The Comics Rack

In preparing this page, we have tried to choose links that will take you to sites where you will find real content about comic books and comic strips and not just a lot of hype. Suggestions for other links that we might consider for inclusion should be sent to: The Comics Rack and be sure and put "Links" in the subject box.

Neal Adams has a legendary reputation among comic fans, something that is hard to figure out considering his last major work was published over 25 years ago.

As with many things Adams, the site tends to have some extraneous flourishes to it and the frames version of of the site makes navigation difficult (we are sending you to the non-frames version). However, there is a lot of art for viewing on the site, including animations, and checklists of Adams' work, as well as many pages of opinion pieces by Adams. Also a portion of the site features the work of Michael Golden.

Many will remember Frank Brunner from his comic work on Howard the Duck, Warp and, probably his best work, Dr. Strange. Brunner has since moved on into other areas and at Frank Brunner.net, you can see what Frank is currently doing. The site is made up of galleries that display comic covers, posters, prints commissioned pieces and even some unpublished works, as well. All the pieces are wonderful to look at, but one could wish for a little more background on the art and maybe a biography of Brunner. Worth a squint!

Outside of Jack Kirby, the artists most responsible for the "Marvel Style" was John Buscema. Buscema's characters were always larger than life, superbly drawn and he worked on nearly every Marvel character during his tenure at the company.
Fortunately, Buscema's legacy didn't end with his death in 2002 and much of his work is available on the Internet for your viewing pleasure.

The Official John Buscema Website has lots of galleries of Buscema's work, a biography, photos, and the usual odds and ends. Best of all, is an exhaustive bibliography of Buscema's work that includes not only his comics work, but interviews, portfolios and convention drawings.

All in all, an afternoon well spent.

If you've read comics during the last 30+ years, chances are you've run across John Byrne in one form or another: whether as writer, artist, talented newcomer or seasoned pro. At Byrne Robotics, you can find out a lot about Byrne's career and there are message boards, galleries, a checklist and many other items to entertain you during your visit. Most interesting is athe FAQ section, where Byrne addresses many topics of interest, including many of the storylines that might have been. Well worth stopping by.

Old time fans will remember Gene Colan, who drew Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil, Dr. Strange and Tomb of Dracula, Batman, Night Force (and that's just the tip of the iceberg)in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Genial Gene, and his tremendous impressionistic style, kind disappeared off the map once Marvel and DC decided they wanted younger artists who couldn't draw in their employ, but has popped up every so often with a project or two. Fortunately, Gene has found a home on the Internet, so his many fans can keep track of him and his career.

The Gene Colan Virtual Studio is the official site for all things Gene Colan and includes a biography, bibliography, along with news and art from current and upcoming projects. Heck, there's even a family album, guest book and, if you have some bucks, you can find out how to commission a Gene Colan original.

Stop by and check it out!

Steve Ditko is probably one of the most enigmatic artists to work in comics. The co-creator of Spider-man (or creator depending on which story you hear), Dr. Strange and a host of other characters, Ditko has always avoided the limelight and let his work speak for him.

Using interviews, huge amounts of art (some unpublished), checklists, photographs and anything else they could find, Ditko Looked Up, created by Blake Bell, attempts to give a full portrait of Steve Ditko and is probably the most complete overview of his life and work you will find anywhere.

Long time fans will immediately recognize the name of Arnold Drake as one of the mainstays of the Silver Age, who, between 1951 and 1981 wrote hundreds of comic book pages, mostly for DC, but also for Marvel and others, created both Deadman and The Doom Patrol, and, something I didn't know until I went to the website, wrote Little Lulu for 10 years.

Unfortunately, Arnold's website has disappeared and we can only hope that it returns at a later date.

Will Eisner's recent passing has removed one of the last links to comics Golden Age, yet, his legacy lives on at his website. On the site, you will find a biography of Eisner, art, news, links, a continuation of Eisner's "Shop Talk" and a section devoted to the online adventures of John Law, which, may have turned up as a book instead.

The name of Steve Englehart should not be strange to any readers of these pages. For many years, Englehart was one of the most popular comic writers at both Marvel and DC, particularly for his work on Batman in Detective Comics and for his work on The Avengers.

At his self-titled website, Englehart features covers to all the comics he has ever written (an impressive list) along with insightful commentary about each series, or even comments about individual issues. But, since comics aren't the only thing Englehart has written, you will also find sections of his prose work, movies, animation, games and anything else that he has ever written.

A good site with lots of worthwhile material, but the covers may take awhile to load.

Mike Grell has been in the comic business for over 30 years and during that time has worked on most all the DC characters (most notably The Legion of Super-Heroes, Green Arrow and his creation The Warlord), and a host of other publishers, including a long run on his other creation, Jon Sable, Freelance.

