Comics Journal (1977) comic books 2007

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Hey kids, sex and violence! Gary Groth interviews Frank Thorne, whose long and varied career as an artist has led from titles such as Tomahawk and Mighty Samson to the steamiest version of Red Sonja ever, as well as the creation of his own salacious barbarian babe, Ghita. Our comics section features "All True Crime Stories" from Comics Code inspiration Crime Does Not Pay, the "magazine with the widest range of appeal," as Charles Biro and Bob Wood proclaimed on the cover. Murdered corpses, heaving bosoms, mystery dates -- what more can you ask for? How about an interview with self-publisher Carla Speed McNeil, creator of the "aboriginal sci-fi" series Finder? Also: a tribute to Playboy cartoon editor Michelle Urry. And: comics historian Patrick Rosenkranz on Rand Holmes. Plus: reviews, letters and news. Cover by Frank Thorne. 200 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

February 2007. Original cover price: $9.95. Year in Review issue - the best comics of 2006. Interview with Yoshihiro Tatsumi; interview with Melinda Gebbie (Lost Girls); interviews with Lauren Weinstein, Miriam Katin, Megan Kelso, Renee French, Kim Deitch & Gilbert Hernandez. Cover by Tatsumi. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Our headliner this issue is Alison Bechdel, whose memoir Fun Home was one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of 2006. She delves into life, death, her work, and the banning of her book in Missouri with interviewer Lyn Emmeri. Plus: an interview with Golden Age cartoonist Fred Guardineer, who is perhaps best known for his work on comics such as Zatura, The Durango Kid, Detective Comics, and Crime Does Not Pay. The full-color comics section features Get Lost, The Comic Designed to Send You, and future Spider-Man team Ross Andru and Mike Esposito's post-Kurtzman humor comic of the 1950's. Also: an ample array of comics history, analysis and criticism. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. In this issue: L'Association co-founder and prolific cartoonist Lewis Trondheim talks about the wry sword-and-sorcery mega-epic Donjon, his autobio comics, McConey and his "retirement." Plus: PictureBox publisher Dan Nadel queries art-comics (Wonderfool World) creator and fine artist David Sandlin on his pieces in Raw, as well as the eerie Swamp Preacher, which ties into the larger world of his Blab! anthology-and-storybook work. Our color comics section turns up a 1949 comics adaptation of John Buchan's The 39 Steps by Dick Davis and Jim Lavery. Also: profound columns, sharp reviews and a whole lot more by the comics medium's smartest critics and historians. Cover by Lewis Trondheim. PC/PB&W. Cover price $9.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Marvel Monsters and Monkey Kings make mayhem in this issue! Gary Groth interviews cartoonist Roger Langridge, creator of a rogues gallery of characters such as Fred the Clown, Art d'Ecco, and Knuckles the Malevolent Nun. The New Zealand native will also talk about his collaborative work, such as his recent turn as the artist for Marvel's Fin Fang Foom. Also interviewed is Xeric-winner Gene Yang, whose young-adult graphic novel, American Born Chinese, was recently nominated for a National Book Award. Plus: from the turn of the 19th century, Frederick Burr Opper's comic strip Happy Hooligan -- one of the inspirations for Chaplin's Little Tramp -- is examined, complete with approximately 30 Sunday strips reproduced in full-color! Cover by Roger Langridge. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, Superman Confidential creator Darwyn Cooke confides about his early career in animation, collaborating on Catwoman, re-pioneering DC's superhero mythology in The New Frontier, and providing his current takes on Batman, The Spirit, and Superman. Plus: Ernie Colon, the artist for the best-selling The 9/11 Report: a Graphic Adaptation, talks about representing one of the defining traumas of our age, as well as working on Casper the Friendly Ghost, Magnus: Robot Fighter, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, and his current weekly comic strip, SpyCat. Also: the full-color comics section captures Marvel mainstay John Buscema's weird-crime comics from Wanted Comics, circa 1950. And: an interview with alt cartoonist Keith Knight. Cover by Darwyn Cooke. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.

The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. This issue, comics critic and historian Paul Gravett interviews British cartoonist Posy Simmonds. Best known for her weekly strips for The Guardian (such as "The Silent Three of St. Botolph's") and her reworking of Madame Bovary and Far from the Madding Crowd (Gemma Bovary and Tamara Drewe, respectively), the pair also discuss other aspects of her wide-ranging career, such as her children's books and her strip "Literary Life." Also: a career-spanning interview with Gail Simone, who recently left her long and well-received run on the super-heroine team book Birds of Prey to tackle the newly revamped Wonder Woman title. She will also talk about her work on series such as Villains United, Superman, Welcome to Tranquility, and Killer Princesses, and her "women in refrigerators" website. Plus: insightful comics reviews and columns, and a comics section featuring Otto Soglow's The Ambassador. Cover by Posy Simmonds. PC/PB&W. Cover price $11.95.