tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41933349137332103262024-03-17T23:03:43.462-04:00J.M. DeMatteis's CREATION POINTSEMI-REGULAR MUSINGS FROM THE SEMI-REGULAR MIND OF WRITER J.M. DeMATTEISUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger763125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-4847185479622400872024-03-11T13:04:00.002-04:002024-03-11T13:15:56.298-04:00GREATEST HITS<p><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAX9eGjt0ifaRF1ZEh467cgGItW7OHGPQ509BGeaV-6fsLdwkf4wxv7WenOZSbQyWocyfKpzmUp9Fu8zT6B3zbV8799UEtHjRvDSV9cjYYBfogyybglWkGvE3Gqpp-8pG3Tda7ziMZIO0TurNvLVh1-UPQyBq-tIs6blBT_SjpOz55fjRDn9vMTpZE8L8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAX9eGjt0ifaRF1ZEh467cgGItW7OHGPQ509BGeaV-6fsLdwkf4wxv7WenOZSbQyWocyfKpzmUp9Fu8zT6B3zbV8799UEtHjRvDSV9cjYYBfogyybglWkGvE3Gqpp-8pG3Tda7ziMZIO0TurNvLVh1-UPQyBq-tIs6blBT_SjpOz55fjRDn9vMTpZE8L8=w400-h272" width="400" /></a></div><br />Just last week someone asked me to name four of my favorite projects. Given the fact that I’ve been writing professionally for more than 40 years, that’s an impossible task. But the request got me thinking and pushed me to put together the following lists.</span></i></b></span></i></b></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Please note: This isn’t necessarily my best work—and, frankly, I’m the last person in the world who can see my work with enough objectivity to know what the “best” is—but they’re my favorites: projects that inspired me, helped me grow as a writer, or were just plain fun to create. And, yes, there are </i>many<i> other projects that could have made these lists, but I had to stop somewhere!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">TOP 5 CREATOR OWNED COMICS PROJECTS</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><i>The first two projects are interchangeable, I adore them both equally, so…</i><br /><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">1A. Brooklyn Dreams</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The most nakedly personal project I’ve ever done, a look back at my coming-of-age in 1960s and 70s Brooklyn, <i><a href="https://cheapgraphicnovels.com/brooklyn-dreams-hc.html" target="_blank">Brooklyn Dreams</a></i> was both effortless to write (these were stories I’d told my friends many times) and absolutely terrifying (there were no fictional characters between me and the audience to filter these deeply personal experiences. Yes, I changed the names to protect the innocent, but every word was true). The icing on the cake was Glenn Barr’s art, which moved from surreal and cartoony to ultra-realistic, depending on the memory being explored. It was as if we mind-melded. As if all the images I saw in my head somehow flowed effortlessly from Glenn’s pen. There’s a new edition coming later in 2024 from Dark Horse.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsSEytDgezpOkOEEozD4DU5seZTqP9Dss6pD-7lITGSt7vVabZ9-PDE0J_KF6eRrvtIGHv0OqrHxhC-CJsInJ_Pu0kAJun2MYY6z2ZPrKGSr8OEunIfY-MkRcof_OP1KbxsnacZwwAG2yA2qMjN1XkW_Ogb_1_uXixS6nndzp2MPI3ZY0kFh5Ox0GzqPw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="287" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsSEytDgezpOkOEEozD4DU5seZTqP9Dss6pD-7lITGSt7vVabZ9-PDE0J_KF6eRrvtIGHv0OqrHxhC-CJsInJ_Pu0kAJun2MYY6z2ZPrKGSr8OEunIfY-MkRcof_OP1KbxsnacZwwAG2yA2qMjN1XkW_Ogb_1_uXixS6nndzp2MPI3ZY0kFh5Ox0GzqPw=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">1B. Moonshadow<br /></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">This story simmered in my unconscious for years before it exploded out of me in the mid-1980s. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moonshadow-J-M-Dematteis/dp/150670946X" target="_blank">Moonshadow</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was my first chance to step out of the Marvel-DC mindset (self-imposed, in many ways) and just write, as </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">myself</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">—not some clone of the many comic book writers I admired. To create a story with the freedom, the unique voice, of a novelist, building a deeply personal universe from the ground up. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Moonshadow</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> helped me find that voice, helped me find myself. And so did my brilliant collaborator, Jon J Muth, whose breathtaking painted art, unlike anything seen before in American comics, challenged me to be better than I’d ever been: I hope I did the same for him. Dark Horse produced a gorgeous “definitive” hardcover back in 2019. A softcover edition is coming later this year.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><i>2. Seekers Into The Mystery<br /></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Glenn Barr. Jon J Muth. Michael Zulli. Jill Thompson. How lucky was I to have this lineup of brilliant artists bringing </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Seekers Into The Mystery</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> to visual life? The series was just what the title implied: a spiritual journey that followed struggling screenwriter Lucas Hart as he probed the mysteries of past lives, astral travel, UFOs, angels, demons, saints who could be lunatics, lunatics who might be saints—and his own deep psychological trauma. I had years of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Seekers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> stories bubbling in the back of my head—there’s one that still nags at me all these years later and I might have to write it—but low sales killed the book after 15 issues. Dover Books published the </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seekers-Mystery-Dover-Graphic-Novels/dp/0486808432/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KWKESKNE2ZO4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nqojX8NbjohCwPGcN_kLRX7suhaHW50WOeyuoAiokpY2ecBRzKKzbSi0ZmHrAXYbFD6XWQNIl_P-S-GbuSm3Hr03R91YgpnD8Cn7sm4VeSXAiTmLJHCBV_CuctB2lVUUNtlqj9ApoxFEoG35S4BGeFje49HCS3e882f2JCRnxDux26R2dOB5El9JAiSag3xj_2WS0Y-Br9KZfyOeiKoG2tH9a0YX4qR2SYT_WyZKdf8.bcmrvTSU1rhoMPpdPLCsuisji43ro__pVqfbzUIVnh0&dib_tag=se&keywords=seekers+into+the+mystery&qid=1710174057&s=books&sprefix=Seekers+Into%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">only complete collection</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Seekers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> back in 2016.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />3. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Life and Times of Savior 28<br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The basic idea for </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Savior-28-Tp/dp/1600105769/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PM7CBX6LL139&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rjV4nP11koer2bZBsqBZCxOwvqa76xEpOD134ItNpkLZ8TGU-VFeqAhnuSLghPnZqxKi476jXKCjCxFO25C8RBy8kuLKr3w1j0R00NrY2sErPNWI-tB_uE71JrLBXVgEg8JSE5_lT4GZY_nbW1wEYU4FwiTS0P6VLv-t1ZA_syBsQqvA7SvhSOxKz3-fSkDSR0psNi9jddOeO5uX-YUjYa2CTKbA6ZC_WW4A3AgGG0k.jLGTbnBvMZYWKEPNJ_RxO_TUTVvh7tFV3ON1_lTX1QA&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+life+and+times+of+savior+28&qid=1710174113&s=books&sprefix=The+Life+and+Times+of+Savior+%2Cstripbooks%2C116&sr=1-1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank"><i>The Life and Times of</i> <i>Savior 28</i></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was born in the early 1980s, when I was working on </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Captain America. </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wanted to do a story that questioned the very foundations of the superhero mythos against the backdrop of contemporary politics and one man’s desire to make a positive difference in the world.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marvel turned me down—in retrospect, I’m grateful—but I kept developing the story for years, building my own characters and universe around the concept, till 2009 when, working with one of my all-time favorite collaborators (and one of the nicest guys in comics), Mike Cavallaro, I finally got to tell the tale. Of all the superhero stories I’ve written, this just might be my Number One.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_c5G4FNo3Utqx0UlEHbFBJDD4x7txOckSvIyc9x1j6pp9kddFAIaIndF9BUKP6oq2xr7LTMvaLOZuTT7PSuimZARxK6Cw34zMYUL0iDncfBawkIwGvDiWmyFIAOmFV5FDDU4JVRAjADEeVH0Eh6SjLsO56NyilRrGjUcrr8HffF_MSu8hErEt57CUEXA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="655" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_c5G4FNo3Utqx0UlEHbFBJDD4x7txOckSvIyc9x1j6pp9kddFAIaIndF9BUKP6oq2xr7LTMvaLOZuTT7PSuimZARxK6Cw34zMYUL0iDncfBawkIwGvDiWmyFIAOmFV5FDDU4JVRAjADEeVH0Eh6SjLsO56NyilRrGjUcrr8HffF_MSu8hErEt57CUEXA=w262-h400" width="262" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">4.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Hero Squared<br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the great joys of my career was my longtime creative partnership with the brilliant, and much-missed, Keith Giffen (more about Keith later), and one of the highlights of that partnership was our only creator-owned project, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Hero Squared. H2 </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">is a buddy comedy, a love story, a Seinfeldian farce, a multiversal adventure, a deconstruction of superheroes, and (most important) my absolute</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">favorite Giffen-DeMatteis collaboration. (We also explored our main character’s back story in a couple of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Planetary Brigade</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> spin-offs that are included in the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Squared-Omnibus-Keith-Giffen/dp/1608869989/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GW46NKBRH75J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kcJ5cNpT763u_vLlP7I26CzPECaIGmwcIuPjpFvfTjNVewlrBAJvVYV32zck-AEZ.f73h4gfKs6vs-tHAB7SzxIVY4Wtr7HEqEb1-ib06G4E&dib_tag=se&keywords=hero+squared+omnibus&qid=1710174177&s=books&sprefix=Hero+squared+om%2Cstripbooks%2C92&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Hero Squared Omnibus</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">.)<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />5.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Blood: A Tale<br /></i><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Tale-J-M-Dematteis/dp/1401202632/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TP0BEQD2FU99&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rRSzf0WBxZ3ORr50txFtyveHgvg6e-feiWD1bzDCyeAMoOhcQm_HnsYXgbffmkHcPmHYzKHNxIxYMUWvDTEz6-HpLYsNNsdQyKYcgJBcJ3llClAH4si07W3txXjts1_c65rliQra6Eu6qdFOLiYLMdsYJ1KlNakYUD7WBA7NpcDE2RYbTbcGoZi5qZevpC4w-S6e7tH-Q1ugyBCZGy10eo7Qpd17t07efeFn31hZEU4.EUWbMXAH1YNdM_Iwyf3e_ai1hY5VLb_HG2Vk8Fhx6g0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Blood+A+Tale&qid=1710174215&s=books&sprefix=blood+a+tale%2Cstripbooks%2C93&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Blood: A Tale</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was created on the heels of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Moonshadow</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and it remains perhaps the oddest, most surreal and experimental, creative endeavor I’ve ever been involved in. I worked intimately with celebrated painter Kent Williams (who literally lived next door to me at the time) to create a vampiric fever-dream about pain, desire, and the need for absolution and spiritual renewal. There are some people who love </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Blood</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, some who find it too disturbing, even incomprehensible. For me, as a writer, the story provided the opportunity to explore new literary lands, to try a kind of storytelling I’d never attempted before. And working with Kent remains one of the most challenging (in all the best ways) and satisfying collaborations of my career.