Ben

Author's details

Name: Ben Towle
Date registered: 11/30/-0001
URL: http://www.benzilla.com

Latest posts

  1. SPX 2019! (And Other Comics Stuff During the Weekend…) — 9/10/2019
  2. Forest vs. Trees in Marc Singer’s Breaking the Frames — 8/13/2019
  3. Smokey Stover, A Christmas Story, Dr. Seuss: The Oneness — 2/14/2019
  4. What I Read in 2018 — 1/3/2019
  5. On the Influence of Steve Ditko — 11/11/2018

Most commented posts

  1. The Comics Journal Message Board: A Requiem — 36 comments
  2. Service Review: Ka-Blam Print on Demand — 33 comments
  3. Craft: A Review of the New Koh-i-nor Rapidosketch Pen — 30 comments
  4. Care and Feeding of the Leroy Lettering Set — 29 comments
  5. Ugliest Dog in the World? — 22 comments
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Author's posts listings

Sep
10
2019

SPX 2019! (And Other Comics Stuff During the Weekend…)

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I’ve missed the last two SPX’s, so I’m very excited to be attending this year’s event… but that’s not the point of this (very quick) blog post. In planning my trip, I’ve noted a few other comics-related events that are going on at the same period in the Washington area which don’t seem to be …

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Aug
13
2019

Forest vs. Trees in Marc Singer’s Breaking the Frames

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At this point it’s not news that Marc Singer’s recent book, Breaking the Frames: Populism and Prestige in Comics Studies, has stirred up a fair amount of controversy. It’s a testament to the provocative nature of the book’s assertions that this controversy has spilled out beyond the usually insular world of the book’s chosen subject …

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Feb
14
2019

Smokey Stover, A Christmas Story, Dr. Seuss: The Oneness

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So, over Christmas I was watching A Christmas Story for the bajillionth time (as one does) and noticed, in the scene were Ralphie is decrypting the message from his Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring, a Sunday newspaper comic peeking out among the stuff on a table: I took a picture of the strip and quickly …

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Jan
03
2019

What I Read in 2018

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In years past, I’ve regularly done “Faves of 20xx” lists of various things–comics, art supplies, documentaries, etc.–that I’ve enjoyed during the year. This year, though, I managed to keep a list of all the comics and comics-related books I read throughout the year and so instead of a Faves list, I’m just going to do …

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Nov
11
2018

On the Influence of Steve Ditko

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Steve Ditko, the cartoonist best known popularly for his role in the creation of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange for Marvel Comics, died last June at the age of ninety.  His death occasioned obituaries in several high-profile publications such as this one in the New York Times, which among other things reflects on Ditko’s historical importance and creative legacy. …

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Sep
09
2018

My Next Book: Four Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat

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Book Announcement  With the cat now officially out of the bag, here’s the full scoop on my next comics project: It’s called Four Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat and it’s forthcoming (probably in two-ish years or so) from Dead Reckoning, the new graphic novel imprint of  The Naval Institute Press. Here’s a description of the book, …

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Sep
01
2018

Exhibition Round-Up: Hugo Pratt in Lyon and Peyo in Paris

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I was recently had the good fortune to be able to vacation in France while the big Hugo Pratt exhibition was going on in Lyon. I also saw (but nearly didn’t–more on that later) a Peyo show in Paris. By way of making sure I don’t come across as a complete comics-obsessive, I just want …

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Aug
01
2018

Come See Me at Wizard World Winston-Salem 8/3 – 8/5

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That’s right: I’m making a rare when-I-don’t-have-a-new-book-out appearance at a con. What can I say? It’s in my hometown. You can find me in Artists Alley at the space shown on the map below. More info at the Wizard World site. I’ll have my usual fare: Oyster War, various minis, a smattering of original art. …

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Jun
14
2018

Nearly Ten Thoughts on the Bill Sienkiewicz New Mutants Run

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Or, more acurately: the Chris Claremont, Bill Sienkiewicz, Glynis Wein/Oliver, Tom Orzechowski (and L. Louis Buhalis & Joe Rosen) New Mutants run. I recently re-read this run (issues #18 – #31) in the form of this very beautiful IDW reprint edition that I got at SDCC a few years ago. Here’re a few thoughts on …

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May
19
2018

Mike Mignola Exhibit at Society of Illustrators… and Some Other Comics-Centric Stuff in NYC

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  So, I recently had the good fortune to find myself in New York… and by “good fortune,” I mean: I set some travel alerts on Hopper and wound up getting a ridiculously low price on a one day to-and-from flight to NYC. While there, I checked out a few things likely of interest to …

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