In an effort to promote CO2 Comics‘ ongoing, monumental project, David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection, we have established a COMICS INTERVIEW Facebook page. Please, if you have not done so already, stop by and “LIKE” the page and share it. It is becoming quite a trip down Memory Lane.

Random posts of quotes and photos of comic creators who were interviewed in the magazine have evolved into a photo feature that we like to call the Quote of the Day. The positive buzz generated by this feature encouraged us to generate more content and so began a staggered release of cover images from the issues that have been reprinted in the first two volumes of David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection.

COMICS INTERVIEW #5 surfaced quickly and brought back a tidal wave of memories. That was the issue where Bill Cucinotta and I, as part of the fledgeling Comico crew that also included our former partner Phil LaSorda and SKROG inker, Bill Anderson, were interviewed by David Anthony Kraft, himself,  in a New York coffee shop.

The event is so much like a dream that we often have to remind ourselves just how it came to be. We were all young guys full of hopes and ambition living the best times of our lives. Those were the days that, as comic creators, Bill and I  look upon with the greatest fondness. We were taking chances, creating our own material and attempting to do what others said we couldn’t; build a comic company from scratch.

Primer #1

We had published our first black and white comic, Primer #1 in October of 1982 and a few months later, in February 1983,  David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW #1 hit the stands.  We knew right away that this was a magazine that we wanted to be associated with and Bill, who was always focused on ways to promote our comics in the Direct Market, was quick to contact David Anthony Kraft to set up advertising arrangements.

It was very easy for all of us to be star-struck. Dave was one of our heroes, having written and edited for Marvel for years. We had all cut our teeth reading his work and suddenly we were dealing with him on a regular basis. It was not long before we were referring to him as DAK.

Dave was much more than a business associate. To us, he was a mentor, filling our heads with knowledge about the comics industry including inside stories and tons of “of the record” anecdotes. More than that, he was a friend. Dave understood that we were possibly biting off more than we could chew but he was always willing to nurture our enthusiasm and offer respected criticism.

This support started with that first conversation he had with Bill regarding advertising which resulted in a trade deal where we ran Interview ads in our comic books and Dave ran Comico ads in his magazine. This allowed us to build a respected presence in the market with no cash expense and to have more reasons to call Dave on a regular basis.

The first Comico ad ran in Comics Interview #3 and our ads became a staple in the magazine for years to come. Lucky for us, we really hit it off with Dave and suddenly we were on a train to New York to be interviewed in issue #5.

Dave must have really been amused by us.  We were a bunch of goofy kids with big dreams that only seemed possible because we didn’t  know better. Our naiveté was our biggest strength; that and an unbridled enthusiasm to create comics.

Gerry Giovinco, Bill_Cucinotta & Phil_LaSorda

We dove into our interview with such a flurry that a half hour into it Dave realized his recorder had not recorded a word we said and we would have to start over. It was typical of  our hit-and-miss approach to making comics. If we didn’t get it right the first time, learn from the mistake and make it better next time.

It is embarrassing, now, to read our ramblings, recognizing in hindsight how amazing it was that we would be able to steer Comico to become a powerhouse in the industry and  establish standards and milestones that would influence the creation and success of future companies like Dark Horse and Image.

Dave, in all his wisdom, was able to see in our comics  what he referred to as “a contagious enthusiasm that transcended their shortcomings.”

Of the entire interview the most significant words were written by Dave in the introduction where he recognized Comico for the pioneers that we were as publishers.

“Comico, the comic company, is among the newest and most ambitious of the independent publishers springing up in the field. Comico’s five titles – AZ, SKROG, SLAUGHTERMAN, GRENDEL and PRIMER – are distributed through the direct-sales system and are available exclusively in comics shops or by subscription.

What is, perhaps, most surprising about such an enterprising endeavor is that all of the comics creators are ( at least, for now) essentially unproven and unknown. Starting from scratch, on such a scale, is virtually unprecedented under the circumstances.”

Our presence in COMICS INTERVIEW #5  marked a coming of age for us.  We shared the issue with industry legends, Stan Lee, Dick Giordano, Wendy and Richard Pini! To be included with this iconic group, for us, was a dream come true. It was time that we were taken seriously by the industry, fans and, most importantly, ourselves.

Future issues of COMICS INTERVIEW would chronicle our achievements as our line grew. Features about The Elementals in issue #17 and ROBOTECH in issue #23 were evidence that we were a company on the move, adapting to survive and prosper. More would follow and Comico, as a company,  managed to maintain a lifespan as long as COMICS INTERVIEW itself.

Comico, unfortunately has gone the way of every other independent publisher of that era. Bill an I however are still plugging away, as enthusiastic as ever but with quite a few battle scars to show for it.  We still look to Dave as a mentor and friend and knew that when we started publishing as CO2 Comics we had to re-establish our relationship with COMICS INTERVIEW.

