Category Columns

How I Got My Job (A Series): Cary Nord

Being a passionate fan of comics, it is only natural to dream and hope that one day you could possibly work in/with them. Well, I might not work in comics, but I do live in a city that allows me to meet and be friends with people who are. My next couple of articles will be a series of interviews with people who work in the comic industry focusing on how they got into the positions they are in today. These people include artists, writers, retailers, editors etc.
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Arcs & Runs #2 | Fantastic Four 44-51

This instalment of Arcs & Runs will look at the most important run of comics in the silver age IMO. DC Showcase (revival of super-heroes - new Flash and Green Lantern) and The Amazing Spider-Man, both receive and deserve a lot of consideration as the most important run of the silver age. Spider-Man is easily the most popular character to emerge from the 60’s; however he may not have even happened if it weren’t for a comic called the Fantastic Four.
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To CGC or Not to CGC?

This is always a hot topic among collectors and dealers alike. Now, I have resisted writing this column because of the heat that goes along with the debate. Nowadays it seems very difficult to have a serious debate about anything, because of the highly charged state of political correctness. But what the heck, here goes.
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Marvel Now, Continuity, and What If?

However, the more I think about Marvel Now the more I feel that success (or lack thereof) is mostly owed to these unique interpretations. When I talk with fans at conventions or comic book shops they either love or hate what is going on in Marvel Now. And I think that is primarily due to the fact that the concepts behind Marvel Now are all or nothing; you either love them or or hate them because they are What If? stories.
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The Kindness of Strangers

I have found, throughout my years of being a comic book lover, there is something very strange about the way comic book fans treat each other. When one comic book fan meets another, there is a back and forth quiz that happens. “What do you read?” “What is your favourite comic?” “Who is your favourite writer/artist/character?” Instead of just being excited to meet another comic lover, we have to make sure they are worthy, but mostly, we make sure we know more than they do.
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Between Nuance and Bombast

I was having a conversation with some friends the other day and we were discussing, of all things, Golden Age Romance comics. The ones that were created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Leonard Starr and Matt Baker. Titles like Young Love and My Date and Young Romance. These were huge in their day and were showcases for some of the best sequential storytelling to grace the pages of four colour comics!
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Marvel Trading Cards

The early 1990s were all about lenticular covers, bagged promos, and rampant speculation. But they were also about trading cards. Upper Deck reigned supreme and we finally said goodbye to buying cards with super hard chewing gum. Traditionally we had purchased sports cards, but Marvel Comics had given us another option by issuing a series of collectible cards featuring their spandex clad characters.
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Something Savage This Way Comes

In 1971, Marvel decided to venture into a more adult oriented market. They saw the success that Warren Magazines were having with Eerie, Creepy, Vampirella.This was a market that allowed some of the greatest sequential storytellers to let loose without the restrictions placed on the industry by the comics code. Marvels' first foray into this market was a title called Savage Tales.
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Arcs & Runs

We will start with an arc from my second favourite title: Tales of Suspense. I thought it was only fair that this title get the chance to be number one, as it has always been runner-up to my all-time favourite; Amazing Spider-Man. Our featured arc covers the last story ever told in the title. It doesn’t end in Tales of Suspense, but spills over and concludes in a ‘bridge book” IM/SM # 1, and the two new titles CA#100 and IM#1. All of the books feature Jack Kirby (CA) and Gene Colan (IM) artwork.
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The Art Of Collecting Original Art

One of the most exciting things for me in my collecting adventures has been the discovery of the original art market. Now we all collect comics for different reasons. For some it is the stories, for others it is the art, and then others collect runs or story arcs because of the creative team. Byrne/Claremont on X-men, Adams/O'Neil on Batman etc. For me it was always the art first then the story. When I was rebuilding my collection I discovered original art for sale. One of the reasons we collect comics is the rarity of the issue. With original art, it is the ONE and ONLY kind of rare.
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