The Book of Weirdo is the definitive (as well as hugely entertaining) examination of Weirdo magazine, renowned underground comix cartoonist Robert Crumb's legendary humor comics anthology from the 1980s. Crumb himself has called the retrospective “a great book” and “the definitive work on the subject.” A "low-brow" counterpoint to Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly's rather high-falootin’ RAW, Weirdo influenced an entire generation of cartoonists, and served as a creative refuge for underground comix veterans and training ground for new creators, and this book features the comprehensive story of the fondly-recalled magazine, along with testimonials from over 130 of the mag's contributors, plus interviews with Weirdo’s three editors ― R. “Keep on Truckin’” Crumb, Peter “Hate” Bagge, and Aline “The Bunch” Kominsky-Crumb ― as well as publisher “Baba Ron” Turner. This 288-page hardcover book is as much a comprehensive history of the alternative comics scene of the 1980s and early ’90s ― from New York City punk to Seattle grunge ― as it is the story of a single magazine, an exhaustive retrospective that includes rare and unseen artwork from that era, as well as new comics from modern-day artists paying homage to the great oddball mag. In its time, the periodical featured the finest work of many artists, particularly the best material by R. Crumb himself, Weirdo's founder and best known for ZAP Comix, Fritz the Cat, and Mr. Natural, and a man widely heralded as the greatest cartoonist of all time. In 1981, amidst a seismic shift to the right in the country, Crumb responded by unleashing the savagely irreverent and satirical Weirdo onto the great multitude, and he generously welcomed to its pages not just his ZAP Comix underground cohorts, but also an entirely new generation of iconoclastic cartoonists. It was an irreverent, outrageous, often politically-incorrect, and taboo-challenging anthology that showcased Crumb's finest ― and most controversial ― material. It was gut-busting, hysterical, and frequently offensive. But, most of all, it was FUNNY! Though it finally gave up the ghost by 1993, in its time, Weirdo was one of the very best of its kind… a showcase for outsiders, freaks, and (naturally) weirdos. In fact, truth to tell, it’s the ONLY one of its kind!

The Book of Weirdo: A Retrospective of R. Crumb's Legendary Humor Comics Anthology

Arts & Photography

Cooke, Jon B.

History & Criticism

Last Gasp

The party starts here! TwoMorrows and the Jack Kirby Collector magazine celebrate Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday in style with the release of KIRBY100, a full-color visual holiday for the King of comics! It features an all-star line-up of 100 comics pros who critique key images from Kirby’s 50-year career, admiring his page layouts, dramatics, and storytelling skills, and lovingly reminiscing about their favorite characters and stories. Featured are Bruce Timm, Alex Ross, Walter Simonson, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Steve Rude, Adam Hughes, Wendy Pini, John Romita Sr., Dave Gibbons, P. Craig Russell, and dozens more of the top names in comics. Their essays serve to honor Jack’s place in comics history, and prove (as if there’s any doubt) that Kirby is King! This double-length book is edited by John Morrow and Jon B. Cooke, with a Kirby cover inked by Mike Royer.

Kirby100: 100 Top Creators Celebrate Jack Kirby’s Greatest

Comics & Graphic Novels

SIMONSON, WALTER

Morrow, John

Ross, Alex

Timm, Bruce

How To Create Comics & Manga

TwoMorrows Publishing

For its 75th issue, the Jack Kirby Collector magazine presents this first-of-its-kind examination of the creators of the Marvel Universe, in an oversize book! It looks back at their own words, in chronological order, from fanzine, magazine, radio, and television interviews, to paint a picture of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s relationship―why it succeeded, where it deteriorated, and when it eventually failed. Also here are recollections from Steve Ditko, Wallace Wood, John Romita Sr., and more Marvel Bullpen stalwarts who worked with both Kirby and Lee. Rounding out this book is a study of the duo’s careers after they parted ways as collaborators, including Kirby’s difficulties at Marvel Comics in the 1970s, his last hurrah with Lee on the Silver Surfer Graphic Novel, and his exhausting battle to get back his original art―and creator credit―from Marvel. Stuf’ Said gives both men their say, compares their recollections, and tackles the question, “Who really created the Marvel Comics Universe?”.

Kirby & Lee: Stuf’ Said!: The complex genesis of the Marvel Universe, in its

Graphic Novels

In 1994, amidst the boom-&-bust of comic book speculators, The Jack Kirby Collector #1 was published for true fans of the medium. That modest labor of love spawned TwoMorrows Publishing, today's premier purveyor of publications about comics and pop culture. Celebrate their 25th anniversary with this special retrospective look at the company that changed fandom forever! Co-edited by and featuring publisher John Morrow and Comic Book Artist/Comic Book Creator magazine's Jon B. Cooke, it gives the inside story and behind-the-scenes details of a quarter-century of looking at the past in a whole new way. Also included are Back Issue magazine's Michael Eury, Alter Ego's Roy Thomas, George Khoury (author of Kimota!, Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore, and other books), Mike Manley (Draw! magazine), Eric Nolen-Weathington (Modern Masters), and a host of other comics luminaries who've contributed to TwoMorrows' output over the years. From their Eisner Award-winning Streetwise book, through their BrickJournal Lego magazine, up to today's RetroFan magazine, every major TwoMorrows publication and contributor is covered with the same detail and affection the company gives to its books and magazines. With an Introduction by Mark Evanier, Foreword by Alex Ross, Afterword by Paul Levitz, and a new cover by Tom McWeeney!

