Category Archives: Comics

August 18, 2025 · 4:30 pm

Trump Meets with Allies. Bring Kids Back. @bringkidsback_ua

Ukrainian President Zelensky had to navigate a very disciplined approach with U.S. President Trump, especially on the subject of Russian abductions of Ukrainian children. The topic is so sensitive that even The First Lady’s now famous plea on their behalf does not outright mention Ukraine. Some estimates place the Russian kidnapping of Ukrainian children at over 700,000.

And to quote TIME magazine: The United Nations has condemned Russia for its actions, which U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said in a March statement have caused “large-scale human rights violations and inflicted unimaginable suffering on millions of children.” Forty countries and the European Union have called on Russia to return the children that have been taken.

To learn more and help, go to Bring Kids Back and also here: @bringkidsback_ua

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August 17, 2025 · 7:00 pm

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance book review

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance. Editors: Raymond Tyler & Paul Buhle. Between The Lines. 2025. 148pp. $34.95.

A bold statement is asserted in the introduction to this book: “History does not repeat itself. But the example offered of the Partisans’ courage must not, cannot, be forgotten in our time. We must find our own creative ways, individually and collectively, to rise to the challenge.” This is a collection of short works in comics that chronicle the fight against fascism leading up to and all through the Second World War. I don’t know what to make of the relatively calm assertion that history does not repeat itself when, each day, it looks like history is repeating itself. The best I can come up with to reconcile this statement is to say that we must embrace the calm before the storm, even seek it out during the storm. Each story here offers some moments of contemplation, featuring stories from survivors with their own set of insights.

“Freedom or Death: The French Partisans” by Daniel Selig

For these sort of works in comics, especially a collection such as this, I believe the most compelling work cuts to the chase. This is why I find the straightforward piece by Daniel Selig, known in Europe for this work with Éditions FLBLB, so compelling. He sets out to outline the evolution of French Partisans and does exactly that. There’s even a quick and precise nod to the creative and intellectual contingent on one page featuring Jean Paul-Sartre, Paul Eluard and Elsa Barraine. Food for thought as we engage with our own times.

“The Hungarian Resistance” by Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton

There are a number of more traditional depictions of testimony coming from the average person. In that vein, some examples: David Lasky‘s rendering of diary entries from Eastern Europe; Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons honoring teenage Paritsans in Holland; and Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton‘s tribute to the Hungarian resistance. Each work brings the struggle down to the human scale in very distinctive ways in terms of style and approach.

“Andartiko: Fighting Fascism in Greece” by David Lester

Another more straightforward approach focuses on the fight in Greece. David Lester, known for his historical graphic novels with a dramatic flair (Revolution by Fire: New York’s Afro-Irish Uprising of 1741) , offers a study of the Andartiko Partisans, with roots going back to the Ottoman Empire. His approach is gritty, bold and dynamic and really keeps the narrative moving.

“Piccola Staffetta” by Isabella and Franca Bannerman

What each piece in this book has in common is that urgency to connect the dots from the past with the present. The most explicit example comes from long-time World War 3 Illustrated contributor Isabella Bannerman. In her piece, she depicts the words of her mother, Franca Bannerman, who grew up during the rise of Mussolini and can’t help but see a distinct similarity between that fascist dictator and our current U.S. president. Well, someone had to say it and this one hits the nail on the head. So, where do you go from here? Days, let alone months, even years, can go by and the future remains murky and sinister. One thing is for sure, we can all use as much calm contemplation as we can get.

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August 9, 2025 · 6:00 pm

Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man, Speculation and the McFarlane Effect

McFarlane’s cover for Marvel’s Spider-Man No. 1 (August 1990)

Are you a superhero comics fan–especially an old school Spider-Man fan? I’d say that I’m a sensible fan with my own set of reasons. I appreciate that Spider-Man, along with all the great characters in comics, will forever be a wonderful opportunity to tell a story. Also, from a design sense, gotta love Spidey. From a pop culture sense, ditto. And, sometimes, like many fans, I’m susceptible to buying into Spidey, or any other comic book, as a keepsake. People have become conditioned to believe that an old stash of comic books might hold some highly valuable, “collector’s item.” This is based on such rags-to-riches stories as the astronomical rise in value of such Golden Age gems as Action Comics #1. By the 1990s, that mindset was completely ingrained among comic book consumers. The comic book market in the 1990s took a sharp turn down a speculative path with numerous titles touted as collector items and it ultimately went bust for a while. One of the most celebrated titles of that era, deemed a “collector’s item” on its front cover, was the first issue of the Todd McFarlane Spider-Man run, both written and drawn by McFarlane. Part of the battle is won when you have Spider-Man in the title and promise it’s a collector’s item. Spider-Man #1 went on to sell a whopping 2.5 million copies, partly due to the collector craze (take your pick in gold and/or silver variant covers) but just as much having to do with a new direction led my Todd McFarlane.

The speculative markets will tumble!

