Comic Book Resources

Comic Book Urban Legend Revealers

• by Brian Cronin
• in Comic Book Legends Revealed

I've been doing the Urban Legend column for just about two years now, and it just occurred to me that it would be nice to mention all the great folks who make finding the truth behind these urban legends possible.

So I'd like to highlight the following people...

Mark Evanier is basically the largest font of information about Jack Kirby that you're ever going to see, and we will all be lining up to purchase his book about Kirby, whenever he puts the finishing touches on it. His website, POV Online, is filled with tons of interesting comic book stories, but it is his knowledge of Kirby (a creator many an urban legend has been started about) that makes him especially valuable to this column.

Tom Brevoort has been a gigantic help in regards to things Marvel-related, especially the events that occurred since he began working at Marvel. Jim McCann at Marvel is neat, too.

The TwoMorrows magazines are probably the single greatest source for neat information, between Alter Ego and Back Issue (plus their Modern Masters comics). Roy Thomas and Michael Eury do a marvelous job on their respective mags getting a lot of interesting info out to the masses.

Kurt Busiek has given a wealth of information about comic book history to internet readers. He's amazing.

John McDonagh probably has single-handedly provided me with the most urban legends suggestions, from various sources, of any reader.

Gerard Jones' books are quite useful resources.

Daniel Best's interviews are always filled with great information. The same goes for Tom DeFalco's Creator Interview book series.

Wizard magazine has done some nice historical work in the past that has been helpful. So has Comic Book Resources.

John Byrne has been very vocal about his comic book history, which has been a great help in urban legends involving him.

H from The Comic Treadmill and Michael of The Legion Omnicom have given me a number of good suggestions. Paul Newell, Ted Watson, John Kuczaj, Robert Pincombe, Robin MacNeil and Chris Ma have all sent me multiple good suggestions, as well. Thanks, guys! Please send more.

Greg Theakston, Jamie Coville, John Wells, Bob Rozakis, Titans Tower, Fred Hembeck and Peter Sanderson have all done a marvelous job of detailing comic book history, and at one time or another, I know I've looked to their work for help.

Alex Segura at DC Comics has been a great help.

Karl Kesel, JM DeMatteis and Bob Layton have all helped me out with urban legends more than once (a whole lot of other comic creators have helped me out as well, but these three have gotten bugged about stuff a lot more often than others...I am quite the pest).

Jeff Parker, Will Pfeifer, Matt Fraction, Fred Van Lente, Jay Faerber and Chris Eliopoulos helped out my two anniversary urban legend installments. They are awesome.

Finally, if I didn't mention you, odds are that I hate you and all that you stand for. Either that, or two years of these columns is way too long for me to remember every valuable contribution that you fine folks have made, and that exclusions are almost certainly due to lapses of memory rather than anything sinister.

So thanks to you fine people for making these last two years possible!