It’s a small world and it smells funny, I’d buy another if it wasn’t for the money. Someone tell me that 2009 is ending because I can’t really believe it. This past twelve months has been my own, personal, annus horribilis and I’m fully intending to make 2010 the complete opposite, my own annus mirabilis. So what went right and what went wrong? First, let’s focus on the positives. Blaq Books. We created that out of thin air with almost no funding – indeed we’ve gone into serious debt to both start it up and keep it running. With the help of a few pals it’s starting to do well and should do far better. There may be times when I question its future, but I’m positive that it can keep on keeping on. Friends overseas. Norm Breyfogle. Trevor Von Eeden. Alan Weiss. Alan Kupperberg. Bob Almond, Bob Shaw and many, many others. I’ve been blessed with some very good friends, some of whom I’ve failed and must do better to keep corresponding with. A new job in a place that’s far better than I came

LOOKING BACK WITH TOM GRINDBERG Tom Grindberg is a polarising artist to a lot of people. For years he was dismissed as being a poor man’s Neal Adams, or a Neal Adams clone at best. This is more than slightly unfair to both Grindberg and Adams, and as much as some of Grindberg's early work is reminiscent of Adams, Grindberg was no more a clone than any amount of other artists, some of whom have managed to get away with swiping Neal for years and never got the criticism that Grindberg received. A lot of people became aware of Grindberg and his unique style when he was assigned the book Warlock, which saw him collaborating with Jim Starlin and Ron Marz in the early 1990s. Since that time Grindberg has been an artist in demand, but a quiet achiever all the same. He has worked on almost every major character for both marvel and DC, has dabbled in advertising art, produced pin-ups and much more. As good an artist as Grindberg is it’s his sketches where he really shines. His ro

GHOST RIDER IN AUSTRALIA The history of Ghost Rider in Australia is a slightly frustrating one. Despite some classic tales being reprinted, there remains a large portion of the title that never saw the light of day in an Australian reprint comic, instead, luckily, these issues were available in their original, American Marvel, form at newsagents and specialty shops during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) debuted in Marvel Spotlight #5, dated August 1972, to graduate to its own solo title in September 1973. The theory that the character was spawned from an earlier Friedrich concept, Hell-Rider , which was published by Skywald and drawn by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, is supported by similarities between the two characters, and there is a strong argument that the concept of Ghost Rider was the next step in the evolution of the Hell-Rider . Marvel assigned the name, Ghost Rider , in order to lock up the r

If Dave Simons had lived today would have marked his 55th birthday, ironically the same age that a few people believed he was when he passed away earlier this year thanks to their own sloppy research. Dave, I can't find a person who doesn't miss you. Personally I miss the happy emails that used to come my way, full of gossip, stories of the past, present and plans for the future and how our cats were doing. I keep expecting to get an email from Dave again, and the days don't pass when I don't check. Dave, wherever you are, may every day be a happy birthday and we'll meet again, one day, somewhere.

This just keeps getting interesting. I've refrained from making any public comment about the recent alleged attempts by Frank Frazetta Jr to remove art from the Frazetta museum , and the above video is exactly why. I've believed for a long while now that there's a lot more to this story and it's only now just coming out into the open. Watch the above clip very carefully, and especially listen to the comments at the end from the notary who details a visit to her offices by Frank Frazetta Sr. Also interesting is that the family are now closing the museum for good . Can't help but wonder exactly who the bad guys in this story really are...but time will tell. Until then it's a good idea to stay tuned.

Sometimes an email crosses the desk that just makes you gasp. This was one of them. Gene Colan is selling the original art to what might well be the last comic book story he ever draws: Captain America #601. The art is on-line , in it's entirety, for all to see and bid upon. Seeing the whole story in it's purest form is worth a bid in it's own right, so I strongly suggest that people pop over to Gene's site, check out the pages, and the sweet cover, and then start placing some high bids. But for a spare $50,000, I'd be bidding for the lot. The auction is being held at Gene's site , in his on-line store. The link is: http://genecolan.com/GeneStore/OriginalArt/Cap601Auction.html#0 The auction does have a very interesting rule - all the pages, and cover, has to have a bid, or nothing will be sold. Thus, if you want to buy a page then you have to be sure that every other page has an opening bid. I like this policy - it ensures maximum results and that no-