Comic Book Historians

Alex Grand, Jim Thompson, and Bill Field return for this special episode on 9/11, its direct impact on New York City, its Comic Creators, as well as the resulting film industry. The background of Marvel's return from Bankruptcy, change in management, its published reaction to 9/11, DC Comics reactions, and the psychologically polarized reactions of Art Spiegelman and Frank Miller in Shadow of...

A first in a sub-series of the CBH Podcast, Splash-Page! In this episode, Alex Grand reviews the importance of Jack Kirby to the co-creation of the Marvel Universe including Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, Avengers, and Marvel Villains. This is also discussed side by side with Julius Schwartz, the sci-fi creative dynamo who co-created the DC Universe like Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, a...

A very special podcast, Alex Grand and Jim Thompson along with Danny Barer presented this panel at the SDCC2018 Comic Arts Conference. Jim Thompson originated and led this panel, and discussed Joe Simon's ownership lawsuit over Captain America against Marvel. Alex was recruited to discuss Jack Kirby vs Stan Lee and Marvel for ownership of the Fantastic Four. Danny discussed Bill Finger vs Bob...

Alex Grand and Bill Field interview the chief comic book illustrator himself, Neal Adams. We discuss his life and times starting when he graduated from the School of Industrial Art in 1959, his news strip and advertising work in the early 60s, his late 60s Superhero books, through the 70s with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and Superman Muhammad Ali, through his Continuity era during the 1980s and b...

Live from SDCC 2018 your favorite Comic Book Historians, Alex Grand, Bill Field and Jim Thompson walk around the Convention Floor in the second of a 2 parter discussing Comic Book History with Rand Hoppe from the Jack Kirby Museum with a crash course of Jack Kirby circa 1958, Mark Texeira Illustrator for both Marvel and DC, Jimmy Palmiotti inker and writer for Marvel and DC as they discuss their i...

Live from SDCC 2018 your favorite Comic Book Historians, Alex Grand and Bill Field walk around the Convention Floor in the first of a 2 parter discussing Comic Book History with Star Wars and ERB Illustrator, Dan Parsons, Larry Houston the creator of the 90s X-Men TV Show, Athena Finger the granddaughter of the co-creator of Batman, Chris Burnham from Batman Incorporated, Ron Lim from the Infinity...

Join us Live at San Diego Comic Con 2018 with your favorite CBHer's Alex Grand, Jim Thompson and Bill Field for a sit down podcast interview with Arlen Schumer, published Comic Book Historian and Silver Age expert as we discuss Marvel Comics 1965 to 1968 ranging from Jim Steranko to Jack Kirby, to Nick Cardy to Wally Wood to Neal Adams and many others.  Edited & Produced by Alex Grand.  R...

Artsy Alex Grand, Jazzy Jim Thompson, and Bill Fantastic Field continue the Rick Marschall Interview starting when he first starts in Marvel Comics Magazines in 1978 and meets Jim Shooter for the first time, discussing his working with various comic book superstars of the time like Chris Claremont, Rudy Nebres, John Buscema, Dough Moench, Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, Tony DeZuniga, Don McGregor, Bob...

Alex Googly Eyes Grand, Jim Snuffy Smith Thompson, and Little Orphan Bill Field interview Rick Marschall as we go through his life and times from being a teenage sidekick to veterans of the National Cartoonist Society like Rube Goldberg, to being an Editor at United Feature Syndicate working over more comic strip super stars like Charles Schulz, to co-writing the The World Encyclopedia of Comics w...

Alex Galahad Grand, Sir Billiam Field, and Jim the Bright Knight Thompson discuss Atlas Comics from 1955 Knights through 1956, to 1957, when Atlas shrugged. Why was Atlas the rising comic book company star of 1956? What brought Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Joe Maneely to work there along with a good chunk of the EC Comics artists? Why were Knights so popular in 1955 and how did the comics code shap...

Alex Galactic Grand, Bill Assteroid Field, and Jim Jupiter Thompson discuss 1953 and the science fiction genre. Was EC Comics the King of Science Fiction? Who invented Science Fiction Comics and why were they popular at this time? Why did traditional Science Fiction die out as a comic book genre. What was the relationship between Bill Gaines and Wally Wood, and who are the best science fiction com...

Alex Gravedigger Grand, Bill Field of Screams, and Jim Empty Tomb Thompson discuss 1953 and the horror genre. Was EC Comics the King of Horror? Who invented horror comics? What other comics made horror and were they any good? Why did Crime Comics naturally lead into Horror? What was the relationship between Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, and who are the best horror comic book artists of the time? W...

