APPROVED COMICS #2 and the final collaboration between Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Virtually everybody who is a fan of comic books knows the story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the young creators who came up with a character that became world-famous and changed the destiny of the entire industry, Superman, but who largely didn't get to profit from their own innovation. Most recountings of their story … Continue reading APPROVED COMICS #2 and the final collaboration between Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster →

The Predecessors of Superman: Federal Men

By 1936, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had begun to contribute stories and features to the small line of comic books published by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a firm that eventually would grow into becoming DC Comics. While they'd had no success in getting anybody to bite on their sensational brainchild Superman, the pair paid the … Continue reading The Predecessors of Superman: Federal Men →

The Predecessors of Superman: Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic

All throughout the years during which they were trying in vain to locate a buyer for their grand opus character Superman, partners Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster paid the bills by working on a variety of other features, primarily for National Allied Publications/Detective Comics Inc. Thee included such features as Slam Bradley, Spy, Radio Men,/Calling … Continue reading The Predecessors of Superman: Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic →

How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Five

Here's the fifth and final part of our overview of this short hardcover how-to pamphlet authored in 1943 by writer/editor Robert Kanigher. It's a wealth of interesting information about just how comic books were put together back during the Golden Age and what publishers were looking for. The story that Kanigher breaks down here was … Continue reading How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Five →

How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Four

This being the fourth part of our review looking back at writer/editor Robert Kanigher's very early hardcover booklet giving a how-to on writing for comic magazines. It was published in 1943 and is therefore probably the earliest repository for such information. If nothing else, it gives a good sense of what the field was like … Continue reading How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Four →

How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Three

Once again, here's a look at writer/editor Robert Kanigher's 1943 how-to book on writing material for the comic book market. It's a good snapshot as to just what the prevailing wisdom was during the Golden Age of Comics in terms of the material that was being generated. That should cover things for the moment. But … Continue reading How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Three →

How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part Two

Continuing our look at editor and writer Robert Kanigher's 1943 volume on writing for the comic books of that era. There's more to come in future weeks as we delve further into this volume.

How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part One

Even by the year 1943, writer Robert Kanigher considered himself a veteran of the comic book business. He'd been selling stories to various publishers beginning around 1940, and while he considered himself to be a bit too good for the medium he was working in, he was both prolific and always on the lookout for … Continue reading How To Make Money Writing For Comic Magazines, Part One →

MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Six

We're almost done with our review of MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED, THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, which uses examples culled from the pages of Marvel comics to illustrate different points of film theory. This was a ubiquitous tome among comic book artists in the mid-1970s. A trio of IRON MAN panels from Johnny Craig lead off this final section. … Continue reading MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Six →

MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Five

We're back with more of this early 1970s reference volume which illustrated points of filmmaking through the use of examples culled from Marvel Comics. I find this chapter interesting, in that it instructs in the use of sound in a motion picture by using examples from a medium that doesn't have any sound. Some George … Continue reading MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Five →