The new horror movie, Cloud, by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, features a flipper who buys up all the fan favorite items in order to resell them at jacked-up prices. It’s a cautionary tale about how we, as consumers, must be wary of traps. That’s what happened with comics. Hard-core collectors would buy multiple issues of the latest hot comic book title in order to manipulate the price. And then comic book publishers got into the act by feeding that demand for collector material: titles promising to be the next big thing with huge print runs, which, of all ironies, guaranteed they would not be scarce. Here’s a Comics 101 FYI: If you want a comic book to become valuable, one of the key factors is that it is rare to find a copy. These comics were NOT rare but were flooding the market and nearly destroyed the comic book industry. The solution? Well, it’s a hard pill to swallow but quality will always win out over quantity. So, in general, comic book publishers, despite all the variant covers and big events they create to lure in readers, are supposedly more interested in creating artful stories instead of marketing gimmicks. And that can often be true. That’s where comics reviewers lend a hand in seeking those titles out. Ultimately, let the buyer beware–and make your voice heard. Continued pushes for quality will keep the speculative beast at bay.

Howard the Duck #1 (1976), considered a collector’s item due to low distribution.

Speculation in the comics market will never die. But there are enough safeguards in place today that make it less likely we’ll have another 1990s-style market crash again. There is a greater sophistication and transparency at play and a lot more common sense. There will still be a lot of comic book collectors who don’t even read the comic books they collect. But that’s their problem. The best defense is to do more of what has helped the comic book industry survive and that is to strive for higher standards. In fact, the passion to hold comics to the highest standards is what drives what is going on here at Comics Grinder. And it only makes sense because the backbone of the market, in order for this to really work, is made up of readers, not speculators. The more readers you have, instead of vulture-speculators, the better chance of comic book shops, and publishers, weathering the market storms. Graphic novels, in all their various shapes and sizes, capable of focusing on any and all subjects, have risen to the challenge and help considerably to keep the lights on. Our best bet is that readers win out in the end.

The McFarlane Effect at its inception.

In the spirit of celebrating the art of comic books, let’s take a closer look at that iconic first issue of the McFarlane Spider-Man. What stands out? Well, one key element that McFarlane enjoyed was creating a page with a series of thin long panels, like stripes, than ran across and created a bunch of jump cuts, slivers of moments. I don’t think McFarlane has gotten any real credit for this narrative device so allow me to do the honors and introduce you to what I’m calling The McFarlane Effect. A certain number of us who keep up with comics are aware of the De Luca Effect which I have written about here and, in a nutshell, is a page that features one character (perhaps two) repeated in a succession of moments. I think it’s only now, with decades to separate us from the media phenomena that was McFarlane’s Spider-Man, that we can better appreciate the art behind the work. I honestly think that McFarlane is such a towering figure in comics that such little nuances can sort of be overlooked. How many other artists have used this narrative device? Well, overall, I think that anytime that you see a work with long panels slicing through it, there’s a good chance it is by an artist influenced by McFarlane.

A rhythm struck up by quirky panels.

McFarlane’s use of long slim panels allowed for an infinite set of variations and set an ambitious tone for his helm at the landmark character. Keep in mind that here was a young man, working his way up the ranks at Marvel Comics, given his chance to create his version of, arguably, the most renown character in comics history. He would have been well aware of the trends and cross-currents at the time. He was an artist is search of the most compelling narrative devices he could think of so, you better believe that he was up late at night at that drawing board, night after night. He did not use this long slim panel device on every page but used it where it was needed, and developed a rhythm struck up by quirky panels.

The maestro makes music with his magical panels.

The maestro was making music with his magical panels. Sure, this was a darker and more realistic Spider-Man than the higher-ups were used to, or comfortable with, at Marvel, but there he was, Todd McFarlane, the aspiring baseball player, knocking them out of the park. McFarlane would have been thinking of Frank Miller and his audacious The Dark Knight Returns. Well, he had an answer for it bringing home his own take on horror tropes and delivering with a distinctive style that has been borrowed by many great artists, including Jim Lee.

Spawn #1 is a collector’s item!

And to continue giving credit where credit is due, of course, Todd McFarlane went on to found Image Comics, where creativity and creator rights are honored. Image Comics stands as a testament to what is possible for a great comic book publisher and everyone associated with it. You may know one of the big titles lined up to launch Image Comics. That was Spawn #1 in May of 1992. Created by Todd McFarlane, the first issue was written and penciled by him and it did pretty well: It sold 1.7 million copies. Not bad, right? And the rest is history.

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August 6, 2025 · 6:15 pm

Molly and the Bear creator interview with Bob & Vicki Scott

Pages from Molly and the Bear.

We continue the Molly and the Bear coverage with a special creator interview with the husband-and-wife team of Bob and Vicki Scott. In this interview, we cover quite a lot of ground, from the origins of Molly and the Bear comics to a number of creative insights. Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me. Great to have both of you.

It’s nice to be here!  Thank you for chatting with us!

Please share with us what both of you would like to tell folks about your new book.