Alex Grand, Bill Field, Jim Thompson and special guest, Vanguard Publisher, Pop Culture Author-Historian, and Creator Rights Advocate, J. David Spurlock discuss 1968, the Silver Age, and its possible creative and design peak with Jim Steranko. In great detail, J. David Spurlock goes over Steranko's life before 1968, his music band, career in advertising, his comic book work in the late 1960s...

Alex Grand, Bill Field, and Jim Thompson discuss 1976 with the pertinent goings on at Marvel and DC. Marvel Editor-In-Chief plays music chairs, and DC has their own backdoor shake ups as Carmine Infantino is out and Jenette Kahn is in. Jack Kirby returns to Marvel to celebrate the bicentennial, Marv Wolfman creates Nova, and Steve Gerber shakes up the Marvel Universe with a Howard the Duck preside...

Alex Grand, Bill Field, and Jim Thompson celebrate the Holidays and Dawn of the New Year by going over each of their top 5 Christmas Comics of all time. Bill and Jim come up with their theories on why Stan Lee hardly ever wrote a Christmas story, Bill wrestles a gay bear, Alex brings up a yuletide christmas Superman tale that reaks of a prison (g)rape scene, and Jim weeps and mourns... for Starman...

Alex Grand, Bill Field, and Jim Thompson interview legendary Marvel, Image and Darkhorse Comics Letterer, Tom Orzechowski discussing the history of Comic Books alongside his personal and professional involvement in comics, in part 2 starting with why he left Marvel Comics and started working with Todd McFarlane on Spawn, as well as his heavy involvement with Manga, and the change from manual to di...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson interview legendary Comics Letterer, Tom Orzechowski discussing the history of Comic Books alongside his personal and professional involvement in comics starting in 1958, through the impression that Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Artie Simek made in the Silver Age, through to the Detroit Fan Fair Comic Convention that united him, Jim Starlin, Arvell Jones, Ri...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson discuss 1986 as the year comics grew up, or became modern, or just became dark while discussing some of the creative achievements of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Jim's not personal favorite, John Byrne. How did Frank Miller and Alan Moore change comics forever?  Did John Byrne break a new creative height or did he jump the shark that year?  What did...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson discuss the 1934 newspaper comic industry specifically the decline of the old guard like Windsor McCay, and the upsurge of the new guys who would end the newspaper golden age with a bang including Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond.  How did Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond change the choreography of Newspaper Strips and how did that affect the buddening Golden...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson discuss the 1972 Marvel Horror comics movement pushed mainly by Roy Thomas for our Halloween podcast extra spooky extravaganza.  How does DC's exploration into horror in 1968, effect Marvel in 1972?  How do the Universal Monsters fit into Marvel?  Marvel experiments with monster anti-hero's with Werewolf by Night, Tomb of Dracula, Frankenstein&ap...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson wrap up 1966 as Batmania declines and the Superhero glut is shown not to be the significant cash cow it used to be, Carmine Infantino uses corporate change at old DC, as an opportunity to change the creative face of their comics line by enabling the release of the old guard and replacing them with the new artists and writers that would transition into the...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, and Jim Thompson discuss more aspects to 1966 and the superhero glut as it strikes Tower Comics, Charlton and Harvey Comics.  This episode also goes over where Wally Wood and Steve Ditko went after leaving Marvel in 1966, and how successful those lines showed to be, as well as Charlton Superhero comics and their relation to the Watchmen graphic novel series.  What was Joe...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field, Jim Thompson, and special guest, Marvel historian and 4 time published author / co-author, Barry Pearl discuss more aspects to 1966 and its place in the 1960s Marvel Age.  This episode goes over the 1954 Comic Code Authority, the 1957 Atlas Implosion, and the 1966 Batman TV's effect on Martin Goodman, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee and other freelancers in the &quo...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field and Jim Thompson discuss more aspects to 1966 and its place in the Silver Age of Comic Books.  This episode goes beyond Superhero TV shows discussing how there was a Superhero glut this year flooding the market and children’s living rooms creating a whole host of me-too Superhero comics including Dell Superhero Monsters, Gold Key, King Comics, ACG, Myron Fass enterprises, t...

Alex Grand, Bill  Field and Jim Thompson discuss 1966 and its place in the Silver Age of Comic Books as well as Animation and Television Pop Culture in general. Topics include the Batman 1966 show, the Spider-Man animated show, Dell Superhero Monsters, Captain Action, and more.  Edited & Produced by Alex Grand.   ©Comic Book Historians,Batman ©DC Comics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/c...