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">TOP 5 MARVEL AND DC PROJECTS</span></b></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: #f5eeff; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Spider-Man Universe</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the first gigs I had at Marvel was writing plots for Spider-Man stories that would then be drawn and dialogued in France: an odd beginning for a relationship with a character that has continued for many decades, right up to the April release of the <i>Shadow of the Green Goblin</i> mini-series (which is why I can’t pick just one Spidey story out of the dozens I’ve written). I don’t think there’s a character, in any super-hero universe, more psychologically nuanced, emotionally-compelling, and wonderfully-neurotic than Peter Parker. To this day I don’t think of Peter as a fictional character: I think of him as an old friend. Add in the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the greatest artists in comics history—including master storytellers Mike Zeck (<i>Kraven’s Last Hunt</i>) and Sal Buscema (<i>Spectacular Spider-Man</i>)—and you can understand why I feel truly blessed to be associated with Spidey all these years.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Giffen-DeMatteis Universe</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Okay, so this one’s another cheat: I’m collapsing my entire collaboration with Keith Giffen into one, but it really feels as if all our work together, from <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-International-Omnibus-Vol/dp/1779525648/ref=sr_1_3?crid=KP9KYS1YQ3AV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.z8J6Q3BESqnMDxSdbMAgFlvKgBNYmtLcxL2t4gFJfjuFK89FaHidIyd7Z8zzYLgeNti9Td6PeW30e7-pqCrMV3pi1yxy6vc29H3W2EnN6ceEk19hgSyCpkfwcMuHeLDbNb-drKcxbgYIKA1uY9hrTA2i8Nuq6c9Q1tCkz2T4L2gCn9f99RcJvv3v8w12olEqBRH4PxyqiBYjC4y7i6KE-BzX4wiCgG2efz4j4nIMq_g.34G1Imr2uW3TvwCjvyn-KwP2j5Sgm0YCja-FJoQpgCs&dib_tag=se&keywords=Justice+League+international+omnibus&qid=1710174309&s=books&sprefix=justice+league+international+omnibus%2Cstripbooks%2C84&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Justice League International</a> </i>to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scooby-Apocalypse-Vol-Keith-Giffen/dp/1401267904/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZTVK11ET2IQC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ScpzUElObbZAxCD_BdNoQMmeFT2YiVtaEPq1FFyXMQ-LIZdb1ANi1kWP3sTderG5dkS0JRUezNY2JTcxrmLClVVgqglLt95V8kuZddAoXpY6m0zcUr4JAsaUDTNsT8s3yYBaep_zFZjItASwGXcVrBTDaZK43ty887mzHiQrPZ0Ubk7apxLGncGT2IdkwMoI048H9gcgs9FT14s-MGE09dHlU-N8mcjoBagk8QtSBVE.R8GQx1QGLa-rmyCBlfnppBTIxYebveaF0p_DLAkw4jU&dib_tag=se&keywords=scooby+apocalypse&qid=1710174362&s=books&sprefix=Scooby+Apoca%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Scooby Apocalypse</a>,</i> is one piece—and that piece exists in its own little universe, far, far away from everything else I’ve done. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: Keith Giffen was as generous and gifted (well, gifted is too small a word. Someone once called Keith the Jack Kirby of my generation and I couldn’t agree more) a collaborator as I’ve ever worked with. When I teamed up with Giffen it wasn’t about the particular project, it was about <i>the collaboration itself</i>—and the tremendous fun we had together. I still can’t believe he’s gone. (I can’t mention Keith without acknowledging Kevin Maguire, who illustrated some of our best stories in a style that many have tried to imitate but no one has ever equalled: The guy is genre unto himself.)<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPN_ONfcnUEI73UtbNQukMMdnjq_j1vVmJfkg4vKTOdSiWMcalMvXjq9eK2WCmlHeMI8-XbnfxwE1mW05tERb-yDx7gZ_CPdweP0lGqHiCkP1t0DSJK2BGKUAOJ2aKSguk2G2-tEMXyrnS9BIZmPAo0rWORpMdRuVUN57YouI6qURpFe1BLsq7mkCZg9E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="975" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPN_ONfcnUEI73UtbNQukMMdnjq_j1vVmJfkg4vKTOdSiWMcalMvXjq9eK2WCmlHeMI8-XbnfxwE1mW05tERb-yDx7gZ_CPdweP0lGqHiCkP1t0DSJK2BGKUAOJ2aKSguk2G2-tEMXyrnS9BIZmPAo0rWORpMdRuVUN57YouI6qURpFe1BLsq7mkCZg9E=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">3.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Batman: Going Sane<br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many fans think my strongest mainstream superhero story is the Spider-Man saga </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Kraven’s Last Hunt</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">—and I understand why they’ve taken </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">KLH</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> to heart—but my vote goes to </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Going-Sane-J-M-Dematteis/dp/1401218210/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GDKZ4I0FQ3KB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.54B0ygUux0yEu9hBRMP6b2LvTnJe_wlP8J2z34dNNT91txlJzJR3EP3l07JK7BRBg5Gda8f2FLFAiBLJR2TGjdioSF62KRhw08W9eY22Qvopajr-CvGNlopML2Oi3lh1PbT2StDVsUByCu2R3OzG0siGjTtEw-2WHw-BlaCZHN-O5xiGbS21UM6_ACegU8zM.o7KuED7NhEK2vvyDZJEBbSNjimdvKyeNJqaAr1eCq04&dib_tag=se&keywords=Batman%3A+Going+Sane&qid=1710174268&s=books&sprefix=batman+going+sane%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">"Going Sane,"</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> which originally ran in four issues of DC’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Legends of the Dark Knight.</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> In the story, the Joker kills Batman—at least he </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">believes</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> he does—and, with the primary reason for his existence eliminated, the villain’s mind snaps. Of course the Joker is already insane, so when he snaps...he goes sane. “Joe Kerr” soon creates a new life for himself, complete with an office job and a loving fiancé. It’s a story that dives deep into the twin psyches of Joker and Batman and, I hope, illuminates both in new ways. No comic book story can succeed without great visual storytelling, and the amazing Joe Staton (aided by inker Steve Mitchell) turned in some of the finest work of his illustrious career.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />4.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dr. Fate<br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In l987, Keith Giffen and I revamped the character of Dr. Fate for a mini-series and then, some months later, I continued the story in an ongoing series, wonderfully illustrated, with both humor and humanity, by Shawn McManus. It’s a rare occasion when you can work on a preexisting DC or Marvel character and be allowed to completely stamp it with your own unique, and very personal, vision, but that’s what I got to do with </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dr. Fate</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">— weaving together the supernatural, sit-com silliness, superhero action, romance, Eastern philosophy, infantile toilet jokes and Serious Musings On The Nature Of Existence. Not an easy mix, but Shawn always met, and often transcended, whatever visual challenges I threw his way. If this was a combined list, <i>Fate</i> might be sitting right behind </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Moonshadow</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Brooklyn Dreams</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> at the top.</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> </i><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The two projects below are another tie: I couldn’t pick one over the other.</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />5A.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Greenberg The Vampire</i><br />Okay, so <i>Moonshadow</i> wasn’t the first project that allowed me to find my own voice as a writer. A few years before <i>Moon</i>, I did a story for Marvel’s anthology magazine <i>Bizarre </i>Adventures, perfectly illustrated by Steve Leialoha: a supernatural tale, with a healthy helping of humor, about a reclusive Jewish horror writer who also happened to be a vampire. Four or so years later, I followed that up with an Oscar Greenberg graphic novel (which the late, great Dwayne McDuffie dubbed <i>Portnoy’s Complaint</i> meets <i>Dracula</i>), illustrated by my friend and frequent collaborator Mark Badger. Like <i>Moonshadow</i>, <i>Greenberg the Vampire </i>allowed me to shake off the constraints of superhero stories and just <i>be myself,</i> writing in a voice that was very much my own.<i> </i>(Note: Had I done the first Greenberg story just a little later, it would have been on the creator-owned list, but Oscar belongs to Marvel: lock, stock, and fangs.) Both <i>Greenberg</i> stories were collected in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Greenberg-Vampire-J-M-DeMatteis/dp/0785197915/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GKVG28FF7A0R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MLrekSOPPuYL36ZIJ60Nj86ysvfDuBL053rmAseoBdBshJ3sqsju49p-MyGPWLcqAuf6G0lJhbX_OlA2uK0wnI4abs7r83xkn3mTzlCFfU82OdCYlTFa5cDBVjpCpusc8nWXP7QrV6S3Utagd87tC62KBcIkCbYREW2cilSstjcJnW-1bxam0OeBQse1uNp_MvalxZvbyaDGiYm6teHA18UgSbzG-LsMBOUuNNo9pf4.ZZgxrNPDAuxTG7iHI7DlFonBRkuEwbMNEnaIiwiXBTg&dib_tag=se&keywords=Greenberg+the+vampire&qid=1710174395&s=books&sprefix=greenberg+the+vampire%2Cstripbooks%2C81&sr=1-1" target="_blank">one volume</a> in 2015.<i> <br /><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1FX3QCSzPQO4uEj-PHFCjBFeEc4OVmBCQjW_icReRqe6EtJftLIu1Y9509a09RLoGcHM8wNMpQj6m4Kf7WmyZT3fBLWgjzoVtAaaRgSU_An7l9ACiZAMMwx9kmFJzAB-gwi4wmCHDR_h9dQUdQjonoRoi3Trr57JhdQzB6pvfoITnZbTnK6AZaADE_dY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1FX3QCSzPQO4uEj-PHFCjBFeEc4OVmBCQjW_icReRqe6EtJftLIu1Y9509a09RLoGcHM8wNMpQj6m4Kf7WmyZT3fBLWgjzoVtAaaRgSU_An7l9ACiZAMMwx9kmFJzAB-gwi4wmCHDR_h9dQUdQjonoRoi3Trr57JhdQzB6pvfoITnZbTnK6AZaADE_dY=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5B. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa</i></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The late Dan Green and I were friends before we were collaborators but, united in our common love of all things mystical, we finally came together creatively for a unique Doctor Strange story. Dan, known primarily as an inker at the time, painted the graphic novel, and each page was more beautiful than the one before. The fact that Dan and I were able to do so much work face to face—building the story together, feeding into each other’s work—and that we had the extended deadline that graphic novels afford, allowed us to collaborate in a way writers and artists working on monthly comics just can’t. All these years later, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Strange-Shamballa-Marvel-Graphic/dp/0871351668/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29OG8UVS7OKWA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dI7XQ23mPuqbiEX2Gm_HTmSmS3w4GCzgYbtEyluy03U.VG7CsuC5I_TfHUlsxfCe7EL2a7S5ZoAdzYBcw61MIos&dib_tag=se&keywords=doctor+strange+into+shamballa&qid=1710174437&s=books&sprefix=Doctor+Strange+Into%2Cstripbooks%2C96&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Into Shamballa</a> </i>remains a project I’m incredibly proud of—and a true testament to Dan’s brilliance as both an artist and storyteller. The book has been out of print for years, but it’s being featured in a Doctor Strange <i>Marvel Masterworks </i>edition that will be out later this year.