Gareth S. Young - - 1000 Trillion Suns

part 3 of the Born Again story arc by Miller/Mazzucchelli One of the most thankless tasks, in any profession, is following someone regarded as the best. In comic books, following Frank Miller in the 80's would be like following Einstein at a comedy club after he's finished his set with the punchline: E=mc². Or something. You get my drift. Either way, Miller moved from Marvel's Daredevil to write the career defining Batman series "The Dark Knight Returns" for DC. He also left after writing probably the most well known and loved Daredevil story ever: Born Again. Ann Nocenti, editor of Uncanny X-Men, got the call to take over from Miller. Often forgotten, sandwiched between superstars like Miller, Kevin Smith (yes, Kevin Smith the movie director) and Brian Michael Bendis, I believe Nocenti wrote some of the best Daredevil stories ever. She moved away from Miller's noirish crime stories to tackle more societal issues, managing to broaden the scope of the chara...

One of the lucky ones Superheroes used to be better-known for their four-color shenanigans in comic books than their hi-definition antics down at your local IMAX theater. In fact, comic books almost faded into obscurity as comic book shops closed, print runs declined and the only people who cared about them were a generation of fans hanging onto their childhoods. I don't deny I am one of those people. I am one of the lucky ones, born at just the right time to see comics change from kids entertainment to mature, grown-up storytelling. The Golden Age Yours for a paltry $3.2 million... The first appearance of Superman (1938) is regarded by collectors as the beginning of The Golden Age of comics. Batman (1939), Captain America (1941) & Wonder Woman (1941) were also born during this period. The recent  $3.2 million sale of the "holy grail" copy of Action Comics #1  shows that interest in these characters is still through the roof, although most people know the...

Gina West: Questionatrix and goofball Read the first part of the interview here: PART ONE ...and now, the conclusion... 18. I know you love comics. How have they influenced your writing? Look out…here comes the boring… Comic books are deceptively complicated. Okay, perhaps not every story, but to create a story in around 26 pages takes a lot of work. The writer has to write as if this is your first ever issue of the comic you’ve just picked up while not boring the guy who’s been following it for a thousand years. Much like a television writer, they have to write to beats so that they end in a way that will make you pick up the next one. They also have to write to the strengths of the artists they work with. And it all has to fit into a picture or a speech bubble. I’d liken individual comic books to the chapters of a story, a long ongoing story, except in each chapter you have to introduce your main character over again and the chapter has to be a stand-alone story while...