For the last few years I’ve had the honor of having essays published in collections edited by Jim Beard and Ed Gross. Below are the books where those essays appear. Just click on the covers for the link to buy the books.
Is This Finally the End for Gotham City?
The city’s peerless protectors, the famous Caped Crusaders, Batman and Robin, steel themselves against the storm clouds that even now gather to rain danger and disaster down on Gotham’s citizens, and, what’s more, bring the curtain down on what will surely be the hard-working heroes’ final battles against the forces of evil!
Once you open this book, the die is cast. The last cathode-ray tube adventures of the dashing Dynamic Duo will be yours for perusal and pondering, a smorgasbord of sallies with the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, Egghead, King Tut, and more dissected and discussed by the cream of the crop of ebullient essayists with only one powerful purpose behind their efforts: Call them as they see them, for better or for worse!
Join Jim Beard, creator and editor of Gotham City 14 Miles and the Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman ’66, as he braves the battlements and bulwarks of Batman’s third season, the unaired Batgirl test pilot, and a special surprise essay of his own crazed concoction. But fear not for him, friends! For at his side trod a passel of pundits poised to ward off the vile villains who lurk within these pages, as well as budget cuts and waning energies that threaten the very fabric of the once terrific television series! OOOFF! you’ll cry when BOFF! the show is done and SPLATT! the Subterranean Blue Grotto will be closed forever!
A far-off planet explodes, a shot rings out in a darkened alley, a weakling becomes a he-man, a radioactive spider bites an unsuspecting boy—these are the beginnings of some of the greatest characters in the long history of comic books, set forever in stone for oncoming generations of readers to entertain and inspire them…
…or are they?
Over many decades comic book publishers have felt the crushing weight of passing years and updated and embellished their superheroes’ origins to reflect changing appetites and sensibilities on the part of not only the fans who follow them, but the writers, artists, and editors who create their adventures. In other words, when what was good for one generation no longer works for the next, something has to change!
THE OLD ORIGIN CHANGETH! sets out to tell the ongoing saga of the origin stories of six of the most popular comic book concepts of all: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. To this end, six comic book historians tackle these stalwarts of four-color fantasies and dig down into their firmament to examine and illuminate the embroidery on the tapestries.
There are a Million Ways to Talk About Jack Kirby…
…and you’ll find twenty-eight of them in this book! Twenty-eight writers tackle twenty-eight topics, all of them about the incredible, invincible, uncanny, and mighty works of the King of Comics! There have been many books on Kirby—but never before like this one!
Jack Kirby’s comic book output during the 1960s and 1970s was truly groundbreaking, forming universes and creating concepts that have stood the test of time to this very day. Jack of All Comics covers nearly every single title the King worked on throughout those two decades to celebrate, converse, and sometimes even kvetch over the highs and lows of each series with insightful and illuminating essays.
Join a cool collection of wondrous writers as they bring the Kirby Krackle to jaw about Jack! Dive into the deep end as they deliver the details on the Kirby Influence over both the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe! Read along with their riotous raconteuring of personal tales of their first experiences with Jack’s powerful pencils and crafty concepts and characters! Kirby’s here—don’t ask! Just buy it!
Relive the history of the character of Supergirl in comics, on the big screen and on television, weaving together the comments of many of the writers, directors, actors and more involved in her story, including Helen Slater, Laura Vandervoort, Melissa Benoist, Sasha Calle and Milly Alcock.