</span></p><p class="p7" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY</span></b></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This one stands alone because the journey is more tortuous (and more than a little torturous):<br /><br />The germ of the idea that eventually evolved into the all-ages fantasy <i>Abadazad</i> first appeared in my head in the mid-1980s, but it wasn’t until 2003 that a new company called CrossGen enthusiastically agreed to publish the book, recruiting Mike Ploog—one of the greatest fantasy illustrators on the planet—and gifted color artist Nick Bell to provide the visuals. (Mike and I split ownership with CG, so it began life as a creator-owned book)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdxLoGrQokN8UkMQaO-jNtlqxxmBTdGntymexVD6kaRMb7ORs5U0-GTnRKd_aSrD1aU2TpoDqiBD5a5EJ3Mg4eTd3umLQqq0u0oYuyuz3EXDN77CA7z16Q-ki37vaqj2mgG8IrZgn4XulTl5C7OMJlavRHu6JTU5qjE_N3fW8UGAKH0Nrd_tJ6grxz1k8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="251" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdxLoGrQokN8UkMQaO-jNtlqxxmBTdGntymexVD6kaRMb7ORs5U0-GTnRKd_aSrD1aU2TpoDqiBD5a5EJ3Mg4eTd3umLQqq0u0oYuyuz3EXDN77CA7z16Q-ki37vaqj2mgG8IrZgn4XulTl5C7OMJlavRHu6JTU5qjE_N3fW8UGAKH0Nrd_tJ6grxz1k8=w252-h400" width="252" /></a></div><br />Unfortunately, after only three issues of <i>Abadazad</i> had seen print, our publisher went bankrupt. We were eventually rescued from oblivion by Hyperion Books For Children and signed for a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Road-Inconceivable-Abadazad-Book/dp/142310062X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=L79XH4YGNKG1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.C8WnaCnvJI0OSF5ovLTf1Z7kvfgLd6x5PZoW8UFLBLCQFyLKYcRubagfwfrDUnRXZGBbC0Dc_D_L18ISkR8IONcEUYxOz0mQJP87nsYThDbKRvrY3JtiS6sfCkBkK-NaRejZ4qjKNxmzDQ4jyE8ic4lslD0xd4zoaV5xyrKRtlV_nURYWAp17nbkAH-d5_IY4Y9JcXXrsKqQm9oyp1bgdDjblfCmFuxgl9MKq4ldJNs.fQjnH8GEh-TiMpCz30diqyx7asHWwqerqyW8emkL1co&dib_tag=se&keywords=Abadazad&qid=1710174481&s=books&sprefix=abadazad%2Cstripbooks%2C81&sr=1-2" target="_blank">six book series</a>—combining sequential comics and illustrated prose—with Hyperion’s parent company, Disney, purchasing all the rights and promising great things ahead. (Visions of Disneyland rides and animated films danced through our heads.) But, for complex reasons I won’t go into here, the book series died after the third volume came out: It remains the biggest heartbreak of my career. (The entire <i>‘Zad</i> creative team reunited for another all-ages fantasy that’s dear to my heart, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stardust-Kid-J-M-DeMatteis/dp/1684150442" target="_blank">The Stardust Kid</a></i>—featuring some of Ploog’s most stunning art—and, yes, we own that one.)<br /><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">Considering all the work I’m doing at the moment—including the aforementioned </i><a href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/spider-man-shadow-of-the-green-goblin-jm-dematteis-michael-sta-maria" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Shadow of the Green Goblin,</a><i style="font-weight: bold;"> four (or is it five?) new creator-owned projects that are part of the </i><a href="https://spellboundcomics.com/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Spellbound Comics/DeMultiverse Kickstarter</a><i style="font-weight: bold;"> (Phase II launching soon!) and a top-secret DC project, I’ll have to revisit this list in a few years. I’d also like to do a deep dive into my ongoing work in </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-Unlimited-Classic-Collection/dp/B000GYI33Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17JMP6G0I4X7V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k1_0fzA8VpqnzotKBQL5tyGBmimnNp6CXaKglQzTlrWDWT9pvGt2-W3pRRbIRxidqXSLOY6aGXKEZWz1gG7-m9uShFOdghTEwSktsyB6E4l7UozJsd6MgGMvoiqyU1RQnGwaZj5wTTSlJg-NJL5K4RdUHUnbdu0rzZaXAEejQHlia7hQcXMew3rartq4VRzmyd-A667I5RsDSvZdqkt_EVCR2TcfrzCTAhiOLZtVXd8.LW7gnxqopf2A3iuuOQfeCgWEsDWrETY-RPG4UYfCbXM&dib_tag=se&keywords=justice+league+unlimited+dvd&qid=1710174634&s=movies-tv&sprefix=justice+league+unl%2Cmovies-tv%2C98&sr=1-1" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">television</a><i style="font-weight: bold;">, </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Constantine-City-Demons-UHD-Blu-ray/dp/B07G24T8DC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HIHONF1JUTZI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Cf56G561zWVzstG3_pTTkvk08bU5uLDdJLYcibIDXez08JfuvRbuAmh9xWGOT402wP_k_hcgITqUngd0Qd_po805u_L61RN5AOAc9ztNuYS2fx379OgTpXccYQAEx2JKqjZRs8_bDvhTl1M0lVRL0IWu1QvQwlu_KLKzYiKvC05ChVnFMugVP02gm8KZYjfWXhwuhOTbTLJA7TS_jjdz-XnUsRy7JyKIzw67QDJWWQM.lB91XOEP8NchZwyL2IELPTCK4F37mTHm_RDEXDWP9es&dib_tag=se&keywords=constantine%3A+city+of+demons&qid=1710174663&s=movies-tv&sprefix=constantine+city+of+demons%2Cmovies-tv%2C94&sr=1-1" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">film</a><i style="font-weight: bold;">, and </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Witness-J-M-DeMatteis/dp/B0CH253JTG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1J2TGQC0KRFVH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.51-RFiR01Q1yQ0SRiigvkxmw5RRMU27m0zkPHORW6Lw.vOybXhPBWveGjjMyJ4xLCdS7AGroTe2aPCqFovmMPJI&dib_tag=se&keywords=DeMatteis+The+Witness&qid=1710174699&s=books&sprefix=dematteis+the+witness%2Cstripbooks%2C76&sr=1-1" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">prose</a><i style="font-weight: bold;">—but, really, that’s enough listing for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed the journey.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">©copyright 2024 J.M. DeMatteis</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-12402295813633509092024-03-06T09:10:00.002-05:002024-03-06T15:59:53.540-05:00EISNER DAY<span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9WtwDZlecYRXDZ0zEMYI1CbSxFS0EMsx-DmVVk6UzY-DSUxnmtrCn5G9WBnc5Z8R63qYazJLhsDaIDn6P8srIRdScBrwaqOgOzvgq2X-AsnQKlA01BCXp8CrGOGXuSC0POqU71GbuSkGA6f1sXT_z9OG8ymnFuRx2yhY_jKuZfphkrojSD6TVsTYpZjU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="400" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9WtwDZlecYRXDZ0zEMYI1CbSxFS0EMsx-DmVVk6UzY-DSUxnmtrCn5G9WBnc5Z8R63qYazJLhsDaIDn6P8srIRdScBrwaqOgOzvgq2X-AsnQKlA01BCXp8CrGOGXuSC0POqU71GbuSkGA6f1sXT_z9OG8ymnFuRx2yhY_jKuZfphkrojSD6TVsTYpZjU=w400-h340" width="400" /></a></div><br />In honor of Will Eisner's birthday, here's a (very slightly edited) post, from a few years back, celebrating the man and his work.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><br />I had the honor of sitting on a panel beside Eisner—one of few comic book creators who crossed, then utterly erased, the line between pop culture entertainment and genuine literature—many years ago, but we never had the opportunity to really talk, really connect. And yet we did connect, through his work, and he spoke to me, via words and pictures, in eloquent, unforgettable—and deeply personal—ways. <br /><br />There have been times, in a career that’s lasted over forty years, when I’ve grown tired of comics, when I’ve felt that there’s nothing left for me to say; when I’ve looked at the form with a cynical, dismissive eye. Better, I thought, to just focus on my television and film work, on novels, on anything but those damn comic books. <br /><br />And then, I’d pick up some Eisner graphic novel—<i>Dropsie Avenue, To the Heart of the Storm, </i>or my absolute favorite, one of the single most brilliant works this medium has ever seen, <i>A Contract With God</i>—and the scales would fall from my eyes, the cynical words would dissolve on my lips, the innocence and enthusiasm of a kid reading his first comic book would burn bright in my heart. <br /><br />Will Eisner didn’t traffic in costumes and super-powers: He looked at the (apparently) mundane, everyday world and revealed the infinite universes within each person’s heart. His work, unfailingly, inspired me and taught me, again and again, that the true potential of comics has only begun to be tapped; that we, as writers and artists in this medium, can, and must, tell stories of intelligence, emotion—and heartbreaking, uplifting humanity. <br /><br />Eisner inspired me in another way, as well: He never stopped. The man kept working, producing graphic novels of unparalleled quality—producing art—till the day he died. May we all follow his example and keep creating new worlds of imagination into our eighties and beyond. Aspiring, as Will Eisner clearly did, to always be better at our craft.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipA-3VCsAeqa2xnMgaua1QZqUH2BFkKexziIxQ37mKAU1PfmIYENb1owcL971KsLz5aaWuLWXwHWcwXe2WmYwYuLv852oa-XVnrxyGTrmTTJRhIBHX_nVS7dAPzXInOeefRwq8M9QcTr5IIDM5yqWrl9p0NuY3zkFzSOReZ9NEbi6BaAkDHD5xFnO_YEU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipA-3VCsAeqa2xnMgaua1QZqUH2BFkKexziIxQ37mKAU1PfmIYENb1owcL971KsLz5aaWuLWXwHWcwXe2WmYwYuLv852oa-XVnrxyGTrmTTJRhIBHX_nVS7dAPzXInOeefRwq8M9QcTr5IIDM5yqWrl9p0NuY3zkFzSOReZ9NEbi6BaAkDHD5xFnO_YEU=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">©copyright 2024 J.M. DeMatteis </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-63548764791968113382024-03-01T19:06:00.003-05:002024-03-02T10:13:25.860-05:00THE SHADOW KNOWS<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmDc8EEopm0-XvUmysvVY0zgtSICqNN-hdl4wpnFrWVIp2NLkG7hekA5-ukjfNoV3hIlWaVtu9dOCdepFxhPwhNlW9kv3vVdNcJCHKCFJKkT3_DJuOf2Ht96z6LmWOYA82Tm7txrBOAMj5dxSit9tFt_WkHbqy7sGr5qO9YFbXdz_rVG0FA6fXJuB6hEg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2247" data-original-width="1480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmDc8EEopm0-XvUmysvVY0zgtSICqNN-hdl4wpnFrWVIp2NLkG7hekA5-ukjfNoV3hIlWaVtu9dOCdepFxhPwhNlW9kv3vVdNcJCHKCFJKkT3_DJuOf2Ht96z6LmWOYA82Tm7txrBOAMj5dxSit9tFt_WkHbqy7sGr5qO9YFbXdz_rVG0FA6fXJuB6hEg=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />AIPT has a preview of the first issue of <i>Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin</i> and you can read all about the series (well, what we're willing to give away) by <a href="https://aiptcomics.com/2024/03/01/marvel-first-look-spider-man-shadow-of-the-green-goblin-1/" target="_blank">clicking this link.</a> You can also check out some of Michael Sta. Maria's wonderful artwork (enhanced by Chris Sotomayor's gorgeous colors) above and below. These preview pages are unlettered, but I promise: There will be words!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin</i> will be out April 3rd!