KRAVEN COMES ALIVE

Came across this on YouTube: a full-cast motion comic adaptation of Kraven's Last Hunt. I was very impressed with this and I think you will be, too. Congratulations to the folks who created and performed this adaptation. You did a fantastic job.

COMING UP

Some fun projects coming up this summer from Marvel, starting with the Rocket Racoon 50th anniversary anthology, Rocket Rewind. I've contributed a story, illustrated by my brilliant buddy Shawn McManus, that both pays tribute to, and actually interacts with, the character's 1970s origin tale by Bill Mantlo and the late, great Keith Giffen. The book goes to sale July 31st.

On sale the same day is What If? Spider-Man—which asks the question: "What if Kraven survived his last hunt?" (I vaguely remember that old Kraven tale, but I don''t recall who wrote it.) The art, by Yildiray Cinar, knocked my proverbial socks off—and I suspect you'll have a similar reaction. This one-shot is part of Marvel's celebration of 50 years of What If?

And finally, on sale in August, is a celebration (yes, another one!) of one of Marvel's greatest characters, Mary Jane Watson, who debuted in Amazing Spider-Man 60 years ago.  Mary Jane—Face it, Tiger features a story of mine, beautifully illustrated by Andrea Broccardo, that looks back at a pivotal moment for MJ, inspired by a story from my second Spectacular Spider-Man run.

Collect 'em all! (If you're so inclined!)

THE GAME'S AFOOT!

I recently wrote an introduction to Joel Meadows and Andy Bennett's excellent Sherlock Holmes reinvention, Sherlock Holmes and the Empire Builders—and you can read it below.  (And if you want to buy the book, just click here.) 

Growing up in New York City in the 1960s, the classic Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone (with his deerstalker hat, raptorial features, and unerring intellect) and Nigel Bruce (stuttering, bumbling, and unfailingly loyal) seemed to be playing perpetually on our local TV stations, as omnipresent on weekend mornings as Abbott and Costello and the Bowery Boys. Rathbone and Bruce were my introduction to Holmes, a character who’s had an extraordinarily long life since he first emerged from the fertile imagination of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like Batman, Superman, and James Bond, Holmes has far outlived his creator, assuming a kind of immortality, constantly resurrected and reinvented for new generations. We’ve seen innumerable literary incarnations (from life-long Sherlockian Nicholas Meyer to, of all people, Stephen King), movie interpretations (from the traditional Rathbone to the more anarchic Robert Downey, Jr.), and multiple TV incarnations (my favorite being Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis’s brilliant Sherlock). And we would never have had Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Lieutenant Columbo, Benoi Blanc, and dozens of other quirky, ingenious detectives had Doyle and Holmes not been there first.

The beauty of an iconic character like Sherlock Holmes (“iconic” is a word that’s painfully overused these days, but in Holmes’ case, it’s appropriate) is that the template is so sturdy, with roots so deep and strong, it invites constant reinvention. You can bend and twist Holmes in dozens of directions and, as long as you’re true to the character’s essence, he won’t break. (We know, instantly, when someone has violated that essence and turn swiftly away.) Which is why writers are constantly returning to Doyle’s world, ready to bring what they hope will be a new and unique perspective to Holmes’s adventures.

That said, given the overcrowded ocean of Holmesiana out there, it takes a considerable amount of courage to stride into those waters and launch yet another version of the character, to believe you have something singular to say. Which makes the work of Joel Meadows and Andy Bennett even more impressive.

Their Holmes is grittier, harder edged, and the world he strides through, with his customary confidence (some might call it arrogance), is darker: a steampunk universe of violence and corruption. Meadows’s script rockets along with impressive speed and apparent ease (I say “apparent” because I know how much hard work goes into making a story’s flow seem effortless), providing the expected, and often unexpected, twists and turns one wants in a Holmes tale. In Meadows’s hands Sherlock Holmes—nearly 140 years old, way past retirement age—feels fresh, new, exciting, and that is no small feat.

But comics are a collaborative medium and the best script in the world will die on the vine without the right artist to bring it to life. I’ve learned, over the years, that I could hand the same script to five different artists and get five different stories back. A comic book artist is constantly making choices—about “camera” angles, body language, panel to panel flow—and the right artist can raise my story up to places I never dreamed, while the wrong one can tear it apart, leaving it in incomprehensible fragments. Meadows’s collaborator Andy Bennett brings this adventure to vibrant life with rock solid storytelling, powerful emotion, and fine linework reminiscent of a woodcut. The art feels simultaneously modern and Victorian, a perfect blend. (I’m especially fond of Bennett’s striking full page illustrations, like the wonderful shot where we see biplanes and dirigibles flying over London.) That the story is in black and white seems appropriate, carrying me back to those New York weekend mornings, stretched out in front of the television, watching Rathbone and Bruce solve mystery after mystery.

