In June 1991 Timothy Zahn published the first book of what would become the Thrawn Trilogy, Heir To The Empire. It wasn’t the first of the Expanded Universe but it did kick start the gigantic wave that still rolls on to this very day. Just months later in December 1991 came Dark Empire from Dark Horse Comics. Since then they have gone on to publish several series, introduce hundreds of characters, adapt all six movies and several books, including The Thrawn Trilogy and even get the reprint license from Marvel’s original Star Wars run of 110 comics.

In 2005, with the release of the final movie, Revenge Of The Sith, Dark Horse published the Comics Companion as a way of getting the public up to speed. It’s a gorgeous oversized, 12 x 9, softcover and it covers every Dark Horse comic right to ROTS. It’s broken up into the Five Eras, but the Table Of Contents is compressive so you’ll have no trouble flipping to the comics you need info on. Also included are entries for the Star Wars Manga Adaptations (which are wonderful and a must own) and the Marvel Comics, as they were collected in the 6 Trade Paperbacks (and now the soon to be 5 Omnibuses). The only problem I have is that Dark Horse treats the Marvel line as an after thought and doesn’t weave that continuity into their own, even though representatives from Dark Horse has stated to me personally that Lucasfilm oversee all comics, books and etc. to make sure no overlap occurs and everything stays, for lack of a better term, kosher. There is also beautiful full color artwork of all types, some of which I doubt you have ever seen. Windham and Wallace also provide a short introduction and a well deserved dedication to Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson.

And now more then ever, this may become an important book for your Star Wars shelf. Why? Because at Comic Con 2011, Dark Horse announced that Star Wars is going digital. As of this post, there are just over 50 comics available and more coming every week. Yes even the Marvel Comics will be coming to an iPad or Android device near you. So give this book a shot, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Star Wars: The Comics Companion
Text by Ryder Windham and Daniel Wallace
144 pages, $19.99, Dark Horse Comics

Recommended reading:
Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Last Hope For The Galaxy – From Tatooine To Dark Empire HC

Every day when I look at my books, I’m reminded of the wonderful words and art that has been published throughout the years. But I’m also reminded of the packaging of these comics; hardcover, softcover, oversized, regular sized, digest, thick or thin, you name the format and it’s sitting before me. As a man on the go, I can’t always take my Omnibus with me and sometimes one trade paperback isn’t always enough to satisfy me if I’m held over at the airport, getting my car fixed or lounging in the backyard. I, like you, can read 128 pages at a good clip and being that the majority of the books I read are from DC and Marvel, I think it’s high time they offer us readers a new format, but one that’s been in circulation for sometime and one that I’m very fond of – the 6×9 inch softcover.

Dark Horse and IDW have been publishing these handy trades for a few years now. Not only do they have more pages then the standard, but for the amount of comics you get they usually come at the very affordable price of $24.99 and perhaps best of all they are heavy duty and can take a beating. I dive into this topic and tell you what comic runs would be a great trial for this format.

Also on the show today, a quick Motor City Comic Con wrap up , my adventure at the Thor movie and the return of Shipping and Product changes.

Cheers!

Chris

Links of note:
Collected Editions Blog – Trade Perspectives: DC August 2011 Solicitations: JLA and other concerns

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

106.2 Mb; 147m 36s

This week on the podcast I sit down with comic book historian and writer, Chris Irving for a candid discussion about all things comics. From Marvel and DC reprint projects to digital comics and movies we even touch on current happenings. I’ve known Chris for a few years now but never had the chance to talk to him at length. He is a wonderful and very knowledgeable person and I am so glad he took the time out of his very busy schedule with Hermes Press and Graphic NYC to join me.

Chris

Links of note:
Chip Kidd’s Glass Books via The Comic Archives

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

This week on the podcast I continue my look at classic comic strips with Peter Maresca of Sunday Press Books. The aptly named company has been reprinting Platinum Age, turn-of-the century, newspaper strips for a few years now and has an excellent reputation of reproduction. Maresca comes on the show to talk about his love for this special time period of comics and the wonderful library he is amassing, including Little Nemo In Slumberland, Krazy Kat and Sammy Sneeze, just to name a few. We also talk about how helpful the late Bill Blackbeard was to Sunday Press Books.

I want to thank Peter for taking the time to come on the CCL Podcast!

