As I spoke about last week, the early Marvel Comics was relatively consistent with the manner in which it dealt with death. As a general rule, when a character was genuinely killed (as opposed to suffering a "super villain death" at the climax of a story where they fell into the river or some such) … Continue reading The First Marvel Resurrection
My appreciation for this classic run of UNCANNY X-MEN kind of snuck up on me. Certainly, I liked it as a title from the start, and followed it regularly. But I didn't separate it from the pack--it wasn't any more or less of note to me than AVENGERS or IRON MAN or HULK or whatever. … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #114
After the success of the two-volume X-MEN COMPANION project proved it to be a profitable venture that helped to underwrite some of Fantagraphics other more high-minded publications, the company looked around for similar things that could be done that might likewise bring in some operating capital. By this point, the earlier amicable relationship with Marvel … Continue reading FOCUS ON JOHN BYRNE
For the final interview in THE X-MEN COMPANION, interviewer Peter Sanderson looks to the future, for what is poised to be an extremely eventful couple of months for Marvel's mutant heroes. He speaks at length with both Chris Claremont and X-MEN editor Louise Jones (better known as Louise Simonson today) concerning a variety of upcoming … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: Chris Claremont and Louise Jones (Simonson) Interview
Perhaps the most popular artist of the 1980s, John Byrne's star truly began to rise when he began drawing (and co-plotting) X-MEN with Chris Claremont. Eventually, irreconcilable differences in the direction to take the characters caused Byrne to leave the book for greener pastures--his long run as writer/artist of FANTASTIC FOUR. But the mark he … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: John Byrne Interview
More material from THE X-MEN COMPANION Volume Two, the second of two softcover books devoted to the development and the early days of what had become the most popular feature in the comics world. These two volumes were published in 1982, and so the memories of all involved about the details of their collaboration are … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: Terry Austin Interview
There was a bit of a delay in the publication of the second volume of THE X-MEN COMPANION. Part of the hold-up, apparently, was that Neal Adams was meant to do the cover, but he wound up not turning anything in. I can't speculate on whether this was due to some other issue between himself … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: Chris Claremont Interview
Even by 1982, there was no figure more associated with the growing success of the X-Men than writer Chris Claremont. While Claremont hadn't come up with the book or any of its characters, he joined the series as its regular writer in very early days, and continued onward for an unbroken 16 year stint in … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Chris Claremont Interview
It's more of the same here, another interview conducted by Peter Sanderson in 1982 for the first of Fantagraphics' X-MEN COMPANION books commemorating the creation of the new series and its meteoric rise to popularity in the early Direct Sales market. This one was a bit more expansive a piece than the last two because … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Dave Cockrum Interview
Continuing our look at the two-volume X-MEN COMPANION published by Fantagraphics in 1982, just as X-MEN was expanding from being the darling of the Direct Market to a full-on juggernaut across the whole of the industry. Writer and historian Peter Sanderson interviewed pretty much all of the principle writers and artists involved in the creation … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Len Wein Interview
The Tom Brevoort Experience 