Bob:  Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware is the follow-up to our first book, Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair, which came out a year ago.  Both books are fun graphic novels for middle grade readers who like the idea of hanging out with a very large, very real Bear who has real issues.  Hmm, I guess I would like to let people know that these are fun books, full of heart and laughs.

Vicki: I’d like to let people know that they may be hard-pressed to find the books in the big stores like Barnes and Noble or Target, but online shopping is not their only option!  We peek into as many indie bookstores as possible, and we’ve been delighted to find the indie booksellers stocking out books!  It is a real thrill to see the books on the shelf.  We’ve also found Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair in public and school libraries!!!  (We hope they pick up the new book too!) Of course, the online retailers carry the books, but we love and appreciate the indies and libraries!!!

Would you share about the evolution of Molly and the Bear, from comic strip to book series?

Bob: Molly and the Bear started back when Universal Press Syndicate ran Comics Sherpa, a web platform for budding comic strips.  Sherpa was open to anyone, and the fellow creators were so supportive and encouraging.  GoComics is the syndicate’s “Invite-Only” web syndication platform and I jumped on Go in 2009.  I love the immediacy of posting a strip and getting immediate reaction.

Vicki: However.

Bob: GoComics audiences tend to hit a plateau, and Molly and the Bear had a couple thousand subscribers and the audience was not growing.  But I really wanted more people to see my work.  Vicki began suggesting adapting the strip into graphic novels.

“An Unlikely Pair”

Tell us about getting into the zone for your readers, the middle grade kids.

Bob: I released 2 compilation books, which my friends dutifully bought.  Fortunately, they left the books lying around on their kitchen tables long enough for their kids to get curious.  We got reports that the 11 – 12-year-old daughters LOVED the characters.

Vicki: Since doing a graphic novel was my big idea, I had the pleasure of reaching into Bob’s huge pile of strips and pulling out story lines that focused on Molly and Bear. It was the same process I used when I had worked for the Schulz family adapting TV specials and comic strips into the long-form comics for Boom Comics. By knowing the characters super well and weaving strips into the script, the integrity of Bob’s work (and Sparky’s) was maintained.   I love Molly and Bear and it is a pleasure to help shape the story into a long graphic novel.

Bob: While we kept the story focused on Molly and Bear, we added Harper, a best friend for Molly. Harper has become a regular in the strip too.

Vicki: By adding a best friend for Molly, and taking her to school, it helped make the story just right for 11 -12-year-olds.

Vicki: (whispering) A small note, the books are for middle grades, which is book-speak for 8 – 12- year-olds.  Books for middle school kids is YA.  It’s confusing even for us.  Bob and I nearly came to blows once over the term “chapter book”. Kidding.

“Campers Beware”

What can you share about your process? Anything is fair game: panels, lettering, coloring, layout, software used, any physical art process?

Bob: My process for the new books and the strip has only a couple of small differences.  Both are drawn in blue (or red) pencil on Bristol Board, then inked with a Windsor Newton Sable brush and waterproof India Ink. I love the feel of drawing on the board, the meditative nature of inking, and the satisfaction of holding the end product in my hands.

For both the books and the strips, I scan them and use Photoshop to remove the blue (or red) pencil lines.  For the strip, I usually ink the borders; for the books I do the borders in Photoshop.  All color is done in Photoshop.

The biggest difference is that I made a font of my lettering to use for the books. This made edits and possible translations easier.

Vicki: Once Bob got the art to the scan stage, I helped as much as I could as he held a full-time job for most of the books’ production.  I was tasked with coloring the book.  I made a conscious decision to not use shadows or gradations or anything fancy with the color so Bob’s beautiful inkwork remained the star.

Let’s get psychological. What does the Bear symbolize?

Bob: All the characters have large parts of me. I can be fearful, pessimistic, optimistic, brave, cranky.  We all have many sides to us, and I think when artists tap into those common threads sincerely, the art is relatable, and people connect to it.

Vicki: Yeah, we all contain multitudes.  And Bob blends them into comedy.

What’s it like working as a team?

Vicki: Lawyers were not called at any time.  No, seriously, Bob and I have worked together many times. My first job after graduating art school was inking US Acres, which he was co-penciling for Jim Davis.  It saved so much time, really.  We didn’t have to have that hour long conversation, “How was your day?” because we already knew.  We sat next to each other all day.  I love Bob’s art, I respect what he does and keep my hands off everything that makes Bob’s art his.

Bob: I like what Vicki brings to the work.  She adds a side to the characters that I wouldn’t think of.  Example: I drew Harper in an oversize sweater. I thought it was cute, and kind of in fashion right then.  Vicki made up the back story that the sweater belongs to Harper’s mom, and since the mom works long hours, Harper misses her.  So, Harper snuggles into the sweater every day like a portable Mom-hug.  I would never have thought of that, and it added so much to Harper.

Anything you’d like to share about the writing process–about the comedic timing?

Vicki: Writing a comic strip is like the haiku of comedy writing.  Bob is a master of it, and it is harder than it looks.  I like to blather on and on, so I can take Molly and Bear into full-length stories.  I like call-backs, long-running jokes and soap-opera-esque drama.

