Murray Karn is now 89 and last week I had the pleasure of talking to him over the phone about his career. One part of the conversation moved to his illustrations of text story fillers in a few of the Bell Features titles and I was surprised when Mr. Karn couldn’t recollect doing these. I plan to send him copies of many of these this week to jog his memory but it made me think that I could call attention to them here.

From Active Comics No. 3

Everybody knows the two features that Karn drew for Bell: “Thunderfist” (created and written by E. T. Legault for the first 6 Active issues after which Karn took over the writng)  in Active Comics No. 1 (Feb. 1942) to No. 12 (Aug.-Sept. 1943) — Leo Bachle took over after this because Karn entered the armed forces

From Wow Comics No. 8

– and Jeff Waring (totally Karn’s creation) in Wow Comics  No. 7 (April 1942) to No. 16 (Aug./Sep 1943) after which Jerry Lazare took over but Karn came back to Bell late in 1945 to add Jeff Waring stories to Wow Comics Nos. 29 (Oct.-Nov. 1945) and 30 (Dec. 1945-Jan. 1946). The war shortened the Canadian comic careers of many of the WECA artists and Karn’s lasted less than two years  (he has no recollection of doing post-war work for Bell such as the Jeff Waring stories in last two issues of Wow Comics or the cover and Jeff Waring story in the May, 1946 issue of Slam-Bang Comics No. 7, or doing anything for Canadian Comics after he returned from the war.)

From Slam-Bang Comics No. 7, May 1946.

From Triumph Comics No. 8

Besides these two features, Karn did illustrations for text stories first probably in Wow Comics No. 5 (Feb. 1942, though uncredited) but definitely in Wow Comics No 6 and then Wow 13 and 14, Triumph Comics Nos. 7 to 10, Dime Comics Nos. 4-7, and Active Comics Nos. 9-13, finishing up again by the fall of 1943. Most of these were written by either Vic Griffin or fellow Bell creator Edmond Good and one written by E. T. Legault (of Dart Daring and Whiz Wallace fame) in Triumph Comics No. 9 as well as one written by 12 year-old contest winner Maragaret Joyce Crooks in Triumph Comics No. 10.

From Triumph Comics No. 10

From Triumph Comics No. 10 (“Desert Outpost” story)

Here are some of the best examples (you can often see how Karn channels Alex Raymond):

From Triumph Comics No. 9

From “The Case of Dr. Lazar” Triumph Comics No. 9

From Dime Comics No. 5

From Dime Comics No. 5 “Death Casts a Vote”

From Active Comics No. 9

From Active Comics No. 11

From Active Comics No. 11 “He Didn’t Like the Army”

From Dime Comics No. 7

From Dime Comics No. 7 “The Curse of the Crawling Death”

From Wow Comics No. 13

From Wow Comics No. 14

Texting Murray Karn by Ivan Kocmarek appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

DATELINE: MILKY WAY GALAXY-Another big name has been added to the already stellar cast of Marvel’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie.  JOHN C. REILLY will play Rhomann Dey, former leader of the Nova Corps. Fans of the Marvel spacefaring books are looking forward to one of the most beloved moments in the story, when Rhomann Dey turns to Groot and says: “ I like  to picture Starlord in a tuxedo T-shirt. ‘Cause it says like, I wanna be formal but I’m here to party too. I like to party, so I like my Starlord to party.”

DATE LINE: METROPOLIS- The Box Office returns for MAN OF STEEL have exceeded all expectations. The Superman film made over $196-million dollars in its opening weekend. While critics (and fans) seem divided, the film gets a two thumbs up recommendation from the Metropolis Association of Building Repair and Renovation

DATELINE: THE FUTURE- Age Of Ultron #10 hits comic shops Wednesday, wrapping up the ground-breaking series. The final issue features a huge creative team, including Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Hitch, Carlos Pacheco, Brandon Peterson, Alex Maleev, Butch Guice, David Marquez and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, and has an ending nobody can see coming! Even the artists who worked on the book don’t know what’s going to happen…

