Comic Book Creator # 42 March 2026 (magazine review)

One thing I like about ‘Comic Book Creator’ is it often coughs up interviews of creators I’ve never heard of but insights into when and where they grew up. Case in point is Shary Flenniken, an underground comicbook artist in the 1960s. She gives insight into not only the movement but how it moved with the beatniks. I liked her describing how a group of artists each did a panel creating a story with no planning. Organised chaos.

There are a lot of smaller pieces again before the main event, so forgive me if I jump past anything but it is all read.

One of them has editor/writer Jon B. Cooke focusing on ‘Esquire magazine March 1972’ which was a super-hero special but with new character done by comicbook regulars brought in by Herb Trimpe. So we have Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Barry Windsor-Smith, Ralph Reese and Alan Weiss. There is the opening pages from each of them here at full size. I did look up the original magazine but the cost is really expensive.

More underground material as Cook interviews Paul Buhle about his ‘Mad’ magazine influence which ended up him co-writing a book on Harvey Kurtman. He divided his time between interviewing radical people and contributing to the magazines as well. I tend to see these pieces as something I’m never likely to read but prepared to learn from.

Of course, the real payload is the two interviews with comicbook artist Pat Broderick. It’s a little confusing at the beginning where the opening pages for each are side by side, but it looks like there was a need to showcase the western art of ‘Bronze Star’ across the two pages. For the first interview, Greg Biga discusses with Broderick about how he started in Tampa and still pretty much lives in the same area today. The fact that he held down an advertising job while building up his work in comicbooks should be telling for all you budding artists out there you need more than one job when starting out. No matter how good you are, have something you can fall back on. As such, Broderick admits that you get hard times and lose being a flavour of the month and a need to be flexible. As such, he has also worked in animation and teaching and gone full circle with a Mike Barr scripted ‘Bronze Star’ comicbook recently. His work at Marvel and DC Comics has been extensive and includes the likes of the Micronauts, Captain Marvel, Firestorm, Captain Atom and the Legion Of Super-Heroes. From the looks of things he was always thrown in the deep, aided by being one of Neal Adams’ Crusty Bunkers. His hints for upcoming artists to be learn to draw on paper before moving onto digital does at least ensure they might have something to sell at comic conventions.

Cook’s follow-up interview is filling in some of the gaps from the first, which was done three years earlier. I loved his comment, based on his own teaching experience, that schools’ expertise is in creating morons. Broderick’s insights includes the comicbook industry and advertising makes for interesting reading. I did look up ‘Bronze Star’ and it looks like it’s sold out at the moment. Hopefully, the interest here gives it a second printing because Broderick’s art is quite catching.

Have you ordered this issue yet?

GF Willmetts

April 2026

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 401-783-1689. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_132&products_id=1851&zenid=f469b33cdb87ab6126df0de69ee5c9dc