Bob: If I can make a joke work with a great, funny drawing, that’s what I love.  I love the slapstick of cartoons, the wild takes, the animation I can put into the comic strip and the books.  I love a pun as much as anyone, and Bear is always fun to write, but he is way more fun to draw.

Vicki: To be clear, Bob writes and draws his strip completely solo.  I help with the books, but the strip is all Bob.

Share with us anything you like about your early years.

Bob: I have been making comic strips since I was little. I saw strips in the newspaper every day (newspapers used to be on paper and delivered to your house.  Crazy times) and I drew my favorites.  Pretty soon I was making my own strips.  I have been on a quest for syndication my whole life.   Fortunately, I also wanted to be an animator.

Vicki: I don’t remember it very well, but I wasn’t always this tall. My feet were always this big, however.

Bob: Ha! Ha!

What would you tell someone just getting into making comics. Some folks do it as a creative outlet and others are looking to pursue it as part of a creative career. Any advice?

Bob: A lot of people ask me how to make a comic strip. I walk them through finding a size to draw the strip that works for them and turn them loose.  That’s it!  There is no big list of requirements for strips.  It’s why I love strips.  I work on animated features and TV series all day and I LOVE that I’m my own boss on the strip. Three panels? Sure!  Five panels? Why not?  Web-based syndication is very free.

Interestingly, people roll up their sleeves and do about 8 strips.  That’s about when everyone sees it is a lot of work.  Endless.  But I love that too.  Every single day, I get to make a new strip.  Tell a new joke.  Draw something funny that makes me laugh.

It’s not for everyone.

Vicki: When Bob was young, making a living doing a comic strip was a real possibility.  He was just a few years behind Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes).  But when the papers began failing, comic strips entered a dark period where almost no one could launch a strip that would support them.  Now, there are more ways to get comic strips out there, and the future for comic strip artists may be looking better.  Strange Planet is a good example of a web-based comic “making it big”.

Any final thoughts are welcome. What is in store for the future?

Bob: We would love to continue the Molly and the Bear graphic novels, but publishing is a business and that means we need Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair and Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware to sell through the roof.   I hope we get to do a third: Molly is going to do a school play, Bear will need to stand in for a sick kid, and of course the theater is haunted.

Vicki: Hilarity will ensue.

Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware and Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair are published by Simon & Schuster.

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August 5, 2025 · 12:00 pm

Molly and the Bear by Bob & Vicki Scott book series review

Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair and Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware. By Bob Scott and Vicki Scott. Simon & Schuster. (ages 8-12) 240pp each. $14.99 each.

Molly and the Bear is a syndicated comic strip by Bob Scott with a wide fan base going back to 2010. Bob Scott is a highly regarded cartoonist and animator who has worked with many of the greats in the comics industry including Jim Davis as well as with such high profile animation studios as Warner Brothers, DreamWorks and Pixar. Molly and the Bear is about an 11-year-old girl and her best friend, a very sensitive 800-pound bear. In partnership with his wife, Vicki, Bob turned this webcomic into a middle-grade graphic novel series. It is a wonderful collaborative project by two respected creatives in the world of comics and animation. The first two books in the series have just come out and I’m thrilled to share with you such a wildly inventive work.

“An Unlikely Pair”

Both of these books are coming out together and so make a perfect pair. That leads me to the title of the first book, “An Unlikely Pair,” which acts as an entry point, especially if you enjoy seeing two characters meet for the very first time. A big point I need to stress is that I’m always intrigued and overjoyed to see just how much quirky, artful and original storytelling is found within the pages of a book that has a younger demographic of readers. In this particular case, I firmly believe that Bob and Vicki Scott have achieved that classic “all-ages” appeal, and that has a lot to do with Bob’s refined sense of meeting the demands of a comic strip, traditionally meant to be enjoyed by any reader, whatever the age. This first book opens with Molly’s parents off to enjoy a drive and trusting their daughter to mind the home alone. This leads to Molly exchanging text messages with her pal, Harper, followed by her just dancing and enjoying a little freedom. But then, suddenly, a huge bear crawls in from an open window. In short order, Molly discovers this bear has some serious issues with living outside–and inside: he’s a complete mess who needs help. Molly decides to let him stay and just hope for the best. Of course, she will have to deal with Bear’s intricate system of worries. For instance, he’s afraid of heights, especially “mid-level heights.” Enough to boggle the mind of any therapist. And there’s your very unusual and funny premise.

Even if you are a highbrow comics connoisseur, I ask that you put on your white gloves, monocle and top hat and examine this work for yourself, just as you would any number of other works with a mass media following created by industry professionals (Carl Barks, Ernie Bushmiller, etc.). I think you’ll find the waters you swim here to be rather pleasant. Not only are the gags set up with precise timing but the compositions are consistently compelling. There is a level of skill here that can go underappreciated because it doesn’t call attention to itself but it’s there in every well-rendered figure and face, every well-established interior and exterior. I’m really charmed by the example above. Molly is luring her new best friend Bear to the safety of her bedroom with some ice cream, having him climb up a few stairs that he’s been terrified over. She manages to navigate a close call with her parents. By the next page, she races up the same stairs to check in on his progress and finds he’s overcome with a really bad case of stress-shedding. You see on these two pages Bear go through a roller coaster of emotions: from an all-time high to a lowest low.