And now it’s time for you to stretch out, perhaps light up an imaginary pipe, and enjoy this engaging tale. A brand-new game is afoot, but only Meadows and Bennett know how it will end. Relax, enjoy. You’re in good hands.

THRILLS!

If you missed the Kickstarter for the Thrilling Adventure Yarns anthology a while back, you can now preorder the book at Amazon. TAY features short stories by me, Steven Grant, Alisa Kwitney, Max Alan Collins, Paul Kupperberg, and many more. Edited by my old pal, and former DC Comics editor, the erudite and charming Bob Greenberger. It's a great collection and well worth your time.

AT THE CROSSROADS

Had an amazing time talking to my old friend Dr. David Tully and his co-host Deema Maghalseh for their Crossroads podcast. We took a deep dive into my new book Dark Future, my comics and television work, and the need for tales of spirituality and hope in dark times. You can hear our conversation here (or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts). Enjoy!

A JUSTICE LEAGUE MIRACLE

I return to the Justice League Revisited podcast to discuss my Mr. Miracle-centric Justice League Unlimited episode "The Ties That Bind" with my favorite Wonder Woman, Susan Eisenberg, and the ever-amiable James Enstall: a perfect excuse to celebrate the genius of Jack Kirby. You can listen below. Enjoy!

CON TIME!

My first convention of the season—GalaxyCon Richmond—is coming up (March 19—22) and I'm happy to be returning to Virginia for the first time in seven years.  

I've got four more conventions set for 2026: GalaxyCon New Orleans (July 10—12), GalaxyCon Raleigh (July 23—26), DragonCon (September 4—7), and FanX Salt Lake (September 24—26).  Might be more added to the list before the year is out.

Come join us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AVATAR MEHER BABA

 

"To penetrate into the essence of all being and significance and to release the fragrance of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing, in the world of forms, truth, love, purity and beauty — this is the sole game which has intrinsic and absolute worth. All other happenings, incidents and attainments in themselves can have no lasting importance."—Avatar Meher Baba

MORE SHENANIGANS

I return to the Comics Shenanigans podcast where host Adam Chapman and I take a deep dive into my new novel, Dark Future. We also have an in depth discussion about the just-concluded Spider-Man '94. You can listen right here. Enjoy!

A TRIBUTE TO SAL

I joined Tom DeFalco, Danny Fingeroth, Roger Stern and our host Brad Douglas (of the Spider-Man Crawlspace podcast) for a sweet tribute to Our Pal Sal Buscema—and you can watch it below. 

AMARTITHI 2026

Wishing a very happy Amartithi to my Meher Baba family around the world. Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!

REMEMBERING SAL

Yesterday would have been Sal Buscema's 90th birthday. Instead we got the word that Sal passed away last Friday: an enormous loss for our industry and for all of us who knew and worked with him. There's hardly a Marvel character Mr. B didn't leave his mark on, from Captain America to the Hulk, Avengers to Thor. Working with Sal for two years on Spectacular Spider-Man remains a highlight of my career. The best tribute I can pay to Sal is to repost the tale of our magical collaboration on Spectacular Spider-Man #200, which I think was a highlight of our run. You can read it below.

Safe travels, Sal. You will be missed.

 ***

There are two basic ways that comic books are written. The first is full script (that’s where the writer lays out the whole story page by page, panel by panel, including camera-angles, captions and dialogue) and the other is plot-first (the writer creates a detailed plot outline which then goes to the artist. When the writer gets the pencilled pages back, he then adds the dialogue and captions). Both approaches have their strengths and I enjoy working either way. The challenge of a full script is that every element of the story is in your hands. You're in full control of the material. The challenge of plot-first, of course, is that you’re often surprised by what your artist does—and your scripting is directly influenced by it. Sometimes that’s a wonderful thing, sometimes not. There are some artists who can draw very well but have yet to master the art of visual storytelling—and it can be difficult (to say the least) trying to make up for their shortcomings via dialogue and captions. But when “Marvel style”—another popular name for the plot-first method—works, it’s magical.

