Caleb
Carr.
Caleb was kind enough to take the time to write the liner notes for the audio Cd, The Road Without Turning. Caleb has known our family for a while but if you have any notion of who Caleb is
then you know he's no Shane. (although Shane was a really good guy!) We asked him because his specialty is history and historical
fiction and after his early book, Casing the Promised Land,
he's been studying and writing about military history since he was a lad, thus he's our resident expert. We think he's one
of the best writers around these days and he's no slouch in the research department. Many of you know his work from reading The Alienist and we encourage you to read
his new book, The Italian Secretary, an authorized Sherlock
Holmes mystery.
Random House Authors
Howard Cruse. Many thanks to Howard for his beautiful rendition of the Major for the
audio Cd, The Road Without Turning. Howard is a friend
as well. It's funny how we keep getting mixed up with these comic book guys! He is a fantastic artist with many, many credits
to his name including the Village Voice. His graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby published by our old friends at DC Comics deserves
to be better known and should not be missed. A new edition is finally coming out next year, 2010, published by Vertigo, DC's
line for comics and books for mature readers. It will have a foreword from the wonderful Alison Bechtel. There is oh, so much
more. If you don't know his work do yourself a favor and rush over to his blog.
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| Stuck Rubber Baby |
LooseCruse
Tom
DeHaven. Tom, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth
University is mainly a fictional writer. He has a very unique style and his fictional books about comics are great. Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies was the 1997 American Book
Award winner. It's Superman details the life of Clark
Kent just after graduation from High School in Smallville and prior to his arrival in Metropolis. The ever delightful blog,
Bookslut has an excellent review with lots more detail. Tom very generously involved us in a non-fiction book for Yale University
Press which will be out early next year (2010) and made every effort to ensure that his information about the Major was correct.
He is a true gentleman even though he's not really from Virginia. Who says New Jersey doesn't know how to behave?
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| It's Superman by Tom DeHaven |
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Ron
Goulart. A scholar and a gentleman all the way.
Not only is he one of the most knowledgeable comics and pulp historians around but also one of the few to have been smart
enough not to buy the smear campaign and has always treated the Major like a real person, not a cartoon character. Mr. Goulart
spent his time wisely listening to all the old guys (not just one) and is a storehouse of information. Every single one of
his non-fiction books is well-researched and a great read. You couldn't do better than to start with him if you're new to
the game. And don't forget to check out his fiction.
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| Comic Book Culture by Ron Goulart |
Hermes Press
Gerard Jones. Mr. Jones
has proved himself to be not only a good writer but he behaves like a gentleman. He made a mistake about the Major and he
was willing to give us a hearing. Being a smart guy he quickly perceived that mistake upon viewing actual photographs of the
man he depicted as ludicrous--French boulevardier's hat and cape? No way. Not once. Not ever. The elegant Auntie Diane almost
single-handedly torched Business Week over the review mentioning that one. Mr. Jones's book, Men of Tomorrow is excellent and we encourage you to read it, if you haven’t.
It’s a great overview of the comics industry and places the industry within the context of the times. Just skip the
parts about the Major.
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| Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones |
Gerard Jones.com
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