At The Official Mike Grell Website, you can find some additional information about Grell, including some interesting reminisces, galleries, a checklist and news of new projects. Although one could wish for a bit less hype on the opening page, you'll find that the content of the site is worth the visit.

Paul Gulacy is still active in the comic book business since his start at Marvel in the 70s and, like many artists, has a website that bears his name.

On the aptly titled "Paul Gulacy's website", you will find lots of art galleries, featuring many of the characters he has been most associated with over the years (such as, Shang-Chi) and also lots of covers and interior pages from the many companies Gulacy worked for. There is also an exhaustive checklist and an infrequently updated news page that lets you know what Gulacy is doing currently. Well worth a visit.

One of the truly funny (not funny looking, funny as in humorous) people in comics is Fred Hembeck, who, in over 20 years, has managed to leave no character unbasted or roasted.

Fred now has his own website where you can read tons of background material on Fred and his work, commentary, comic strips, reprints of his "Dateline @#$%!" pages from The Comics Buyer's Guide and, among other things, "Classic Cover Redos", where Fred redraws classic comic covers for both educational, and humorous, purposes. Words can't describe what Hembeck does, you've just got to go look for yourself.

Hours of fun for the entire family and we aren't responsible if you split a gut.

Long time comic fans will immediately recognize the name Mike Kaluta, mainly for the short run he did on The Shadow for DC very early in his career, but also for the numerous covers he has done for a variety of publishers.

Like many artists, Kaluta has his own website and, although it doesn't feature any comic art, it is an interesting exploration into the other facets of his work.

Jack Kirby was one of the greatest creators to work in comics and, fortunately for us, there is more and more attention being paid to his life and legacy. One notable undertaking is the establishment of the online Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center, which has both John Morrow (Twomorrows Publishing) and Lisa Kirby (Jack's granddaughter) on the board of directors.

On a visit to the center, you can explore biographical material about Kirby's life, view the museum's collection of Kirby art (scanned comic pages and scanned original art) and news about new, and upcoming, Kirby projects. Also, there are links to informative blogs about both Kirby and the team of Simon & Kirby. Do note that the museum is still under construction, so watch out for the dust.

Bob McLeod has been around for many years, first as an inker and then as a penciller, but, whatever his role, his work is always enjoyable.

At BobMcLeod.com, you will find lots and lots of art, but very little biographical information and, unlike some other artists, there is no bibliography: something I found disappointing. There are, however, many things to recommend on the site and, along with the numerous galleries, is the fascinating section the shows uninked pages of many artists with the inked pages displayed alongside. This section alone is worth the time spent on the site.

From 1946-1965, Jesse Marsh was one of the headlining artists at Western Publishing (Dell and Gold Key), particularly for his work on Tarzan. Although his work was controversial at the time it was published, many, myself included, have come to appreciate it and, to avidly collect it.

At The Jesse Marsh Site, you will find a short biography of Marsh, an checklist of his work, a forum, lots of art and, most impressively, examples of the newspaper strip work Marsh did for Disney. There are also some complete Marsh stories included, all thanks to Ralf Antoni!

The family of Mort Meskin has established a site to honor the work of their father and it is well worth your time to stop by for a visit.
Besides Meskin's comic work, there are galleries of his paintings, pulp illustration (something I was not aware that Meskin had done), a wealth of biographical material and a biography of Meskin's friend and colleague, George Russos.

Although the site is still under construction, it is well worth the time spent.

One of the few artists to come up through the ranks of fandom into the professional comics world, Don Newton left behind a marvelous legacy of comic art before his untimely death in 1984.

At The Art of Don Newton, you can view examples of most everything he did from his early fan work to his last work at DC, his Marvel and Charlton work, a complete online reprinting of his classic strip "The Savage Earth", and a wealth of biographical material.

An afternoon (and there is that much material!) well spent.

Remember when Superman looked like an actual person and not a manga character on steroids? Remember the book All Star Squadron? Remember the second Shazam series?

If you answered yes to any of the above, there is a good chance you also remember writer/artist Jerry Ordway.

We recently discovered that Ordway has a website, Unfortunately, the gallery that used to be the centerpiece of the site is gone and the site is now just a blog about Ordway's current work. *SIGH*!

Alex Ross has been setting the comics community on its ear for sometime now, since he doesn't work in the usual pencil and ink style of most comic artists. Nope, Alex Ross works with paint, whether it be covers (which are drop dead gorgeous) or comic book interiors, where he proves himself both a painter and a storyteller.

