH9vfq44iuRLXZqIIf4xlbLqt3MYEyAYtp8ROymGvZaGhyv/s1600/Teen-AgeLove_31_April-63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9nbz3JCnPkvkMN79wwjafl67BTdIWagcMO-SUeOKEqsiszL1vRMWUL-gcUI_SWua8m2n_YP1liSWxJzXiqM7ta0bbxdq4sH9vfq44iuRLXZqIIf4xlbLqt3MYEyAYtp8ROymGvZaGhyv/s400/Teen-AgeLove_31_April-63.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Teen-Age Love</i> #31 (April 1963)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-7308425458071746342014-11-10T06:22:00.001-08:002014-11-10T06:22:26.741-08:00Writer In Progress<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Derek Adnams</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_-klhiZZ38GOMTvMFdOgidS6EJg3LuI6ta3k2PHMa9N1G3qc0kdZp5gX0OcaXZ0uuuHaz3wQMEdG83DtfZ3RdhX_wQbK_-P1kKJyXj8Tz-XAcOr9OQ3S6MQYMlsgO3cXFqP1qy6_KToi/s1600/bookORhymes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_-klhiZZ38GOMTvMFdOgidS6EJg3LuI6ta3k2PHMa9N1G3qc0kdZp5gX0OcaXZ0uuuHaz3wQMEdG83DtfZ3RdhX_wQbK_-P1kKJyXj8Tz-XAcOr9OQ3S6MQYMlsgO3cXFqP1qy6_KToi/s1600/bookORhymes.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">I’ve wanted to be a “comic
book writer” since 1979 and I saw <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amazing
Spider-Man</i> #188 on a spinner-rack. If you had asked me then, that’s exactly
what four year old me would have said. As a child of the 1980’s, I got a little
more specific by the time I was eleven and decided that my career goal was to
be “Frank Miller.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">After spending my twenties
(and most of my thirties) away from comics, I received a “Happy New Year” text
from my childhood best friend a few seconds after the clock struck 2012 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(a year of change)</i> telling me that he’s professionally
making comics. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So I started to write.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">For the past two years I’ve
been studying the craft and writing comic book scripts regularly, but I’m
hardly an expert<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. My goal with this blog
is to show the steps I use in crafting a comic book story, giving another “Neophyte”
some ideas on how to get started and opening a dialogue on the process.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;">So where do ideas come
from?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grant Morrison said it best
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Supergods</i>: </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">“The interior of our skulls contains a portal to
infinity.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Since you never know when
that portal may open, I carry an old-school Mead Composition book with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">That’s where the idea, the
image, the passage of dialogue goes to breed.</span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">That’s also how stories come
to me–as building blocks of something larger. Once I have enough pieces, I
begin to construct the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Writing the story as a prose
narrative is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> my first step.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">According to Kurt Vonnegut,
there are two kinds of writers: “Swoopers” and “Bashers.”</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nDj2VTcJeYLZJ-QhRl-hyNhNlOXReBXZTqRDJKXR0YNR0tNI8stP6n53uRpnOBSN02SEAqaGkGng3izaEs_B6hrwR2gxJDWdHJ6kxwpRJ4doHcj5K_MW1O4Vy-idOM9PTK_laNE7dGyh/s1600/swooperbasher.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nDj2VTcJeYLZJ-QhRl-hyNhNlOXReBXZTqRDJKXR0YNR0tNI8stP6n53uRpnOBSN02SEAqaGkGng3izaEs_B6hrwR2gxJDWdHJ6kxwpRJ4doHcj5K_MW1O4Vy-idOM9PTK_laNE7dGyh/s1600/swooperbasher.png" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">I used to be a “Basher,” but
that was before I discovered the joy or rewriting and editing. Now I’m a “Swooper,”
especially when writing the initial story draft. I go through my notebook, type
out all the relevant scribbles that relate to the comic book script I’m
beginning to form, and type away. I cut...I paste...I add and subtract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">When I’m done, I have the
story.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Now what?</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><b>Next Week</b> – Structuring Your
Tale</span></div>
