Comic Book Creator # 43 May 2026 (magazine review)
The start of this edition of ‘Comic Book Creator’ is an interview from a long time ago by Les Daniels with comicbook writer Alan Moore. Editor Jon B. Cooke recently acquired Daniels’ notebooks where he transcribed all his interviews before using them in his books on Marvel and DC Comics. In some respects, Daniels was cautious how he approached particular subjects like John Constantine, ‘Watchmen’ and ‘From Hell’ but Moore quickly opened up. I think the best reveal for me was him explaining ‘The Tales Of The Black Freighter’ was really a metaphor for Adrian Veldt in ‘Watchmen’. Likewise, it wasn’t until he got to issue # 3 when the plots started to come together and had to reinvent himself with other story techniques after it was completed.
There are a lot of smaller articles and such so I’ll pick out a few. Steve Thompson examines his childhood and how he did the rounds looking for current and old comics. Even in the UK, we can probably tell stories of doing that and trying to make sense of why some newsagents had different issues.
A page only interview by Darick Patrick with Darick Robertson about ‘The Boys’. Have I missed it or hasn’t there been any proper articles on the subject?
There’s a look at the Eastern Color Printing Company by writer Shaun Clancy and how they worked gives further insight into the printing end of production.
The second part of editor Jon B. Cooke’s interview with cartoonist Shary Flenniken’s about her career, mostly at National Lampoon and elsewhere. A lot more samples of her work. Loved her ballet gag.
Writer Steven Fears interviewed comicbook artist Ric Estrada (1928-2009) gives a fascination insight into the Cuban when he left his country and began his career in the USA. Multi-talented, a desire for travel and able to contribute to every medium, I agree with the final assessment, Estrada was a renaissance man. This interview, made a few years before his death, gives more about his life than just his work in comicbooks.
Jon B. Cooke looks over Bill Mantlo’s life. In 1992, he was hit by a car, leaving him bed-ridden with brain damage and paralysed. He’s still alive and currently living off the film money from creating Rocket Racoon and Cloak & Dagger. He was also a trained lawyer standing up for the oppressed. Its nice to be reminded that he’s still out there but sad for his injury.
Now for the bigger: John Buscema (1927-2002) and four interviews given over the decades. He loved to draw and a good draughtsman but had no love for super-heroes, despite the fact that he drew some of the best. I think my first introduction to his work that stuck in my head was Avengers # 66’s story, ‘Like A Death Ray In The Sky’, a title I remembered more than the issue it was printed in where his opening double-pagers rains destruction on the Earth. Buscema was a strong advocate for the Marvel ‘method’ of leaving the artist to draw the story than rely on the dictates of the writer.
Much of the time, he laid out the pages for other artists to ink more for economic reasons. He could turn out 6 pages a day compared to 2½ pages full pencils so was making more money doing the former. His favoured character was Conan and spent the greater part of his career illustrating the barbarian’s career without having to worry about modern day buildings.
I’m looking at these interviews as a collective. Buscema admits he was a 9-to-5 artist with no interest in the medium and rarely looked at his own comics when completed, let alone other artists. In many respects, I think his interviewees got wrong tracked on what they could ask him as he rarely went to the Marvel offices. His memories of the 1950s when he worked there does provide some insights. Working in comicbooks allowed him to work freelance from home and saved a 6 hour commute. A strong presence in comicbooks despite himself.
Don’t forget to buy. There’s quite a lot of material here.
GF Willmetts
June 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=1850&zenid=93uqqmg76pmc3pr5e4uo99mn94
