THWIP!

Over at Comic Book Resources, they’re coming up on the end of a poll—in honor of Spider-Man’s fiftieth anniversary—counting down the top fifty Spidey creators:  twenty-five artists and twenty-five writers.  Today I was delighted to discover that I came in at number four—with the great Gerry Conway just above me at number five.  I’m assuming that the top three will be Roger Stern (one of the best writers to ever pass through the halls of Marvel Comics), the incomparable Stan Lee and the classic team of Lee and Steve Ditko.  Fine company indeed!  (One day I’ll write about my encounter with Ditko, very early in my career.  I wasted no time making a complete fool of myself!)

Someone in the Twitterverse told me today that (by his calculation) I’ve written more Spider-Man stories than anyone except Stan (and only if you include Stan’s Spidey comic strip work).  Twenty-three issues of Amazing, twenty-three issues of Marvel Team-Up, forty-six issues of Spectacular Spider-Man, two of Web, a couple of mini-series and assorted short stories.  Don’t know if that’s accurate, but if it’s even close I’m exhausted just thinking about it!  (Update:  I've just been informed that Howard Mackie holds the record for most Spidey stories, with me next and then Stan.  I'm no less exhausted for the information!)

As I’ve said before, Spider-Man is real to me, I totally believe in him.  There are theories in both mysticism and quantum physics that say our thoughts, dreams and ideas manifest on other-dimensional planes.  I believe that somewhere there really is a Peter Parker, created out of the energy and love that Lee and Ditko poured into him—and all the passion poured onto the printed page by the artists and writers who followed them. 

In the big picture, polls and awards don’t mean much, but it's always nice to be appreciated, to know that my work has had lasting impact.  More than that:  It’s a genuine honor being associated with one of the greatest characters in the history of comics.  Long may he thwip! 

THIS AND THAT

No major announcements, no meditations on the nature of existence, just some odds and ends I thought you’d enjoy, starting with this astonishing (unlettered) page of Vassilis Gogtzilas art from my upcoming IDW series, The Adventures of Augusta Wind. 

We’re wrapping up the first issue right now and the series should debut in the fall.

Speaking of splendid artwork, if you look below you’ll find a page by my extraordinarily talented Savior 28 collaborator Mike Cavallaro.  It’s from a story called “That Which Is Most Needed”—our contribution to the upcoming Occupy Comics benefit book, proceeds of which will go to support the Occupy movement.  (Hmmmm.  That narrator looks awfully familiar...)

Something else I want to bring to your attention is the Albany Comic Con:  a one-day affair that takes place on June 10th in (no surprise) Albany, New York.  I’ll be there along with Ron Marz, Jim Starlin, Matthew Dow Smith, Todd Dezago, the legendary Joe Sinnott and a host of others.  Cons like this are the anti-SDCC—providing an intimate environment where comic book fans and creators can mingle freely and no movie stars need apply.  More info right here.

Finally, a gentle reminder that my Mighty Thor Annual will be in stores on June 6.  “Scrier’s Game” is a decidedly cosmic tale featuring the thunder god, the Silver Surfer, Galactus, Scrier, Oblivion and the enigmatic entity called The Other.  (Here’s a Newsarama interview I did about the project back in April.)  The art is by Richard Elson,who deftly combines Buscema-like elegance with Kirbyesque power.  (Don’t ask me why the page below—provided by Marvel.com—says this is from the 2011 annual.  Unless of course Thor used his hammer to travel back in time and took our story along with him.)

The Adventures of Augusta Wind is ©copyright 2012 J.M. DeMatteis & Vassilis Gogtzilas; “That Which Is Most Needed” is ©copyright 2012 J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Cavallaro; Thor is, of course, ©2012 Marvel Entertainment (but let’s not forget that he was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee).

A LEAGUE OF ONE

If you're a fan of comics and animation—and if you're visiting Creation Point there's an extremely good chance you are—then you owe it to yourself to watch this video:  a tribute to the late, and sorely-missed, Dwayne McDuffie.  I worked with Dwayne on a number of occasions, shared mutual friends and the occasional meal, but there was so much about him that I didn't know.  In A League of One the people who knew Dwayne best illuminate the life of this extraordinary man.  I found it both enlightening and moving.

BENEATH THE SKIN

Just yesterday I was talking to somebody about art that peels back reality to reveal the transcendent wonder beneath the skin of the world.  This morning I came across a video that beautifully illustrates the point.  Take a few minutes and watch:  a little awe is good for the soul.