At the Alex Ross website, you can find out more about Ross, including a news section, list of upcoming personal appearances, an impressive gallery, press releases, a section of art for sale and many other goodies. Heck, you can even download Alex Ross wallpaper for your desktop!

Artie Saaf worked in comics off and on from the 40s into the 70s and, during his career, proved himself an able and competent artist who was able to work in most all the genres that comics had to offer. The current website devoted to his work is maintained by his son Steve and features a short biography, art samples and a very comprehensive art and storyboard index, which Steve is always trying to expand as more information about his father's life becomes available.

Joe Sinnott...the name probably immediately brings to the hundreds of pages he inked for Marvel in the 60s, but he did one heck of a lot more! At Joe Sinnott.com you will find that Joe's Marvel work was only the tip of the iceberg and that he has had a very long career as penciller, inker, embellisher and painter working for such varied outlets as Treasure Chest, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Charlton comics. There are tons of art examples on the site and larger views of the art can be had with a click of the mouse. Good stuff!

Alex Toth is another artist who longtime fans will remember and he, too, has a website.

At The Official Alex Toth Website, you will find a host of material dedicated to this masterful storyteller, including the usual gallery, news item articles and forums. What sets this off from other sites is that there are also columns written by Toth (handprinted and illustrated) and a very interesting section of reproduced Toth pages with his own annotations that discuss the work pictured. There is also a section devoted to tributes to Toth, written upon his recent demise.

Barry Smith was first introduced to American comic book audiences in the late 60s, via a Kirby-esque story he drew while sitting on park benches in New York. Today, he is recognized as a mature storyteller, who is equally adept at writing AND drawing.

At Barry Windsor-Smith, you will find lots of Smith's art, but very little about Smith the artist: apparently he believes in letting his art speak for him. You will find examples of Smith's style from all eras of his career and also a preview of Smith's 300 page graphic novel, that is, apparently, waiting for a publisher.

Be aware that the site if very art intensive and may load slowly on dial-up connections.

Marv Wolfman is one of the best writers in comics, having produced more stories for a myriad of companies then I can count and is also, in my estimation, the master of word balloon placement, to boot.

Marv was an early convert to the Internet and at his website, you can find information about current projects, a Q & A page, an archive of online articles, a weblog and lots of links to all things Wolfman.

Outside of EC comics, the person probably most associated with horror comics is Bernie Wrightson, whose long string of horror covers and stories for DC, along with his work adapting both Lovecraft and Poe for Warren, easily place him as one of the best artists to work in the genre.

Wrightson has his own website and here you will find news of what he is up to currently, a gallery (where you must register into to gain access...I didn't), a biography, information on the Bernie Wrightson fan club, and the usual links and whatnot. Of surprising interest is a registry of all artwork by Wrightson that has been sold legitimately and a listing of fraud alerts(you just can't trust anyone anymore!). Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any comic work on the site and you're going to have to hunt for that elsewhere.

One of the best artists to come up out of fandom, Mike Zeck hasn't disappeared from the map and, although his comic output is very small, he has a website that, for an artist, is very complete.

At Mike Zeck.com, you will find current news about Zeck, a checklist that features covers for his entire career (except early fanzine material), links to books featuring his work, artwork from pencil roughs to finished product, a look at upcoming projects and links to eBay auctions where he offers original art and other goodies for sale.

Hop on over and take a squint.

Bill Black has been publishing his own line of comic books since 1969. His past efforts have centered on his own creation, Femforce, and numerous reprint projects covering all the genres of the Gold and Silver Ages.

Currently, AC has 3 series, which are of great interest: America's Best Comics, an ongoing series that features an excellent mix of stories; Men of Mystery, which reprints all types of stories from the Gold and Silver Ages, particularly of the super hero variety; and Best of the West, which reprints selected western stories from ME and other western comic publishers. Reproduction on all these reprint projects is excellent.

There are way too many items that AC publishes to detail here. At their website, you will find full details on the series mentioned above, as well as the backlist of material still available.

Big Bang Comics is best known for their "retro" comics, all done in the style of the Golden, Silver, or current ages of comics. Using an extremely talented stable of writers and artist, Big Bang has created an entire mythology for their heroes and has even created a mythical publishing company that publishes their adventures. Knight Watchman, Thunder Girl and Ultra Man are just a couple of the heroes you will find here and all are a loving homage to their "real" counterparts.

At the Big Bang site, you will find art, a spot to order back issues, and information about the Knights of Justice video.

Checker Publishing Group has started to put out some very worthwhile volumes of reprinted material. Alongside Alan Moore, you can also find Alex Raymond and Winsor McCay, as well as, Dick Tracy, Star Trek and Steve Canyon.

