Travel back with us now to Brooklyn in the 1960s: My best friend, Bob Izzo, and I have pooled our comics, setting up shop in front of our apartment building and selling the books for a nickel each. With our ill-gotten gains, we will indulge in multiple slices of pizza...and, no doubt, buy more comic books!
We didn't always stick so close to home. As my old friend Michael Todd, who usually joined us in these groundbreaking business endeavors, reminded me, we'd sometimes lug the books over to nearby Newkirk Plaza, just outside the subway station. This clever plan meant two things: 1) More potential customers and 2) We were mere feet away from the object of our desire: the pizza place!
My mother took this picture from our apartment window. I'd love to have a clearer view of the comics themselves, but I'm grateful for this blurry window into the past.
SEMI-REGULAR MUSINGS FROM THE SEMI-REGULAR MIND OF WRITER J.M. DeMATTEIS
Friday, September 30, 2022
ANCIENT HISTORY
Thursday, September 29, 2022
WALL-CRAWLING
Edge of Spider-Verse #5 is out next week—featuring the tale of Sergei Kravinoff, the Hunter-Spider! It's a fun story—plotted by Dan Slott, scripted by yours truly, and illustrated by the great Bob McLeod, inker of Kraven's Last Hunt. (You can preview the entire issue here.)
And speaking of Spidey: Had a chance to proof the first issue of Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt. Set during the same era as my recent Ben Reilly: Spider-Man series, TLH features a powerless Peter Parker, a very pregnant Mary Jane, and a danger from the past that threatens to engulf them both and upend their new lives in Portland.
Can't wait to share this one with all of you. It's out in November!
Friday, September 23, 2022
BACK IN THE BALLOON
Thursday, September 22, 2022
STRANGE VISITOR
With art by David Baldeon, color by Arthur Hesli, and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Anyman is one of four new series I’m launching via Kickstarter and Spellbound Comics.
Head over to the Spellbound website to learn more and sign up for updates.
The DeMultiverse is coming!
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
LANDS OF WONDER
But Layla refuses to accept her fate and so—with the help of a group of friends, old and new—she sets out to return to the land of the living.
But is it too late?
With art by Shawn McManus, color by Arthur Hesli, and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Layla in the Lands of After is one of four new series I’m launching via Kickstarter and Spellbound Comics.
Head over to the Spellbound site to learn more. And join our Spellbound Comics Facebook group!
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
GUNSMOKE AND SORCERY
Husband. Father. Actor. Journalist. Outlaw. Sorcerer.
Meet Gabriel Wisdom—and begin an epic journey across the Old West that will end in a war for the very soul of the planet.
Head over to the Spellbound website to learn more and sign up for updates.
The DeMultiverse is coming!
Monday, September 19, 2022
COSMIC TURTLES AND OTHER THINGS
When a celestial being arrives from nowhere, the world isn't sure how to react. Is he friend? Foe? Savior? And why does unremarkable junior high school teacher Eric Small become so obsessed with the man they call Godsend? And why in the world does a turtle with a man's head (or is it a man with a turtle's body?) suddenly manifest in Eric's living room?
Godsend—with art by Matthew Dow Smith—is one of four new series launching in October from Spellbound Comics and Kickstarter! Head over to www.spellboundcomics.com to sign up for news and updates.
The DeMultiverse is coming!
Sunday, September 18, 2022
OLDER AND WISER
Another podcast chat, this time with Mac Jackson of Never Gets Old. We talk about the DeMultiverse Kickstarter and the launch of Spellbound Comics. We also talk about internet culture, the Beatles, Sinatra, Star Trek, the Twilight Zone...and many other things. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 17, 2022
MOTORCYCLES IN THE MULTIVERSE
Had a fun chat with the fine folks at the Capes and Lunatics podcast, discussing Ghost Rider's 50th anniversary and my collaboration with Bob Budiansky on the original GR series. We also took a deep dive into my upcoming Spellbound Comics DeMultiverse Kickstarter. Enjoy!
Friday, September 16, 2022
WELCOME TO THE DeMULTIVERSE!
As you can probably tell by now, I'm incredibly excited about my first Kickstarter campaign—coming in early October, courtesy of Spellbound Comics. We'll be launching four first issues—brought to life by four outstanding artists (Shawn McManus, Tom Mandrake, Matthew Dow Smith, and David Baldeon)—each one different in tone, genre, and style.
*Layla in the Lands of After
*Anyman
*Wisdom
*Godsend
Welcome to the DeMultiverse! Hope you join us for this amazing ride across time, space, and imagination!
Sign up for updates at the Spellbound Comics website.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
SADDLE UP!
And now our final title reveal: Wisdom—a supernatural western with art by the extraordinary Tom Mandrake!
As with our other three titles—Godsend, Anyman, and Layla in the Lands of After—Wisdom will be available in October via Kickstarter and the Spellbound Comics site, so be sure to check there regularly for more info.
The DeMultiverse is coming!
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
THWIP!
And, in other news, the Ben Reilly: Spider-Man collection is out now! This concludes today's shameless hype!
HEAVEN SENT
Title Reveal Week continues as we unveil the name of the fourth book in our October Kickstarter campaign. Today it's the cosmic saga called...
...Godsend—brought to brilliant visual life by Matthew Dow Smith!
Our final title coming tomorrow! And keep up to date (and get a sneak peak at that last title) by checking out the Spellbound Comics website!
Onward!
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
AFTER ALL
More Kickstarter news!
Yesterday we revealed the title of the David Baldeon illustrated superhero saga, Anyman. Today it's the second of our four new titles, a fantasy adventure drawn by my old friend Shawn McManus (of Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Dr. Fate fame):
Layla in the Lands of After!
Tomorrow we reveal the title of our third new series! (And be sure to check out SpellboundComics.com for more updates.)
Can you tell I'm excited?
Monday, September 12, 2022
ANY DAY NOW
I've told you about the four new series coming your way via Kickstarter and the fine folks at Spellbound Comics, but I haven't mentioned any specific titles...till now!
First up is Anyman—co-created by my Ben Reilly: Spider-Man collaborator, David Baldeon. More details—and more titles—to come!
(And speaking of David B: the Ben Reilly collection hits shops this week!)
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
A KICK IN THE PANTS
There's a big announcement coming soon about my first ever Kickstarter projects. Yes, I said projects—plural. And they're all coming to you through the courtesy of the fine folks at Spellbound Comics. (Their just-launched Facebook group is here and the Spellbound website will be live in a few days!)
Below is a teaser image for the first of our books—courtesy of the brilliant Shawn McManus (who, among his many other accomplishments, illustrated my two year run on Dr. Fate back in the day). More to come! Watch this space!
Update: And here's a teaser image for our other Kickstarter book (remember, I said projects, plural), with art by Ben Reilly's brilliant David Baldeon. Stay tuned!
Friday Update: We're not done yet. There's a third project coming—and here's a teaser image by my friend and collaborator, X-Files and Doctor Who artist Matthew Dow Smith. Three new books? Yes!
Our Kickstarter campaign launches in October!
That's four new series crowdfunding in October, through the courtesy of Spellbound Comics and Kickstarter!
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
DE FALCO, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
While I was enjoying my social media vacation (yes, I'm back), I had the pleasure of taking part in a podcast honoring my old pal, the great and powerful Tom DeFalco. You can watch it below.