Today's Guests: Legendary MAD Magazine and Humbug! cartoonists Al Jaffee and Arnold Roth. My mother bought me my first MAD magazine off the newsstand at a Stop & Shop supermarket in 1969. The cover featured a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid parody that I believe was drawn by Jack Davis. I read... Continue Reading →
Plop! Plop! Really weird, it’s the work of Basil Wolverton! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Monte Wolverton, author, The Wolverton Bible Cartoonist Basil Wolverton was known for his grotesque drawings, fantastically odd creatures, spaghetti-like hair, smoothly sculpted caricatures and insanely detailed crosshatching. His career in the golden age of comic books lasted from 1938 until 1952, after which his illustrations and caricatures extended into such publications as... Continue Reading →
Smallville boosts actor Sam Jones III! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Sam Jones III, actor, "Smallville" Tonight, America’s 15-year love affair with the NBC medical drama “E.R.” comes to a close. The show introduced a lot of actors who became very big stars and today I’m delighted to welcome a young man who is probably hoping he is on the launching pad to become... Continue Reading →
Watching the Watchmen with artist Dave Gibbons! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Dave Gibbons, comic book artist, co-creator, Watchmen Frank Miller must have a guardian angel. How else to explain that, in the days before his latest movie, The Spirit, would premiere to horrendous reviews, it was announced that his next project would be a remake of Buck Rogers? Or, even wilder, that Dave... Continue Reading →
Legendary cartoonist Joe Kubert’s life rocks biography! PODCAST INTERVIEW
(NOTE: I'm sad to update this 2009 interview with the news that author and comics historian Bill Schelly passed away on September 12 2019. He was 67, You can read a little more about Bill in this blog post by Mark Evanier. Rest in piece, Bill. Thanks for gathering so much history for all... Continue Reading →
Mike Gold puts ComicMix.com on digital frontier! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Remember when convenience stores had spinning racks with signs at the top that shouted, “Hey, Kid! Comics!”? Actually, I barely remember that myself, it’s been so long. Finding comic books hasn’t been easy since the late 1970s. And the comic book companies don’t even make the real dough from the so-called 32-page “pamphlets” anymore.... Continue Reading →
Enter the Strange World of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Blake Bell, author, Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko Steve Ditko is a mystery. And in view of the cosmic and ethereal manner of his comic book art style, from Spider-Man and Dr. Strange to the lesser-known Mr. A, that may be appropriate. Blake Bell, whose interest as a fan... Continue Reading →
Gentleman Gene Colan talks classic comic books! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Anybody who tells you that one comic book looks just like the next doesn’t know what they’re talking about. It doesn’t take much effort to tell Jack Kirby’s blocky drawings from Steve Ditko’s otherworldly stylings, for example, or, in more modern terms, the dark, detailed pencils of Frank Miller from the brighter, livelier sketches... Continue Reading →
Michael Uslan + Batman movie rights = boffo B.O.! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Michael Uslan, executive producer, Batman, Dark Knight movies Kids, if you want to grow up to be a successful executive producer of movies like Michael Uslan ("YOU-slin") did, the key is education – and patience. Lots and lots of patience. Uslan secured the rights to make Batman movies years before Tim Burton,... Continue Reading →
Prism Comics editor talks about LGBT Comics! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Jonathan Riggs is my guest for this hour of Mr. Media. I began the show with some trepidation -- I was late getting back from the bank for one thing and almost missed the show entirely! -- and I know absolutely nothing about the narrow market for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered comics. Hell,... Continue Reading →