We are now on a long journey to package the entire 150 issue run of that memorable magazine in an eleven volume set. Two volumes are complete and the third is in production.

As Dave says, “It is a labor of love.” And what’s not to love? For us, everyday is a trip back to the “good old days” and a reminder of the enthusiasm that keeps Bill and I making comics just because we want to.

Making Comics Because We Want to,

Gerry Giovinco

New page of Eaten By Planet 29
by Kevin Atkinson, now available.

EATEN BY PLANET 29 Update

Click here to read this comic NOW!

New page of Cid & Francis
by Mike Sgier, now available.

CID & FRANCIS Update

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New page of DOG BOY by Steve Lafler now available.

DOG BOY Update

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Read the 3 Part STEVE LAFLER INTERVIEW
posted on The Comics Journal

NOW AVAILABLE,

Purchase a copy of the EL VOCHO

graphic novel, now on sale

At LULU Here.

Posted a day late

New page of BUGHOUSE by Steve Lafler now available.

BUGHOUSE Update

Click Here to read this comic NOW!

Read the 3 Part STEVE LAFLER INTERVIEW
posted on The Comics Journal

NOW AVAILABLE,

Purchase a copy of the EL VOCHO

graphic novel, now on sale

At LULU Here.

New page of Heaven and the Dead City
by Raine Szramski, now available.

HEAVEN And The DEAD CITY Update

Click here to read this comic NOW!

New page of
THE MIDAS CURSE
by Don Lomax is now available.

THE MIDAS CURSE Update

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The 2011 film adaptations of Conan the Barbarian starring Jason Momoa as the vengeful Cimmerian was far from being a classic and quickly vanished from theaters. It struggled on many levels as a film. Acting, storytelling, cinematography, sound, and special effects all missed their mark yet for fans of the original Robert E. Howard pulps this movie succeeded at tapping the nerve that has attracted so many to the character. It was bloody, fierce, and full of gratuitous sex and violence, summing the character up in a simple bio, “I live, I love, I slay… I am content.”

Unlike the earlier, more polished, film versions of Conan that starred the muscle-bound Arnold Schwarzenegger who gave the character as much barbaric swagger as a He-Man cartoon, this movie, through all its crudeness, somehow just “got it.” The makers understood the true nature of the character and consequently made a film that, as bad as it was, was still enjoyable to fans who have longed to see Conan finally unleashed.

Reviews of the film reveal two types of Conan fans: Those who are fans of the original source material and those whose only familiarity with the character came from the Swarzeneggar flicks. The latter seem offended by the ferocity of the newer film, objecting that it betrays the watered-down Conan that they grew up with.

Imagine that!

This is nothing new. Audiences that only knew Batman through their experience growing up during the 1966 Batmania had a hard time adjusting to the darker yet more accurate versions of the character that came later.

Hollywood has a way of redefining comic book characters to enhance what they perceive as their marketability often sacrificing the virtues that made the character special in the first place.

This summer’s retooling of Superman may be the boldest attempt to reshape the most iconic superhero of all times. If Man of Steel is successful will it blot out or demean the Superman that has stood for truth, justice and the American way for the last seventy-four years? I am anxious to see if Kal-El is ever actually called or referred to as Superman in the film.

Will it be up to the fans of the original source material to preserve the legacy of Superman?

Probably.

And that’s a good thing because fans get it right. Fans know what makes characters special and even with limited resources they are able to capitalize on those attributes to create memorable films that capture the true essence of the subject.

The following is a list of great examples of fan films that succeed:

Wonder Woman

Grayson

Judge Minty

Y: The Last Man Rising

ElfQuest: A Fan Imagining

Lobo ParaMilitary Christmas Special

Superman Classic

The Rocketeer Animation

At CO2 Comics we have our own favorite fan film. A blast from the past, completed in 1982 by Bob Karwoski, Larry Ruggiero and the infamous Bob Schreck:

The Incredible HULK Meets the Ever  Lovin’ Blue Eyed THING

The THING costume created by Yours Truly conjures a truer version of a Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott THING than any of the recent Hollywood films.

You decide

Thanks to advances in CGI, film adaptions of comic characters have gotten a lot better but directors are always in danger of putting the cart before the horse and becoming dependent on effects to carry a film rather than the character. Green Lantern proved that CGI does not a superhero film make.

So Hollywood, pay attention to the fans. If you want a beloved superhero film, stay true to the character. But if all else fails, call it a parody and make a porno!

Who cares? The original character is already screwed.

Making Comics Because We Want to,

Gerry Giovinco

New page of Eaten By Planet 29
by Kevin Atkinson, now available.

EATEN BY PLANET 29 Update

Click here to read this comic NOW!

New page of Cid & Francis
by Mike Sgier, now available.

CID & FRANCIS Update

Click here to read this comic NOW!