The bulk of this month's column is an interview with Roger Stern, a comic book writer who's coming to town for Free Comic Book Day.
Never heard of the annual event? Well, it's pretty much everything its name implies - free comic books!
Now a decade strong, Free Comic Book Day will again be marked locally at Chautauqua Comics in Jamestown. The day-long event is scheduled for next Saturday, May 7 at the Fairmount Avenue business.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
The brainchild of a California comics store owner, Free Comic Book Day kicked off in 2002 and is now celebrated annually by retailers across North America and around the world.
Always held the first Saturday in May, Free Comic Book Day sees mass amounts of new, brand name comics given away each year by participating retailers.
In its first six years, more than 2,000 locations in more than 30 countries gave away more than 12 million Free Comic Book Day special-edition comic books.
ROGER STERN
Roger Stern will return to Jamestown next Saturday for a second appearance at Chautauqua Comics.
Stern started out in the industry in the mid-70s and has since written for both Marvel and DC, crafting stories about everyone from Dr. Strange and Captain America to the Avengers. He's probably best known though for co-creating one of Spider-Man's most famous villains, the Hobgoblin, and for having been one of the writers who killed Superman back in the early 90s. A quick look at his bibliography shows extensive work with both the Man of Steel and Spider-Man, having written everything from issues of "Amazing Spider-Man" and "Spectacular Spider-Man" to the novelized version of "The Death and Life of Superman."
Al Steffens at Chautauqua Comics put me in touch with the writer last month and Stern was kind enough to answer a couple of e-mail questions. To prepare for the interview, Stern sent me a link to an in-depth piece done a few years back by the website Marvel Masterworks. I reference the piece a couple of times in the following Q&A and a link to it can be found attached with this article online:
THE INTERVIEW
- I know this year's Free Comic Book Day will be a return event for you at Chautauqua Comics here in Jamestown. Have you always participated in Free Comic Book Day events in the 10 years they've been being held? Do you do many conventions?
RS: I hadn't realized that it's been ten years already. I've participated in three or four of them, I'd guess ... though only once before at Chautauqua Comics. On average I attend two or three conventions a year.
- What got you started doing appearances and what keeps you booking them? The help to store owners? The longtime fans familiar with your work? The young kids first getting into comics who maybe aren't as familiar with you, but know the titles you worked on?
RS: It's more often the store owners or convention organizers who contact me. And I keep doing them because they're great fun. I enjoy taking part in these events. They give me an opportunity to meet my readers - of all ages - and get their feedback firsthand.
Q - In the Marvel Masterworks interview, you cite the head writers of "I Love Lucy" as being more of an influence than Stan Lee during your time working for Marvel.
RS: I wouldn't say that the Lucy writers were more of an influence than Stan, but they were certainly a very early influence on me. I'm old enough to have watched "I Love Lucy" in first run, and the show's pacing was always top-notch. I appreciate it more with every passing year. I was so sorry to learn of Madelyn Pugh Davis's recent passing. She was a great, great writer.
Q - Is our area's local connection to Lucy a reason you first agreed to come to Jamestown and a reason for your return?
RS: No, but I keep meaning to get over to the Lucy museum. Maybe this year.
Q - At one point in the Marvel Masterworks interview you mention that, when you started writing for Marvel, you had already been reading for 10 of the 15 years which most of the characters had been around. You said the characters were like old friends by then. With writers continually expanding characters' histories, is it harder to write comics these days? Or does all that history provide more fodder for stories?
RS: It can be challenging to keep track of what's currently going on in the characters' lives. But I enjoy a good challenge.
Q - Are you working on anything currently?
RS: I'm currently writing the "Captain America Corps," a five-issue miniseries which draws together five patriotic super-heroes - including the original Captain America - from across time. I'm also working on a new Spider-Man story which should see print later this year.
Q - Following up on that question, I've got to ask whether you know anything about Dan Slott's current run on "Amazing Spider-Man." Having created (co-created?) Hobgoblin, do you have any thoughts on Roderick Kingsley's recent demise at the hands of Phil Ulrich? And how then do you feel about someone new in Kingsley's suit? And do you think he'll inevitably get resurrected himself somewhere down the line? And is that a story you'd ever be interested in writing?