But I do…

SPOILER ALERT:

Let me just say two words–

FORBUSH MAN

STAY INFORMED, DISCERNING READERS! STAY ALERT, INVOLVED CITIZENS! STAY CLASSY, SMALLVILLE!! FOLLOW BIFF SOCKO ON TWITTER @bsocko

BIFF SOCKO: “SHAKE AND BAKE..IN SPACE!!!” by Biff Socko appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Upon re-reading my promptly-posted proceeding posts, which I put together for your personal pleasure.  It’s obvious that I am still an amateur writer.  Sure.

While my own pursuit of legitimacy rages on in the distance, the delivery of fully fathomable wording is knowingly required and I wholeheartedly assure you that I AM still striving for a pleasing and palatable posting persona.

Simple storytelling, fact and fiction.

The end-goal is to eventually produce an original story.  One which I can obviously illustrate and showcase as a valid piece of original art.

I shall arrive in that place soon enough:  the place where my own writing and drawing are equally ‘professional’ and accepted in the world as something that happens.

The chance to collaborate with like-minded individuals in the meantime however, would surely increase the value of the entire creative process for everyone?

I recently learned about a project called ComiXwriter.  Full press release here.

Imagine a writer is working in a live environment, where the content is flaunted online for both fans and creators to discover.

For the entire time a creator is working, the project is flagged as a ‘work-in-progress’ to anyone whom happens to stumble upon it.

A brief outline of the story-idea and progress could be indicated in the status.

It could simply be a basic premise. Three lines.

This whole thing could be something that happens prior to any KickStarter and by such a time, the project will already carry an obvious momentum.

If the project requires a penciller, Inker, colourist, etc, you could assign those required elements in the title… and such people could then approach the creators and offer their services.

Or vice-versa, artists could upload samples to their own profiles and the writers could do the searching.

The whole thing could operate like a massive, creative social network, where all the creation and collaboration happens inside this online system.

Talented strangers building stories together which fans could frantically follow all the way through… from brain to shelf.

Either way, this could be really exciting stuff.

So do keep an eye out for the up-coming ComiXwriter KickStarter to see what they’re planning and to get behind it!

Could be amazing.

ComiXwriter by Daniel Champion appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Fantastic Four #45, Marvel Comics (December 1965)

The Fantastic Four is easily the most important of the original slew of Marvel titles. Most of the time we focus on the importance of FF#1 and how it changed everything. While Fantastic Four #1 started the process of change it was the subsequent issues that continually laid the new ground that helped change comics for the better.

Yes Amazing Spider-Man is the most collected of all the Marvel titles but today that fact speaks more to the continuing popularity of the title character. These days even the X-Men rival the FF as a collected title but at the end of the day no title can match FF’s importance.

Where do I start, #4 with the re-into of the Sub-Mariner, #5 the 1^st Doc Doom, #12 the 1^st Marvel x-over, #13 the 1^st Watcher, #25 the 1^st Thing/Hulk battle and 2^nd appearance of the Silver Age Captain America, #48-50 Silver Surfer and Galactus, #52 1^st Black Panther and  #67 1^st Warlock and so on. Did you know that Doc Strange, Sgt. Fury and Ant Man all had their 1^st x-overs in the Fantastic Four? Many of the biggest moments in Marvel happened on the pages of the Fantastic Four, #6 feature the 1^st Marvel Villain team up with Subby and Doc Doom joining forces,

To the stellar list above I’d like to add my Undervalued Spotlight pick of the week Fantastic Four #45.

This fantastic (sorry Stan) issue features the 1^st appearance of The Inhumans, a very very cool team of superheroes created by the greatest creative team ever in comics, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

The Inhumans is a great concept, basically these guys are our old ancestors after a bit of tinkering by the space faring Kree civilization. Abandoned by the Kree The Inhumans developed their own civilization away from humanity’s prying eyes, that’s until the FF happened upon then of course.

