Comic Book Historians

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Lawyer and writer Brett Dakin, about his new book, a biography of his grand-uncle Lev Gleason of Lev Gleason Comic Publications discussing his formation of the first modern comic book with Charles Max Gaines, starting the Golden Age Daredevil and Crime Comics with Charles Biro and Bob Wood, his political battles with the House of Unamerican Activities...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview David Anthony Kraft discussing his Defenders run, then dive into his character defining run on She-Hulk in her first series, his Music references like Blue Oyster Cult, his Beatles Marvel Super Specials, his Children Books with Marvel Special Projects under Sol Brodsky, why he left Marvel and DC Comics in 1983, publishing his Comics Interview Magazine...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview David Anthony Kraft from his humble beginnings in the late 1960s becoming the agent of the Otis Adelbert Kline, Publisher of Fictioneer Science Fiction Books, his early 1970s Marvel work with Roy Thomas, his work at Atlas Comics in 1975 with Chip and Martin Goodman, Giant Size Dracula with Marvel new comer John Byrne, working under Gerry Conway at DC C...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Hendre Weisinger, son of former DC editor Mort Weisinger, discussing his legacy and career as science fiction author and agent, former editor of Thrilling Wonder Stories for Standard Magazines,  DC Comics editor from 1941-1970, with a variety of concepts that came about under his editorship:  Supergirl, Krypto, Phantom Zone, Kandor, Legion of Superhero...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview former Marvel Executive Editor and Epic Imprint Editor in Chief, Writer, Artist & Professor Carl Potts in part 2 of a 2 parter, where we discuss his later work at Marvel including building up the Punisher from a side character into his own character, with the Punisher Mini Series with Mike Zeck, creating the Punisher War Journal with Jim Lee, worki...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview former Marvel Executive Editor and Epic Imprint Editor in Chief, Writer, Artist & Professor Carl Potts in part 1 of a 2 parter, where we discuss his early days at San Diego Comic Con 1973, breaking into DC Comics with fellow fanzine artist, Jim Starlin, assisting and learning comic book production with Neal Adams & Dick Giordano at Continuity S...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Erik Larsen in this third of a three parter, discussing his development of Savage Dragon, the Savage Dragon cartoon series for the USA network, Marvel in-jokes present in the series, working with Steve Gerber on pulling Howard the Duck out of the Marvel Universe, the corporate structure of Image Comics and the organizing styles of Larry Marder, then pu...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Erik Larsen, in the second of a three parter,  discussing his run on Spider-Man, working with various writers like David Michelinie, trying his hand at a Nova comic book series, starting Image Comics with its cofounders, publishing material from his Highbrow Entertainment, creating the Savage Dragon comic book series, working with writers like Keith Gi...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Erik Larsen, in the first of a three parter, from his childhood reading his dad's Golden Age comics like Captain Marvel, creating the Savage Dragon as a kid, his early Fanzine Graphic Fantasy, his run in the Independent Comics like AC Comics for Sentinels of Justice and Eclipse for DNAgents, then breaking into DC Comics working on various titles l...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson chat with Steve Geppi head of Diamond Comics Distribution about the second half of the interview via livestream.  We continue from his role as distributor, to various decisions positioning him as the president of the main comics distribution company in North America and the United Kingdom, with various expansions into games and publishing.  Steve also goes throu...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson sit down with Steve Geppi, head of Diamond Comics Distributors,  formed 1982 discussing various phases of his comics career via livestream.  We start from his humble beginnings as a comics dealer, comics retailer, sub distributer, distributor, to various decisions positioning him as the president of the main comics distribution company in North America and the U...

Esteemed guests from the professional comics world, illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz and writer-artist Howard Chaykin present their work at Design History of Comics and Animation class at ArtCenter College of Design, in the Ahmanson Auditorium on the Hillside Campus in Pasadena, CA at 7pm on Monday, February 25th, 2019. Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders, CBH Podcast ©Comic Boo...

 Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Michael Dooley, Adjunct Professor of Comics and Animation History at Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design and Print Magazine Contributing Editor for the past 20 years. Born in 1948, he discusses his youth as a New Yorker, reading Mad Comics and following the careers of Harvey Kurtzman and his disciples, Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman. He earned his...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview former Marvel Editor in Chief, Tom DeFalco in a third of a three parter, where we discuss his reign as Marvel as Editor-in-Chief, his run on the Fantastic Four with artist Paul Ryan, the original vision for the Spider-Man Clone Saga, the Marvel bankruptcy of the mid 1990s, the Clone Saga ending that led to his co-creation of the Amazing Spider-Girl, wo...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview former Marvel Editor in Chief, Tom DeFalco in the second of a three parter, where we discuss his creative contributions to GI Joe, Transformers, Marvel Two In One Thing with Sandman, Peter-Porker/Spider-Ham, Machine Man with Herb Trimpe and Barry Windsor-Smith, writing Amazing Spider-Man with artist Ron Frenz, the Mighty Thor, working under Jim Shooter...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview former Marvel Editor in Chief, Tom DeFalco from his early days reading comics, his comic strip work in college, his meetings with John Goldwater, Louis Silberkleit working at Archie Comics, creating the Archie Digests in 1973, his work at DC with E. Nelson Bridwell including Jimmy Olsen, Superman Family, Starfire, his initial meetings with Denny O&apos...

Alex Grand moderates an Animation Panel at Dallas Fantasy Fair 2018 interviewing two titans of cartoons, Bob Camp and George Lowe with an overview of their careers.  Bob Camp talks about starting at Marvel Comics working with John Buscema and Larry Hama, moving onto animation, working on cartoons like Thundercats, Real Ghostbusters, Tiny Toon Adventures and Ren and Stimpy.  George Lowe discusses h...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Frank Thorne, born in 1930, he discusses his past and current works, with a career that spans from the late 1940s, utilizing and expanding on inspirations like Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, and Neil O'Keefe, a late 1940s graduate of the Art Career School in Manhattan, working at Dell, Gold Key and DC Comics with an explosion of fan activity in the 197...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Frank Thorne, born in 1930, he discusses his past and current works, with a career that spans from the late 1940s, utilizing and expanding on inspirations like Alex raymond, Hal Foster, and Neil O'Keefe, a late 1940s graduate of the Art Career School in Manhattan, working at Dell, Gold Key and DC Comics with an explosion of fan activity in the 197...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson discuss the history of Harvey Comics with the grandson of Leon Harvey, Jonny Harvey, documentary filmmaker.  From its humble beginnings in 1939, Al Harvey started Harvey comics from a business deal with Irving Manheimer and Worth Carnahan.  His two brother’s, Robert and Leon Harvey joined and this family found success licensing characters for comics like the Gre...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Paul Levitz, former President and Publisher of DC Comics, In this second of a 2-parter, we discuss his writing and editing Batman in 1978, working with Julius Schwartz, the changes in the 1980s that he and Jenette Kahn brought to DC Comics, Jim Shooter's effect on both companies, the payment of royalties to artists and creators, publishing Will Ei...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Paul Levitz (currently writing his Visitor run for Valiant).  Paul is former President and Publisher of DC Comics, who started in the Fanzines in 1971, assistant to Joe Orlando, working under Carmine Infantino then Jenette Kahn as Publisher, and Freelance writer, to full time Editor and writer in 1976, working on All Star Comics with Wally Wood, Stalke...

A very special podcast, Alex Grand and lawyer/panel originator Jim Thompson, team up with attorney Daniel Barer, and entertainment law professor Marc Greenberg at San Diego Comic Con 2019 Comics Art Conference to discuss how Cease and Desist changes the narrative of stories in the comics world using examples from the late 1970s to early 1980s, Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck, Destroyer Duck an...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Lauren Veneziani, also known by her social media handle, dcfilmgirl, knowledgable Film Critic based in Washington DC seen every Saturday on NBC Baltimore.  We discuss the Comic Age of Movies dissecting the Richard Donner, Bryan Singer and Zack Snyder's Superman films, Tim Burton's and Chris Nolan's Batman, Blade, X-Men, Raimi's, Web...

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Mark Chiarello, former painter, art director and editor in the comics business. As a painter, he has worked on such projects as the Batman story Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop and Clive Barker's Hellraiser.  As an editor for DC Comics, he co-created the Batman: Black & White mini-series (for which he received Eisner Awards in 1997 a...