On their website, you will find sample pages from their projects, a complete list of what has been published to date and listings and news of their upcoming publishing plans.

As the publisher of Superman and Batman, DC Comics has been around since the beginning of the Golden Age. Currently, they still publish some of the best comics around, and their Archives reprints are second to none.

You will find all the current news at the DC website, including announcements of upcoming projects.

NOTE: This site takes a long time to load, even in the best of circumstances.

Graphic Classics is a series of books devoted to classic literature adapted to comic (hence the "graphic") format. They have a wide range of titles available. Most are devoted to a single author, but there are a couple of anthologies, as well. The contents of all the books are available here, along with samples of artwork and previews of coming attractions. The single most rewarding part of the site, however, is the links section, where you can find links to sites that will tell you more about the authors featured in the Graphics Classics library. A great combination of comics and the classics.

Another site for reading Golden Age comics online is The Golden Years. Run by a gentleman by the name of Steve Rogers, the site features a different mix then Pure Excitement (see below) and has a lot of Lev Gleason material (Daredevil, Crimebuster).

Currently, the site has about 33 issues of material available (with repostings of some issues promised for the future), grouped into "issues" with names such as All-Amazing Comics, Crimebusters and Patriotic Comics with a publication schedule for each.

I found the load time a bit slower than some other sites, but the content is excellent, although the contents of each issue could be made clearer (currently, the only way to find out what is in a particular issue is to go to the "Internet Reprint Guide" portion of the site and this gives a partial listing of the contents of each issue.
   Part of the charm of this site is the old fanzine feel from the time when fans created new comics because they loved the medium. There is also a line of CDs in the offing, along with the promise of possible printed editions. Stop on by and check it out.

NOTE: Steve has apparently hung up his reprinting project and the site has disappeared.

Many years ago, John Lustig bought the rights to a Charlton Comics series Last Kiss sight unseen: all the rights, all the art and all 40 issues. What he found was an odd romance comic and, just as a joke, he began to re-dialogue the stories to make them more humorous than they already were. The result was a closet industry that has not only spawned a number of collections, but also a website.

At Last Kiss, you can find a large archive of the strip, some interesting interviews, an emporium and lots of information about how Lustig got into this business in the first place.

Lots of laughs, especially if you know the genre.

Marvel, starting as Timely Comics, has also been around since the dawn of the Golden Age. Although the company has recently fallen on hard times in terms of creativity, the adventures of Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and Spider-man, are still out there on the newsracks.

The Marvel web site is filled with news about new and ongoing projects and some interactive activities, including posters you can print out.

This is the ultimate fan page for those who remember the "BIG RED CHEESE" in all his glory from the Fawcett Comics days to the present. Lots of art, news, and links.

Moonstone Books has a varied and diverse output of stand-alone comic books, each 48 pages in full color. Already released are adventures of The Phantom, Kolchak, The Night Stalker and Robin Hood. Also in development are adventures featuring Richard Diamond, Private Eye, Bulldog Drummond, and Kenneth Robeson's The Avenger.

There are lots of art samples and character descriptions on the site that will give you an idea of where they are heading. It is also possible to buy their current output online.

Pure Excitement Comics offers 45 different issues on their website, featuring a large sampling of Golden Age stories from all the companies, except the Big 3 (Marvel, DC, and Fawcett), scanned from the original comic book pages and reproduced in full color. Each issue contains at least 3 stories, along with some background information on the characters featured in each issue.

All the comics load in a very reasonable amount of time and the only complaint I have about the site is that there is no listing of the individual contents of each issue, so it takes awhile to wade through it all to find what you want. As an added bonus, the owner of the site, Bill Nolan, has produced 7 CD Roms of scanned comics that you can also find at the site.

NOTE: Since the above was written, Bill has retired from producing online comics, although bits and pieces can still be found on the website.

In the website The Adventures Continue, a tribute site to George Reeves and the cast of The Adventures of Superman TV show, artist Randy Garrett, who draws very much in the style of the late Curt Swan, has begun a serialized comic book adaptation of Superman and the Secret Planet, the never produced second Superman film that would have starred George Reeves.

An excellent piece of work, Superman and the Secret Planet is more than just a vanity project, since the art and coloring are uniformly excellent. One would hope that Garrett will be able to finish the project and that it could see print one day, or be released as a single comic story in some electronic form.

The link here will take you directly to the introduction to the story, but you might also enjoy taking a brief electronic stroll through the rest of the site.

Pining for the days of yesteryear?

Want things to be "the way they used to be"?

How about a retro-comic strip?

