TwoMorrows Publishing is the publisher of magazines and books about comic books, history, creators—and, well… pretty much anything comic books. They’ve been around since 1994,and every month, they put out fantastic stuff. In fact, whenever I do research or just want to know more about something comic-related, they are my go-to place. I even did a podcast on the fantastic things they’ve put out. It was episode 160, and you can listen to it wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Like many publishers, they were caught up on all thingsDiamond, and I recently received an e-mail stating:
Diamond Comic Distributors has filed for bankruptcy without paying for our December and January magazines and books, leaving us with enormous losses—and we still have to cover our expenses on those items and keep producing your favorite publications. Until payments from our new distributor begin in a few months, we’re staying afloat with webstore sales.
I’m relatively sure you can find various TwoMorrowpublications at your comic shop, but you can also go to their website and order directly from them. You can get physical copies or get them in a digital format, which also has a lower price point. I’m always getting their releases because everything they put out is fantastic reads.
A case in point is the recent Keith Giffen issue of Back Issue 157, which covers comics and creators from the Bronze Age and Beyond. The magazine began in 2003 and was edited for the longest time by Michael Eury. With this very issue, he retired, which is also fitting because he was an editor at DC and worked with Giffen on some projects. If you think you know Keith Giffen—you will be surprised by what you didn’t know when you picked up this issue.
For all you Legion of Super-Horoes fans, there’s an in-depth interview with Keith from way back in 2003—and as a lifelong Legion fan, I truly enjoyed it. You even get the one project that burnt out Giffen so badly that he left the series for a bit. You get the 20 Greatest Highlights from his whole career dating back to 1976. You get Cary Bates, Tom Bierbaum, J. M. DeMatteis, Dan DiDio, Robert Loren Fleming, Cully Hamner, Scott Koblish, Paul Levitz, Kevin Maguire, Bart Sears, and Mark Waid—just to name a few paying tribute to the legendary creator.
Not everything they put out is strictly about comic books. Take Cryptology 02 —their newest tiles—which lets you satiate your sinister side with coverage of the best (and worst!) retro-horror from the depths of creep culture. For all you Don Huck fans used to his work during the Silver Age with classic Marvel runs on Iron Man and the Avengers, you might not be too familiar with his horror work in the 1950s. Here, you get an interview from 2003 where Heck talks about his more gruesome work with Golden Age publishers like Comic Media and Fawcett.
Also, editor Peter Normanton prepares a viewing of horror-inspired covers from the Shadow’s own 1940s comic book. If you’re into classic horror movies, there are pieces on Hammer Films, and Steven Kronenberg slices up his favorite severed hand films—and that is quite a handful! I love TwoMorrow’slatest magazine, and you should check it out and get in on the ghoulish fun!
For over 10 years, Jon B. Cooke has edited Comic Book Creator, with an emphasis on artists and creators from the comics of yesteryear. The latest issue, spanning nearly 80 pages, features an in-depth, career-spanning interview with the acclaimed comics writer Steve Englehart, with a particular emphasis on his brilliant work during the 1970s. The last part of an interview for the 100th birthday celebration for Arnold Drake examines his creation of The Doom Patrol and his work on The X-Men. In the second portion of Greg Biga’s interview, Dan Didio discusses his journey from joining DC as an executive to becoming the company’s co-publisher.
If you enjoy comic history—and the people between the pages—this is worth checking into for new and die-hard fans. Even better, the magazine goes from quarterly to bi-monthly.Finally, some of the past issues have focused on Dan Jurgens, Michael Cho, and Denny O’Neil. I love this series for its insightfulness and for always giving me things I didn’t know about some of my favorite creators.
I started off talking about Back Issue, and we’ll end it with the magazine. One of the things I thoroughly enjoy about each issue is that they are themed. After all these issues, one might think it would be hard to come up with new themes!
Not so! Back Issue! 156 is all about Bronze Age Graphic Novels. Today, graphic novels are part of the norm, but back in the 1980s, graphic novels from Marvel, DC, and First Comicsset the bar for what to expect today. This leads off the issue of Marvel’s first graphic novel, which still ripples through Marvel today—the Death of Captain Marvel.
From there, you go to the rest of Marvel’s and DC’s graphic novels. There’s also coverage of the Conan and long-defunct First Comics line of graphic novels. As always, you get background information from the creators involved. It’s a fantastic must-read for fans!
If you’ve never read anything—or it’s been a while—now is a perfect time to check out what they have for comic fans. Like many other companies caught up in the Diamond chaos, they need some support, and you’ll pick up some fantastic reads
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