Today’s romance comics look nothing like they did in their “golden age,” and thank heavens for that. Once upon a time, romance comic books were more popular than superhero comics. Following WWII, interest in action-adventures such as writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby’s Nazi-punching Captain America was on the decline, so in 1947 they turned their attention to a new series, Young Romance, and gave birth to a genre in the process. A Whirlwind Romance (Comic) By the early 1

By Michael Dooley Although Anthony Bourdain died before the release of Hungry Ghosts, he did review and approve the design of the last of his three graphic novels. That’s right: “graphic novels.” This acclaimed writer, chef, and TV host wasn’t only obsessed with cooking. Once an aspiring comics artist, Bourdain also had a passion for the medium in its myriad forms. He loved and collected adventure newspaper strips Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates and Will Eisner’s The Sp

[Call for Entries: The International Design Awards] One big factor that sets apart Arlen Schumer’s presentations on comics from the others is his acute understanding of graphic design. His delivery—like the superhero stories he’s discussing—is a dynamic synergy of words and images, of form and function. Mix that together with a heaping helping of contemporary “more is more” postmodernism—more on that in a minute—and voila: “VisuaLectures.” The view from the audience as Arlen

August 28th is the centennial of Jack Kirby’s birth. He is arguably the most important comics creator of the 20th century. His creations and co-creations are household names, Captain America, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, S.H.I.E.L.D., The New Gods, et al, thanks in no small part to today’s Hollywood blockbusters based on his creations. And he did it all: wrote and illustrated what has become our modern mythology. He was my earliest artistic influence, and for

Okay, so Wonder Woman’s CGI can probably beat up Doctor Strange’s. Still, Strange’s spirited, Academy Award-nominated effects easily outshone Benedict Cumberbatch’s less-than-magical performance, still memorable six months after its release. And we should also remember that ILM and Strange‘s other effects studios owe an inspirational debt to Marvel’s dazzling Steve Ditko. It was Ditko who first gave artistic form to the Sorcerer Supreme and his kaleidoscopic inter-dimensional

By: Michael Dooley Photographer Greg Preston is a good-natured, low-key guy. There’s an ease about him that enhances his subjects’ comfort amidst their already-familiar surroundings. It’s visible enough in The Artist Within, a handsome, generously-sized hardcover from 2007 with roughly a hundred “portraits of cartoonists, comic book artists, animators, and others,” as the book’s subtitle has it. He’s captured a broad spectrum of extraordinary talents, from Al Hirschfeld, Jule

By: Michael Dooley When artist, writer and animator Darwyn Cooke died on Saturday, the enormous outpouring of sorrow from the comic book media was immediate and heartfelt. The graphic design community shares a great loss as well: Cooke’s flair for cartooning was possessed of a unique, masterful dexterity and versatility. His extraordinary visual narrative skills are readily apparent in his panel compositions and page layouts, which are further enriched by his ingenious render

Print’s Steven Brower covered Los Angeles’s apocalypse from the safety of the East Coast, but I experienced it firsthand. The opening of Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby at Cal State Northridge Art Galleries was duly noted in Brower’s column last month, the latest in his cottage industry of Kirby features; also see here, here, and here. As for us Southern Californians who’ve lived through the 1994 quake as well as the jam-packed opening reception — photo

By: Steven Brower Jack Kirby was one of the most important and prolific cartoonists of the 20th century. The characters he created and co-created now earn billions at the cinema. These include Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, The Silver Surfer, Darkseid, Mister Miracle, The Demon, Kamandi, OMAC, Caption Victory, Silver Star and myriad others. Friday, August 28th, would have been his 98th birthday. A celebration of his work, “Comic Book Apocalypse:

If you’ve been captivated by the bold, atmospheric cinematography of Daredevil‘s first season on Netflix, you might want to seek out the similarly stunning comic book version by Alex Maleev. Series executive producer Jeph Loeb credits Maleev as a key visual influence: “With Alex’s art, we looked at that and said ‘that’s the look of the show.’ And that really captures it.” And even if you haven’t tuned in, and like your action-adventure tales on a human rather than super-power

With Marvel Studios ongoing releases, I thought it would be fun to trace the graphic chronology of “Earth’s Mightiest Super-Heroes.” Next to The Silver Surfer (another character that, like the Avengers, started with Jack Kirby and later fell into the talented hands of John Buscema), The Avengers was my favorite comic book title as a kid. It was also the only comic title that I had every issue of, from #1 through the end of the 1960’s—AND the first comic line that I actually r

Announcing Print’s all-new Typography & Lettering Awards! Whether you design your own typefaces, design type-centric pieces or create fascinating handlettered projects, we want to see your work. Jack Kirby, who died in 1994, was arguably the most important comic book creator of the 20th century. His characters, which include the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Avengers, Thor and many others, have been earning billions of dollars worldwide as the result of major Holly

Art Spiegelman and other comics artists have illustrated biographies of cartoonists, but always as short one-shot strips. Now, not one but two entire books of this kind have just been released. Together they offer 100 visual takes on significant, and even revolutionary, pioneers in the field. One is an anthology edited by designer/art director Monte Beauchamp, with whom I Blab!-bed in an Imprint feature a while back. The second is by famed comics illustrator Drew Friedman, wh

We’re now at the peak of comic book convention season. San Diego’s wrapped last month, Chicago’s just ended, and New York’s is currently gearing up. And these are just the biggies. This onslaught can be nirvana for pop culture nerds. But hordes of designers also flock to these events. This can appear puzzling, considering how media reports mostly emphasize the Hollywood hype, endless queues, cos-play nonsense and such. So let’s take a closer look in this comic-con guide. Pers

Last week’s Comic-Con at San Diego’s Convention Center was overloaded with activities. If you were a Hollywood celeb–obsessed fan you may have spent much, if not most, of your time stuck in lines. But if you were a lover of well-designed graphic narratives, you needn’t have wasted one idle moment during the five full days. Talking with tons of talented comics artists? Check! Engaging in after-hours activities? Double check! Learning of an innovative new motion comic about a c

Never mind whether Captain America is more powerful than Iron Man or Dr. Strange. The real problem is that Marvel Comics editor/publisher Stan Lee is vastly more powerful than Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others who originally drew those superheroes for the company. And Lee presently enjoys 100 percent ownership of the Marvel Universe, in both the public’s perception and the legal arena. And what do the artists own? Zilch, that’s what! And this makes Arlen Schumer pretty

It’s 1776 in Philadelphia. Congressional delegates “sweat, swat flies, and argue independence.” They retreat to a tavern and casually dump Jefferson with the job of composing a declaration: “Tom, write us something dignified, yet magical.” Once he’s finished, all the congressmen shout out changes at him: “Drop ‘independent’;” “Why ‘happiness’ instead of ‘property’? What’s ‘happiness’?” The process is loud, sloppy, and often chaotic. It also feels like real life. That’s becaus

Jack Kirby had choices to make, especially considering he could do it all: writing, penciling, inking, coloring. Along the way he found it prudent to concentrate on what he could do best: dream big and render those flights of fancy in graphite. Why then would he choose to break his stride and search through various magazines in search of the right image, rubber cement in hand? Kirby’s entrée into the world of collage did not begin with the Fantastic Four, or even by his own h