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

Today on the podcast, I celebrate the fact that the DC Archives are not dead, as we have evidence of Lois Lane Volume 1, which is due out in December. I go over a bit of the publishing history of Lois and her Silver Age comics that are reprinted in the Showcase Presents: Superman Family series of books.

Also on the show I talk a little bit about the Eisner’s and one category in particular: Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism. I try to answer the question: just what is Comic Book Journalism? I can be misunderstood, especially in this day and age of instant information and headline reporting.

Lastly, IDW officially solicited the log awaited Star Trek Movie Omnibus. Originally slated for November 2009, it was held back so it could contain the recently complete adaptation of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It will collect all six Original Series movies as published by three different houses. Should be a good one!

Cheers!

Chris

Links of Note:
iFanboy – Missed Eisner Nominations
The Weekley Crisis - Eisner Award Nominations for 2011
Comic Books Circus eBay page

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

Wouldn’t you know that I go record my six year anniversary podcast and it turns out that I get a bad sore throat. Not to worry, it’s a quick show today as I go over some collected edition news from IDW, DC, Marvel, Fantagraphics, Flesk, Boom, and Dark Horse (and even more) that has caught my eye and is worth commenting on.

I want to thank everyone who has come by this blog and downloaded a podcast from the past six years. It truly means a lot to me and your support keeps me going from week to week.

If you are gong to C2E2, please let me know, I’d be happy to meet with you.

Chris

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

Today’s special interview with John Romita Jr. is from November 23, 2008. Prior to that day, I was contacted by Joe Rybandt, of Dynamite Entertainment, to help out on a book that was being written by Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter, called The Romita Legacy. Joe was in a bind and knew that I had the equipment and could interview JR Jr. and give a written translation on short notice. I happily obliged and was even given a small piece of credit. Now I’m happy to present the interview in full.

John and I talk about vast array of topics including his early work at Marvel, working with his legendary father and his, then, upcoming movie, Kick-Ass. I’m releasing this interview to also help you better understand the creative process of writing a biography. It’s not your typical interview as it contains several pre-written questions that were supplied to me. I do add in a few of my own to make the conversation a bit more lively and interesting.

I would like to personally thank John, Tom and especially Joe for this job. I had a blast doing it.

If you haven’t done so already, please purchase a copy of the book. Thank you!
Romita Legacy HC
Romita Legacy HC Signed Edition
I’ll post a link to the Softcover version when it becomes available; expected March 1, 2011.

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

I’m pleased to have J. David Spurlock on today’s podcast. David has been an industry icon for the better part of 30 years. He is an author and illustrator as well as the founder of Vanguard Productions, which showcases the art and history of some of comics legendary creators. Vanguard is also the home of several great reprint projects including the upcoming Frank Frazetta’s White Indian and Johnny Comet. We get in to all sorts of fun topics including why Wally Wood is the World’s Second-Best Comic Book Artist of all time and the origins of Vangaurds’ Sketchbook series of books.

Vanguard Productions
Vanguard Productions on Facebook

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

Today on the show, I focus on one of the “super-groups” of the Marvel universe – The Invaders. What’s interesting about this team, consisting of Captain America, Namor: The Sub-Mariner, The Human Torch and Bucky, is that it was created retroactively in 1975, with all their adventures taking place in World War II. Their series lasted 41 issues and they appeared in only a few other titles throughout the years which included two limited series that revived the team. Today in 2009, The Invaders can be found in two series: Avengers/Invaders and in the pages of Captain America. These important characters, whether they are adventuring as individuals or as a team, are the cornerstones of the Marvel Universe, come learn more about them.

Also on the show, I touch a few news items including the Nexus Archives going black and white and digest size and the Creepy Archives going to 26 volumes.

All this and the New Releases of the Week.

Chris

Addendum: I did record audio to talk about Invaders Classic Volume 2 (Invaders #10-21 and Annual #1) and Invaders Classic Volume 3 (Invaders #22-23 and #25-34), but the audio did not come through as I had hoped.

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades, Forbidden Planet International (UK), and Library Binding Company.

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

The New York Comic Con was this past weekend and today on the show I offer extensive coverage of all the collected edition news; from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and even IDW and Aspen. I did blog about some of these items earlier in the week, but now I get to give my opinions – including praise and disappointment and I even raise a few questions of my own.

Also, it seems that last week’s show generated a lot of interest and I one of several comments comment and even play an audio clip from Damian (Kryptographik Podcast).

All this and the New Releases of the Week.

Chris

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades, Forbidden Planet International (UK), and Library Binding Company.