“Campers Beware”

I actually read the second book first and only later went back and read the first book second. And I’m glad that I just leapfrogged into the material. Again, it’s all very polished and professional work with a certain subversive edge to it, just the sort of thing you find in all the old favorite animated TV shows like The Jetsons and The Flintstones. In the case of “Campers Beware,” Bob and Vicki deliver a hilarious story involving Bear beside himself attempting to befriend Dad while battling his fears of the great outdoors–and other bears. Really priceless stuff. Seek it out!

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July 30, 2025 · 10:12 am

Introverts Illustrated by Scott Finch book review and creator interview

Introverts Illustrated. Scott Finch. Sold in Bundles of 5 ($25) at Partners & Son.

I turn to ambient music when I need an added kick of focus. Usually, it’s when I’m writing. I would never have a show or a podcast on in the background. No, I need something stripped down that will allow me to actually think when I’m writing or reading. Complete silence is quite nice too. Ambient music can be ideal at times. That’s what I did for this most unusual work by the artist Scott Finch. It helped in just the way it was intended to do: a means to push back all the added noise and clutter in life. Finch’s new work, Introverts Illustrated, is a collection of 21 mini-comics, meant to be accepted as a whole and, most likely, read in one sitting . . . or as many as you feel like, no pressure.

INTROVERTS ILLUSTRATED!

That’s the way it worked for me: to have the whole collection by my side and just dive in. I wouldn’t say it’s like reading through 21 issues of King Cat or even Superman. The experience is something different and, in its own way, a bit groundbreaking. I mean, you don’t usually see a creator presenting a whole series of individual works all at once. The tried and true method is to parcel them out one by one, just like the big mainstream comic book companies. Reading this work, in sections, I believe adds to its mystique, a work already in a full embrace with the sort of ambiguity you traditionally find in poetry and painting. In other words, take this more as a high art piece and less as anything resembling a traditional comic, indie or otherwise.

Diving into the work.

Scott Finch is a pure artist: someone who loves to experiment; who will create work just to see what happens; who will treat a project as something sacred that may end up never to be viewed by anyone else. That kind of commitment is what gives you something like Introverts Illustrated. Now, there’s a lot of things that can be said about this work and one of the most important is to just enjoy it and reach your own conclusions. There are a number of so-called gatekeepers and experts with their own theories as to what this project is about or isn’t about. I sincerely hope that I don’t fall into that group–or maybe I do–but I do my best to be self-aware. Anyway, I sense that what excites those of us deep in the comics cognoscenti is the sense that this is indeed one of those unicorns we keep hoping for: a work that you can really claim to be something different. Once a work of that sort is spotted, it’s like throwing chum into the waters where sharks await. Within seconds, the water spreads out a bloody spew of pontificating. Lucky for me, and you, I have taken the time to get to know the work and the artist. After this review, we proceed with an interview with Scott Finch.

Dig in!

One key concept, in all honesty, is ambiguity. Scott freely admits that he followed his muse and did it his way. His first priority wasn’t clarity. In fact, during our chat, I point out one fragment of text that is every bit as enigmatic as the art it accompanies. Now, that can be beautiful–and it is. But, like I’ve already stated, don’t expect this to be a typical work–but, oddly enough, don’t expect it to be cryptic either! It’s more like a series of dreams and, I believe you’ll agree, dreams do follow their own logic and often can be very lucid and highly accessible.

Issues of Introverts Illustrated.

Another key concept, to be sure, is the creative process. At its core, the backbone to this project, is automatic drawing. That’s where Finch started: one drawing after another, without thinking too much, just drawing. That’s the beginning of the process. Where you go from there is the next level of engagement. It can involve making numerous copies of various elements and arranging them, see what you get. Cut here. Paste there. Trace this. Redraw that. Things emerge, unexpected things.

Finally, I would add one more important concept: structure. You begin with the raw and make your way to the cooked. At some point, you add text, all the while staying true to what you’ve done before and letting it guide you. Getting back to dreams, there are a lot of paths following various dreams to be found here, all engaging, and delightful. If I had to be pinned down as to what is going on in this free-spirited tableaux, I would say this is a series of meditations on the human condition, especially the human who aspires to something different, to something artful, to something like this most unusual work.

When we talk about such matters as comics being an art form, something that’s been well established over the years, it can still be elusive to pin down. Sometimes, it’s found within more commercial work. And, sometimes, it is not found within indie comics. Within the rough and tumble world of any given comic arts festival, the reality is that it is as much a marketplace as a more obviously corporate-heavy major comics convention and it can be a challenging arena, even for unicorns. I sense that Finch is modest about the whole thing and will find his way. As an artist, first, he is more interested in some good old-fashioned artistic problem-solving and that will serve him well. Perhaps he’ll find the most success within a gallery space or whatever other venues and platforms may arise in the future. Finch will most likely follow the words in his own work regarding his career: “I make space for it. I do not seize it.”