<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDt-7-1N4lMBGrb4IHSprAOpgcL9YenIpu_m4_0Fef_u5X338TM2km-q4_s-d3SUJ6MESRm1DUdL8o1b3noGt-sjxIW7Ng334yaxLrmAl0vusUjUMPSMtA3uutt-hwqSSnh7pGrTWbT6rZtkkrY_VJA6kPu-REauEIL2-q3EM7vbvMzHnEQx061srKL4Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDt-7-1N4lMBGrb4IHSprAOpgcL9YenIpu_m4_0Fef_u5X338TM2km-q4_s-d3SUJ6MESRm1DUdL8o1b3noGt-sjxIW7Ng334yaxLrmAl0vusUjUMPSMtA3uutt-hwqSSnh7pGrTWbT6rZtkkrY_VJA6kPu-REauEIL2-q3EM7vbvMzHnEQx061srKL4Q=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_aOEkUD1F0FskP-FcFCefRxaCgNC3CGVGVK_9rkm8tIZ_wqBUsLq_IsM6sLfa9dbE7TsKdiMHRFV7mBtzSGoZhu0UKfOPMnaAS5PEmfpyP_ZCyQ-JNX0wSnXX6iDd4SXYzlXITeloHjkcxNfc8HYMd9uV6rAyD5k-2DUnvXD6DdQciG19bsm48HMUC4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2247" data-original-width="1480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_aOEkUD1F0FskP-FcFCefRxaCgNC3CGVGVK_9rkm8tIZ_wqBUsLq_IsM6sLfa9dbE7TsKdiMHRFV7mBtzSGoZhu0UKfOPMnaAS5PEmfpyP_ZCyQ-JNX0wSnXX6iDd4SXYzlXITeloHjkcxNfc8HYMd9uV6rAyD5k-2DUnvXD6DdQciG19bsm48HMUC4=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJZIEJtJ9Qnq43bouY9n6Rw-nPM4xjCTNrMDX28_3qx6CL-da3buGW3xLryslLOsftNvlLNHD7pu03oSiXJzRydZKTS1-OA7TnKXQwaaO75trXBz4lXUsIom2-OoFEXRlNKyXWre0kS4jJyDsBCubZ8vaDxighmkuxJzPEx6cqWvSOusP4N2WtpSFj9NI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2247" data-original-width="1480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJZIEJtJ9Qnq43bouY9n6Rw-nPM4xjCTNrMDX28_3qx6CL-da3buGW3xLryslLOsftNvlLNHD7pu03oSiXJzRydZKTS1-OA7TnKXQwaaO75trXBz4lXUsIom2-OoFEXRlNKyXWre0kS4jJyDsBCubZ8vaDxighmkuxJzPEx6cqWvSOusP4N2WtpSFj9NI=w263-h400" width="263" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_UFnPi208wSl5kU8deLK9ytfScoy6Ls3JSuZehITnUY_RNwKhb3V6v47CgAjS0XqwM9VtwhxuVj-Yif84YGJL10EYS38JvgBu9x2BGMmJj4l0DHc-Z7y7Y0XhyXp9GnOE0x7YLfCgVeJfJhwMhpN15qBLephAxtNFhdXl4Nmlt_E2D53qhlPKdzEY_RY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2247" data-original-width="1480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_UFnPi208wSl5kU8deLK9ytfScoy6Ls3JSuZehITnUY_RNwKhb3V6v47CgAjS0XqwM9VtwhxuVj-Yif84YGJL10EYS38JvgBu9x2BGMmJj4l0DHc-Z7y7Y0XhyXp9GnOE0x7YLfCgVeJfJhwMhpN15qBLephAxtNFhdXl4Nmlt_E2D53qhlPKdzEY_RY=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /></div></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-40874563872099469522024-02-27T08:07:00.001-05:002024-02-28T12:46:32.908-05:00ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?<span style="font-family: verdana;">Had a fun talk with the fine folks at the <i>Spideydude Experience</i> podcast about my upcoming <i>Shadow of the Green Goblin</i> mini-series. We also discussed some of my past Spider-Man stories, as well as the upcoming DeMultiverse Phase Two and other things. It's embedded below. Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="453" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWd1uISPffc" width="466" youtube-src-id="NWd1uISPffc"></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-87153862882554300592024-02-26T08:42:00.006-05:002024-02-27T17:42:28.236-05:00HAPPY BIRTHDAY (A DAY LATE), AVATAR MEHER BABA<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Love is essentially self-communicative; those who do not have it catch it from those who have it. Those who receive love from others cannot be its recipients without giving a response that, in itself, is the nature of love. True love is unconquerable and irresistible. It goes on gathering power and spreading itself until eventually it transforms everyone it touches."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Avatar Meher Baba</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="328" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DGHg8sH9ahw" width="394" youtube-src-id="DGHg8sH9ahw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-4899280550057172442024-02-14T17:39:00.003-05:002024-02-15T16:21:52.581-05:00REMEMBERING NEARY<span style="font-family: verdana;">Just heard the sad news that Paul Neary has passed away. Mainly known as an inker—especially when teamed with Alan Davis—Paul was also a top notch penciler. Although we never met, he took over the art on my <i>Captain America</i> run after Mike Zeck left and did beautiful work—going on to pencil much of Mark Gruenwald's epic <i>Cap</i> run. <br /><br />Heartfelt condolences to Paul's friends and family.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0HRE8wZzHikHaF815p-RGaVrSrIyBcmDWvDVYM4vbcXUvU_OaRx0vGKYrjRTm7fdV5GToSTAiQDtrapSRoJyutek_s0oLtMzywqjl9QSI4WeLOojyauLfJGzJ6jW3jws6V3_aimvkbny_4xPhxIqH9JqcLzspSEA0mcGcRwavl7tBiub1iMhF4jOOm2s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="1018" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0HRE8wZzHikHaF815p-RGaVrSrIyBcmDWvDVYM4vbcXUvU_OaRx0vGKYrjRTm7fdV5GToSTAiQDtrapSRoJyutek_s0oLtMzywqjl9QSI4WeLOojyauLfJGzJ6jW3jws6V3_aimvkbny_4xPhxIqH9JqcLzspSEA0mcGcRwavl7tBiub1iMhF4jOOm2s=w317-h400" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-TPhLtkfMyFRgNyA_Oe5gy6eWXJ4GgaA7hevKgQSl1HLUEhnUJqLdUav3lAzfpDsRu1phH-5OIQc4nYWylwnIeBnwkJVl5g1-o7P42y1Li1vcZliFOfBSbmeHnH5JcagrknxnSdLtKl-vmHoQRU9NxQ5B3B4wZSqChmKbs2UPudwDC93sd6NBAn7sk70" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1248" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-TPhLtkfMyFRgNyA_Oe5gy6eWXJ4GgaA7hevKgQSl1HLUEhnUJqLdUav3lAzfpDsRu1phH-5OIQc4nYWylwnIeBnwkJVl5g1-o7P42y1Li1vcZliFOfBSbmeHnH5JcagrknxnSdLtKl-vmHoQRU9NxQ5B3B4wZSqChmKbs2UPudwDC93sd6NBAn7sk70=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUYT_hmiTw9uTJJgMGMXkDC3e0OqQj_yvtaTwvq70RMxUw-HuSE9ScU94_cFolhKGOkf-HHxIoUYJsUSdyQL1j_jwmBtKiA40DKzDVdmzQBh0vj-LVYgckrhK-byTE7JzR-GRWIB_Yhr-1mcoIRsqNHFYslv8jSud7_fGhDLv1nl9FPY9uLdcmxjtKH_8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="986" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUYT_hmiTw9uTJJgMGMXkDC3e0OqQj_yvtaTwvq70RMxUw-HuSE9ScU94_cFolhKGOkf-HHxIoUYJsUSdyQL1j_jwmBtKiA40DKzDVdmzQBh0vj-LVYgckrhK-byTE7JzR-GRWIB_Yhr-1mcoIRsqNHFYslv8jSud7_fGhDLv1nl9FPY9uLdcmxjtKH_8=w292-h400" width="292" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-9974289167762977472024-02-09T11:00:00.000-05:002024-02-09T11:00:25.523-05:00PROCESS<span style="font-family: verdana;">Some folks don't understand how the plot-first (or so-called Marvel style) of writing comics works, so I thought I'd share a page from a plot for the 2022 <i>Ben Reilly: Spider-Man </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">series. This went out to the artist, David Baldeon, and I wrote the final captions/dialogue after I saw the art.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiybP5nMOrXy6cBcAgzG7iGGnzyVBJZFHQgcX1zldXhQBcoLNxakRbMPoTD84Fq4pAPyDgv_wuQExjPLo6fjZmosX22nn67fTmec_qlmgxpmlXaxQ_olP9bUZX7BIP_6oU19-RSEIB-2Y0_VT2--iqPRnYE15oHFXgLdq7MtrhlYiNsTynjHknLbx0xWbk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="1210" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiybP5nMOrXy6cBcAgzG7iGGnzyVBJZFHQgcX1zldXhQBcoLNxakRbMPoTD84Fq4pAPyDgv_wuQExjPLo6fjZmosX22nn67fTmec_qlmgxpmlXaxQ_olP9bUZX7BIP_6oU19-RSEIB-2Y0_VT2--iqPRnYE15oHFXgLdq7MtrhlYiNsTynjHknLbx0xWbk=w368-h400" width="368" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnaVj0E6LffBLBBXvH9fW8IXSANsE_HvqO3cSDoxhFUMB2t7RURIyVN-ypdsrfBpmeJOGiuk4_CH07n1QmUgKB4xITOiSMNkkfUjN3FMD0EQOdkIqT7Kzxoi4HSS9SlGBGDe3yAwm2h6hZqppznfz14k4gSOTBpkVnftsToTEz71VEMJlW09Fh33tL25k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnaVj0E6LffBLBBXvH9fW8IXSANsE_HvqO3cSDoxhFUMB2t7RURIyVN-ypdsrfBpmeJOGiuk4_CH07n1QmUgKB4xITOiSMNkkfUjN3FMD0EQOdkIqT7Kzxoi4HSS9SlGBGDe3yAwm2h6hZqppznfz14k4gSOTBpkVnftsToTEz71VEMJlW09Fh33tL25k=w411-h640" width="411" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For contrast, here's an example of full script. This is from <i>Wisdom</i>, the supernatural western I did with Tom Mandrake for the DeMultiverse Kickstarter. (DeMultiverse Phase II coming soon!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWgaLpAL8-6b_0ihiMeXZcmIK0M39CrhTLshdDheYI0KL1LWtcES-cpI6eoRGQmyXd1xI3OcBysHuZMHQuTRRuOk74V4rdhtI3HhIePgBO14urV993k6hNmAd0hddKKyzAA9xbWoh2UuKUkZJiFAey40HbDw1HHwrxPXkp6FoBeC-aPJwrtV-FPHnYpNA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1392" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWgaLpAL8-6b_0ihiMeXZcmIK0M39CrhTLshdDheYI0KL1LWtcES-cpI6eoRGQmyXd1xI3OcBysHuZMHQuTRRuOk74V4rdhtI3HhIePgBO14urV993k6hNmAd0hddKKyzAA9xbWoh2UuKUkZJiFAey40HbDw1HHwrxPXkp6FoBeC-aPJwrtV-FPHnYpNA=w360-h400" width="360" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF07u16UvGVelb64Fam4pdapddIyMhcXRZXJj5O7UNW3MbIyfxj0Omt6T_RuiadfLwo7gWUkNA4GNjqJpE_ll2zxXh1I-yP_SNWY43o2bYeQ8IbOT0vEnO32FqBAscZEq2j0g1NHuA8TUV902eCneSyp2-vMTc09BhpSzBNkKGsKxOhfM1aa18khIrmwI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="1368" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF07u16UvGVelb64Fam4pdapddIyMhcXRZXJj5O7UNW3MbIyfxj0Omt6T_RuiadfLwo7gWUkNA4GNjqJpE_ll2zxXh1I-yP_SNWY43o2bYeQ8IbOT0vEnO32FqBAscZEq2j0g1NHuA8TUV902eCneSyp2-vMTc09BhpSzBNkKGsKxOhfM1aa18khIrmwI=w358-h400" width="358" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3lWdGD6uancrLs7DIDnTtRqx12ppRMbEfbV_goGaO8Fz9pIjZiY4zx-6kFe1hQHtPuXxf_C93jg1igjsmtc2Yck6zrSlUj8wgrg6i-hr1DO_u9NVQRb7OoGpTrp3_BbLx2EoePNqS0admaGqItj5S6sx1Dq3K52y5mAWiftoWW5wi3zGejBVs70Db-f8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1168" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3lWdGD6uancrLs7DIDnTtRqx12ppRMbEfbV_goGaO8Fz9pIjZiY4zx-6kFe1hQHtPuXxf_C93jg1igjsmtc2Yck6zrSlUj8wgrg6i-hr1DO_u9NVQRb7OoGpTrp3_BbLx2EoePNqS0admaGqItj5S6sx1Dq3K52y5mAWiftoWW5wi3zGejBVs70Db-f8=w400-h351" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hope you enjoyed this peak behind the comic book curtain!</span></div></div><br /></div></span></div><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-33599824838393225322024-02-05T18:20:00.000-05:002024-02-05T18:20:04.030-05:0037TH BWAH-HA-HANNIVERSARY<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmtGg48h-3LDOFCTaWc7-yEhjYmuL-FGEOrvdhdCqQA6bHJ5rWlNeFhVGw_6z36weMVsYH6jw7d20SWUdRP5jil-yUdEGhlhD8MJXiEywXxJQws46JU4maCGytorPDAGK831B0zGLsRKZu3GBJ-bMRaNkEj1Ql4LFQdIKh28JEJiMnSvSlOozFVyTIHOI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmtGg48h-3LDOFCTaWc7-yEhjYmuL-FGEOrvdhdCqQA6bHJ5rWlNeFhVGw_6z36weMVsYH6jw7d20SWUdRP5jil-yUdEGhlhD8MJXiEywXxJQws46JU4maCGytorPDAGK831B0zGLsRKZu3GBJ-bMRaNkEj1Ql4LFQdIKh28JEJiMnSvSlOozFVyTIHOI=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">37 years ago today the "bwah-ha-ha" era of Justice League was launched—and I began one of the great creative journeys of my career.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I tip my hat to the amazing Kevin Maguire, whose one-of-a-kind storytelling set the tone for the talented crew of artists that followed, to our truly extraordinary editor, Andy Helfer, who made the whole thing possible, to letterer Bob Lappan who fit all that damn dialogue in with style and grace...<br /><br />...and most of all to the brilliant Mr. Giffen—as talented and generous a collaborator as I've ever had. Keith: We miss you!<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-79619041703756602932024-01-31T11:03:00.005-05:002024-01-31T11:05:56.392-05:00AMARTITHI 2024<span style="font-family: verdana;">Wishing a blessed Amartithi to my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba" target="_blank">Meher Baba</a> family around the world. <br /><br />“The book that I shall make people read is the book of the heart, which holds the key to the mystery of life.”—Avatar Meher Baba </span><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JhRmWd9qDE8" width="491" youtube-src-id="JhRmWd9qDE8"></iframe></div><i><br /></i></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-21327699502886243832024-01-22T09:34:00.003-05:002024-01-22T09:35:17.646-05:00EVERYBODY LOVES KRAVEN<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I talk to the <i>Geekscape Book Club</i> and take a deep dive into <i>Kraven's Last Hunt.</i> I'm continually amazed, and deeply grateful, that folks are still interested in, and excited by, this story more than thirty-five years after it was originally published.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="385" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vOTaqgsGd-4" width="463" youtube-src-id="vOTaqgsGd-4"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-70120828151714737552024-01-21T10:44:00.001-05:002024-01-21T10:44:28.276-05:00NEW WORLDS<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Had a fun conversation about the creative process with Jason DeHart of the <i>Words, Images, and Worlds</i> podcast—and you can watch it below.