The World Of TwoMorrows: Celebrating 25 Years of the Future of Fandom

For its 80th issue, the Jack Kirby Collector magazine presents a double-sized 50th anniversary examination of Kirby's magnum opus! Spanning the pages of four different comics starting in 1970 (New Gods, Forever People, Mister Miracle, and Jimmy Olsen), the sprawling "Epic for our times" was cut short mid-stream, leaving fans wondering how Jack would've resolved the confrontation between evil Darkseid of Apokolips, and his son Orion of New Genesis. This companion to that "Fourth World" series looks back at Jack Kirby's own words, as well as those of assistants Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman, inker Mike Royer, and publisher Carmine Infantino, to determine how it came about, where it was going, and how Kirby would've ended it before it was prematurely cancelled by DC Comics! It also examines Kirby's use of gods in Thor and other strips prior to the Fourth World, how they influenced his DC epic, and affected later series like The Eternals and Captain Victory. With an overview of hundreds of Kirby's creations like Big Barda, Boom Tubes and Granny Goodness, and post-Kirby uses of his concepts, no Fourth World fan will want to miss it! Compiled, researched, and edited by John Morrow, with contributions by Jon B. Cooke.

Old Gods & New: A Companion To Jack Kirby’s Fourth World

The definitive biography of one of the most prolific creators in the history of American comics! From a start in 1947 at the Simon & Kirby shop, he co-created the legendary Western strip American Eagle with Will Elder, and became an EC Comics mainstay, working with Harvey Kurtzman on Mad and Two-Fisted Tales. In addition to a 40+ year association with Cracked magazine, his pivotal Marvel Comics work included an extended run inking Herb Trimpe on The Hulk, and teaming with sister Marie Severin to create the classic comics version of King Kull. Throughout his storied career, he freelanced for every major publisher, and remained a workhorse up till his final Dark Horse mini-series at age 90. Included in this volume is a special "American Eagle" section, an eye-popping art gallery, and extensive personal photos and artifacts (including WWII "Victory Mail" cartoons and handmade greeting cards for his family). Also featured are commentary from over 25 peers gathered just for this book, including Neal Adams, Richard Corben, John Byrne, Russ Heath, Walter Simonson, and many others. Written by Greg Biga and multiple Eisner Award-winner Jon B. Cooke, with an introduction by Howard Chaykin, Foreword by Mort Todd, and Afterword by Chuck Dixon, this profusely illustrated book celebrates the centennial of the two-fisted artist's birth!

John Severin: Two-Fisted Comic Book Artist

Biga, Greg

An all-new definitive history of Connecticut’s notorious all-in-one comic book company! Often disparaged as a second-rate funny-book outfit, Charlton produced a vast array of titles that span from the 1940s Golden Age to the Bronze Age of the ’70s in many genres, from Hot Rods to Haunted Love. The imprint experienced explosive bursts of creativity, most memorably the “Action Hero Line” edited by Dick Giordano in the 1960s, which featured the renowned talents of Steve Ditko and a stellar team of creators, as well as the unforgettable ’70s “Bullseye” era that spawned E-Man and Doomsday +1, all helmed by veteran masters and talented newcomers―and serving as a training ground for an entire generation of comics creators thriving in an environment of complete creative freedom. From its beginnings with a handshake deal consummated in county jail, to the company’s accomplishments beyond comics, woven into this prose narrative are interviews with dozens of talented participants, including Giordano, DENNIS O’Neil, Alex Toth, Sanho Kim, Tom Sutton, Pat Boyette, Nick Cuti, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Joe Staton, Sam Glanzman, Neal Adams, Joe Gill, and even some Derby residents who recall working in the sprawling company plant. Though it gave up the ghost over three decades ago, Charlton’s influence continues today with its Action Heroes serving as inspiration for Alan Moore’s cross-media graphic novel hit, Watchmen. By Jon B. Cooke with Michael Ambrose & Frank Motler.

The Charlton Companion

Author Stephan Friedt shares the story of the meteoric rise of the Schanes brothers' California-based imprint Pacific Comics, which published such legends as Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragonés, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Bernie Wrightson, and Dave Stevens. From its groundbreaking 1981 arrival in the fledgling direct sales market, to a catastrophic, precipitous fall after only four years, The Pacific Comics Companion reveals the inside saga, as told to Friedt by Bill and Steve Schanes, David Scroggy, and many of the creators themselves. It also focuses on the titles and the amazing array of characters they introduced to an unsuspecting world, including The Rocketeer, Captain Victory, Ms. Mystic, Groo the Wanderer, Starslayer, and many more. Written with the editorial assist of Eisner Award-winning historian Jon B. Cooke, this retrospective is the most comprehensive study of an essential publisher in the development of the creator's rights movement. Main cover illustration by Dave Stevens.

The Pacific Comics Companion

Friedt, Stephan

The First Comics Companion

Arndt, Richard

Reprints the first three sold-out issues of the magazine, plus over 45 new pages of features and art, including: An unpublished story by Jack Kirby, an interview with Neal Adams about his Superman vs. Muhammad Ali book (including unused art), unpublished art by Bernie Wrightson, an unused story by Jeff Jones, an extensive new interview with Alan Weiss, and more! Experience DC Comics from 1967-74 through interviews with and unpublished art by Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino, Dick Giordano, Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, and others! Relive Marvel's 1970s Second Wave with Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Starlin, and others! Delight at exhaustive coverage of Neal Adams' Marvel Years (including plenty of rare Adams art).

Comic Book Artist Collection Volume 1

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