“I make space for it. I do not seize it.”

Alright, we’ll end the review there. I encourage you to check out my conversation with the artist. During our talk, Scott not only explains what’s going on in this project but really opens up about his process which will undoubtedly resonate if you folks, whatever kind of creative work you happen to do.

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July 22, 2025 · 2:00 pm

The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories Illustrated by Wallace Wood book review

The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories Illustrated by Wallace Wood. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2025, 216pp. $39.99.

Review by Paul Buhle

The Great Bohemian of comic books’ grandest moments, Wallace (aka “Wally”) Wood drew like a genius for a number of publishers before falling to overwork, too many cigarettes and too much liquor. EC loved him the best, and it was a mutual feeling, notwithstanding the inevitable tensions of artist, collective/collaborative work process, and the reality of a boss.

Wally Wood in his prime, excerpt from “My World,” Weird Science #22, 1953.

This splendid volume collects some of his finest Sci-Fi—he was also among the greatest satirical artists for Mad Comics—from forgotten series titles like Weird Science, Weird Fantasy and Incredible Science Fiction of the early 1950s. It also offers much woderful contextual material, commentary by serious scholars—university professors but mostly otherwise—to individual stories and collaborations, from editors to scriptwriters to presumably lowly inkers.

Most “classics” comic art volumes these days contain a hat-tipping of industry insiders. Same here. Howard Chaykin, vaunted comic artist (and a short time assistant to  Wood)  does not have a lot to say beyond describing Wood’s talent, nor does the appropriately admiring Larry Hama, of today’s GI Joe, itself a remnant of another and in this case, less pleasant, aka Cold War, comics era. S.S. Ringenberg, a comic scriptwriter, and fan-interviewer works harder with a biographical introductory sketch that goes little beyond ground familiar to Woods devotees, but reminds us sharply of the nature of the self-destructive genius. Wood put a gun to his head in 1981, leaving no note. The career disappointments were real, especially for an artist who worked hard at improving his style. But by that time, two divorces and a separation, he became too exhausted to keep himself in check. Besides, the glory years of the older comic art had been long past, and he was not suited to the new comix generation. His barely controlled artistic id did not find a home in the ill-paying Undergrounds.

Meanwhile, in the substantial Introduction,Tommy Burns and Jon Gothold go through the stories one by one, in such detail that no biographer of a novelist may ever have done better. Do we need such detail? Perhaps not every reader will think so, but among the plot summaries, these scholarly-minded critics offer so many small insights that the net result is remarkable, and demands several readings for details.

Wood reached his apex, arguably, in adapting the stories of Ray Bradbury, and this tells us much of what need to know about the vital and lasting importance of Wood’s work. This reviewer came upon Bradbury’s writings around age 10 or 11, in the Republican political/cultural climate of Central Illinois where the perceptions of sophisticated New Yorkers, for instance, would have been unusual and likely mistrusted. Mad Comics explained McCarthyism in the most penetrating and hilarious fashion. Bradbury, who was personally close to the Hollywood Blacklisted, found ways in his stories and novels to explore the takeover of public space, the waning of the New Deal stress for reform in favor of forced patriotism, but also unapologetic commercialization of daily life. He saw the future and it looked bad.

Thus, famously,  Fahrenfeit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, made into feature films but only after the worst of McCarthyism had faded. Bradbury had been trying for years to send out warnings, even while he was making a living and a reputation (including a personal move to Hollywood)  in a Sci-Fi field with leftist underpinnings going back to the 1930s. He also badly wanted to escape being pegged as a “genre writer,” but never made it and did not need to: we loved him anyway.

Photo funnies tribute in The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories.

Wally Wood so internalized the logic of Bradbury that stories composed by others at EC somehow have the “Bradbury Touch” in addition to the EC Touch, which consists—leaving aside the art— in terse scripting and a surprise ending. Like the alien civilization in “He Walked Among Us,” where the Savior was actually an Earthman who preaches love and forgiveness is executed. Two thousand years (!) later, another Earth visitor learns that the aliens’ holy symbol is the rack, aka cross, where the presumed savior was tortured to death.*

You get the idea. Human folly in the Atomic Age has become toxic. Wood could have predicted what a willful destroyer like Musk would write about opening up the need for “planetary” civilizations when Earth has been plundered beyond repair.

Not that all the stories are like this. And Bradbury could not have featured the scantily-clad beauties, alongside the virile young males, that seemed to be a specialty for Wood. Earthmen fall in love with alien females who assume a delicious human form only… to revert back, inspiring horror. Humans landing on a distant planet learn that the babies born to them, urgently wanting love and care, may have a dozen arms and look like octopi or something else weird (in this case, mommy does not care, which sounds right).