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<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Further Reading (or, Books That Make Me Seem Kinda’
Smart):</span></span></b></div>
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<span class="a-size-large1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes,
Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being
Human</span></i></span><span class="a-size-large1"><span style="font-family: Times;">
by Grant Morrison </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30HrKYfZJNphP2yYz2f-5hFdl-giSH0XLRFmRCiXn2rcAe6uFWJZf1mwM4Wmx_JA6fnn3l3NU3N-7aSMifPnO4eDZ-sQbBm2LE6SEindQIQYRTILYx8HU6Q05xDdH2cSAFknX_DCXNx-X/s1600/supergods_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30HrKYfZJNphP2yYz2f-5hFdl-giSH0XLRFmRCiXn2rcAe6uFWJZf1mwM4Wmx_JA6fnn3l3NU3N-7aSMifPnO4eDZ-sQbBm2LE6SEindQIQYRTILYx8HU6Q05xDdH2cSAFknX_DCXNx-X/s1600/supergods_cover.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times;">On Writing–A Memoir of the Craft</span></i><span style="font-family: Times;"> by Stephen King</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9_Cg0GKV67L3UT0fa2xaPLc6YYjwKCcKQDSdq8qs5CAJv1eUUFsHCZQk1466Hg9Wf0ZSkNFX-7vAWRW1L1zBWjwMDysczm_FMKVRQw_xlnpQiJZv-2OkueOo8KbQOp2yT2KC7Zp7sjgl/s1600/On+Writing+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9_Cg0GKV67L3UT0fa2xaPLc6YYjwKCcKQDSdq8qs5CAJv1eUUFsHCZQk1466Hg9Wf0ZSkNFX-7vAWRW1L1zBWjwMDysczm_FMKVRQw_xlnpQiJZv-2OkueOo8KbQOp2yT2KC7Zp7sjgl/s1600/On+Writing+cover.jpg" height="320" width="197" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span style="font-family: Times;">© Derek Adnams</span></span>
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Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183722043217443106.post-85123267789454976132014-11-08T07:04:00.001-08:002014-11-08T07:10:15.289-08:00Moving On Up<i>By Brian K. Morris</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r2EQWGp7e9YcGrvLBFDlXiFglNFHC_fzgQIq6ScfTKtslfCynu8K7hc9hWv_qy8fiifDItO5kFft-qBp3sK-ICPKXycFcgb7YZGwUW2n4jasm9GRPJ77v7b1sWAM3iw9KAkbadGaVLbc/s1600/Charlton+House+Ad+1967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r2EQWGp7e9YcGrvLBFDlXiFglNFHC_fzgQIq6ScfTKtslfCynu8K7hc9hWv_qy8fiifDItO5kFft-qBp3sK-ICPKXycFcgb7YZGwUW2n4jasm9GRPJ77v7b1sWAM3iw9KAkbadGaVLbc/s1600/Charlton+House+Ad+1967.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
you read the credits in the classic Charltons, it almost reads like a
history of comics. Through either acquisition of old material (such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blue Beetle</i> and the non-Batson
Fawcetts) or just paying their contributors regularly (however little that was
compared to other publishers), the company amassed quite a list of veteran
creators.
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some
names who had made their marks elsewhere include Joe Gill (of course), Jack
Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, John Buscema, Neal Adams,Wally Wood, Jack
Binder, Nicola Cuti, Al Fago, John Severin, Charles Nicholas, Vince Alascia,
Tom Sutton, Don Perlin, Jack Abel, Tony Tallarico, Wayne Howard, Vince
Colletta, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and of course, Steve Ditko.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
suspect, however, that many old Charltons are in demand today because of the
talent that emerged mostly via the fanzines of the day or completely out of the
blue. Those names include (but are not limited to) Paul Kupperberg, John Byrne,
Roy Thomas, Dick Giordano, Joe Staton, Jim Aparo, Steve Skeates, Bob Layton,
Denny O'Neil, Gary Friedrich, Pat Boyette, Sam Grainger, Mike Zeck, and Don
Newton, all of whom went on to work for other comic book companies.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYd8M5ToaeQrF0yaZBJ8lAQeezJ4Hah3DEC_YjjX94IJXpsA9YsL4itVateylO26UnZzoDtRmOPTWO4ChWe7bE7adwrd-DDI2bGBh7QSPXJ3xKxsAPUg1S-4zGkiWwFMjlEFJyLHYATrD/s1600/Newton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYd8M5ToaeQrF0yaZBJ8lAQeezJ4Hah3DEC_YjjX94IJXpsA9YsL4itVateylO26UnZzoDtRmOPTWO4ChWe7bE7adwrd-DDI2bGBh7QSPXJ3xKxsAPUg1S-4zGkiWwFMjlEFJyLHYATrD/s1600/Newton.jpg" height="320" width="193" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
For
me, when I got serious about amassing a set of Charltons back in the day, I
marveled (I couldn't very well have DCed) at how inexpensive they then were. My
gain, every other local comic snob's loss. I took a special interest in the
artists that moved on to other, more verdant pastures. For instance Luis
Dominguez went on to draw lots of mystery and western covers for DC. Jose Delbo