Captain Spectre and the Lightning Legion should fulfill all your nostalgic needs. It's both a club and an ongoing comic strip all of which is the creation of Thomas Floyd. Simply follow the link at the bottom and prepare to be entertained by the Wireless Electro Viso Scope. Lots of fun!

Of the many comics to come from publishers other than the "Big Two", very few have reached the near mythic status of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (which, as we all know, stands for The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves). After many trials and tribulations, John Carbano now owns the rights to the the Wally Wood created group and has created a website devoted to the super-team.
   At the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents website, you can get news about the DC Archives editions, fan art, a complete issue by issue synopsis of all the stories in all their incarnations (including creator credits)and a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents forum.

Vanguard Publishing specializes in art books, many of them restropective collections of well known comic artists, but also of classic illustrators. In addition to limited prints and a line of comics, they recently have released some comic collections, as well. Most volumes are available in both hard and soft bound editions, feature excellent production values, and are fairly expensive, as a result.

Fortunately for us, the good folks at Barnacle Press have an interest in the comic strips of days gone by and have built a site dedicated to this unique artform. At Barnacle Press, you will find short runs of nearly 100 newspaper strips arranged in categories by genre. As an added bonus for your visit, there is also background information about the creators and history of the strips.

Many afternoons of reading can be found here, but do be aware that the strips are displayed at a large size and tend to load slowly.

Comics.Com is home to United Media, and offers access to the nearly 100 comic strips that they syndicate. By following the links, a month's worth of strips can be viewed, one at a time, including Sunday strips in full color. There is also a bit of historical information on the site, such as character histories and creator biographies. Garfield, Peanuts, and Alley Oop can be found here, as well as Tarzan and Li'l Abner.

NOTE: The site takes a while to load.

King Features is still with us and offers about 60 strips for viewing. Like the United Media site, a month's worth of strips are available for viewing one at a time, but KFS adds an abundance of history of the strips, as well as links to the current strip artists' web pages where available. The Phantom, Blondie, Spider-Man and Popeye can all be found here. Did you know that Bringing Up Father was still being published?

Online comics come and go, and many are simply so poorly done that they are not worth the time to wade through them. At the behest of an artist friend of mine, however, I took a look at the Lackadaisy site created by artist Tracy Butler and was absolutely blown away.

Lackadaisy is an ongoing web comic set in St. Louis during Prohibition that tells a nifty gangster/bootlegging story, with wonderful retro art that captures the tone and feel of the period. Although some may be put off by the use of cats rather than people to tell the story, once you get into the narrative (trust me on this), you won't give them a second look.

While on the site, you can also explore the usual galleries, forums, a neat section on the cast of characters and an extensive links page, where you can also see what Tracy does for a "day" job. Well worth the time spent exploring!

Back in the 70s,there was an extremely popular western strip I began reading that ran in many of the major newspapers of the US. It had a hero, his sidekick, a villain or two, indians and included a humorous look at what we have come to accept as the American west.

If the last phrase of the introduction did not give me away, I'm not talking about Rick O'Shay by Stan Lynde (much as I like and admire that strip), since it was more of a classic western, but about Tom K. Ryan's Tumbleweeds, which was pretty close to "F Troop" in style and content.

Fortunately for all of us, Tom Ryan hasn't ridden off into the sunset, nor is he planted on Boot Hill, but has set up a website where we can relive the glory days of his comic cast of characters and look at new stuff to boot. So, hop onto your trusty steed and head to

The Hogan's Alley website is a condensed version of the magazine of the same name, both of which are concerned with comic strips. It features articles, interviews, sketchbooks, a number of comic strips you will not find at other sites, and an index of editorial cartoons that is searchable by subject. You can also subscribe to the magazine at the web site.

The Jack Kirby Collector is the only publication about the life and art of Jack Kirby that is fully authorized by the Kirby estate. Each issue is full of articles about Kirby and the strongest feature of the magazine is the page after page of original pencil art that is lovingly reproduced. Of late, they have even branched out into printing some rare and unpublished comic stories done by Kirby.

The web site features an edited version of each issue on TJKC, with some of the articles and some of the art. You can also subscribe to the magazine at the web site.
The Jack Kirby Collector

Beginning in 1974, a new line of comic books hit the stands under the publishing banner of Atlas/Seaboard comics. By 1975, they were gone. What happened?

The Atlas Archives is a website dedicated to the history of Atlas/Seaboard and not only offers a complete history of the company (from its beginnings to its demise), but also galleries of covers to all the comics, a checklist, artist/writer credits and more background information than you can shake a morlock at!

The Bernie (Berni) Wrightson Collection Checklist is a visual treat for fans of Wrightson. Its owner has amassed nearly everything Berni Wrightson has ever done (from comics to books to coffee mugs) and put them on this site for your viewing pleasure. Some of the pages are a bit slow to load, due to the number of images on them, but everything here is worth the wait.