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="436" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PqnpXvSq2SM" width="525" youtube-src-id="PqnpXvSq2SM"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-80808110224936926352024-01-10T15:35:00.002-05:002024-01-10T15:35:47.928-05:00COLLECTIONS<span style="font-family: verdana;">FedEx just dropped off this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/SILVER-SURFER-EPIC-COLLECTION-SHADOW/dp/1302953354" target="_blank">hefty tome</a>—collecting the final issues of my 90s Silver Surfer run (primarily illustrated by my old friend Jon J Muth)—along with some great stories by Tom DeFalco, Louise Simonson, and other folks. Nice to see these back in print! </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh045cJoDHp4-raGZ8eutc2OfEshUrTBMNi48dGT2W0-b8Pwty88gv_AL7k9XBYE6AtqKb_UN0QT5AzVmbXtAEQUb6mxHhQMQ0usDs6K1gkNOl7CXY7iQskLQZEiPAwXZQjcGC_ABHBt90mSB13JfjWS1CCuUGXJdTbC6tPw90DLpbvoibvcnNTnow6Stc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3379" data-original-width="2176" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh045cJoDHp4-raGZ8eutc2OfEshUrTBMNi48dGT2W0-b8Pwty88gv_AL7k9XBYE6AtqKb_UN0QT5AzVmbXtAEQUb6mxHhQMQ0usDs6K1gkNOl7CXY7iQskLQZEiPAwXZQjcGC_ABHBt90mSB13JfjWS1CCuUGXJdTbC6tPw90DLpbvoibvcnNTnow6Stc=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And speaking of collections, February will see the release of the final <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-International-Omnibus-Vol/dp/1779525648/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NPY3A7JO71X8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.suvQWmMxQly8ov-VwCq-4Y9cr8zwbbnbcrojyDo0MDtt4FrdyFJ8LCktkjSoAPWtjNZKRcgzdZvvQFhmxELQsw.KLsRpQHnl8bgyBU8TVnFDjkyqj7H8bBQ5P-VDGxEiD8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Justice+League+International+omnibus+vol+3&qid=1704918841&s=books&sprefix=justice+league+international+omnibus+vol+3%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>Justice League International</i> omnibus</a>, which will include not just the balance of the original Giffen-DeMatteis run, but our reunion series </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Formerly Known As The Justice League, I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League,</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Justice League Retroactive—</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">all brought to life by the brilliant Kevin Maguire</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">. </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The omnibus will also feature a new Maguire cover (not pictured here) and a tribute to our departed pal, the founding father of the JLI, Keith Giffen.</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> </i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope, somewhere, Keith's happy these stories are back in print. But he'd probably just shrug and say, "Ah...who cares?"—if only for dramatic effect.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhysAvGnmTHTtSYpQmh3I_moVGkunUhUB9wY1G1SdxmKPoTqRi_GNRmBqJ1Bnm9VzdpTOyCvOygkEN9xcPrlAJAwLH4dAl46Sy6eIoqnUFnEfyAN1xIoij7nReJTYLSo8s7gOaXLew2hJQVbhZu4pQCT0GXAov1R0SthULYpwiFFek1CWNz6kmc4ie0uFk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3056" data-original-width="1987" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhysAvGnmTHTtSYpQmh3I_moVGkunUhUB9wY1G1SdxmKPoTqRi_GNRmBqJ1Bnm9VzdpTOyCvOygkEN9xcPrlAJAwLH4dAl46Sy6eIoqnUFnEfyAN1xIoij7nReJTYLSo8s7gOaXLew2hJQVbhZu4pQCT0GXAov1R0SthULYpwiFFek1CWNz6kmc4ie0uFk=w416-h640" width="416" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-8349612614054955682023-12-17T13:59:00.004-05:002023-12-17T14:31:28.155-05:00A CHRISTMAS TRADITION—2023 EDITION<div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">On television they’re trotting out <i>Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life,</i> and seemingly-infinite variations on <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. Here at Creation Point we have our own Yuletide tradition. Back in 2009—born out of my inordinate love for this heart-filling, soul-transforming, sacred and transcendent season—I wrote a short Christmas tale called <i>The Truth About Santa Claus.</i> Since then, I’ve been offering it annually as a kind of cyber Christmas present: my way of wishing all of you who visit this site the happiest of holidays and the most magical of Christmases. I offer it again this year—along with a trio of illustrations provided by my friend and collaborator <a href="https://www.vassilisgogtzilas.com/" target="_blank">Vassilis Gogtzilas</a>. So grab a plate of Christmas cookies, pull a chair up close to the fireplace and enjoy.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b><b>THE TRUTH ABOUT<br />SANTA CLAUS</b></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br />“THERE IS NO SANTA CLAUS!”<br /><br />He’d been thinking about it for days—ever since he heard Big Mouth Jenny Rizzo announce it on the school bus—and he didn’t believe a word of it, not one word. (Well, maybe ONE.) But Cody had to be sure, absolutely, positively sure—<br /><br />—and that’s why he was hiding behind the couch at midnight on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />His mother was there, asleep in his dad’s old easy chair, the reds and blues of the Christmas tree lights making her look peaceful and happy and impossibly young.<br /><br />The tree, by the way, had not ONE SINGLE PRESENT underneath it.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYwfaWUpxhgdWiO3vPFxHKYJugMhrPp8VZuDpCxtfU7rx9-kamDQYo8BgGoZvS9TManDBTqXIQd4K90s26lvWuw80Sx4O5Lk-KCgDWvvxKSBpRiplmPb-8uqB35sHlE4Y4awmR45Q8Zw/s1600/santa+00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYwfaWUpxhgdWiO3vPFxHKYJugMhrPp8VZuDpCxtfU7rx9-kamDQYo8BgGoZvS9TManDBTqXIQd4K90s26lvWuw80Sx4O5Lk-KCgDWvvxKSBpRiplmPb-8uqB35sHlE4Y4awmR45Q8Zw/s640/santa+00.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">That didn’t make sense. If there WAS no Santa Claus, if his mother was the one who bought the presents, wrapped the presents, stacked them under the tree, then how come she hadn’t done it? How come she wasn’t awake RIGHT NOW arranging them all?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /><br />He got scared. Maybe there wasn’t going to BE a Christmas this year. Maybe Mom had lost her job and they didn’t have any money and so she COULDN’T buy him any presents and—<br /><br />And then Cody glanced over at the windows and noticed that it was snowing.<br /><br />Or was it?<br /><br />If that was snow, it was the WHITEST snow he’d ever seen. It was snow as bright as moonbeams, as bright as sunlight, as bright as...<br /><br />Stardust.<br /><br />Quickly, but quietly (he didn’t want to wake his mother), he scurried to the window and looked out.<br /><br />It was coming down and coming down and COMING DOWN all across town, whirling and whipping, spinning and gyrating, out of the night sky. Glowing so brightly that it almost hurt his eyes to look at it. And Cody saw that it certainly wasn’t snow, and it absolutely wasn’t rain, it wasn’t ANYTHING he’d ever seen before. But each drop, no...each flake, no... each BALL of glowing WHATEVER IT WAS, seemed to pulse and spin, soar and vibrate, as if it were alive.<br /><br />And the stuff, the magical WHATEVER IT WAS (and he knew now that it was magic. He just KNEW), wasn’t collecting on the streets, wasn’t piling up on the rooftops. It was MELTING INTO (that’s the only way he could put it: MELTING INTO) every house (no matter how small) and apartment building (no matter how big).</span></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgW5SFDL9f-5mQRbDWVMzoK3PXQBKGmJbL1_XciHMVCmd6sN0RX5kAamoQeSZUsSqvM3TnJmXMfms0n70g3624YwAjIOouQ0sWOV55j-asXwTJ4suuv_hQqxHC2wUhZya6Mm23JAPCjU/s1600/santa+01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgW5SFDL9f-5mQRbDWVMzoK3PXQBKGmJbL1_XciHMVCmd6sN0RX5kAamoQeSZUsSqvM3TnJmXMfms0n70g3624YwAjIOouQ0sWOV55j-asXwTJ4suuv_hQqxHC2wUhZya6Mm23JAPCjU/s640/santa+01.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br />EVERY house and apartment building.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /><br />EVERY.<br /><br />He looked up.<br /><br />And there it was: coming RIGHT THROUGH THE CEILING of Apartment 3F, HIS apartment, swirling, like a tornado of light, around the chandelier and then down, down, down—<br /><br />—STRAIGHT FOR HIS MOTHER.<br /><br />At first he almost yelled out a warning, “Mom! Wake up! MOM!” But something made him stop.<br /><br />Instead of yelling he ducked back behind the couch and watched, eyes peering over the top.<br /><br />Watched as the light-tornado wheeled around his mother, so fast, so bright, that he could hardly even SEE her. But he COULD see her. Most of her, anyway.<br /><br />And what he SAW...<br /><br />The light poured in through the top of her head, through her eyes, through her chest, through her toes. It lifted her up—still sleeping!—and carried her out of her chair and across the room. And as she floated—<br /><br />—she started to change:<br /><br />Her hair became white, her nose became red, her belly ballooned like the most pregnant woman in the history of the world. Her feet grew boots, her head grew a hat, her nightgown grew fur. An overstuffed sack sprouted, like a lumpy angel’s wing, from her shoulder. And then—<br /><br />AndthenandthenandTHEN, it wasn’t his mother there at all, it was him, it was SANTA CLAUS! STANDING RIGHT THERE IN CODY’S LIVING ROOM! Santa Claus who, with a laugh (exactly like the laugh Cody always knew he had, only better) and a twinkle in his eyes (exactly like the twinkle he’d always imagined, ONLY BETTER) reached into his sack and pulled out package after package, present after present, and placed them, carefully, like some Great Artist contemplating his masterpiece, under the tree.<br /><br />When he was done, Santa Claus stood there, grinning and shaking his head, as if he couldn’t BELIEVE what a beautiful tree this was, how wonderful the presents looked beneath it. As if this moment was the greatest moment in the history of Christmas, as if this apartment was the only place in all the universes that such a Christmas could ever POSSIBLY happen.<br /><br />And then the MOST amazing thing happened:<br /><br />Santa Claus turned.<br /><br />He turned slowly. So slowly Cody couldn’t even tell at first that he was moving at all. And—slowly, SLOWLY—those twinkling eyes, that Smile of smiles, fixed itself on the two boy-eyes peering, in wonder, over the top of the couch.<br /><br />And what Cody felt then he could never really say: only that it was better than any present anyone could ever get. Only that it made his heart so warm it melted like magical WHATEVER IT WAS, trickling down through his whole body. Only that it made him want to reach out his arms and hug Santa Claus, hug his mother, hug his father (and FORGIVE him too, for running out on them) and his aunts and uncles and cousins (even his Cousin Erskine who was SUCH a pain) and Big Mouth Jenny Rizzo (who really wasn’t so bad most of the time) and all his friends and teachers and the kid in his karate class who always smelled SO BAD and, embarrassing as it sounds, it made him want to hug everyone and everything in the whole world including rabbits and snakes and trees and lizards and grass and lions and mountains and, yes, the EARTH HERSELF.<br /><br />Cody wanted to hold that gaze, to keep his eyes locked on Santa’s, forever. (Or longer, if he could.) Wanted to swim in that incredible feeling, drown in it, till GOD HIMSELF came down to say: “Enough!”