Comics Interview — Issue #041

Kirby reflects candidly on his entire career, from early animation work at Fleischer Studios (Betty Boop, Popeye) through his formative years doing syndicated strips and early superhero work. He speaks at length about his partnership with Stan Lee at Marvel, asserting that the artists did the plotting while Stan served as production coordinator, and specifically credits Steve Ditko with developing Spider-Man. Kirby addresses the ongoing dispute over his original artwork with Marvel — saying he and Stan both know the truth but outside arbitration may be necessary — and discusses the philosophical origins of his New Gods mythology (Darkseid as cosmic-scale evil, Galactus as a confrontation with God), and shares vivid anecdotes from his World War II service with Patton's 3rd Army.

Part two of Burden's interview covers the publishing history of Flaming Carrot from its earliest limited-edition appearances in VISIONS through the Aardvark/Vanaheim series. He offers wide-ranging opinions on the state of the comics market, arguing that a glut of new independent titles is burying quality work, and proposes a satirical art movement called "Defenestration." Burden also weighs in on the Kirby/Lee artwork controversy and previews upcoming projects including Draconian Features and a new super-team, the Bikini Teens.

A group interview with the full creative team of Elite Comics, a Texas-based independent publisher, conducted at the 1986 Dallas Fantasy Fair. Knappe and Floyd describe their grassroots origin — two non-industry men who convinced a bank to fund a comic company — and recount technical disasters including a printer who couldn't produce the color blue for their first four issues. R.A. Jones explains his two-phase plan: short-term fixes (redesigned logos, covers by Paul Gulacy and Timothy Truman) followed by deeper story improvements. Individual creators discuss Seadragon, The Twilight Avenger, Epsilon Wave, and Nightwolf.

Reis, a computer systems analyst by day, describes his craft of creating 3-dimensional shadowbox artworks from comic-book covers, cutting multiple copies into layered scenes separated by balsa wood. He has been doing the work for over ten years and is approaching his 500th piece, with clients including Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, David Anthony Kraft, Jenette Kahn, and Harlan Ellison. Reis describes a PLAYBOY centerfold collage he gifted to Hugh Hefner and discusses his parallel collection of original Batman art traded from professionals in exchange for his 3-D work.

Kraft argues that retailers are leaving money on the table by ordering exactly as many copies as they expect to sell of proven magazines like Comics Interview, using the scarcity of the Dark Knight issue (#31) as evidence that underselling an established title costs both the retailer and the reader.

Readers respond to recent issues; topics include praise for the Steve Gerber and Buzz Dixon interviews, a defense of G.I. Joe's characterization, comments on the Howard the Duck movie, and a reader's complaint about Marvel killing off major heroes under Jim Shooter's editorial tenure.