New release: DC and Archie Comics have teamed up for a fun crossover between the Archie crew and Batman '66. We've seen many titles in the last couple of years that have partnered Adam West's TV Batman with great classic properties like The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Green Hornet, and The Avengers. But this kind of genre-bending and playful fantasy has been a staple in Archie comics ever since the Silver-Age days when the Archie universe embraced the 1960s mania for monsters, spies, and superheroes. The Archie franchise got a major boost a few years back when the company reconnected with these fantasy roots by publishing the amazing titles Afterlife With Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (both highly recommended!). In the wake of these successful horror titles, the Archies have also met up with rock and roll heroes like KISS and The Ramones, and even the old R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. spy days are sneaking back into the main character books. And now fans can look forward to seeing 60-style Batman join the fun. From the press release: "Two iconic comic book characters meet up for the first time in this historic crossover mini-series! A battle in Gotham City extends its reach into Riverdale – with Mr. Lodge becoming enemy #1 of the dynamic duo! Now it’s up to Veronica to recruit some help and place a call… to the Batcave! On July 18th, join the titanic talents of co-writers Jeff Parker and Michael Moreci, artists Dan Parent and J. Bone, colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, and letterer Jack Morelli and gear up for comic crossover fun in ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN ’66 #1!" Coming mid-July to your local comic shops. Great cover variants below. Enjoy! And please stay tuned for news about my upcoming book about Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey)- a whopping 420+ page celebration of his prolific career. Related posts: My interview with Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton about Green Hornet Batman '66, My interview with Batman animation designer Shane Glines, Comics Week: Archie, Cold War Archie, 1966 Pep Spies, Comics Week: R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Agent Double 5, Cold War Comics, Siegel & Shuster's SPY, Cold War Comic Strips, Mort Walker Celebration, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Beetle Bailey in Berlin, Mort Walker's James Bomb, Cold War Materials, Atomic Art, Spyman.
New release: Mike Hammer fans were treated to a new comic book this week based on an unproduced script by Mickey Spillane, as Titan books continues its centennial celebration of the author. From the press release: To celebrate the centenary year of Mickey Spillane, Wednesday 27 June sees the release of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer – a brand-new Hard Case Crime comic book series, based on an all-new Mike Hammer story, developed from a never-before-seen 1950s screenplay by original creator Mickey Spillane, and written by Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition, Quarry). Following his debut novel, I, The Jury in 1947, Mickey Spillane became one of the best-selling novelists of all-time, with more than 225 million copies of his books sold internationally. Spillane is famed for creating Mike Hammer, one of the most famous of all fictional detectives, and even starred as Hammer in one of the many movies made from his books. Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer is part of Titan’s wider year-long celebration of Spillane’s work and legacy which includes the Titan Books publication of Killing Town, the very first Mike Hammer novel, begun by Spillane around 1945 and recently completed by Collins. Killing Town had been set aside by Spillane to write his and Hammer’s famous 1947 debut, I, The Jury; and Hard Case Crime publication The Last Stand — Spillane’s never-before-published final novel — was completed by Spillane just before his death in 2006. Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer #1 comic comes with a fantastic cover by artist Robert McGinnis – poster artist for classic James Bond movies and Breakfast at Tiffany’s – and includes a fantastic serialized short prose story by Spillane!" Check for it at your local comic shops. Enjoy! Below: Robert McGinnis variant cover edition.
Writer Harlan Ellison passed away today. Born in the midwest in 1934, Ellison got his start in the early 1950s when his stories began to appear in EC Comics and in publications like Amazing Stories and Fantastic Science Fiction. His career became even more high profile after a move to California in the early 1960s. It was during this time Ellison wrote episodes for The Outer Limits (Demon With a Glass Hand and Soldier- which apparently inspired elements of The Terminator), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (The Pieces of Fate Affair, The Sort-of-Do-It-Yourself Dreadful Affair, and contributed to others), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (The Price of Doom), Burke's Law, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and many others. Perhaps his most recognized piece from the period was City On the Edge of Forever, an emotionally powerful Star Trek story that explored themes of sacrifice and the consequences of tampering with time and events. Ellison's original version of the script was published in a beautiful graphic novel in 2015 by IDW (see Amazon). Today William Shatner tweeted: "Harlan was a very gifted writer. I am sorry to hear of his passing." In later years he worked on The Starlost, Logans Run (TV), Tales From the Darkside, The Hunger (TV), Babylon Five, The Phantom 2040, and later incarnations of The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. In 1972 he wrote an unproduced pilot based on the 1960s Flint spy movies starring James Coburn (the story reemerged in 1987 as the unproduced script, Flintlock). Younger Spy Vibers might be familiar with Ellison's role as a fictional version of himself in the animated series Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated. Among his many books, Ellison wrote A Boy and His Dog, which has twice been adapted for film, in 1975 and in current pre-production. His work in comic books were equally prolific, with stories in The Avengers, Creepy, Daredevil, Incredible Hulk, Chamber of Chills, Justice League America, Epic, Batman, Haunt of Horror, Crazy, Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor, Conan, and may others. Ellison's prolific output garnered numerous awards, including an impressive 8 Hugo Awards, 4 Nebula Awards, 5 Bram Stoker Awards, 2 Edgar Awards, and many many others. Ellison could be controversial in his behavior and attitude at times, but there is no denying the scope of his talents nor his impact on the culture. He was 84. Many tributes have come in during the day. At the news of his death, author Stephen King tweeted: "There was no one quite like him in American letters, and never will be. Angry, funny, eloquent, hugely talented. If there's an afterlife, Harlan is already kicking ass and taking down names." Perhaps the rarest of tributes came from my friend, writer/cartoonist Trina Robbins, who posted a photograph from 1955 with her at age 16 and Ellison only 21. Below: Ellison's iconic vision of the Guardian of Forever as depicted in Star Trek, the cover of IDW's graphic novel of the original story, and the writer at work. Related posts: Star Trek 50th, Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Designer Gene Winfield, Dressed For Space.
MI6 Confidential magazine has announced the release of a new special issue that pays tribute to one of our favorite actors: Remembering Roger Moore. From the press release: "In 2017, after ten years of service, MI6 Confidential introduced a new special format: a limited-run 100-page perfect bound issue of the magazine taking a deep dive into one particular facet of the franchise. The second release is co-authored by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury whose "Some Kind of Hero" is the 21st century's modern Bond bible. Rather than recounting the production history of Sir Roger's epic seven film run as 007 the authors instead turned the narrative over to Moore's on-screen co-stars. The actor, philanthropist and true gentleman touched the lives of many — and many of his Bond co-stars who have said little or nothing about their work on the EON films since took this opportunity to regale Field and Chowdhury with some remarkable stories about Sir Roger Moore. No two stories are alike but each adds to a picture of a warmhearted man, a consummate professional, who never took himself too seriously." This special issue is 100 pages, perfect bound, and includes remembrances from over 60 of Moore's colleagues and over 100 rare photographs and images. More info at MI6 Confidential. It appears that the issue is, at least in part, sourced from the book mentioned above, Some Kind of Hero, and focusses on Moore's Bond years. By the way, I haven't said enough about Some Kind of Hero, but I found it to be wonderfully accessible and informative. When learning about creative projects like film or music, there's nothing better than hearing directly from the people who experienced it first hand. I think Spy Vibers will be very happy to check out both Remembering Roger Moore and Some Kind of Hero. Enjoy!
