Our header image is by Frank Robbins. His gestural inkwork in the 1970s looks better than ever these days. In its day, it couldn't have been a stranger fit, but now... now it looks like something I'd publish. Ha! Of course I love the 1950s and '60s work, but there's something about the wild line and off-kilter perspectives that just does it for me here.
On the site today: Brandon Graham Day 5! Thank you Brandon for an excellent week together. I feel we've become closer, learned things about each other, and bonded in unexpected yet pleasurable ways. Wait, that was my week with my puppy. What were we talking about? Brandon! Tim and I have been thrilled to host Brandon, as we both admire his work and vision. Follow him some more over at Royal Boiler.
Your links, madam:
• I enjoyed this piece on Bernard Baily by Ken Quattro. The more in-depth, "how they lived" style pieces on cartoonists that appear, the richer the general history becomes. Baily is someone whose early work on The Spectre stands out for me for it's hazy gloom.
* Daniel Best has multiple transcriptions of the parts of some of the depositions made public thus far in the ongoing Kirby v. Marvel case. These are text versions of the PDF documents available online at Justia. Following on that, Sean Howe focuses on the publication of Steve Gerber's 1977 contract with Marvel for Howard the Duck. If that's not enough Howard for you, click over to TCJ #40 and check out the Howard newspaper reprints from that issue.
* Related: New Steve Ditko book ready for shipping.
* Unrelated: The Dallas Observer takes a closer look at the Dark Knight Returns page being offered for sale by Heritage Auctions.
* Baseball and Comics Dept.: Huizenga, May, and Zettwoch each take on opening day over at Leon Beyond. Tom Spurgeon interviews Wilfred Santiago.
Have a good weekend.