How were Wood’s females all so young and buxom, you might ask? The mostly male and young readers of these comics didn’t likely ask at all. The happy dreamers of another story are space explorers kidnapped to service the all-female population of a planet whose males have died out after a war. The “scientifically selected” dames look awfully familiar.

Wood could also favor social criticism–with a dark turn. In one story here, tens of thousands of Earth people who disappear in bunches, every few hundred years, turn out to be farm edibles, as a scientist explains over…a turkey dinner. Actually, this was an EC Sci-Fi trope several times over, like the aliens in another EC comic who capture interplanetary humans to use their skins for…fashionable minkish coats, and so on. Why do we egotistical Homo sapiens think we can abuse the animal kingdom?

From “Spawn of Venus”

Wood also loved the occasional in-joke, with a drawing of himself in the final panel. Here, EC Comics miraculously predict unexpected events, like the appearance of flying saucers, or the rise of surgical sex change (think “Christine” Jorgenson in tabloid headlines of the time). A jowly comics publisher (could it be plump William Gaines, who inherited EC when his father died in a boating accident?) wants them to take “a loyalty oath” (cue to Joe McCarthy). After some alien hi-jinks, the real Wally confesses that he and his fellow artists are actually disguised Venusians saving the world from horrible-looking Martians!!! What those helpful Venusians might look like beneath their disguise…we will never know.

In the real world, EC’s marvelous Sci-Fi, “Real War” and humor series (MAD and PANIC) never reached the sales level of its various, blood-dripping but also deeply satirical horror comics, also full of plot reversals and revenge-justice. Gaines was called upon, in the famous Congressional hearings (held in the same Manhattan courtroom as “Red” hearings a few years earlier), to explain the horror as something less than dangerous to young minds. The inquisitors weren’t listening to his answers, and the guillotine blade fell on a glorious moment in popular art.

Wally Wood outlived his time, this is the tragedy of his life and not only his. Harvey Kurtzman and his trusted artists hit their peak as satirists, also arguably as editors and artists, in their twenties and early thirties. Some became highly successful illustrators. None could recapture the magic.

Paul Buhle

*Let it be known that the Ray Bradbury Museum rests in the blue collar city of Waukegan, Ilinois, which only happens to be my wife’s hometown.

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July 16, 2025 · 3:50 pm

Steve Benson (1954 – 2025)

“People are testy and uncomfortable, and they really don’t know where the country’s going. That’s why cartoonists are here.” That quote is by political cartoonist Steve Benson regarding Trump 1.0 back in 2017. Sounds very relevant for today, as does the above editorial cartoon, also circa 2017.

Steve Benson (1954 – 2025) was one of the greats with a career spanning over 40 years. Benson won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in The Arizona Republic in 1993. Benson grew up in the generation influenced by giants in the industry, Jeff MacNelly and Pat Oliphant, the caliber of cartoonists that even the most casual observer took notice of. As happens with the best, Benson found his own take on things and the rest is history.

Steve Benson is not a name I was particularly acquainted with. Sadly, a good chunk of Benson’s career oversaw the steady decline of newspapers and the overall splintering of media into a thousand pieces. That said, his work was powerful and speaks to the need for more of it, not less. Political cartoons are a perfect vehicle to speak truth to power. We still have any number of cartoonists who aspire to at least try to make as strong a mark as Benson on this or that online platform. We need them to continue their good work since nefarious politicians aren’t slowing down any time soon if ever.

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July 14, 2025 · 11:58 am

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees comics review and creator interview

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic. Desmond Reed. Microcosm Publishing. 2025. 270pp. $19.99.

Desmond Reed is a rising talent in the world of comics. His latest book makes that clear. Years of dedication to the making of comics has resulted in his design being sharper, his insight being keener and, heck, the guy knows how to put on a good show. It is that focus on storytelling, as well as development of character, that leads us to such a smooth and pleasing comics experience. As Reed explains, he has five characters, the Cola Pop Creemees, who, among other things, represent different emotions and different aspects of himself, or yourself. I can see that this comic is very relatable, in the spirit of such groundbreaking work as BoJack Horseman. Let me just say from the get-go, the Cola Pop Creemees are very different and original, and if you see them turned into an animated series someday, well, you heard about it here first.

Cartoonist and Publishers.

The world of cartoons and comics has always dealt with far more than might meet the eye, depending upon where you venture off to. In the world of Desmond Reed, you enter a kaleidoscopic world of the real and surreal. For instance, our heroes live in a house in the shape of a hand. There is plenty to be anxious about in the real world, and this comic manages to tackle many of these issues within its quirky borders.

Cartoonist and Comics Festivals.

Desmond Reed has set the stage and, from there, he can modulate the tone. Stories vary in length with some far-out zany and others more contemplative. Reed’s most serious and ambitious work to date is one of his longer stories, “Memories,” winner of a 2022 MICE Mini-Grant. Here, he focuses on his most madcap character, Wallace T.J. by allowing for a careful look back at his development and the darker side to his life.