The Inhumans consist of Black Bolt, Medusa, Lockjaw (my favorite), Gorgon, Karnak, Triton and Crystal (she marries the Avenger’s Quicksilver).

The Inhumans headlined the first 10 issues of 1970’s Amazing Adventures title, then the starred in their own title in 1975, it lasted 12 issues. The Inhumans are everywhere these days, they are present in every major Marvel storyline tied to their Cosmic Universe. Considering how much focus Marvel is putting on all things Cosmic you can bet the Imhumans will continue to play a prominent role.

There is even talk of an Inhumans movie but we’ll wait and see on that, personally I’d love a cameo in the next Avengers movie.

I’m not the only guy in comic collecting that likes to project and think ahead and it’s for this reason that Fantastic Four #45 has been heating up in the market these past 12 months.

The 12 month average price for a CGC 9.2 copy was $653 but the last sale got a whopping $865. I see a CGC 9.2 copy breaking $1000 easy.

It’s a pretty tough book in high grade, of the 330 graded by CGC only 42 are 9.2 or better.

Personally I like the 8.0 on this book, the guide have it at an insulting $175 and though the 2012 average was $182 the last 8.0 got $275. If you can snag one for below $250 do it!

The 42nd edition of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide shows $175/$375/$575 as the 8.0/9.0/9.2 price splits.

Strengths that make this comic book a good long-term investment are:

• 1st appearance The Inhumans
• Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
• Embedded in the early FF run, very important run!
• This book still has a lot of room

Undervalued Spotlight #162 by Walter Durajlija appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Let’s discuss the points that strike a chord with comic fans and moviegoers alike: be forewarned this will be full of spoilers. The biggest issue the film raises is Superman killing Zod. Everyone knows Superman doesn’t kill, right? Right? Well, perhaps comic book and cartoon Superman doesn’t but those parameters aren’t introduced in the film, and within the context of the story and the framework established Superman does what needs to be done to save people’s lives.

That being said the ridiculous final battles that destroy half or more of Metropolis must have killed tens of thousands of people as multiple buildings are toppled, plus the massive destruction of the World Engine, the Kryptonian terraforming device. Frequently throughout the film we see Superman saving innocents again and again, whisking them out of harm’s way. At one point Superman is fighting Zod through the air and into space, from what I can tell just so Zod can hit him with a satellite, but somehow fall right back into Metropolis and continue the largest, longest and dullest metropolitan destruction sequence.

Superman, after he surrenders himself to the U.S. army to be handed over to Zod as a selfless sacrifice, reveals his age to be 33. Other than the Christ reference this brings up I don’t see much point to it, but perhaps that is the point.

A group of Kryptonians with the same powers as Superman, trained from birth for combat, can’t defeat one man. The film tries to explain it away because he’s had all this time on Earth to learn to control his abilities, but within their combat suits they seem to have no control issues. With no concern for harming civilians they’re willing to trash whatever it takes to kill Superman, so how he wins is a mystery to me.

And then there’s the whole issue of why these prisoners of the phantom zone are put in stasis cocoons and then put on a ship to spend 300 cycles there. It looks like three devices in space open up the portal to the phantom zone, so why is their prison ship equipped with a phantom engine? For that matter why has Krypton’s technology stagnated for 20,000 years since their race for colonization? And why is everyone flying around on ships on Krypton but Jor-El is flying a dragon? What’s with every future civilization wearing black and crazy looking bulky armour?

Not to dwell too long on the abyss lest it dwell in me, there are lots of things that were great about the film. Lois Lane was great: very human and a fully developed character.  It makes complete sense that Clark Kent is a brooding and muted character, as he was raised to keep his abilities hidden lest he deal with humanity and their fear of the unknown. Each house of Krypton having a crest and that being the Superman symbol works really well, and every Kryptonian wearing a similar suit is nice. I know Superman’s costume needs a cape, but it doesn’t fit with the Kryptonian clothing, and I keep thinking of Edna screaming “no cape” from The Incredibles.