<br /><br />Except that he blinked. Just once. But in that wink of an eye, Santa was gone. Cody’s mother was asleep in the chair again and, for one terrible moment, the boy thought that the whole thing must have been a dream.<br /><br />Except, under the tree: THERE WERE THE PRESENTS.<br /><br />Except, out the window: THERE WAS THE SNOW, the rain, the magical WHATEVER IT WAS, shooting up, like a blizzard in reverse, from every house, every apartment building. Shooting up into the heavens, gathering together like a fireball, like a white-hot comet—<br /><br />—and fading away into the night: going, going...<br /><br />Gone.<br /><br />Without so much as a tinkling sleigh-bell or a “Ho-ho-ho.”<br /><br />Not that it mattered.<br /><br />Cody looked at his mom.<br /><br />Cody kissed her.<br /><br />“I love you,” he said. And he was crying. Happy tears. Christmas tears. Like moonbeams, like sunlight. Like stardust.<br /><br />Mom stirred in the chair, smiled the softest sweetest smile Cody had ever seen. “I love you, too,” she said.<br /><br />And then she drifted back to sleep.<br /><br />Cody sat at her feet, warming himself, warming his SOUL, by the lights of the tree.<br /><br />And soon, he, too, was drifting off to sleep. And as he drifted, a wonderful thought rose up, like a balloon, inside him. Rose, then POPPED—spreading the thought to every corner of his mind. Giving him great comfort. Great delight:<br /><br />“One day,” the thought whispered, “when you’re all grown-up, when you have children of your own. ONE DAY,” the thought went on...<br /><br />“It will be YOUR TURN.”<br /><br />Merry Christmas.</span></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk0wip4Uj4L-aEC56V3g9AY0xmfnsKWzDsw1xqSq6-59P5vM1oHEA4fu5otaVEoy7eUV_zXInXKXEA-1kcU3QCd4TjqMy9hiYWSZqoTcGITgKD3qA_6dm0zwVaOf_Xva-w1_y_vsJpFM/s1600/santa+02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk0wip4Uj4L-aEC56V3g9AY0xmfnsKWzDsw1xqSq6-59P5vM1oHEA4fu5otaVEoy7eUV_zXInXKXEA-1kcU3QCd4TjqMy9hiYWSZqoTcGITgKD3qA_6dm0zwVaOf_Xva-w1_y_vsJpFM/s640/santa+02.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f7f2ff; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><br />Story ©copyright 2023 J.M. DeMatteis</span></span></div><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #f7f2ff;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Art ©copyright 2023 Vassilis Gogtzilas</span></span> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-28074609597370421672023-12-08T09:40:00.006-05:002023-12-08T10:25:54.066-05:00LAST WORDS<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is John Lennon's final interview, recorded on the afternoon of December 8, 1980. A few hours later, he would be gone. Still heartbreaking, all these years later.</span><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="456" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SjHA0tb7mMo" width="466" youtube-src-id="SjHA0tb7mMo"></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-70222541550992458162023-12-06T14:29:00.004-05:002023-12-07T16:02:04.224-05:00ORIGIN STORY<span style="font-family: verdana;">December is a momentous month in my house: first comes my wife's birthday, then mine, then Christmas. But there's one more seismic event I celebrate every December:<br /><br />Way back in 1977, in the last years of the twentieth century (to paraphrase H.G. Wells), <i>I sold my first comic book script</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>. </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I told the tale of that first sale in a 2011 post. You can read an edited, updated version of the story below. Hope you enjoy this self-indulgent celebration.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***<br /><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikYNIOAXWa2kUHQ-0pC3wElbz93_H-eZ-6RF95O7RS7HZ7Gb84KZwz0YymWOAWFC-3lCDj7eBWI4Qy3ljafvDCmIEvFfbn_W7ThJKDOo19l27dEGc9T_trtuVkPM9U7j5rh12TvE_m61cK_gOFJ3TdL-HlGDn80_AVnxzBx4-Kd3_pFLXYcMDzPorfi-g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikYNIOAXWa2kUHQ-0pC3wElbz93_H-eZ-6RF95O7RS7HZ7Gb84KZwz0YymWOAWFC-3lCDj7eBWI4Qy3ljafvDCmIEvFfbn_W7ThJKDOo19l27dEGc9T_trtuVkPM9U7j5rh12TvE_m61cK_gOFJ3TdL-HlGDn80_AVnxzBx4-Kd3_pFLXYcMDzPorfi-g=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Comic books were a passion that grabbed me at a very early age (I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I don’t recall a time when I <i>didn’t</i> read comics) and never let go. Sure, I moved on to Dostoyevsky, Bradbury, Hesse, and Vonnegut but I never abandoned Lee, Kirby, Broome, Kane, and the other comic book masters who inspired and nurtured me growing up.</div></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I was always creative, obsessed with drawing, playing guitar, writing stories and songs. In many ways, these things weren’t just my passions, they were what defined me. They were me. Which meant I didn't just want to read comics, I wanted to <i>write</i> them—as desperately as I wanted to be a rock and roll star. (I’ll spare you the story of my many musical adventures, but if anyone’s interested in hearing some of my songs, feel free to click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=John+Marc+DeMatteis+How+Many+Lifetimes+" target="_blank">here</a> to check out my l997 CD, <i>How Many Lifetimes?</i>) <br /><br />I made several aborted attempts to enter the comic book business before my success with the legendary Paul Levitz (who was, I think, all of twenty at the time. He’d been working at DC since high school and would eventually, and unsurprisingly, rise to become president of the company): Five years earlier, I’d written a script sample and sent it to Marvel Comics. I had no clue what a comic book script looked like and I’m sure that what I submitted was less-than brilliant. The assistant editor who read my sample thought so, too, and told me just that, in no uncertain terms. (I’ve learned, over the years, that it’s important to encourage new talent regardless of the face value of their work. Even if the samples you’re evaluating are abysmal, you have to find something encouraging to say. Humans—especially the sensitive, neurotic, artistic variety—desperately need encouragement. The smallest crumb of kindness becomes a mountain of hope. I suspect that nameless assistant editor was overwhelmed, having a rough day, and he simply couldn’t bear to plow through yet another wretched submission. But he could have made my day much brighter by simply saying, “You’re not there yet, kid, but keep at it. Don’t give up.”)<br /><br />A year or two later, DC began a short-lived apprentice program: a rare opportunity for novices to be trained by seasoned pros in the craft of writing for comics. Aspiring writers were encouraged to submit their work and those with the best submissions would be chosen for the program. (David Michelinie—a wonderful writer who went on to script <i>Spider-Man, Iron Man, Avengers, Superman</i> and many other titles—got his start as a DC apprentice). I decided to write a <i>Justice League</i> script, a fact I now find hilarious: Team books are difficult for even the most experienced writer—it's still a form I approach with caution—but there I was, nineteen years old and ready to give it my all.<br /><br />I didn’t make it into the program—frankly, I didn’t deserve to—but I received some extremely helpful feedback from a woman on the DC staff named Val Eades. It was the first time I was encouraged by a professional and it meant the world to me. Understand: I was just some kid from Brooklyn who grew up in a lower middle class family. My father worked for the New York City Parks Department, raking leaves and shoveling snow in a local park. My mother was a switchboard operator. Growing up, I’d never encountered anyone even vaguely resembling a professional writer or artist. (My best friend’s older brother was a working musician, part of a Las Vegas lounge act: that was the closest I ever came to hobnobbing with the rich and famous.) Making it as a writer seemed about as easy as scaling the Monolith from Kubrick’s <i>2001</i>. Which is why that small encouragement from Val Eades was so important to me. (Ms. Eades, if you’re out there, God bless you!)<br /><br />A few years later, a fellow student, and comic book fanatic, at Brooklyn College—his name was Warren Reece—actually made it over the Monolith: he got a job at Marvel, working in the production department. Warren very kindly submitted some of my material to the folks at Marvel Editorial, but I never received a response (which, in some ways, was worse than being rejected). Warren then encouraged me to submit some samples to <i>Crazy</i> magazine (Marvel’s attempt at a <i>Mad</i>-style humor publication...although I don’t think <i>Mad</i> was worried). Truth is, I had no interest in writing for <i>Crazy</i>—I possessed zero skills in that arena—but, miraculously, editor Paul Laikin bought one of my pitches and, even more miraculously, I got a check in the mail with Spider-Man’s picture on it. (So blessings to Mr. Laikin and Mr. Reece both.) I’d hoped that selling something to <i>Crazy</i> would get me an “in” with the comic book side of Marvel, but it didn’t. Still, it allowed me to say that I was a (kinda/sorta/maybe/but not really) professional.<br /><br />Not long after that, I sent another batch of samples to DC. (I still have them filed away in my office: a Superman script, a Plastic Man script, and an original piece called <i>Stardust</i>—which was a very raw prototype for what would, seven or eight years later, evolve into <i>Moonshadow</i>.) I got a letter back from Somebody's Assistant saying, "We're not going to buy Superman scripts from a writer we've never heard of, but Paul Levitz is looking for material for <i>House of Mystery</i> and <i>Weird War Tales</i>." These were two of the many anthology comics that DC was publishing then. I'd never read those titles, hardly knew they existed, but you can bet I ran out and bought a stack of them, devoured them, and quickly (perhaps too quickly) developed some story ideas that I mailed off to Paul.<br /><br />Paul’s reply, dated August 22, 1977 (yep, that's still in the files, too), very politely, succinctly—and accurately—tore my stories to shreds. The last line was a classic: "You’re welcome to submit more ideas in the future, but I suggest you use a professional typing service or type more slowly. The physical presentation of your manuscripts leaves something to be desired.” He was right: This was the troglodytic era before computers and, in my hunger and enthusiasm, I had crossed things out, scrawled in the margins, written up and down the sides of the paper.<br /><br />Paul’s criticism didn’t bother me (the fact that he actually took the time to read my work spoke volumes about the man). The only thing that mattered was that wondrous phrase, <i>“You’re welcome to submit more ideas in the future.”</i> Which is what I immediately did: submitted again (and again) until, finally—this must have been late November of that year—I made an appointment to go up to the DC offices (a thrill in itself) and meet with Paul. I remember sitting across the desk from him, nervous and intimidated, pitching ideas. When Paul actually liked one of my stories and asked me to work up a draft, I had a moment of dizzying, euphoric confusion: Wait a minute...WAIT a minute! Is he saying he actually wants me to WRITE THIS?!<br /><br />The story in question—which eventually saw print in <i>House of Mystery</i>—was called (brace yourselves) "The Lady Killer Craves Blood." (I warned you.) It was based on the Son of Sam killings that had traumatized New York the previous summer. In my version, the Sam-like maniac murders a woman, not knowing that her husband is a (what a brilliant twist!) vampire. The vampire then hunts down the serial killer and, still mourning his lost love, submits himself to the obliterating rays of the morning sun. All in eight pages!