Kim Yale. Kimberly Yale, as you know, was John Ostrander’s wife, and it was John’s beautiful tribute to her in his column WWKL? last week that has inspired me to write about her and our friendship. Kim and I met over 20 years ago at a Chicago ComicCon when she chaired a Women In Comics…
What goes into making a memorable character for a story? According to Lawrence Block, author of over one hundred novels and recipient of the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America, they must be three things: plausible, sympathetic, and original. I think that’s a damn good definition of what makes a character real….
…with thanks to Martha Thomases! A long time ago – in 1959 – in a galaxy far, far away – well, actually, just over the Bayonne Bridge on Staten Island – I met Kara Zor-El. I was six. She was 12 years old … in Earth years. I could walk, run, ride a bike, and…
On Thursday, February 16, 2011, in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Foster Friess, one of the billionaire funders of the Super PAC (Political Action Committee) backing Rick Santorum, said, “Back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.” Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. LOL! ROFL!…
Death aims only once, but never misses. (Maxims: Political, Philosophical, and Moral, by Edward Counsel) Except in comics. I was doing a search for quotes about death when I found this one, which is so apropos. I never heard of Edward Counsel; did a Google search, but couldn’t find him?? Found a reproduction of his…
So what are you reading? Fellow ComicMixer Bob Greenberger recently talked about To Kill A Mockingbird a couple days ago as he prepares to teach his class. To Kill A Mockingbird is, as I expect all of you to know, a masterpiece of American literature concerning the racial tensions and bigotries of a small town…
“I am a stranger in a strange land.” As Superman zooms down into the torrent of Niagara Falls to save that dumb kid who is falling into the torrential waters of Niagara Falls, we hear an off-screen female voice – whom I’ve always imagined as Rob Reiner’s mother – saying: “He must be Jewish.” It’s…
“If I could do it all over again…” How many times have you thought that, or dreamt it, or talked about it? I think everybody does. It’s in our natures, y’know? “If I knew then what I know now…” What would you do? I wouldn’t be a nurse. I’d go to film school. UCLA or…
First off, to paraphrase John Ostrander: God Bless Mike Gold. Okay. Now…. One thing about being a writer. Deadlines. If you want to be considered a professional, you need to understand that deadlines are part of the job. There have been a few times in my writing life where I have missed my deadline. It…
6 a.m. Sunday morning. What the hell is that noise? Oh, yeah. The alarm on my cell phone. It’s reeeeeally lowwwwwwd. Shit. Five more minutes. Just five more minutes. One eye open, I grapple for the phone. Shit. Goddamn it. There it is. Flip it open. Hit the snooze button. Quiet. I snuggle under the…
I stink at writing battles between the superhero and the bad guy. Oh, I’ve always managed to struggle through – and through the years I’ve learned how to choreograph them pretty well, thanks to watching great action movies, anything from Bullitt to the Die Hard series to the Matrix Trilogy and Kill Bill, Vols. I…
I’m having a good case of writer’s block today. You know how a few weeks ago I talked about what it’s like to be a writer? One thing I didn’t mention was the awfulness of staring at a blank screen – or a blank piece of paper for those who still use a typewriter, and…