RS: I've been reading and enjoying Dan Slott's Spider-Man stories for quite a while now. And, yes, I co-created the Hobgoblin with artist John Romita Jr. - but as for someone new dressing up as the Hobgoblin ... well, it's hardly the first time that's happened.
Will the original Hobgoblin ever return? Well, Superman died and came back. If I were asked to help bring Kingsley back, I wouldn't say no.
Q - What do you get asked about most at comic events like the one coming up here in Jamestown? Superman? Hobgoblin? Captain America? Is there anything you're tired of discussing when it comes to comics and your work? Is there anything you can point to that you know you'll never get sick of discussing? Have you heard it all, or have you ever had fan surprise you with a question?
RS: People will often ask about stories that I've written. But just as often, they want to know what I'm currently writing, and want to know what I'm doing next ... which is always very flattering. I never get tired of that.
There is no single "most-asked question." Oh, years ago, people wanted to know who the Hobgoblin really was - or if Superman was going to stay dead - but we eventually answered those questions in the stories themselves.
I occasionally get a little tired of having people ask me to give away too much of what's happening in my next story. I hate to spoil surprises. What's the fun of that? And I haven't been surprised by a question in a while. But you never know.
Q - From the Marvel Masterworks interview and just from general knowledge of the industry, it's obvious that the business of comics has changed immensely throughout the years.
RS: Yes, on a technical basis, if nothing else. A script I write will exist as a computer file, which I email to my editor. Art, color separations, and lettering are all transmitted as files, and are electronically composited by the publisher.
Q - Is there anything you miss about the way things used to be? Are comic book characters too "everywhere, all the time" now? Do you think there's a diminished focus on books now that there are so many movies, television shows, games and etcetera? Or is the market for books even larger now than it was back in the day?
RS: In terms of readership, comics have become much less of a mass medium. When I first started working in the business, our titles customarily sold hundreds of thousands of copies - every issue. In fact, if a comic book's circulation dropped below 100,000, it would usually be canceled. Now, comics are lucky to sell tens of thousands of copies. I'm afraid that comic books have become a specialty item. Outside of specialty comic stores, it has become difficult to find comic books.
On the other hand, more stories are collected in hardcover and trade paperback editions, so there's been some growth in that market. And the industry is just now trying to find a good model for selling comics online. But there are probably more people who are aware of Spider-Man from the movies than from the comics. That's nothing new, of course. Movie and television draw audiences that number in the millions.
It's part of my job to remind people that comics still exist, and to let folks know where they can find them.
ASSORTED ETCETERAS
That last line's the best, don't ya think?
"It's part of my job to remind people that comics still exist, and to let folks know where they can find them."
Just had to repeat it, mostly just because I think I'll be taking it on as the official slogan for this monthly column. Comics do still exist, and it's more important than ever to let folks know where to find them - as outlets are getting scarcer and scarcer.
I've only got one "Assorted Etcetera" this month and then I'm done.
Last month marked a special Bat milestone.
It was on April 25 in 1939 that the Caped Crusader debuted in the pages of "Detective Comics" No. 27 - making this year the 72nd anniversary of the Batman.
Visit DC's Batman Facebook page at www.facebook.com/batman to view a collection of all the many first appearances Batman's made on comic book covers throughout the years.
And I'll close this month's column with a special shout-out to Brandy Noonan, who has long watched Free Comic Book Day from a distance. I only wish I were lucky enough to live within walking distance of the county's only comic shop! Maybe I'll see you there, Brandy - or more likely serving up drinks at Jeremy's Bel-View in Jamestown.
More from me in a month's time.
Nerding Out With Nick Dean is a monthly column about comic books, movies and more. It runs the first Sunday of each month. Comments, criticisms and/or items for submission can be sent via e-mail to ndean@post-journal.com or by calling the newsroom at 487-1111, ext. 251.