Comic strips and comic books were not just limited to the United States. Although different formats were developed in different parts of the world, the technique of telling a story through sequential art is fairly world wide. The Library and Archives of Canada recognized this fact and in 2002 launched an Internet overview of Canadian comics called, Beyond the Funnies.

Visitors to the website can find a history of Canadian comics (both French and English) from 1849-2001, along with essays about the history, and characters, of comics in Canada. As an added bonus, full issues are reproduced and viewable on the website.

Who wishes that he had been rocketed to Earth from the planet Krypton?

Who is the leader of the Legion of Superfluous Heroes?

Who is insightful and entertaining at the same time?

Well, I wish it was me, but in this case it is Andrew Smith, who is better known in some circles as Captain Comics.

The Captain Comics website ahs now become a message board, but there is plenty of stuff there to keep you occupied, including the Legion of Superfluous Heroes.
Lots of good information and it's fun too boot.

The adventures of The Phantom are published throughout the world, even though the character has a very small fan base in the US. In other countries, however, The Phantom is big news and Chris Smith's Works presents Phantomania, has collectibles from all over the world.

There are some 20 different galleries on the site, covering the entire range of Phantom material from action figures, to books, comics, toys, etc...a limitless Treasure Room of The Ghost Who Walks.

So, you want to look at some comic covers, but you don't know where to go? Well, look no further, O ye of bloodshot orbs! You simply need to go to Classic-Covers.com.

Classic-Covers.com features over 10,000 comic covers covering a wide range of titles, including many covers that you won't find anywhere else (like Skywald titles). As presented by site owner Todd Frye, the covers are organized by company and then presented in galleries by title. There's no editorial content on the site, but rather the covers speak for themselves in all their 4-Color glory. A good reference and a heck of a lot of fun!

At Comic Book Conventions.com you will find a listing by date of conventions that are scheduled for the coming year. Where possible, the listings also link to the home sites for individual conventions, so you can find more information. There are also sections for news, a fan submitted gallery, a blog and lots of other stuff to keep you occupied while surfing the vast repository of stuff we call the Internet.
(NOTE: Our link takes you directly to the conventions listing.)

This site contains some interesting interviews and news reports and also sports some nice media, such as super-hero cartoon themes (with some video thrown in as well) and a "theatre" section, where you can view trailers for movies and such.

Possibly the gem of the site is "Oddball Comics" where artist Scott Shaw shares some of the oddball comic covers he has unearthed over the years. Shaw's commentaries on the comics are truly a laugh a minute and often funnier than the covers. If you don't check out anything else on the site, this feature alone should be worth the trip.

From 1964 to 1983 there was something horrible on the comic racks. No, we're not talking about Stan Lee's toupee, but rather the output of Warren Publishing. Beginning with Creepy #1, Warren produced many black and white magazines, most specializing in horror comics that were reminiscent of the EC line from the 50s, all done without the approval of the Comics Code Authority (Warren published magazines that were not subject to the restrictions that plagued the regular four color comics).

At CREEPY, EERIE & VAMPIRELLA Magazine - A tribute to the Warren Publishing Company, you will find a letter's page, short histories of the three main Warren titles and a cover gallery that gives a generous sampling of Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella.

Kuljit Mithra's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear Site has just about everything you would want to know about old Hornhead, especially for those of you who new to the character and want to know about his comic book appearances.

Mithra has created a site where you can find out most anything you could want to know about Daredevil, including appearances, creators, art, and a long list of short interviews, which can be read on site, with people who have been involved with the character over the years.

If you are a fan of Lee Falk's Ghost Who Walks, more commonly known as The Phantom, then there is a website called The Deep Woods that you really should visit. The site is the creation of Dr. Bryan Shedden, a young, but very active and knowledgeable, Phantom Phan.

Within the site, named for the area that is the location of the Skull Cave, you will find links and information to most everything you need to know about the Phantom and Lee Falk. Of particular interest are the articles (with links) to current Phantom publishing the world over.

So, grab your safari gear, and watch out for the Bandar.

A great reference site for cartoon or comic book characters. Markstein has assembled information on hundreds of characters, including sample art, the origin and history of the character and also creator information. Lots of good stuff.

Occassionally, you run across sites that make you wonder how you could possibly have missed them, and Dial B for Blog is one of them. Within 387 installments, you will find factual bits about comics intermixed with some of the best pastiche covers we've ever seen, all produced by the lad with a dial, Robby Reed. Combining thoughtful insight with funny commentary, the site will keep you busy for a number of afternoons.

