Comic Book Historians

Presented by Alex Grand
Comic Book Historians

As featured on LEGO.com, Marvel.com, Slugfest, NPR, Wall Street Journal and the Today Show, host & series producer Alex Grand, author of the best seller, Understanding Superhero Comic Books (with various co-hosts Bill Field, David Armstrong, N. Scott Robinson, Ph.D., Jim Thompson) and guests engage in a Journalistic Comic Book Historical discussion between professionals, historians and scholars in determining what happened and when in comics, from strips and pulps to the platinum age comic book, through golden, silver, bronze and then toward modern Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians. Read Alex Grand's Understanding Superhero Comic Books published by McFarland & Company here at: https://a.co/d/2PlsODNSeries directed, produced & edited by Alex GrandAll episodes ©Comic Book Historians LLC.

  1. Mark Ditko and Mort Todd Ditkoverse Interview 2025

    APR 8

    Mark Ditko and Mort Todd Ditkoverse Interview 2025

    Ditkoverse publications are here: http://www.igg.me/at/ditkoverse1 Alex Grand speaks with Steve Ditko’s nephew, Mark Ditko, and longtime Ditko collaborator Mort Todd about their DitkoVerse publishing venture, a project dedicated to “remastering” and re-presenting classic Steve Ditko stories in high-quality editions . They describe their upcoming Indiegogo campaign, which kicks off a broader plan to keep Ditko’s independent work in continuous print leading up to what would have been his 100th birthday in 2027. The initial releases include Mister A—relettered and published in color for the first time—along with Fantastic Giants (featuring Charlton monster stories), Static (a superhero title), and a revised edition of Avenging World, Ditko’s philosophical opus. Mort Todd, who worked with Ditko as far back as the mid-1980s, explains the painstaking restoration process—cleaning up original black-and-white artwork, recoloring, and updating lettering in a way that stays faithful to Ditko’s intent. Mark emphasizes that the family’s focus is on honoring Steve Ditko’s desire to keep his work available and of high quality. The interview also touches on personal anecdotes—such as Ditko’s private yet supportive nature—and highlights their shared commitment: all funds raised will go directly into producing and distributing further reprints and unreleased material so future generations can appreciate Ditko’s unique blend of storytelling, philosophy, and artistry. 00:00 Intro and greetings   00:28 Settlement with Disney   01:01 Receiving Legend Award   02:15 Launching DitkoVerse Project   03:46 Mort Todd involvement   05:02 Why use Indiegogo   11:00 Exclusive fan rewards   11:37 Starting titles lineup   14:00 Avenging World spotlight   15:37 Restoration process details   16:16 Balancing family legacy   19:16 Beyond Marvel overview   22:43 Editorial approach discussion   28:00 Social media impact   31:00 Mort Todd anecdote   35:02 Mark Ditko anecdote   40:05 Indiegogo campaign info   01:00:48 Wrap up thoughts   01:03:00 End of interview   My book, Understanding Superhero Comic Books available at https://a.co/d/iIE3fWH . 🤔 Hope you enjoyed this video! 👍 If you enjoy this video, please like and share it. 👉 Don't forget to subscribe to this channel for more updates. 🚫 Subscribe by clicking this link 🔗 https://bit.ly/3iRIaxx ⚡️ Swim into our playlists ⚡️ 🎶 CBH Docuseries by Alex Grand 🔗 https://bit.ly/CBH-Docuseries 🎶 CBH Interview Series 🔗 https://bit.ly/CBH-InterviewSeries 🎶 History of DC Comics Video Series by Alex Grand 🔗 https://bit.ly/3CrGqnV 🎶 Origin of Marvel Comics Video Series by Alex Grand 🔗 https://bit.ly/3yx4gvV 🎶 CBH Videos in Order of Episode Number 🔗 https://bit.ly/3lBl29H 🎶 Comic Book Flip Thru 🔗 https://bit.ly/3xz8QIO 🎶 Historic Footage 🔗 https://bit.ly/3AiukLR 🎶 CBH Motion Comics 🔗 https://bit.ly/3yvHMLX 🎶 CBH Panel Series 🔗 https://bit.ly/3s36voy 🎶 Comic Book Historians Playlists 🔗 https://bit.ly/CBH-Playlists ⚡️ Our Socials ⚡️ ✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Comicbookhistorians ✅ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comicbookhistorians ✅ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/comichistorians 🎙 Audio Podcasts 🔗 https://comicbookhistorians.buzzsprout.com 🌐 Website 🔗 https://comicbookhistorians.com/ ✊ You want to support our project? We'd be happy for your support on Patreon. ⚡️ Check us out on Patreon 🔗 https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians 󰛝 An extra special thank-you to all my kind Patreon supporters. 🙏 Thank you for watching Support the show

    1h 4m
  2. Frank Frazetta Phone Interview by Steve Ringgenberg

    11/01/2024

    Frank Frazetta Phone Interview by Steve Ringgenberg

    In today's special episode, Alex Grand and Bill Field delve into a fascinating phone conversation from August 27, 1994, between comic book historian and writer, Steve Ringgenberg and the legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. Steve Ringgenberg, known for his deep knowledge and contributions to the comic book industry, chats with Frazetta about his then-upcoming projects and his return to comics, albeit in a supervisory role. Frank Frazetta, whose "Death Dealer" paintings have left a strong mark on the fantasy genre, shares insights into his collaboration with Glenn Danzig and Simon Bisley for Verotik comics. They discuss Frazetta’s transition from comics to painting, his influence on the sword and sorcery genre, and his unique approach to creativity in art that continues to inspire artists worldwide. The conversation also touches on Frazetta's frustrations with creating statues, particularly his experiences working with Randy Bowen and the challenges of capturing the three-dimensionality well from all angles. Additionally, Frazetta reflects on his collaboration with Ralph Bakshi on the animated film "Fire and Ice," discussing his contributions to character creation and action scenes. Frazetta also expresses his frustration with the high art world for looking down on comic artists, despite their significant contributions to visual arts. Join us as we explore this rare and candid exchange, shedding light on the creative genius of Frank Frazetta and his impact on the world of fantasy art. Frazetta interview ©1994 Steve Ringgenberg Support the show

    24 min
4.6
out of 5
63 Ratings

About

As featured on LEGO.com, Marvel.com, Slugfest, NPR, Wall Street Journal and the Today Show, host & series producer Alex Grand, author of the best seller, Understanding Superhero Comic Books (with various co-hosts Bill Field, David Armstrong, N. Scott Robinson, Ph.D., Jim Thompson) and guests engage in a Journalistic Comic Book Historical discussion between professionals, historians and scholars in determining what happened and when in comics, from strips and pulps to the platinum age comic book, through golden, silver, bronze and then toward modern Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians. Read Alex Grand's Understanding Superhero Comic Books published by McFarland & Company here at: https://a.co/d/2PlsODNSeries directed, produced & edited by Alex GrandAll episodes ©Comic Book Historians LLC.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada