Comics Journal (1977) comic books 2005-2007

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. The latest issue of the recently revamped magazine turns its attention to the legendary William Steig, creator of Shrek! Since 1930, Steig produced over 1,600 cartoons and 117 covers for The New Yorker. The tribute to Steig opens with a critical essay by Donald Phelps, and includes a historical essay as well as short tributes from his peers and fellow cartoonists and a gallery of Steig's most significant work. This issue also features an interview with the cartoonist Eric Shanower, creator of the Image series Age of Bronze, conducted by Managing Editor Dirk Deppey. The comic strip reprint this issue is Garret Price's rarely seen, critically lauded White Boy -- 35 Sunday pages printed in full color! Plus: a profile of cult-favorite British cartoonist Chris Reynolds, written by famed graphic novelist Seth! Add in acerbic industry commentary and the celebrated news and critical coverage that has won the magazine countless awards. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue of the comics profession's foremost magazine of news and criticism contains two main features. First, a career-spanning interview with one of the most skillful and popular genre writers in comics, Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis discusses his crime comics beginnings, writing Sam & Twitch for Todd McFarlane, his early crime comics (Jinx, Goldfish, Torso), his Hollywood satire Fame & Glory and his sordid experiences in Hollywood, his espionage/noir graphic novel Fire, and his break-out into mainstream comics where he rejuvenated Marvel's Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man and created Alias, as well as his creator-owned Powers. Second, this is our annual Year-In-Review issue: The Journal's critics revisit 2004, selecting the best comics and graphic novels of the year. We'll also look at manga, webcomics and how the industry itself reacted to the changing marketplace. Add in Garrett Price's White Boy in the comics section, no-holds-barred industry commentary, and the celebrated news, regular columns, elitist judgments and snide remarks that have won the magazine countless awards. Cover by Alex Maleev. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

Will Eisner Memorial issue. Tributes by Dave Sim, Mike Ploog, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Ron Goulart, Steven Grant, R.C. Harvey, Gary Groth and others. Classic military comics by Eisner. Plus reviews, comics, letters, and news. Black and white with some color pages; 200 pages. Cover price $9.95.

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The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Now entering its 29th year, The Comics Journal returns yet again with the comics-related news, reviews and commentary that has made the magazine indispensable. In this issue, longtime contributor Charles Hatfield sits down for a conversation with breakout indie comics superstar Craig Thompson in an interview that runs his early days to Goodbye Chunky Rice to Blankets and beyond! Also, Managing Editor Dirk Deppey talks to the genius behind Flaming Carrot and the Mystery Men, Bob Burden. Burden's fame as an easygoing raconteur and surreal wit gets a workout in this freewheeling trip through a career that spans the last two decades of comic-book cartooning. Ut! Plus, British journalist Paul Slade examines the progression of Herge's internationally renowned Tintin series as it grew from classic strip to universal storytelling genius, in an enlightening essay you're not going to want to miss. Add in a reprint of rare, archival comic strips, insightful and acerbic industry commentary, plus the celebrated news and critical coverage that just won the magazine Great Britain's prestigious Eagle Award for "Favourite Magazine About Comics," and you've got another fine issue of the most essential magazine about comics available today! PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This shoujo manga issue is devoted to exploring and explaining the "Girls don't like comics" phenomenon. Includes an interview with pioneering shoujo cartoonist Moto Hagio, often called "the Osamu Tezuka of women's manga," who is renowned both for her psychologically challenging stories and as the originator of the "shonen-ai" (boy love) subgenre. Includes the first-ever English translation of Hagio's short story "Hanshin." Also: journalist Kai-Ming Cha traces the rise of shoujo as a market force in Asia and the United States; cartoonist Lea Hernandez explains how shoujo shaped her view of comics as an art form; and cartoonist and historian Trina Robbins examines all-ages manga for girls. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

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The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, Greg Stump sits down for an interview with award-winning artist Jessica Abel, tracing her career from early, self-published mini-comics to her first deal with a major book publisher. Also: Bill Shafer talks to cartoonist Mark Bode about carrying on the legacy of his famous father, Vaughn. Plus: an interview with Lalo Alcaraz (La Cucaracha); Nell Brinkley comics; and corporate upheaval at DC. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

Interviews with Jerry Robinson (Batman, The Joker) and Renee French (The Soap Lady). Bill Blackbeard on E.C. Segars Thimble Theater, the strip that introduced Popeye. Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman talk about getting the business end of comics. Plus reviews, comics, letters, and news. Black and white with some color pages; 200 pages. Cover price $9.95.

