Charlton Comics

Paul Kupperberg on July 20th, 2020
A circa-1970 self-portrait by Dick Giordano

Hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since we lost Dick Giordano, artist extraordinaire, human being extraordinaire-plus. In the decades we knew each other, he would be an object of my fannish admiration, my boss, my co-worker, my collaborator, someone in my employment as a freelancer, and, always, an inspiration.… Read the rest

Continue reading about Remembering Dick Giordano (July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010)

Paul Kupperberg on June 12th, 2020

I’ve always admired the hell out of Denny O’Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020). I admired his skill as a writer. I admired his ability to continually grow and hone his craft, whether in comic books or prose. I admired the simple, surefooted way he approached story and dialogue and his calm, confident style of editing, as well as his knack for explaining and teaching what he knew.… Read the rest

Continue reading about “Practice?” R.I.P. Denny O’Neil

Paul Kupperberg on June 25th, 2019

In 1988, I wrote a 4-issue PEACEMAKER miniseries (based on the original Charlton Comics character, created, written, and drawn by the late, great Pat Boyette), which featured art by Tod Smith and Pablo Marcos, but another deep dive into the files reveals the following proposal for an ongoing PEACEMAKER series that I pitched, apparently after the cancellation of CHECKMATE #33 (January 1991), where the character had been appearing since his reintroduction in VIGILANTE a few years earlier.… Read the rest

Continue reading about The DC Comics PEACEMAKER Ongoing Series That Might Have Been

Paul Kupperberg on July 7th, 2018
Steve Ditko. Wow. It’s hard to process. I only ever met the man once, during my editorial tenure at DC Comics, but I was first introduced to the creator Steve Ditko in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man and Dr. Strange in the early 1960s.
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Paul Kupperberg on April 18th, 2016

A great time was had by all at the 2016 East Coast Comicon Charlton Comics: Past, Present and Future panel! Thanks to all for being there…but if you weren’t, here’s the audio portion of our programming, featuring Mort Todd, Jackie Zbuska, Keith Larsen, Karl Wildman, and myself.… Read the rest

Continue reading about Charlton: Past, Present & Future Panel, East Coast Comicon 2016

Paul Kupperberg on March 24th, 2016

“The Haunted Book Shop” appeared in Haunted #30 (November 1976), with art by Dandy Don Perlin, under a cover by Steve Ditko, who also has a story in the issue. The lead story, “Death Rattle,” is uncredited, but whoever the artist was, he made liberal use of his swipe files from artists as diverse as Sanjo Kim, Neal Adams, and Don Newton.… Read the rest

Continue reading about The Wayback Machine: Haunted #30, 1976

Paul Kupperberg on March 19th, 2016

From Ghostly Haunts #52 (October 1976), “A Sleep of Ages,” a seven-page horror story distinguished only by the Pat Boyette painted cover and interior art by S*T*E*V*E*  D*I*T*K*O*!

And while I know Ditko didn’t color it red himself, it was either a coincidence that the medallion the thieves are after is this Spider-Man-face-looking little object that wound up that color (red, after all, does pop on the page and the medallion was the focal point of the panel), or someone in the office decided to have a little fun.… Read the rest

Continue reading about The Wayback Machine: Ghostly Haunts #52, 1976

Paul Kupperberg on March 12th, 2016

From Ghost Manor #28 (March 1976), “Voodoo Doll,” art by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia, lettering by the venerable A. Machine. The cover of the issue is by Steve Ditko. I don’t know why the natives of Tahiti are green. >Choke!Read the rest

Continue reading about The Wayback Machine: Ghost Manor #28, 1976

Paul Kupperberg on March 3rd, 2016

The third story of mine published by Charlton Comics, “That Personal Touch” in Ghostly Tales #120 (March 1976) with art by Charlton stalwarts Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia. The cover of the issue is by Steve Ditko.

Bear in mind as you read it that I was very young and try to be kind.… Read the rest

Continue reading about The Wayback Machine: More Charlton Comics, 1976

Paul Kupperberg on February 27th, 2016

WaybackWay back in 1975, I made my first professional comic book sale to editor Nick Cuti at Charlton Comics. It was a one-off five-page sword & sorcery story entitled “Distress.” The story appeared in Scary Tales #3 (December 1975) and was drawn by a fellow newbie, Mike Zeck. Read the rest

Continue reading about The Wayback Machine: Charlton Comics, 1976