Superman is the straight man of the film, the sounding board that lets those around and influenced by him to rise above and achieve. Perry’s rescue attempt for a coworker comes to mind, plus Colonel Hardy’s ultimate sacrifice to eliminate the enemy ship. As the film repeats Superman is as a god and thus serves to inspire. Good stuff all around and well worth seeing.

The Man Of Steel by Scott VanderPloeg appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

My desk at the office.

I’ve had all sorts of jobs since I started working many, many years ago.  I’ve had a cubicle.  I’ve had an office.  I’ve had a desk tucked away in the corner.  I’ve also just carried a lunch pail with me, and set up any where I could find a spot to sit down while out in the field.  But one thing remained constant, I’ve had something to show that I am a geek, and I show it with pride.

I like to think that all of us comic book fans, geeks and nerds do this.  Now you may not have action figures displayed on your desk, because not all workplaces are accepting of that.  But if you have a computer at work, I am willing to bet you have a geek theme as your wallpaper on your computer screen.  Am I right?

Every morning starts with a coffee in my Thor mug, and practising screaming “KHAN!!!!” at the top of my lungs.

Each work place is different too.  If you happened to work in an industry that embraces geek culture (let’s say… video game designer), you can get away with more than you could working someplace like a bank.  You would probably be encouraged to surround yourself with items that can inspire you creatively.  But if you worked someplace that was more “professional” you could probably sneak in something small, that you could have at your work station.

Right now at the office I have a couple of things set up on my desk.  One is my Captain Kirk action figure from Star Trek II.  I originally bought it years ago when I worked for my company previously.  When I left I packed it away with some other figures.  When I returned, it only seemed fitting that Kirk should return to my new desk.

I also have a Thor coffee cup at the office too.  I walk down the hall with it proudly.  It definitely stands out in the lunch room, and everybody know that it is my coffee cup.

The final thing on my desk, is by far one of the coolest, and biggest toys you could ever have in an office.

Galactus.

Galactus… devourer of TPS reports

My new desk is big enough that this mammoth action figure can stand on my desk.  There are not too many workplaces that can accommodate this action figure.

Having geek stuff on your desk at work, can be a great conversation starter.  There have been many times where a client or supplier has come in, and seen my toys, and we start a conversation.  Most times people are very interested in the stuff in your office.  I’ve had people ask me about Star Trek, or about comics.  When they see my computer desktop (which is G.I. Joe) they definitely ask me about that.  It is a nice way to break the ice with a client, and have them get to know you right off the bat.  I find the client trusts you more, because they have a personal connection to you.

I like to have my stuff with me, because it makes my work environment more comfortable.  You spend most of your time at work, and I enjoy my day at work when I am surrounded by things that remind me of having fun.  Or remind me of my childhood.

As I said before, not every workplace is accommodating to having geek stuff on display.  You have to gauge your office or workplace accordingly and figure out what will work for you.  Even if it is something small, that no one will notice.  You can just smile to yourself and know that it will be our little secret.

Geek in the Office by Ed Campbell appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Crash 3! by Dennis de Pues continues exclusively on comicbookdaily.com

If you enjoy this storyline, we are proud to announce that Crash!!1 and Crash!!2
are now available for Digital Download in our CBD Store.

Crash 3! Page 12 by Dennis De Pues appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Web Arted June 14th by Scott VanderPloeg appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Niagara Con floor

Just wanted to do a quick report on the Canadian Comics panel  that we held at Niagara Con this past Saturday (June 8).

The panel was comprised of Hope Nicholson (producer for the upcoming “Lost Heroes” documentary which will air on Super Channel Canada this year, Rachel Richey Canadian comics researcher and author of the Comic Syrup blog on Canadian comics, Kevin Boyd proprietor and commander of The Comic Book Lounge on College St. in Toronto as well as Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Adviser since 2005, Co-Founder and Associate Director, Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards, and Richard Comely artist and creator of Canadian icon Captain Canuck. I was lucky enough to lead and moderate the conversation.