drew just about every female feature at the same company and did a fantastic
job at it. Colorist Wendy Fiore spent some time working for Marvel and First
Comics while Charles Nicholas wound up at DC doing mystery and super-hero work
when Charlton closed its doors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
looking back at the company's rich history, it's not that the company lacked
for talent. It's been said that the company appeared to be almost an
intermediary step between fanzine work and The Big Two. This certainly makes
Charlton a vital step in the evolution of comic talent. Or talent that worked
in other fields, for that matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
In
a personal sense, as I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, the absence of the
Action Heroes made my heart yearn to see them revived. So I spent one summer
researching my old issues of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Atom</i>,
Ditko's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Beetle</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peacemaker</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt</i> with the intent of turning them into a
super-team. First I drew up the story in pencil on unlined notebook paper,
embellished the art with ball point pen ink and lettered it in a fashion that
never knew an Ames Lettering Guide. After the story was completed, I translated
it into a script and mailed it to the Derby, Connecticut offices.
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
only parts of the submission process that I managed to execute correctly was to
get the page count right and to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. My
sincerest thought was that the cost of the second envelope and what had to be
about a quarter's worth of postage in those pre-Internet days was probably a
waste of cash. Surely my script would be snapped up!
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However,
in re-reading the script during a recent move to Indiana, I realized it read
like it was written by a too-smart-for-his-own-good fifteen year old…which I just
happened to be at the time. The script was–and is–totally cringe-inducing. But
anyway, in an act of extreme benevolence, then-Assistant Editor Nicola
Cuti<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>included a copy of the
classic <i>The Comic Book Guide for the Artist/Writer/Letterer</i> with my
rejection letter, a publication that sent me on a path to learn what
"submission guidelines" were all about and how to follow them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ2MEdkTn00gHDzwXLgB-ZfyXoCAS2rrkSvnN8Ofu4pDWXRTJVIYwfpJRJmFHMzGtIAMvMm-Q0lTRi81bazeEFQ-f0sBXaxW5GsC4K4ntVF2GpVo8O3u1_WHXnjbWWX2QHvTZrbj3sDbi/s1600/Guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ2MEdkTn00gHDzwXLgB-ZfyXoCAS2rrkSvnN8Ofu4pDWXRTJVIYwfpJRJmFHMzGtIAMvMm-Q0lTRi81bazeEFQ-f0sBXaxW5GsC4K4ntVF2GpVo8O3u1_WHXnjbWWX2QHvTZrbj3sDbi/s1600/Guide.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
it was, despite a couple more tries to break into the company as The Next Joe
Gill, my only contribution to the old Charlton line was a letter printed in an
issue of <i>Haunted</i>. But upon receiving that <i>Comic Book Guide </i>and
seeing how things were supposed to be executed, I grew more serious about
learning my writing craft. I went on to write mini-comics, articles, stage
plays, short stories, and eventually <a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FS1U0NI"><span style="color: navy;">novels</span></a>.
</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwObyEvFlC7CVarWHprXEa5UD9Xuz14nS1upJGP3adDBfsWZ6POtKeFZ2olkTP9pXqzHGcJfOH65MGxmv6GjzEwwuQaEpuKxg0L-JAjmcOrHOpNiikroZpjkspHdsQpu-l-nfUnXl23dX/s1600/Santastein.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now,
I'm hoping to crack the Charlton market all over again...as are many of us. Which
one of us might be the next Paul Kupperberg? The next John Byrne or Joe Staton?
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the future, who will be picking up the <i>Charlton Arrow </i>back issues and
finding themselves amazed at who went on to bigger and better things? "Hey,
wait a minute! <i>They</i> used to...?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Perhaps
one day, they will be talking about you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;">©
Brian K. Morris</span></span></div>
Paul Kupperberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732563231546065720noreply@blogger.com0