Orbital Comics announces Comic Book Creators launch event

Orbital Comics in London have announced a special discussion panel to celebrate the launch of the new Comic Book Creators magazine from Twomorrows Publishing, taking place on Saturday 8th June.

Learn more about how John Morrow and his wife started with the Jack Kirby Collector back in 1994 - and the profound effect Kirby had (and continues to have) on comics, as well as the members of the panel.


Comic Book Creator #1, on sale now via comic shops, is TwoMorrow's newest magazine edited by Jon B. Cooke, devoted to the work and careers of the men and women who draw, write, edit, and publish comics, focusing always on the artists and not the artifacts, the creators and not the characters. Behind an Alex Ross cover painting, the frantic first issue features an investigation of the oft despicable treatment Jack Kirby endured from the very business he helped establish. From being cheated out of royalties in the ’40s and bullied in the ’80s by the publisher he made great, to his estate’s current fight for equitable recognition against an entertainment monolith where his characters have generated billions of dollars, we present Kirby’s cautionary tale in the eternal struggle for creator’s rights.

Plus, CBC #1 interviews artist Alex Ross and writer Kurt Busiek, spotlights the last years of writer/artist Frank Robbins, remembers comics historian Les Daniels, talks to Todd McFarlane about his new show-all book, showcases a joint talk between Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neil on their unforgettable collaborations, as well as throws a whole kit’n’caboodle of other creator-centric items at you.

Taking part in the discussion will be:

Chris Thompson (chair)
Chris is a podcaster, blogger and host known for his work on Pop Culture Hound and The Orbiting Pod. Web: www.popculturehound.com

John Morrow (writer, publisher)
John is the co-founder of Twomorrows Publishing which has been publishing the Jack Kirby Collector since 1994. Web: http://twomorrows.com

Barry Forshaw (writer, journalist)
Barry is a well-known UK writer and journalist who has contributed numerous pieces to the Jack Kirby Collector. Web: www.crimetime.co.uk

Jason Atomic (artist, Hail To The King curator)
Jason is an artist, writer and curator who work has been inspired and affected by various aspects of pop culture. Web: http://jasonatomic.blogspot.co.uk

• Jack Kirby, Man of TwoMorrow: 7.00pm Saturday 8th June Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JA London.

This discussion will be recorded for a special edition of the Orbiting Pod.
http://www.orbitalcomics.com/podcast/

Marvelman Special from Alter Ego, Film Touted?

US publisher TwoMorrows Publishing is to release an issue of Alter Ego magazine dedicated to British 1950s hero Marvelman, a character revived by Alan Moore, Garry Leach and others in Warrior magazine in the 1980s. Since then, the character has suffered the ignominy of having to be re-named Miracleman at the insistence of Marvel Comcs and then been consigned to comics limbo, the result of further legal battles.

Wrapped in a cover by Rick Veitch, the magazine, edited by Roy Thomas, presents an overview of the original 1954-1963 saga of Marvelman, Marvelman Jr. and Kid Marvelman and will include an interview with writer/artist/co-creator Mick Anglo. The issue, due for publication in July, will also feature rare Marvelman/Miracleman work by Alan Davis, Alan Moore and others. More info here on the TwoMorrow web site

The current question of who owns Marvelman is covered in a very good round-up of recent developments on BobH's Four Realities site here. New developments indicating a company called Emotiv has bought the rights comes from Pádraig Ó Méalóid.

Further, the film rights to Marvelman/Miracleman are being shopped around and, as Padraig notes, there is an ugly rumour that the format for the film will again plunder Alan Moore's work but with revamped designs. More on this from Padraig on LiveJournal...

Moore himself insists Mick Anglo is the sole owner of Marvelman. "I was happy to do everything that I could to help Mick Anglo, who is the person who has always owned all of the rights to Marvelman, as far as I now understand it, that we never had the rights to do those stories [in Warrior], even though Mick really liked the stories that we did," Moore told Padraig in the interview recently published on Forbidden Planet International's blog. "We didn’t understand at the time that Mick Anglo was the sole owner of the rights. We were misled. So I’ve done everything that I can to clear all that up."

(With thanks to Padraig for the links and information)