June is Pride month. There has been a blooming of LGBTQ+ comics and graphic novels in recent years. There are many works I could mention but here is a quick look at some of my recent favourites. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me – written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. A tender tale of growing up with all the associated mistakes … Continue reading Comics for Pride Month
Reading comics and collecting comics aren’t always synonymous. Some will spend years, decades, a lifetime hunting down runs of comics that they will never read. Why? They are completists, they like the thrill of the chase, the whiff of ancient newsprint and four color nostalgia. The long-sought comic in the back-issue bins, the box of bronze-age heaven that appears one day in a charity shop. … Continue reading Luck be a Lady – A brief history of Shamrock
A look back at Vertigo This week DC announced the end of the Vertigo line. Vertigo was a clear attempt by DC to create a line of comics which were not aimed at children but at young adults and older. Vertigo came along at just the right time for me. From The Daredevils and Warrior it was an easy leap to follow British Invasion creators … Continue reading Fear of Heights
Cover of the Week – Deadline issue 5 March 1989. Wired World by Philip Bond This week marks 30 years since the first issue of Deadline was released. Deadline was hugely important for British comics and marked something new. Its most obvious predecessor was Warrior which had shown that a British anthology style monthly featuring new work aimed at a ‘mature’ market, could be a … Continue reading Happy Birthday Deadline!
The first Marvel comic I ever read was a Steve Ditko Machine Man. He and Jack Kirby defined comics and had a huge impact on world culture, far beyond anything even they could imagine. He was a reclusive figure, an eccentric but he is still around all of us right now. Continue reading Steve Ditko
We have starting points. Sometimes we have restarting points. Sometimes we are reborn.
Continue reading “A Rag, A Bone, A Hank of Hair”The Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman
This is a blog dedicated to what I have been lucky enough to find out about comics. I might add in some other geeky goodness, but it's mainly about the comics.
Comicbook chin-stroking, to while away an idle moment, or two
Comics with a British focus
Interviews with big name comic book creators brought to you by the Official Lakes International Comic Art Festival Podcast.
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Comic Writer
Feeding the habit one issue at a time
Comics with a British focus
Daredevils and Warriors 