One of the most magical experiences I had was back in the 90’s when I was collaborating with the great Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man. Sal and I hit it off from the first panel of our first story and my admiration for him remains boundless. He can draw beautifully, he’s an impeccable visual storyteller and a total professional. Add to that the fact that Sal is a truly good person—I’d go so far as to use an old-fashioned word and call him a gentleman—and you can understand why I loved working with him.

My plots were usually very tight—page by page, panel by panel, crammed with camera angles, psychological shading and rough-draft dialogue—but whatever was on the page, Sal was always able to take it to another level and do things that many other artists couldn’t. Case in point: Spectacular Spider-Man #200, which featured the death of Harry Osborn (who was then making no end of trouble as the Green Goblin).

There was a sequence at the end of that story (perhaps my favorite out of all the Spider-Man tales I’ve written) where Harry, realizing that he loved Peter Parker too much to let him die, saves a drugged, weak Spidey from a death-trap. Peter, his wife Mary Jane and Harry’s son, Norman, all stand by, shocked and heartbroken, as Harry then collapses, overcome by the toxic Goblin formula.

On the final two pages, Spidey accompanies Harry into an ambulance, they drive off and Harry passes away, leaving Peter Parker to his grief and memories. When the ambulance arrives at the hospital, it falls to Spider-Man to tell Mary Jane and Norman that Harry’s gone. They react, we cut to a photo of Peter and Harry in happier days...and the story ends. The sequence was small, quiet, but, on an emotional level, it was massive.

I did everything I could to communicate the power of those last pages to Sal in the plot—along with my thoughts on how the sequence would be handled in the final script. My intention was to verbally milk the pages for all they were worth, wringing out every last drop of emotion; going big and melodramatic via captions, inner monologues from Peter or dialogue between the characters. (Another benefit of "Marvel style": I didn't have to decide then, I could make up my mind when the art was done.)

Then Sal’s pages came in: It was one of his finest hours. The panel to panel flow was cinematic and crystal clear, the characters dramatic and achingly human. And those final two pages? Perfection! At first—locked into my original vision—I began writing captions and dialogue for the end-sequence, but it quickly became clear that everything I wanted to say had already been said, and better, by Sal. It was all there in the pictures. He had translated my plot so expertly that words would have capsized the sequence and destroyed the emotional power of the moment. So I shut my big mouth and let Harry Osborn die in silence, with his best friend by his side.

That, too, is part of a writer’s work—especially in comics: deciding when to speak and when to shut up. Deciding whether to go for a barrage of machine-gun dialogue, a series of powerful captions or to surrender to equally-powerful silence. Whether we’re working full-script of plot-first, we make those decisions on every panel of every page.

And it certainly helps the process when you’ve got an artist like Sal Buscema bringing your story to life. Take a look at the images below and you'll see what I mean.

©copyright 2026 J.M. DeMatteis

A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX

For some reason, my Blogger account won't let me reply directly to comments right now, so I'll have to post separate comments instead of direct replies. Bear with me as I figure this out.

UPDATE: Looks like the issue resolved itself. The glitch in the Matrix has been sealed!

GOODBYE '94

The final issue of Spider-Man '94 comes out this week. Here's the hype, straight from Marvel:

TIL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! It’s the final battle between SPIDER-MAN and MORLUN—and you won’t believe how it ends! Kraven, Kaine, Mary Jane—it all comes crashing down! PLUS: One of the most heartfelt endings you’ll see all year!

Hope everyone enjoys our finale. You can see some preview art below.

INTO THE FUTURE!

Dark Future, my new novel from the fine folks at Neotext Publishing, is out today. What's it about?

It’s June, 1963 and Jack Specter—writer/producer of the Twilight Zone-like television series The Third Eye—is going to pieces: mourning a wife lost to cancer, a daughter lost to politically-powerful relatives, haunted by memories of war and fiery holocaust.

But a phone call from his only remaining friend soon draws him into the heart of a bizarre experiment: hurled across time into a dark and terrible future, to the bleak, hopeless world of 2023.

Is it possible for a writer to rewrite the past, a dreamer to re-dream Creation Itself? Specter will learn the answer as he searches for his now-grown daughter and comes face to face with a cosmic entity that holds the key to time, space, life, death—and a possible rebirth for all humankind.

I've poured heart and soul into this story—I think it's one of the very best things I've ever written—and I hope you'll check it out.

You can learn more and read samples chapters over at the Neotext site or just hop on over to Amazon and buy it. 

2026

May the year ahead be truly transformative for all of us. May we step out of shadows and confusion into the light of kindness, compassion, wisdom, and simple human decency. May we manifest unending magic and miracles. 

If we dream it together, we can make it so.