The Steve Bell interview; the Jeff Danziger interview; Jerry Robinson & political activism; Diamond purges smallest publishers; John Stanley's 'Thirteen.' Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, Dirk Deppey sits down for a freewheeling interview with cartoonist Eddie Campbell, the artist behind the forthcoming graphic novel, The Fate of the Artist. A born raconteur, Campbell discusses everything from self-publishing, to Hollywood adaptations, to the philosophy of the graphic novel. Also: a conversation with avant-garde manga artist Junko Mizuno; an extensive portfolio of socialist cartoonist Art Young's visions of Hell; and creativity under contract - the state of comics work for hire at Marvel, DC, et al. Plus: all the news, criticism and commentary that you've come to expect. Cover by Eddie Campbell. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, travel from Marvel to Hollywood and back, as Michael Dean conducts a definitive interview with cartoonist and illustrator Mike Ploog (Man-Thing, Abadazad)! Also: a conversation with Sophie Crumb (Belly Button); Greg Sadowski on early Harvey Kurtzman comics; and distributor deathwatch - the struggles of Diamond's last competitor! Plus: reviews, comics, letters and news. Cover by Mike Ploog. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, sit in on a candid conversation with one of 2005's breakout cartoonists, Epileptic author David B., in a wide-ranging discussion on life, art and cartooning. Plus: The Journal's roster of critics analyze the best comics and graphic novels of 2005, in a wide-ranging section that looks into the work of cartoonists from Winsor McCay to Hank Ketcham to Chris Ware. Also: Danish cartoons of mass destruction. Plus: The comics of Boody Rogers. And, as usual, all the news, criticism and commentary that you've come to expect from the finest, most provocative magazine about comics available today! Cover by David B. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, Dirk Deppey sits down with Terry Moore, the cartoonist behind Strangers in Paradise! Learn the story behind the story of Francine and Katchoo, and find out how Moore survived the self-publishing battleground of the 1990's. Also: Mike Catron interviews Bob Haney (Teen Titans, Metamorpho, DC war comics). Plus: the World War 3 Illustrated Roundtable; early Bernie Krigstein comics; and CBLDF sex scandal leads to Women's Empowerment Fund. To wrap things up, you get all the news, commentary and criticism you've come to expect from America's most respected magazine about the cartooning arts! Cover by Terry Moore. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. 30th Anniversary Issue! "Where we came from, where we're going": The Comics Journal celebrates its 30th year as the nation's premier trade journal and comic arts review by examining the last three decades of comics arts and industry history. It offers a look at where the medium may be headed in the next decade, in an oversized special issue guaranteed to give you a new perspective from which to view the art form. News Editor Michael Dean and Managing Editor Dirk Deppey offer a concise history of the comic book marketplace, from the early days of the Direct Market to the turbulent 1990's and their consequences for today. Executive Editor Gary Groth talks about the aesthetics of the medium with renowned cultural critic Donald Phelps. French cartoonist and controversial L'Association co-founder Jean-Christophe Menu offers a European perspective, and a host of cartoonists (including veteran comic book creator Kyle Baker, breakout web-cartoonist Chris Onstad, and others) and publishers discuss the future of the medium as seen from their vantage points. Plus: Donald Phelps offers an extended look at revered classic comic strip Barney Google, complete with an extensive collection of daily strips from the series! PC/PB&W. Cover price $12.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. TCJ interviews two prominent DC writers: first, Dirk Deppey sounds out the Eisner award-winning indie writer/artist Bill Willingham, whose Fables series has been embraced by both critics and fans worldwide! Then, in the second part of an interview too enormous to fit in one issue, Mike Catron gets the inside gossip on Silver Age DC from the prolific Bob Haney, creator of the Teen Titans and Metamorpho! (See #276 for the first part.) Plus: rare 1940's comics by Little Brown Jug animator Orestes Calpini; tribute to underground comix pioneer Jaxon; and a Chris Ware exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Also: reviews, letters and news. Cover by Bill Willingham. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

With a deluxe hardcover retrospective of his supremely elegant and quirky comics work slated for publication by Fantagraphics in early 2007, 'Clear Line' virtuoso Joost Swarte (best known in the U.S. for his RAW strips and covers in the 1980s, and his frequent New Yorker illustration work since then) is ready for his turn in the Journal hot seat. In a far-ranging (and amply illustrated) interview, the voluble Dutchman talks about his graphic idol Hergé, storytelling, why his comics work has slowed down to a trickle this last decade, and much more. Also in this issue, Johnny Ryan, the creator of 2005 Rolling Stone 'HOT Comic' Angry Youth Comix, dumps a load of his trademark irreverence on the Journal. Plus - expanded Web content, one of our amazing comic sections, and columns from the usual gang of... you know the rest. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Hey kids, sex and violence! Gary Groth interviews Frank Thorne, whose long and varied career as an artist has led from titles such as Tomahawk and Mighty Samson to the steamiest version of Red Sonja ever, as well as the creation of his own salacious barbarian babe, Ghita. Our comics section features "All True Crime Stories" from Comics Code inspiration Crime Does Not Pay, the "magazine with the widest range of appeal," as Charles Biro and Bob Wood proclaimed on the cover. Murdered corpses, heaving bosoms, mystery dates -- what more can you ask for? How about an interview with self-publisher Carla Speed McNeil, creator of the "aboriginal sci-fi" series Finder? Also: a tribute to Playboy cartoon editor Michelle Urry. And: comics historian Patrick Rosenkranz on Rand Holmes. Plus: reviews, letters and news. Cover by Frank Thorne. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