About 40 people attended the session and we began with an short overview of the basic periods in the development of Canadian Comics starting with the WECA books (The Canadian Whites 1941-46); the Reprint and Repack period that included original material from F. E. Howard, Export Publishers and Superior (1947-1956), the Public Service Giveaway books (1957-1973) that includes items such as Captain Enviro Comics out of Halifax and Captain Alcohol Comics out of Yellowknife; the so-called “Silver Age” of Canadian comics (1974-1988) that might have begun with Orb Magazine and certainly with Richard Comely’s Captain Canuck Comics No. 1 and also includes Dave Sim’s Cerebus  The Aardvark which started in 1977; and finally the Independent Period (1982-present) which includes Vortex Comics.

I can’t recall all the good points that were made both by panel members and audience members alike. Among the points was the fact that Kevin Boyd noted that John Byrne only considered himself a Canadian creator for the small window of time he lived in Canada. He has been a U.S. citizen for a while now and no longer considers himself at all a Canadian artist.

Richard Comely revealed that when he created Captain Canuck he had no idea that there had been a Canadian Golden Age and he was totally unaware of the WECA period “Whites.” He did say that he made a concerted effort to have Captain Canuck No. 1 be a Canadian comic through and through by setting it in the far north.

There were a number of references from the audience to Scott Pilgrim as being one of the great Canadian Comics because it is set in Toronto. The time went by too quickly in the end and when in closing we asked the audience why they came to the session and what they hoped to find out and a couple of them mentioned that they wanted to learn more about the Canadian “Whites.” We, of course, pointed them to our planned panel at Fan Expo on the Canadian war-time comics. In the end, the time spent on the topic of Canadian Comics and what made a comic Canadian seemed to be a time well spent by both the panel members and the audience.

Big-B booth

Canadian Comic Panel by Ivan Kocmarek appeared first on Comic Book Daily.

Cosplaying has been big in Japan for a long time, and has really started to explode in Canada over the last five years. Cons are covered with fans in costume, all different types of fandom are expressed, from comic or sci-fi characters to cartoon and movie characters, to creations of their own making. I always snap pictures and admire these crafty people, and you can always tell when someone has put the time, money and effort into their costume. It is an amazing way to express your love for a medium without wearing the typical printed t-shirt.

I have wanted to cosplay for sometime now. I think the main thing that has stopped me, besides my lack of confidence in the sewing department, was making the decision of who I wanted to be. I have been comic characters for halloween before, She-Hulk, Harley Quinn and Tank Girl, but I was never around people who really knew the characters, that know every detail and have so much love for them. This intimidates me, and makes me want to pick something really great.

She-Hulk

Tank Girl

You also have to keep in mind that at cons there are packed aisle ways, you are on your feet most of the day and you have to pray the weather is nice out. If it’s too cold out you may need to wear a coat, which makes wings or large pieces difficult. If it is too hot then your makeup might melt or you may feel faint from the heat of a wig. There are so many factors when simply picking a costume. You also want to pick one that is right for your body type and height.

Jesse, Team Rocket

The Joker

I plan on sharing my travel through cosplay with you. I will be posting my path here on CBD, from what I choose as a costume, to creating the costume, finding the pieces, doing the makeup (if needed) and my experience cosplaying for the first time (hopefully for Fan Expo in August). Any tips and tricks are appreciated and I hope that others can benefit from other cosplayers sharing information too!

So, to take the pressure off of me I throw the question to you, the reader. What do you think I should be for my first cosplay? Keep in mind I am short (5’2) and I am not a big fan of wigs (if I could get away with not wearing one I would be much happier). I don’t want to spend a lot of money on the costume and don’t have a ton of time on my hands, so no crazy elaborate suggestions please. Something manageable as it will be my first time as a cosplayer.

My Road to Being a Cosplayer: Chapter 1, picking a character by Leigh Hart appeared first on Comic Book Daily.