Classic Comics Cavalcade

My guest today is Stuart Moore, longtime comics writer and editor. In the coming hour, we discuss his Ahoy Comics Bronze Age Boogie and Captain Ginger as well as his love for 1970s style comics, his transition from the book press to comics, the pre-history and birth of Vertigo Comics, the birth of The Invisibles and Preacher, Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck, Stuart's own writing, including his series thru Penny Farthing Press and his Marvel novels, and much more.

In part six of the epic interview Dominick Grace, Eric Hoffman and I conducted with famed comics writer/editor Jim Shooter, we discuss why John Byrne hates Shooter, Chris Claremont's commitment to characters, the corrupt practice of lapping, freelancing later in life.

This is part five of the epic interview Dominick Grace, Eric Hoffman and I conducted with famed comics writer/editor Jim Shooter. This time we discuss Frank Miller's meteoric ascent as comics' greatest artist, the way Walt Simonson explained to Shooter that Thor would be turned into a frog, the secret origin of Epic Comics, the evolution of Marvel between different generations, Shooter's time at Disney, and much more

In part four of this epic six-part interview with Jim Shooter, the legendary writer and editor tells the behind the scenes story of the birth and rise of VALIANT Comics, VALIANT's strange beginnings publishing Nintendo comics, the reasons Shooter left VALIANT, the strange stories of DEFIANT and BROADWAY Comics, Secret Wars II, the power of paying attention to fundamentals, and much more.

Come back next Wednesday morning for next part of our fascinating conversation.

In part three of this epic interview with Jim Shooter, the legendary writer and editor discusses Shooter's favorite work of his own, the reasons VALIANT had a consistent universe which changed in real time, the death of the New Universe, behind-the-scenes stories of Marvel's 1980s financial problems, the birth of VALIANT Comics, Shooter's failed bid for Marvel Comics in 1989 and much more.

Come back every Wednesday morning for the next several weeks to hear the next parts of our fascinating conversation.

In part two of this epic interview with Jim Shooter, the legendary writer and editor discusses how he received the editor-in-chief job at Marvel, the 1970s Comics Guild strike against Marvel, the time Stan Lee thought Shooter was an idiot, Marvel's work-for-hire contract, the secret origin of the "Secret Wars" series, the reasons behind "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the idea behind the VALIANT "Unity" crossover, Shooter's criticisms of modern comic writing and much more.

Come back every Wednesday morning for the next several weeks to hear the next parts of our fascinating conversation.

Jim Shooter is one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in comics history. Loved by some, hated by others, and misunderstood by many, Shooter stands alone as one of the most complex figures ever to work in comics. Several years ago, in preparation for Jim Shooter: Conversations, Eric Hoffman, Dominick Grace and Jason Sacks had the chance to interview Shooter for several hours. We will share that interview over the next several weeks. In part one, Shooter discusses his childhood, his traumatizing experiences working for the legendary Mort Weisinger, and Shooter's rise to the editor-in-chief role at Marvel.

Come back every Wednesday morning for the next several weeks to hear the next parts of our fascinating conversation.

For many years Harvey Comics were perhaps the premier publisher of kids' comics in America, with characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich providing wholesome entertainment for elementary school kids. But since Havey went under in the mid-1990s, this "little company that could" has largely passed out of the imaginations of readers and fans. I was joined by Jonny Harvey, director of an upcoming documentary series about Harvey Comics and a member of the Harvey family, to discuss the fascinating life and times of this very unique family business.

In part three of our three-part celebration of the great comics historian Bill Schelly, Bill's good friend Jeff Gelb. We talk about the "golden age of fanzines" in the 1960s, Bill's rediscovery of comics fandom in the 1990s, what made Bill a special historian and all that good stuff about history. What makes this episode special, though, is that it's a portrait of the deep bond between these two friends, a sweet and sad look at what made Bill a special person and why his loss is so deeply felt. 

This is one of my favorite episodes I've ever recorded of this show because it feels so true to the spirit of what Bill created: facts and emotions in good balance, providing great insight into the person being profiled. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

In part two of our three-part celebration of the great comics historian Bill Schelly, Bill's good friend, fellow historian Frank Young joins Jason to reminisce about Bill, sharing stories about Bill's commitment to greatness, his love for film, and the unique challenges of having a friend who wrote a book about which you are an expert. This was another wonderful episode of the show. You can hear Frank's deep love for his friend in everything Frank says, and I really enjoyed hearing more about Bill's methods, process and life well lived.