<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjytvyuZycbbhJv6O3JjC2gFYsiBJOYqPjSrOso15XgsXhyjs8EXHuzM4W2JcNm0CWAWJD38yE2WQI296h50OMwAciqS_pRjqs36-U66BOipQVccLOXcySpZAmkODiyWOkqVu8C-AuMYTHl9pZY3x6JQgBdcEoyLIlnkMAbCvssIlZW1HdDPimuD0ga5gI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="1370" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjytvyuZycbbhJv6O3JjC2gFYsiBJOYqPjSrOso15XgsXhyjs8EXHuzM4W2JcNm0CWAWJD38yE2WQI296h50OMwAciqS_pRjqs36-U66BOipQVccLOXcySpZAmkODiyWOkqVu8C-AuMYTHl9pZY3x6JQgBdcEoyLIlnkMAbCvssIlZW1HdDPimuD0ga5gI=w360-h400" width="360" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A week or so later, back to DC I went, script in hand, ready for Paul's dissection of my work. "No more than five panels per page," he wrote, on a piece of yellow lined paper (I've got that in the files, too), "no more than thirty-five words per panel, no more than two sentences per caption, clear transitional captions, don't forget your splash panel." I raced home, wrote another draft, incorporating Paul’s suggestions (well, as far as I was concerned, they were orders. My philosophy in those early days was simple: <i>the editor is always right.</i> I didn’t want to argue, I wanted to learn) and then, to my astonishment and delight, the next time we met, he bought it. What came next was one of the greatest moments of my professional life: Paul shook my hand, looked me square in the eye and said, "Welcome to the business."</div><br />I didn't need the D Train. I could have floated back to Brooklyn.<br /><br />So here I sit, more than four decades on, looking back on a career that has allowed me to write most of Marvel and DC’s iconic characters (from Spider-Man to the Justice League) and birth original visions from the deepest, truest parts of my soul (from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moonshadow-J-M-Dematteis/dp/150670946X" target="_blank"><i>Moonshadow</i></a> to <a href="https://spellboundcomics.com/">The DeMultiverse</a>). Just as important, my work in comics has opened magical doors into the worlds of television, film and prose. The journey hasn’t always been easy—some of it has been incredibly difficult—but I’m grateful for every bit of it. All of which, I suppose, is my long-winded way of reiterating advice I've offered before (and I'll no doubt offer again):<br /><br />Don’t get sidetracked by practicality. You’re a writer. If you were practical you’d be doing something else. Let your passions carry you forward and don’t listen to the Naysayers and the Practical People who are always around to tell you exactly why your dreams can never be realized. I’m here to tell you that your dreams CAN be realized, if you pursue them with all your heart. FOLLOW YOUR BLISS.<br /><br />If it worked for this clueless kid from Brooklyn, it’ll work for anyone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmyrwNE5N_MXXnUck1FIwLMLR3Id9n8U7kelPdE3awnvtubWHL1qfPYkklJCMRXE1k0DR5H4pENuxmXOtxg4FbJxb5x3GRYqgP0SO0ntLROwI6J5i1IsZMqZTWD2k2mHbUsZ3XfoQv2LyiAHQZP-1yjeEZuK6VAfqQ5-AXLaaRGCxu29MIp7d5vAF_b1s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="870" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmyrwNE5N_MXXnUck1FIwLMLR3Id9n8U7kelPdE3awnvtubWHL1qfPYkklJCMRXE1k0DR5H4pENuxmXOtxg4FbJxb5x3GRYqgP0SO0ntLROwI6J5i1IsZMqZTWD2k2mHbUsZ3XfoQv2LyiAHQZP-1yjeEZuK6VAfqQ5-AXLaaRGCxu29MIp7d5vAF_b1s=w293-h400" width="293" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">©copyright 2023 J.M. DeMatteis</span></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-4215761595739727492023-12-01T15:54:00.004-05:002023-12-01T16:14:42.062-05:00CRACKING THE CODE<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another podcast interview—this time with Dan Kelley of the <i>Code-X Comic Station</i> podcast. Some familiar tales (<i>Kraven, JLI</i>), some new ground (the birth of Vertigo, <i>The Spectre</i>) and more. You can listen below. Enjoy!<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N3lCr_WixA8" width="432" youtube-src-id="N3lCr_WixA8"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-82991255095195949132023-11-29T07:58:00.007-05:002023-11-29T08:02:01.281-05:00WELCOME TO BRAZIL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Had a lovely conversation with Rafael of the <i>HQ</i> podcast, talking about many things—starting with memories of working with the inimitable Keith Giffen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CGj71WYDmN4" width="487" youtube-src-id="CGj71WYDmN4"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-884802052728483592023-11-28T16:49:00.001-05:002023-11-28T16:49:48.824-05:00SWEET AND SAD<span style="font-family: verdana;">Dan Green's daughter Galen has put together a beautiful gallery show of her dad's work, highlighting his extraordinary paintings, his inking work, and his earliest comic book art. My wife and I had a sweet, sad visit with her today, taking in the power and beauty of Dan's art and keeping the candle of remembrance burning.<br /><br />We miss you, Dan.</span><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.2px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
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</span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-86683398013222906352023-11-23T08:40:00.002-05:002023-11-23T08:40:33.034-05:00KEITH AGAIN<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The DC Comics website has posted a tribute to Keith Giffen, featuring thoughts and remembrances from many of us who worked with him. You can read it <a href="https://www.dc.com/rememberingkeithgiffen" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">That Kevin Maguire art alone is bound to bring tears to your eyes. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />We really miss you, Keith. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGPYWlEN1tqISyqMQHijXlbZI4Q2v9w8gqXBvvpXQp4lZ4dttCjKzUhKyqDTikTk2m5cLNEiq1dj761OlVy3QkVwhDae4SAuGNhcX8CiM2kqn111eBPkqCEFrPAnO3CuKMyQ4crqICKh7XpgVq_cs4POv_QldmlTiLG0QXkaRyq2IGtOZ4QdjGBUom6uQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1068" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGPYWlEN1tqISyqMQHijXlbZI4Q2v9w8gqXBvvpXQp4lZ4dttCjKzUhKyqDTikTk2m5cLNEiq1dj761OlVy3QkVwhDae4SAuGNhcX8CiM2kqn111eBPkqCEFrPAnO3CuKMyQ4crqICKh7XpgVq_cs4POv_QldmlTiLG0QXkaRyq2IGtOZ4QdjGBUom6uQ=w313-h400" width="313" /></a></span></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-91040738446781353752023-11-19T08:58:00.006-05:002023-11-19T10:43:40.178-05:00ANTI-SOCIAL<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the Artist Formerly Known As Twitter continues to sink into a swamp of its owner's making, I'll be dialing down my participation over there and focusing more on alternative sites like <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jmdematteis.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@jm.dematteis" target="_blank">Threads</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jm.dematteis/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, of course, folks can always find me over on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jmdematteis/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>—and here, at my original internet home, Creation Point. I'd love to see more people coming over to CP, so spread the word!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And—while I have your attention—I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving! Here's to a world where peace and compassion win the day.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNTF6lrsJE_GZpG0-sK_OhNGzXejuzLgij6PPEgRwUO3OtLBNrk1tb6xF-AAC_h8N4zwSw1E9y18QeCF_kJIcTHEDQIVLAoKKBmlbHSXPLGcFyBHvzYj-nrtXvn-gNaIwoupXZhiVuHlLJJyIa5WbahTD955hKafuh3e4L6cblitHu1jpYOW9DSggHFBM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1284" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNTF6lrsJE_GZpG0-sK_OhNGzXejuzLgij6PPEgRwUO3OtLBNrk1tb6xF-AAC_h8N4zwSw1E9y18QeCF_kJIcTHEDQIVLAoKKBmlbHSXPLGcFyBHvzYj-nrtXvn-gNaIwoupXZhiVuHlLJJyIa5WbahTD955hKafuh3e4L6cblitHu1jpYOW9DSggHFBM" width="295" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-92054999767767880542023-10-30T10:06:00.003-04:002023-10-30T10:13:10.741-04:00MAGNETIC FINALE<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRnOlUJTRilru3kpbdoQsnxrYVJBtEBmh6EWeJRMqXmeoGBH_D1r-msl5aII9QF0oh_4AeZFkXKSGgOGrX211qT2vam-8RYgEkq2bSqwsh8uE1tmH5LQ_YjJMxjd3d4B5e8h-CeomhesvBc1SjEuRewU0NMV5Oj1LVAwIQL2Oxf7FjaWTbwLnvy-EtipM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="666" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRnOlUJTRilru3kpbdoQsnxrYVJBtEBmh6EWeJRMqXmeoGBH_D1r-msl5aII9QF0oh_4AeZFkXKSGgOGrX211qT2vam-8RYgEkq2bSqwsh8uE1tmH5LQ_YjJMxjd3d4B5e8h-CeomhesvBc1SjEuRewU0NMV5Oj1LVAwIQL2Oxf7FjaWTbwLnvy-EtipM=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The final issue of <i>Magneto</i>—our grand finale, brought to brilliant visual life by artist Todd Nauck and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg—is on sale Wednesday. As a huge fan of the original X-Men, it's been a challenge and a delight (perhaps a <i>dark</i> delight) revisiting some of the earliest X-tales through the lens of Erik Lehnsherr's tortured psyche—as well as getting to know the New Mutants (characters </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">I wasn't overly familiar with) and introducing our new villain Irae and her Sisterhood of Evil Mutants. I'd love to do more with all these characters. Time will tell.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Here's the hype from Marvel:<br /><br /><i>IS HE EVIL MUTANT, OR IS HE HERO…OR IS HE BOTH? MAGNETO must come to grips with his past as the Head of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, as well as his present as the Headmaster of the Xavier School’s NEW MUTANTS! What is the TRUE destiny of Erik Lehnsherr? How can these two aspects co-exist in the same man? Don’t miss the astounding final chapter of the character-defining saga by J.M. DeMatteis (PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA) and Todd Nauck (X-MEN LEGENDS, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN)!</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Written by: J. M. DeMatteis<br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Art by: Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg<br />Cover by: Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg<br />Page Count: 28 Pages<br />Release Date: November 1, 2023 </i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some preview pages below. Enjoy!