Category: Comics Culture

Comics Culture, History, Jim MacQuarrie, Rummaging & Ruminating

Why Comics Needs to Be Fixed

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From where I sit, as a professional artist, cartoonist, occasional comics journalist, and comics reader of 50+ years, I see four areas in which the comics industry has at various times gone off the rails: Format, Content, Distribution, and Marketing. Each of these areas has been affected by a number of foolish, short-sighted, fear-driven decisions over an extended period of time, the cumulative effect of which has led to the current state of the industry.

Behind the Scenes, Comics, Comics Culture, Jim MacQuarrie, Rummaging & Ruminating

The Captains Marvel: A History – Updated

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The convoluted history of the various Captains Marvel (and their knockoffs) is probably the subject of more urban legends and misunderstandings than probably any other segment of comics history. Throw in the widespread confusion over the difference between copyright and trademark, and it’s a pretty deep swamp. Let’s go wading!

Comics, Comics Culture, Comics News, Jim MacQuarrie, Obituaries

Russ Heath

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We lost Russ Heath today. He passed peacefully at age 91. If you don’t know his work, do yourself a favor and look him up. He was one of the best comic artists of his generation, specializing in WWII and western comics. Aside from his enviable talent, Russ was quite the character. He was cranky but in a fun curmudgeonly way, always quick with a (usually off-color) joke, but with pretty strong opinions about comics and a lot of other things. Today we say goodbye.