Paul Kupperberg
Comics A.M. | The Walking Dead reasserts bookstore dominance
The Walking Dead Compendium Book One
Graphic novels | Two volumes of The Walking Dead Compendium topped BookScan’s list of the Top 20 graphic novels sold in bookstores in March, and Vol. 60 of Naruto was No. 3, but ICv2 thinks the new Avatar: The Next Airbender graphic novel premiering at No. 4 is headline-worthy. [ICv2]
Awards | With his duties complete, Charles Hatfield describes what it was like to be an Eisner judge. [See Hatfield]
Creators | Gilbert Hernandez talks about his childhood and that influences, from Dennis the Menace to Steve Ditko, that shaped his latest graphic novel, Marble Season. [The Chicago Tribune]
What Are You Reading? with Joshua Williamson
Hello and welcome to another edition of What Are You Reading?, where each week we talk about comics and other stuff we’ve been checking out lately. Today we welcome special guest Joshua Williamson, writer of Masks and Mobsters, Captain Midnight (which has been running in Dark Horse Presents), Uncharted, Voodoo and much more.
To see what Joshua and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below …
Comics A.M. | Harry Harrison dies; Marvel ends Premiere Classics
Harry Harrison
Passings | Artist and writer Harry Harrison, who worked with Wally Wood on many EC Comics — and persuaded them to start their sci-fi line — has died at the age of 87. Harrison is best known in science fiction circles as the author of the Stainless Steel Rat stories, and the movie Soylent Green was based on his 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! [The Comics Reporter]
Publishing | Marvel is ending its Premiere Classics line of hardcovers collections with Vol. 106. [Blog@Newsarama]
Conventions | ComiCONN is this weekend, and although it is the largest comics and sci-fi show in Connecticut, you won’t need your jet pack to navigate it, says Life With Archie writer Paul Kupperberg. Kupperberg and Peter David will be among the guests. [Connecticut Post]
Quote of the day | Paul Kupperberg on the marriage of Kevin Keller
“I guess the idiot lunatic fringe does some bitching and moaning about it. But the reaction that I’ve seen has been positive. It’s been ‘This is great—thank you! It’s about time! These are the kind of stories we want to see.’ And if people can’t deal with it, well, go away, don’t read it. That’s okay. I don’t care what you think. [...] When the story broke a month or two ago, there was a comment left on some Fox News site, and they didn’t cite me by name, but it was essentially ‘Whoever would write and draw and publish such a story should get AIDS and die.’ And you know … I thought that was great. [Laughs] I have so much power that I can write a simple comic-book story and that can cause you to wish me death! I am mighty. [Laughs]”
– writer Paul Kupperberg, discussing response to the introduction of Riverdale’s first gay resident Kevin Keller, and the marriage of the character to Clay Walker in Life With Archie #16
Check out a preview of Kevin Keller’s wedding
Life With Archie #16 is breaking new ground, at least for Archie: The latest issue of the grown-up soap opera based on adult versions of the familiar Riverdale gang will feature the wedding of Kevin Keller, Archie’s first openly gay character, to Clay Walker, his former physical therapist. Johanna Draper Carlson has a preview at Comics Worth Reading.
When I interviewed Life With Archie writer Paul Kupperberg last year, he pointed out that this issue also includes another significant first for Archie Comics: A realistic combat scene (well, about as realistic as any war comic) in which Kevin is injured. Since LWA has two parallel story lines, one in which Archie marries Veronica and the other in which he marries Betty, the story is split across two comics, but it is consistent in both of them: Kevin is injured in combat, returns to the States, and must learn to walk again—and face the humbling fact that he can’t do it alone. Enter Clay, who literally gets him back on his feet. It’s not Hemingway by a long shot, but it’s a nice read, and Kupperberg has plenty more twists up his sleeve for future issues.
What Are You Reading?
Stumptown
Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading? This week’s guest is Alex Segura, executive director of publicity and marketing at Archie Comics. But we’ll always know him as the guy who founded The Great Curve, the blog that would one day morph into Robot 6.
To see what Alex and the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, click below …