More fun than a potzerebie, Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site is dedicated to all things Mad, including all the covers from #1 to the present. There's also a ton of other stuff, all related to Mad, and all guaranteed to bring a tickle to your funnybone.

The creation of Rome Maynard, E-Man the website has a complete history of of the main characters, lists of appearances, cover gallery and lots other fun stuff as well. This is a great place to get acquainted with one of the most original characters to be displayed in a comic rack!

Interested in a chronological history of comics? The History of Comics by Jamie Coville is a short and concise history of comics in the US: from the very beginning to to 1996. You won't find a lot of in-depth character discussions here and creator credits are sparse, but it will give you a very good feel for what order the major characters were created in and when the major changes occurred in the comics' industry.

Many years ago, Hembeck did a large number of newspaper style strips for DC that ran in the various DC comics. Flash forward a number of years, and a fellow named Neil Polowin, who remembers these gems fondly, scans them, recolors them, and places them on this site with running commentary that either explains each strip (for those not in the know when it comes to DC trivia) or to put the strip into historical perspective.

Consider this a "sister" site to Hembeck.com.

An afternoon well spent and again, we are not responsible if you laugh until you hurt!

Do you like to look at comic covers? Not just a couple, mind you, but LOTS of covers. Well, look no further, ye of strained eyeballs, for we've found a treat for you.
   Holy Moley's Comic Book Cover Quest is a huge site devoted to just comic covers. Ignoring DC's big two (Superman and Batman) on the grounds that they are well covered elsewhere, Holy Moley has set up numerous galleries that include the complete runs of Capt. Marvel Adventures and Whiz Comics, along with extensive runs of Quality, Timely and DC titles. As if this wasn't enough, there are also runs of covers from lesser known publishers and, of personal interest, a section of ashcan editions that were produced for copyright and trademark purposes.

NOTE: The site is very graphics intensive and it will take awhile to load the pages, but they are well worth the wait.

At Kit's Comics, you will find so much good stuff that you can overlook the fact that the intent of the site is to sell the comics presented on it. There are tons of covers all scanned at half their original size, but with a twist, since there is no real theme to be found here, just a whole bunch of comics that Kit is trying to sell. There is more, however, since there are also around 30 full comic stories reproduced from the original comics, spanning all types and genres.

If you remember the original adventures of The Legion of Super-Heroes, then you'll want to check out The Legion of Super-Heroes Clubhouse. Here, you can relive the glory days of the Legion, back when the future was a bright and shiny place.

The website is still under construction, but many of the areas are open and you can view a complete chronology of the Legion's Silver Age adventures, character profiles, creator biographies, and a virtual tour of all three of the Legion's clubhouses.

A trip to the 30th century without having to warm up the old Time Bubble.

Three of the biggest names from the Golden Age of comics are featured on this website. Created by Blake Bell, the site is dedicated to the work of Bill Everett, Alex Schomburg and Syd Shores. Here, you will find tons of scans, articles and, most importantly, checklists for each of the artists.

The Marvel Chronology Project is an attempt to put all the appearances of Marvel characters into a chronological order, allowing you to read the entire life story of a character (that is, if you have all the comics).

Unlike The Unofficial DC Chronology (listed below), there are no story synopsis, or other materials to be found on the site, just the character facts listed from A to Z. There is also a Message Board, to discuss the weightier matters of indexing, and the chance to help with this massive index. Once you take a look around, we're sure you'll be hooked, if for no other reason than to look through the number of times Marvel has re-invented their characters.

A little known part of comics' history concerns the reprints of the original Captain Marvel (The Big Red Cheese) that were done in England. Fawcett licensed the character to British publisher L. Miller & Sons, who reprinted the adventures of Captain Marvel, and the Marvel Family, in black and white until Fawcett ceased publication of Captain Marvel in the 50s. But just because the good Captain's adventures ceased in the US, this did not mean that Captain Marvel ceased in England: he just became Marvelman.

At Marvelman, B.A. Humphreys has assembled a bit of history about the character (which had a short run in the US as Miracleman), numerous covers, artwork and most anything else that will give you an idea of what many of us missed by being on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Lots of fun and some time well spent.

This site is similar to the Unofficial DC Chronology project, in that it gives chronological listings of all the DC character appearances. But, once you start to look around, you find that it is much more comprehensive in its scope, with character biographies, tons of cover galleries and, best of all, story credits for each issue that is indexed, including listings for editor, scripter, penciller, inker and cover artist. There is also a Weekly Planet feature, where various aspects of the site are discussed and a message board and guest book.