“Memories”

Life is quite a journey with plenty of bumps in the road and that’s where a daring artist like Desmond Reed steps in to create art to defy even the most challenging of times. Believe me, there’s always room for another valiant artist to lead the way, especially one as gifted as Reed. It all comes down to the reader getting a chance to know the work–and so I encourage you to seek out this highly inventive work and let it speak for itself. I can tell you that Reed has a magic touch, with his pared-down whimsical style, when it comes to addressing some very serious issues like addiction and depression.

The Cola Pop Creemees live inside a hand.

Desmond Reed is not afraid to go down to depths of despair and come back up with a tear and a smile. It is a combination of a pared-down style and a direct straightforward narrative. Think of it as a friend who sets you down and needs to tell you something. Maybe there will be some humor thrown in that both of you share. But then you get to the story, without pretense, and you just get it. That is what is happening here. Reed has constructed characters that you can tap into in the very best spirit of comics. You can say that the lodestar guiding us cartoonists in such matters is Peanuts, and, I dare say, there’s some of that Peanuts DNA in the Cola Pop Creemees gang.

Some much said within a special world.

What irony there is to be found here is subverted by a persistent vision of perseverance. That is not an easy thing to achieve and it has everything to do with Reed following his own instincts and staying true to his authentic self. That’s where you get original work and not some trendy “next big thing” that is aping some previous “next big thing.” Yes, it is possible for comics to be funny, sincere and have some redeeming quality that will speak directly to you.

It was a lot of fun to get to chat with Desmond about his new book and sharing thoughts about the cartoonist life. I hope you feel the same. So, please do check out the above conversation on the Comics Grinder YouTube channel and please view, LIKE and COMMENT directly on the channel. Every bit of input and engagement helps us continue.

Keep up Desmond Reed here. And be sure to visit Microcosom Publishing here.

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July 10, 2025 · 8:30 pm

Superman, Apple Pie and MAGA

It’s been a minute since we had a full-on Superman major motion picture with all the trimmings. And this new installment shows with each charming but self-conscious step. It’s like a very expensive and fragile antique has been brought down from wherever it usually hides and one hopes it survives the special occasion that summoned it from its crypt. Superman is like that. Also like the James Bond franchise. Just as you’re getting used to one Bond, they bring in a new model. What was wrong with Henry Cavill? He seems to have a lot of mileage ahead of him. Well, he’s 42. The new guy, David Corenswet, is ten years younger. But there’s no getting around the fact that the actual character goes back to 1938. And, some will argue, Christopher Reeve, in the role of Superman, along with Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, in 1978, will always be the gold standard. In fact, Corenswet seems to be channeling Reeve in a pretty big way. The same with the new Lois, played by 34-year-old Rachel Brosnahan. There’s no doubt that the producers were looking for a certain je ne sais quoi and Brosnahan has that world-weary Kidder vibe down. The script doesn’t bother with formalities with these two and has them all over each other back at Lois’s apartment within a few minutes after the first big action scene. They are so used to each other after dating a couple of months that they let loose with a mildly tense quarrel. It was something else. It made a baby cry in the movie theater I was at.

Now, some talking heads have made a big deal about Superman updating for the age of MAGA. And I think the producers tried to split things down the middle. They gave Clark Kent a new set of parents cut from a MAGA trope: more of a laid-back Southern flavor as opposed to a prim and uptight Midwestern reserve that was the original recipe. Clark was raised in Smallville, Kansas after all, not West Virginia. Anyway, that part is done with kindness. The other part could be hard for some hardcore Trump fans to swallow and that’s stuff like Superman duking it out with Lex Luthor with Superman saying things like, “Yeah, I’m an alien and I’m proud of it. I’m a real person.” and Luthor saying, “I don’t care. The government has given me permission to do whatever I want with you!” Your mileage will vary. You can’t avoid a little sprinkle of politics when you’re dealing with such a colossal cultural figure as Superman. Director James Gunn referred to Superman as an embattled immigrant and that alone has created a bit of a firestorm. Every era has its own Superman and so it goes.

But getting back to the whole idea of a major Superman movie. It does feel like the good china and silverware is being brought out. My harshest view would be that the whole thing feels as if its been embalmed in formaldehyde, lost somewhere in the mist of the 1930s up to the 1970s. Maybe that’s a good thing, the fact that this sort of thing is still being done. It’s a very expensive experiment in entertainment but I can only imagine no one is going to lose their shirt over this. It’s going to appeal to a lot of people but that just goes with the brand. It’s too tempting for too many people. And I think it’s mostly going to be older people too even though efforts are made to make these characters seem youthful. One clue to the tilt toward older viewers, I think, is how Lois and Clark are supposed to be such huge fans of punk music. The way they carry on about their devotion to the punk ethos makes them sound more like people twenty or so years older than themselves. And that makes sense given that 58-year-old James Gunn is the movie’s writer and director. But good for him! I think the love for a beloved subject carries over into one’s life in more ways than one. I’m good with that.

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