![]() ![]() Palmer’s Picks A Library of Fun By Tom Palmer Jr. But if you need a reminder, take a look back at my original interview with him from the pages of Wizard #49. You probably don’t need me to tell you how amazing he is. So, anyway, this “Palmer’s Picks” was all about Chris Ware. All of the books I got were excellent, but Dan Clowes‘ one-man anthology really showed me what was possible with the artform of comics, and it’s a little preposterous to think that I was introduced to it thanks to Kim Thompson and an Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special. I don’t remember every book that was bought with the loot for the endeavor, but I know my dad got a copy of Ralph Steadman’s America, among other books, while I scored Bill Griffith’s travel sketchbook Get Me a Table Without Flies, Harry, Drew Friedman‘s Any Similarity To Persons Living Or Dead Is Purely Coincidental, and some Eightball back issues and a subscription. In keeping with the off-beat tone of previous swimsuit specials, my dad’s contribution was a pin-up showing why it’s not a good idea for Dr. Doom pin-up from Fantagraphics’ Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special #2 (1991) by Tom Palmer Sr. Somehow I convinced my dad to not only take time out of his busy schedule to draw something, but to also forego payment and let me partake in some of that sweet Fantagraphics mail order.ĭr. The thing to note about the invitation was that it offered two options for payment: a fairly low page rate, or a generous gift certificate for books from Fantagraphics’ mail order catalog. Contributors to the specials were a strange cross-section of the late ’80s/early ’90s comics biz, including Bill Sienkiewicz, Evan Dorkin, Eddie Campbell, and Los Bros Hernandez.Īt some point in 1990, my dad-comic book inker Tom Palmer Sr.-got a form letter from Kim Thompson inviting him to contribute to the next swimsuit special. Imagine Ted McKeever characters in bathing suits and you get the idea. While these swimsuit specials were nothing more than a collection of pin-ups, they were not the typical sleazy cash-grab. Amazing Heroes also published occasional swimsuit specials and, believe it or not, this is where the magazine had it’s biggest influence on me. ![]() The regular Amazing Heroes Preview Specials-massive tomes with a dizzying collection of plans for the future of virtually every comic being published-were a great resource in the pre-Internet era. The magazine didn’t restrict it’s focus to just Marvel and DC-superhero and sci-fi comics from indy publishers like First and Eclipse got their fair share of coverage. The two halves of this cover would later appear as two separate trading cards.Īmazing Heroes might not be held in such high esteem as the Journal, but it played a key role in my development as a comics reader. ![]() The fold-out gatefold cover for Wizard #49 features Marvel’s X-Men heroes and villains. Thompson was also the editor of Amazing Heroes, a sister magazine to the Comics Journalthat had a more mainstream focus. Two key ones that stand out in my mind are the celebrated anthology series Zero Zero and the translated works of French master Jacques Tardi. As co-publisher of Fantagraphics, Thompson had his hands in a lot of great comics. Tammy was later replaced by the great Eric Reynolds, the current associate publisher at Fantagraphics, who was able to strengthen the relationship and helped facilitate interviews with other Fantagraphics artists like Bob Fingerman (in Wizard #55) and Dave Cooper (in Wizard #61).Īt the end of this interview, Ware sings the praises of the late Kim Thompson, noting how he had the mark of a good editor and knew when to get out of the way. I had already given a lot of ink to many Fantagraphics comics over the course of “Palmer’s Picks,” so it was great to have a contact at the company. I realized I would be an idiot to turn that opportunity down, so I enthusiastically called Tammy to get everything squared away. Thanks in part to my mention of Chris Ware in my year-end column in Wizard #41, Tammy Watson from the promotions department at Ware’s publisher Fantagraphics sent me a preview of the upcoming “Jimmy Corrigan” story from Acme Novelty Library and an offer to set up an interview. Revisiting this old column from Wizard magazine offers a unique perspective since Ware was in the midst of his career-defining work.Īs I’ve mentioned earlier on this blog, I was trying to time the publication of each “Palmer’s Picks” with the release of new comics or significant stories. Similar to last issue’s profile of Charles Burns, this “ Palmer’s Picks” highlights one of the other all-time great serialized graphic novels, Jimmy Corrigan, and how it developed from its first appearance in Ware’s newspaper strip to its subsequent retooling for his Acme Novelty Library series. Fan-favorite artist Joe Madureira drew his first Wizard cover for issue 49 of the magazine. ![]()
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