Today on the site we have Art Lortie's obituary for the prolific comics artist Dick Ayers. Ayers worked on many of the most iconic Marvel titles and characters. Anyone who wants a vivid first-hand account of the comics business from the '50s through the twentieth century could do a lot worse than picking up Ayers's unusual three-volume comics autobiography, The Dick Ayers Story. It's too rough and disjointed to find a widespread audience, but it's a heartfelt and consistently surprising account of the creative life. (Once we get the Comics Comics site archives up and running again (a development that looks imminent) I'll try to share my review of that book.)
Elsewhere:
—At RogerEbert.com, Glenn Kenny has written the kind of guide to comic book movies I can get behind. Kubrick, Godard, Melville, etc. The Jack Kirby/James Cameron connection is obvious as soon as you see it.
—Marc Meyers writes about Vince Guaraldi and how he attempted to translate Charles Schulz's Peanuts into jazz. That post also features a fascinating brief clip from the 1963 documentary A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
—Speaking of Schulz, now is the time to buy his old Minneapolis house.