Put together by Mike Voiles, this marvelous site (couldn't resist the pun) is probably the best of its type and what will really make you a true believer is when you discover that all the comics on the site are from his personal collection (Mike owns over 80% of DCs total output).

Stop on by and take a look.

A pleasant afternoon (or several afternoons) can be spent at Nick Simon's Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index. At the site, you will find 1,484 Marvel covers from the 50s-70s that can be viewed in any number of combinations: by title, by artist, by theme, by month, etc. Each section is well laid out as thumbnails that can then be viewed as larger sized image. There is also a page of Nick's want list of covers he does not yet have.

Mark Evanier has long been a comics fan and, seemingly by being in the right place at the right time, has also managed to unearth more information about comics and their creators than you can shake a stick at. Comics are just one of Mark's loves, however, and he has also had a long career associating with showbiz figures, and, as if you didn't know, coming up with information about them too.

At POVONLINE (Point of View Online), you can read page after page of Mark's insight into comics and show business and find out about the people and places that make up the entertainment industry.

Bibliographic material about comics is always welcome, but when that material is compiled by someone who knows more about the comics then just the credits on the page, they become indispensable. Such is the case with Richard Arndt.

On Richard's Page, you will find a large number of insightful bibliographies that cover a multitude titles, including the Marvel Black and White Magazines, Star*Reach, Skywald, the Warren Mags and Witzend. Besides title and issue number, Richard includes full writer/artist credits, story titles, cover credits, ad credits and even gives solid editorial comments on each issue. And, if that wasn't enough, there are also exclusive interviews with some of the creators who worked on the books. Highly recommended!

Often sites devoted to a single character are quite boring. Such is not the case, however, with The Superman Homepage. Filled with reviews, covers, multimedia files, articles and original comics, The Superman Homepage is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Superman...so, you think you know everything about him, eh? Well, head on over to this site and find out what you don't.

At STTA you will find artwork and covers from all eras of Superman, histories of the character and the supporting cast, and information on the various writers and artists that worked on the strip in the past. I also detected an emphasis on the Silver Age incarnation of the character and, after an exploration of the message board, found that the majority seems to be disappointed with the "new" look of Superman. There is also a chat room and numerous links to other sites.

After the Golden Age of comics and up until comics got hip in the 60s, the publishers all determined that comics were for kids and the ads reflected it.

At Steve Conley's Supermarketing: Ads From The Comic Books, you will find a veritable treasure trove of the classic ads that used to try to separate us from our allowance. Best of all, there are testimonials, where you can share your memories of these nifty items with others.

Don't know if this particularly qualifies as reference, but it is great fun nonetheless. Put together by one Joe Bates, it reprints old comic book covers and other odd covers from magazines and books, as well.

Trying to construct a timeline for anything can be a daunting task, and when it comes to the myriad appearances of your favorite super hero, it can near impossible to decide what order to read the stories.

Well, the folks at The Unofficial DC Chronology have taken this matter to heart and are attempting to place all the appearances of DC characters into chronological order. Besides this, there are also synopsis of stories, covers, and writer and artist credits attached to many of the indexed items.

Today, as we peruse our favorite four color publications, we take it for granted, that somewhere,whether it be on the splash page, the final page, or on the inside front or back covers, there will be credits that tell us who wrote the book and who supplied the art. Ah, but 'twas not ever so. In the olden days (pre EC) artists were rarely afforded the privilege of signing their names to their work and as for writers...who knew!

Who Drew Superman? is a site dedicated to giving credit where credit is due in the art department and features tons of scans that attempt to identify all of the artists who worked on the Man of Steel in the era before credits were common. On the site, you will be able to search by artist or era, see examples of the artists' work and also get a good dose of biographical information as well. Another link at the top of the site will also take you to Who Drew Batman?.

There is a wealth of material here about the Spirit, including the cat yronwode index to all The Spirit appearances, which can be downloaded. Also, there are lots of links and some information on Eisner's comic work for the army.

Bud Plant has been around since...well it seems like forever and has established a world wide reputation as a fair and honest retailer. Recently, the company has changed its name from Bud Plant Comic Art to Bud's Art Books, but it still features the same great customer service and the website is extremely easy to navigate. You will find a large number of comic book and comic strip collections here, along with lots of single artist collections and retrospectives.

Ken Pierce is another dependable and honest dealer who seemingly has been around forever. There have been numerous comic strip reprints done under the Ken Pierce imprint and his current web site features many strip and comic book collections that are not available anywhere else.

The Pacific Comics Club started reprinting comic strips in the late 60s and, under Tony Raiola, continues to flourish to this day. Tony also has a positive world wide reputation and the Pacific Comics site features many strip reprints that are not available from Plant or Pierce.