“The Results Were Pure Simon, With Only Hints of Kirby…”- Reviewing Joe Simon’s 2011 ‘My Life in Comics’

Joe Simon (1913-2011) was (and is) a seminal and pivotal figure in the history of American Comic Books, and one that is largely associated by his successful and innovative partnership with Jack Kirby, a partnership that had such value during the Golden Age of Comics that their names were touted on covers, a rarity for […]

“And I Knew That Roy Was The Second Wave Guy…”- an Interview with the Living Legend, John Cimino

I’ve got to start by sharing what a gratifying experience it was to see the tremendous response from fans and industry professionals alike when it came to our interview with the great Clair Noto. Even esteemed and established comic journalists gave credit for the journalistic qualities of that conversation, and the discussions it provoked within […]

“As Fans, We All Knew the Artwork Was Important, Even if The Professionals Didn’t”- On The 1968/69 Original Art Theft Inside Job (UPDATED)

Everything I’m going to compile and cover in this entry has been helpfully researched and discussed by other historians and even the Klein photos (at least a couple of them) have appeared prior in some format, so it would behoove me, the most honest and fair-minded of muckrakers, to establish that at the offset. Honestly, […]

“On My Recommendation, I Talked to Stan…” – Continued Dispatches From The Roy Thomas Dishonesty Tour

So much. So much has happened on the ongoing Roy Thomas Lies campaign that I barely know where to begin, o frantic ones. It’s hardly been three months since awareness of the Rascally One’s villainy increased, due to longtime Marvel editor Bobbie Chase post regarding Thomas’s retroactively granted credit as the co-creator of Wolverine. So […]

“Always The First Person In The Room to Point Out It Wasn’t Just You…” The Slog That is 2002’s ‘Stan Lee’s Mutants, Monsters & Marvels’

I had known about this truly intolerable documentary, in actuality a long-form interview conducted by the equally intolerable Kevin Smith, since it initially appeared in 2002 when I was considerably younger. I’d like to stress that I avoided it completely then, largely due to my immense dislike of Smith which was quite possibly formed by […]

“You Sort of Believe It Actually Happened”- Examining Roy Thomas’s Comments On ‘The Great Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Debate’

At the time of this writing, Roy Thomas has just turned 83. And, in reaching another milestone in his Eighth decade I’d argue one of the more significant ones is the bestowment of the glorious nickname “The Forever Boy” by his own personal Scott Thorson/Manager/Leech John Cimino. Honestly, when this was brought to my attention, […]

“I Always Had So Many Outside Interests”- Stan Lee’s Love of Comics

We often see Stan Lee described with sobriquets such as the “Geek Godfather” and “Comics Maestro” and it’s truly understandable that the general public would keep up their association with this collective image of the man. But what occurs to me as someone who has spent years and years reading through nearly every article and/or […]

“Selfy With God”- A Look At The Banal, Misguided & Nauseating Tribute Art After Stan Lee’s Death

It’s now been half a decade since the untimely passing of Stan Lee, creator and co-creator, editor and art director, modern Mark Twain and/or Shakespeare– surely, there won’t be a dry eye in the house once we get through this highly moving selection of tribute art that arose in the days after Lee’s death in […]

“But The Work Always Consumes Me”- An In-Depth Interview With Artist JAMES ROMBERGER

Where to start and how to describe the staggering talent and versatile career of American Artist and Eisner-nominated Cartoonist James Romberger? Well known as a fine artist, his depictions of New York’s Lower East Side hang in both prestigious private collections as well as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum and others, and exhibitions […]

“I Guess Ditko and Jack are The Only Two Guys Who Know That…” A Brief Oral History of Stan Lee’s Responses To Kirby’s Creator Claims

(This has been compiled for the purposes of research; it is by no means complete. However, it contains the bulk of Stan Lee’s recorded public statements/responses to Jack Kirby’s claims of being the primary creator of the Marvel Universe. You will see at times that Lee is consistent in his narrative and repeats talking points. […]