Duran Duran reading Fightin' Army Charlton Comic in "Rio" video! Name that issue!

"Bill Everett Archives"! Choose the cover art, win a copy!

On Wednesday, we announced the release of "The Bill Everett Archives" reprinting Bill's 1938-42 work for companies other than Marvel Comics. The book will feature never-before-reprinted stories starring Everett creations like Amazing-Man, Skyrocket Steele, Hydroman, The Chameleon, Sub-Zero and more! Our "Name the Book" contest is now closed (winner to be announced shortly), so long live the "Choose the Cover Art" contest! Below is ten cover images (click on them to enlarge) from stories that appear in the Archives series and we'd like you to help choose the cover image!

Contest rules: You have until Tuesday EOD. Post your choice (one choice) in the Comments section below or post on the appropriate thread on my Bill Everett Facebook Page (these are the only two places you can post to qualify). After the contest closes, if you chose the image that will adorn the cover, your name will go into a hat and one winner will be chosen at random to receive a free copy of the book when it's available (tentative release date is this year's San Diego Comicon in July, 2011). When you look at the images below, focus on the best image versus the one you think everyone is familiar with.

Announcing "The Bill Everett Archives"! Choose the title, win a copy!

You've read my Bill Everett artbook/bio (right?) - "Fire and Water" (picture left) - and now we can reveal that Fantagraphics and myself are again teaming up to put together a reprint volume of Bill Everett's non-Marvel Golden Age work (from 1938 to 1942). This will be very similar to my "Steve Ditko Archives" series (full-color, 240 pages, introduction by me). We're aiming for a San Diego Comicon 2011 release date.

So how can you win a copy of the book? We'll speak more to the contents (and how you can earn a free copy by helping out with scans) in the coming days, but what we're looking for now is your help in choosing a title for "The Bill Everett Archives". What we need is something in the vein of my Steve Ditko Archives series. Volume one for that was "Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives v1" and volume two was "Unexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archives v2". A play on words from a title Everett worked on, or from a character that Everett worked on, is ideal, but it doesn't have to be that. It can't be more than 3 words in front of "The Bill Everett Archives".

So, in the Comments section below, post your title by Friday EOD and if I pick it over what I already have come up with, then you get a copy of the book! You can also post it on my Bill Everett Facebook Page. Here are the titles I already have: "Amazing Men: The Bill Everett Archives v1"; "Heroic Comics: ..."; "Heroic Tales: ..."; "Golden Age: ..."; "Deep Blue Sea: ..."; "Raging Waters: ..."; "Just Add Water: ..."; "Raging Sea: ..."; "Thicker Than Water: ..."; "Hell or High Water: ... "; "Troubled Waters: ..."; "Above Water: ..."; "Waterworks: ..."; "See More Glass: ..." (ok, I was losing it by that last one...).

Post your title below and I'll report back next week on this Blog what the winning selection is!

"Uexplored Worlds: Steve Ditko Archives v2" out now!

Okay, we're back in the bloggin' business, in part owing to the release of my latest book - Unexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archives v2. It picks up from where "Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives v1" left off. We're now at 1956 with Marvel but the vast majority within is 1957 Charlton Comics gold from Ditko!

This is where Steve Ditko became Steve Ditko! Both volumes are also available at www.fantagraphics.com. It's 240 pages which includes a 5000+ word essay on this period in Ditko's career. Stay tuned this week for news related to my next project; another collection of a certain famous Golden Age artist...