February 2007. Original cover price: $9.95. Year in Review issue - the best comics of 2006. Interview with Yoshihiro Tatsumi; interview with Melinda Gebbie (Lost Girls); interviews with Lauren Weinstein, Miriam Katin, Megan Kelso, Renee French, Kim Deitch & Gilbert Hernandez. Cover by Tatsumi. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Our headliner this issue is Alison Bechdel, whose memoir Fun Home was one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of 2006. She delves into life, death, her work, and the banning of her book in Missouri with interviewer Lyn Emmeri. Plus: an interview with Golden Age cartoonist Fred Guardineer, who is perhaps best known for his work on comics such as Zatura, The Durango Kid, Detective Comics, and Crime Does Not Pay. The full-color comics section features Get Lost, The Comic Designed to Send You, and future Spider-Man team Ross Andru and Mike Esposito's post-Kurtzman humor comic of the 1950's. Also: an ample array of comics history, analysis and criticism. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. In this issue: L'Association co-founder and prolific cartoonist Lewis Trondheim talks about the wry sword-and-sorcery mega-epic Donjon, his autobio comics, McConey and his "retirement." Plus: PictureBox publisher Dan Nadel queries art-comics (Wonderfool World) creator and fine artist David Sandlin on his pieces in Raw, as well as the eerie Swamp Preacher, which ties into the larger world of his Blab! anthology-and-storybook work. Our color comics section turns up a 1949 comics adaptation of John Buchan's The 39 Steps by Dick Davis and Jim Lavery. Also: profound columns, sharp reviews and a whole lot more by the comics medium's smartest critics and historians. Cover by Lewis Trondheim. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Marvel Monsters and Monkey Kings make mayhem in this issue! Gary Groth interviews cartoonist Roger Langridge, creator of a rogues gallery of characters such as Fred the Clown, Art d'Ecco, and Knuckles the Malevolent Nun. The New Zealand native will also talk about his collaborative work, such as his recent turn as the artist for Marvel's Fin Fang Foom. Also interviewed is Xeric-winner Gene Yang, whose young-adult graphic novel, American Born Chinese, was recently nominated for a National Book Award. Plus: from the turn of the 19th century, Frederick Burr Opper's comic strip Happy Hooligan -- one of the inspirations for Chaplin's Little Tramp -- is examined, complete with approximately 30 Sunday strips reproduced in full-color! Cover by Roger Langridge. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, Superman Confidential creator Darwyn Cooke confides about his early career in animation, collaborating on Catwoman, re-pioneering DC's superhero mythology in The New Frontier, and providing his current takes on Batman, The Spirit, and Superman. Plus: Ernie Colon, the artist for the best-selling The 9/11 Report: a Graphic Adaptation, talks about representing one of the defining traumas of our age, as well as working on Casper the Friendly Ghost, Magnus: Robot Fighter, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, and his current weekly comic strip, SpyCat. Also: the full-color comics section captures Marvel mainstay John Buscema's weird-crime comics from Wanted Comics, circa 1950. And: an interview with alt cartoonist Keith Knight. Cover by Darwyn Cooke. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, comics critic and historian Paul Gravett interviews British cartoonist Posy Simmonds. Best known for her weekly strips for The Guardian (such as "The Silent Three of St. Botolph's") and her reworking of Madame Bovary and Far from the Madding Crowd (Gemma Bovary and Tamara Drewe, respectively), the pair also discuss other aspects of her wide-ranging career, such as her children's books and her strip "Literary Life." Also: a career-spanning interview with Gail Simone, who recently left her long and well-received run on the super-heroine team book Birds of Prey to tackle the newly revamped Wonder Woman title. She will also talk about her work on series such as Villains United, Superman, Welcome to Tranquility, and Killer Princesses, and her "women in refrigerators" website. Plus: insightful comics reviews and columns, and a comics section featuring Otto Soglow's The Ambassador. Cover by Posy Simmonds. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.