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzkdpLzVpfFt-tuZmVZmwXJp9lcGw56wJtSXpKSVa6_6zdDS3nZ73TRnZgm7vGaG0GtqTg0cVzQrKth8et81fswwXiPfsDb80Ua-2aiDNIGEuEe5pY2SGnh2XlF56zYcZXM1LvMB-CjkVxZzPnMZJob0IyMAWBlzNAMfgGehqrgaKJmaApFEaOWCyf_1A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzkdpLzVpfFt-tuZmVZmwXJp9lcGw56wJtSXpKSVa6_6zdDS3nZ73TRnZgm7vGaG0GtqTg0cVzQrKth8et81fswwXiPfsDb80Ua-2aiDNIGEuEe5pY2SGnh2XlF56zYcZXM1LvMB-CjkVxZzPnMZJob0IyMAWBlzNAMfgGehqrgaKJmaApFEaOWCyf_1A=w264-h400" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV8dbGPyJ7gQuaiG6EZ_D6piEuxC29zdvyo7ueyKTW8Zs9D5alzSWVwLzUj2Psu2C27upAHbCWZtHOn6ymwn0mT-QkFMIXCjwg9Oz3OBWsXc5VP918OKwt7_D2wfxTrxYzx_rWW0rr35WFRwplrRfH_X1QMsegYMVTuS0YM9m7eJ-gXh_GZD-CgeURXRE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV8dbGPyJ7gQuaiG6EZ_D6piEuxC29zdvyo7ueyKTW8Zs9D5alzSWVwLzUj2Psu2C27upAHbCWZtHOn6ymwn0mT-QkFMIXCjwg9Oz3OBWsXc5VP918OKwt7_D2wfxTrxYzx_rWW0rr35WFRwplrRfH_X1QMsegYMVTuS0YM9m7eJ-gXh_GZD-CgeURXRE=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfaRsDQsTpdhpVIQfZ7yX0t4hD-h72sfImC3Kkp7LtCrk88CNPOeRnG5LK2sE9KFxhViws4OpvRiTmZGmCV30AQlJjhmfNxw-h2K3zrsdJDBWu2n51vII3WETEB1PzNXsnpq4QP-dgkRIqbTNV6jfBOBt-x1lbK5ZadTx_3PxZ2IjQticGGi2OlXYHyKQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfaRsDQsTpdhpVIQfZ7yX0t4hD-h72sfImC3Kkp7LtCrk88CNPOeRnG5LK2sE9KFxhViws4OpvRiTmZGmCV30AQlJjhmfNxw-h2K3zrsdJDBWu2n51vII3WETEB1PzNXsnpq4QP-dgkRIqbTNV6jfBOBt-x1lbK5ZadTx_3PxZ2IjQticGGi2OlXYHyKQ=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div></div></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-61838603031939107862023-10-22T13:05:00.001-04:002023-10-22T13:05:20.589-04:00IN THE LONGBOX<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Had a wonderful conversation with John of the <i>John's Longbox</i> podcast, talking about (among other things) <i>Greenberg, the Vampire</i>, Brooklyn, egg creams, <i>Moonshadow</i>, the DeMultiverse and my departed friends Dan Green and Keith Giffen. Enjoy!<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcmQSvQkBHQ" width="433" youtube-src-id="YcmQSvQkBHQ"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-78111431342490537382023-10-17T11:36:00.004-04:002023-10-17T11:36:59.557-04:00KEITH<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Came across this clip, from 2018, of Giffen and me discussing the origins of JLI. Bittersweet, to say the least.</span><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="372" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQO6-_ZrKNg" width="448" youtube-src-id="rQO6-_ZrKNg"></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-53572283730381900142023-10-12T15:42:00.003-04:002023-10-13T19:08:28.668-04:00REMEMBERING GIFFEN<p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo1lsE-14bKOY3HkEOq_WrOKFE9XVM1NiAbMw6lDufG_HqxMO4zfMaIGck4dg6LFxImsZ2x-o1Jo9uFOaP_aeIXY58NrS0d6J4lR6UprmFk4BFkgGSUITNPfqf_bwm6wE5LLI4coEtEoVp5B_6TLNEzI_i1-IerTfWG8pNYtl7CqO3ejqzmB7dc8P2HFY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo1lsE-14bKOY3HkEOq_WrOKFE9XVM1NiAbMw6lDufG_HqxMO4zfMaIGck4dg6LFxImsZ2x-o1Jo9uFOaP_aeIXY58NrS0d6J4lR6UprmFk4BFkgGSUITNPfqf_bwm6wE5LLI4coEtEoVp5B_6TLNEzI_i1-IerTfWG8pNYtl7CqO3ejqzmB7dc8P2HFY=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>My old friend and collaborator Keith Giffen has passed away. Keith has had his share of health issues in recent years, but he was such a feisty, tenacious guy I was sure he’d outlive us all. “Some day,” I once told him, “the Earth will be an apocalyptic hellhole, all of humanity will be gone, but you’ll still be here, sitting in the rubble, smoking a cigarette.”<br /><br />Keith, as anyone who worked with him can attest, was one of the most brilliantly creative humans ever to work in comics, the Jack Kirby of my generation of creators. He was a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. An extraordinarily generous collaborator. And, as my wife observed, “He was like a character out of a Keith Giffen story.”<br /><br />The curmudgeon part was half-real/half-performance art. (He could launch into cynical and hilarious monologues about the state of the world that were as good as anything you could find on an HBO comedy special.) The heart of gold was evidenced by his generosity to his friends and collaborators in the business: Keith was the kind of guy who—if he heard you were hurting for work—would pick up the phone, call DC Comics and say, “Hey! Why aren’t you using so-and-so? What’s your problem? <i>Give ‘em work!”</i><br /><br />We were thrown together as collaborators on our original <i>Justice League</i> run (and thanks to our brilliant editor Andy Helfer for doing the throwing) and, despite the fact that the book and its many spin-offs were a huge success, I don’t think any of us—including the inimitable Kevin Maguire, whose art was so important to <i>JL</i>’s initial success—realized just how special that collaboration was. It was another job—a fun job, but a job nonetheless—and, when our League ran out of steam after five years, we moved on and didn’t look back. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFBB1gx00fX4FsXpZegKT9BT1PCGXEtVrwsTU9u5vZQOUaLpVFP1fsnxtzQxYoAzLTP_BXZ_54iUo8mx3qR_o2Iu9apuEfZitw7P5Zosf2cJibQmKsqiJ1sXpQ_RmATk9FxiVGyNXceSooIjSpBbkQ6DH5LgbqNMrPc1CxQ-RblWxIKEjhth45AnAQ9Ag" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFBB1gx00fX4FsXpZegKT9BT1PCGXEtVrwsTU9u5vZQOUaLpVFP1fsnxtzQxYoAzLTP_BXZ_54iUo8mx3qR_o2Iu9apuEfZitw7P5Zosf2cJibQmKsqiJ1sXpQ_RmATk9FxiVGyNXceSooIjSpBbkQ6DH5LgbqNMrPc1CxQ-RblWxIKEjhth45AnAQ9Ag=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It wasn’t until ten years later—when Keith, Kevin, and I reunited for our Eisner-winning <i>Formerly Known As The Justice League </i>series—that we all went, “Hey…we’ve got something special here.” The three of us did more <i>Justice League</i> together, as well as a short <i>Metal Men</i> run I’m extremely fond of, and a <i>Defenders</i> mini-series for Marvel. Keith and I made sure to keep working together with regularity after that, right through to our <i>Scooby Apocalypse</i> series that ended in 2019. (Along with projects like <i>Justice League 3000, Booster Gold</i>, and <i>Larfleeze</i>, we produced my favorite Giffen-DeMatteis collaboration, our creator-owned series <i>Hero Squared</i>.)</div></span></div></span></div></span><p></p><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">There was no ego involved when Keith and I worked together. The basic plots, the rock-solid building blocks of our stories, were all Giffen—but I had the freedom to bend and twist those stories any way I chose. Someone else might have taken offense—“How </span><i style="text-align: left;">dare</i><span style="text-align: left;"> you alter my brilliant creative vision?!”—but Keith always encouraged me to follow my muse, adding new plot-lines and character bits via the narration and dialogue. He, in turn, would build on what I’d done, always surprising me with his extraordinary leaps of imagination. It was, as I’ve often said, like a game of tennis: We’d hit the ball back and forth, and, as we played, the stories evolved into something more than either of us could have ever achieved on our own.</span></div><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />And along the way a funny thing happened: This guy who was a favorite collaborator became more than that. He became a friend. Sure, we’d get on the phone every week or so to discuss the stories we were working on, but we’d also talk about our families, politics, the ups and downs (and ups and downs and ups and downs) of the freelance life. (In recent years, I saw Keith regularly at conventions, often sitting next to him, passing <i>JLI</i> issues back and forth between us for signing, and chatting away.) <br /><br />The truth is, if Keith and I had met out in the so-called Real World, I don’t think we would have ever become friends—we were <i>very</i> different people—but coming together creatively opened the door for us to come together as human beings. And I’m so very grateful for that. (Thanks, Andy.)<br /><br />When people ask me what it was like to work with Giffen, one story always comes to mind. I’ve told it before—apologies if you’ve heard it—but it really defines the man.<br /><br />It’s was the late 1980’s. We were standing in the halls of DC Comics on a Friday afternoon, Keith telling me his idea for a new story: the secret origin of one of our most ridiculous characters, the brain-dead Green Lantern named G’nort. Keith spent five or ten minutes spinning the entire tale, in detail. You could see he was excited. He liked this wonderfully goofy story and he wanted to do it—just the way he’d envisioned it.<br /><br />The problem was, I <i>didn’t</i> like it. And I <i>told</i> him I didn’t.<br /><br />Did Keith get angry? Did he tell me I was a talentless jackass who had no right passing judgment on his incandescent genius? No. He just looked at me for a second, took a breath, shrugged—and then launched into an entirely new origin of G’nort, which he created <i>on the spot.</i> And it was perfect. I can’t think of many people who could switch creative gears like that, but Keith had more raw creativity than just about anyone I’ve ever known: a tsunami of stories and characters and odd, brilliant notions. A one-of-a-kind mad genius whose seismic impact on the comic book industry will be felt for years to come.<br /><br />Safe travels, Mr. Giffen. You will be missed.<br /><br /><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjJQeJXfSdmBXEOfhf05AXUoNwJeDxjBgAAmMtuBlPs8Kb7utdxJ7aBVnsRuUri1sOh45eEqzwEtUcH2aPt_l9qbWZaBMywomHjc3UkXGMzuh6tO53wLTkThRoAPfhoGvqA_-b_-00iKc29RZxUa008XZcox28Tx20KJWmpCsZ5SIrZMN2oQgJZImLVE8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjJQeJXfSdmBXEOfhf05AXUoNwJeDxjBgAAmMtuBlPs8Kb7utdxJ7aBVnsRuUri1sOh45eEqzwEtUcH2aPt_l9qbWZaBMywomHjc3UkXGMzuh6tO53wLTkThRoAPfhoGvqA_-b_-00iKc29RZxUa008XZcox28Tx20KJWmpCsZ5SIrZMN2oQgJZImLVE8=w300-h400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">©copyright 2023 J.M. DeMatteis</span></span><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-84755287039974077962023-10-11T08:07:00.002-04:002023-10-11T08:17:27.748-04:00MAG-NITUDE<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Magneto</i> #3 is out today! This is my favorite issue so far as we reveal Irae's explosive origin </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and literally descend into the depths of Erik Lehnsherr's dark and troubled psyche. Here's the Marvel hype:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7e0wT0sLH2zHEQdKGmeQ9Qo2KTpSJcM9O06f3nUnUOyYCAO79aVKkximVydy4tt3TZu-2jEijAVfhjBC70jMLy80cyQ78ycv6P4QHjyTQepMC7HqB7BuTp7eDTAJMv1F5ZuSXpTXmmATIsYL0fnpiUhYmSRLg5nx-frB74P1spdZ4OsTb32lEZlugpYU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7e0wT0sLH2zHEQdKGmeQ9Qo2KTpSJcM9O06f3nUnUOyYCAO79aVKkximVydy4tt3TZu-2jEijAVfhjBC70jMLy80cyQ78ycv6P4QHjyTQepMC7HqB7BuTp7eDTAJMv1F5ZuSXpTXmmATIsYL0fnpiUhYmSRLg5nx-frB74P1spdZ4OsTb32lEZlugpYU=w211-h320" width="211" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"MAGNETO FALLS TO THE SISTERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS! Meet the ALL-NEW SISTERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS, as MAGNETO must wrestle with the sins of his past! What is the true source of IRAE’s obsession with the Master of Magnetism, and how does it figure into X-MEN history?"</i></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKJV7WuJxi-RwiEse2eIy6scg-ljyvvbA7-5R2-I2NAqV5pXwS2DgL11GowwktVm8bxojbJM-DSw5wq2JO-7LaAGqXTctPM7ZAy0j8lt4TjlSxO3j1fSmTOUuwcHyfB9odQs6kvwl9X84JDHGp5hlQdsWHLxmrk-x2bygcpfKrpnQTRbDvHyaSfAVvhI0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKJV7WuJxi-RwiEse2eIy6scg-ljyvvbA7-5R2-I2NAqV5pXwS2DgL11GowwktVm8bxojbJM-DSw5wq2JO-7LaAGqXTctPM7ZAy0j8lt4TjlSxO3j1fSmTOUuwcHyfB9odQs6kvwl9X84JDHGp5hlQdsWHLxmrk-x2bygcpfKrpnQTRbDvHyaSfAVvhI0=w211-h320" width="211" /></a></div><br /></span></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Story by yours truly, art by Todd Nauck, color by Rochelle Rosenberg, and letters by Travis Lanham. Hope you enjoy it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG9CgjiDqx9op3X0P0cHbDNNDdFdvTeDtWCxZ-Xne9oBbEiYQxEEnQYC7wEm43OhglHI6vOJVtKUnhQkUhIUJisqSQSpJAq0cmaVB3XL9nR-SVzRgLyxVNcqzOiLN3PV-SNwCabF4K7vjQdruztcO40DaFP_ygG4eQU7KE1q6hT7UM-xE-J8ICckN-Yms" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG9CgjiDqx9op3X0P0cHbDNNDdFdvTeDtWCxZ-Xne9oBbEiYQxEEnQYC7wEm43OhglHI6vOJVtKUnhQkUhIUJisqSQSpJAq0cmaVB3XL9nR-SVzRgLyxVNcqzOiLN3PV-SNwCabF4K7vjQdruztcO40DaFP_ygG4eQU7KE1q6hT7UM-xE-J8ICckN-Yms=w211-h320" width="211" /></a></div></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4