INSIDE LOOK: Best news of the summer? Might be… Finally, finally, finally — Ben Cooper superhero costumes are making a comeback this Halloween, hot on the heels of last year’s Star Wars selection. Yep, Superman, Batman and the Flash will be offered exclusively at Spirit Halloween stores as early as late August or more likely just after Labor Day. Not just that, there will be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Gremlins selections, as well. Each set runs $24.99. (It’s not yet clear whether these will be sold online.) Dig this INSIDE LOOK at each costume: “To keep our assortment fresh this year Rubies is offering two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Leonardo and Michelangelo), three DC superheroes (Superman, Batman and Flash) and one Gremlins item (Gizmo),” said Mark Von Ohlen, spokesperson for mass-market costumer Rubies, which owns the Ben Cooper brand. “All of these properties are big nostalgia brands that have a following stretching for years.” Unfortunately, there are no Marvel selections this time out but who knows what the future might bring. Personally, I’m most enthusiastic about the superheroes because I pretty much lived in my Batman costume when I was a kid. And while these are not exact replicas of what we wore back in the day — we don’t need the pants, I’d agree, and the graphics have been altered — they certainly capture the, well, spirit of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Plus, don’t forget — Superman and Batman, for example, were often tweaked during Ben Cooper’s heyday. I’ve long advocated that old Ben Cooper designs would make great T-shirts and the brand actually offered a selection at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring the likes of the Creature From the Black Lagoon. But even if we don’t get T-shirts of the old superhero designs, these new sets certainly go a long way toward scratching that itch. I cannot wait to get my hands on these, especially Batman (of course). “Ben Cooper has a big following and we are seeing more and more nostalgia brands from the ’80s and ’90s are very popular today,” Von Ohlen said. “At San Diego Comic-Con we had a booth featuring the Ben Cooper masks that are coming out in Spirit this Halloween plus a collection of vintage masks and we debuted our T-shirt collection, which was a big hit with fans. We...
A BIRTHDAY SALUTE: The celebrated Mr. K’s latest in a recurring series of great stories about folks connected to the comics world… Welcome to columnist Paul Kupperberg’s recurring feature A COMIC MOMENT WITH… Having worked decades in the biz, Paul has so many great, humorous stories to tell, this seemed like a really groovy way to share some of them — especially on birthdays. This time out, it’s the late, great DICK GIORDANO, who was born 90 years ago! — By PAUL KUPPERBERG Dick Giordano (July 20, 1932-March 27, 2012) was an artist, editor and executive who got his start and honed his craft at Charlton Comics (1952-1968), where he rose from production artist to the editor who introduced the Charlton Action Heroes line. He was hired as an editor by DC, where he stayed for much of the next 40-plus years (though he left for a spell when he and Neal Adams opened the advertising and comics packaging agency Continuity Associates.) As an inker, he made his mark on some of the most important comics of the times, including over the work of Neal Adams on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow. As an editor, he helped launch such works as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, and mentored countless young artists. Dick was famously hard of hearing. He wore hearing aids in both ears and was never shy about telling you he couldn’t make out what you’d said. Dick would frequently adjust his hearing aids depending on his situation, whether he was crowded restaurant with a lot of background noise or a one-on-one in a quiet office or in meeting in the conference room with six or 10 people, all talking over one other. Sometimes, in the middle of a meeting, Dick’s head would start to emit a high-pitched whistle, the result of feedback in his hearing aids. In his role as executive editor/DC vice president, Dick had to sit through a lot of meetings, internally at DC and with the company’s many business associates and partners. From 1991 to 2006, I was on DC’s editorial staff, which was overseen by Dick, and therefore I found myself in any number of meetings with him, by myself or in larger groups. Dick was also one of the comic industry’s true gentlemen. I don’t think I ever saw him lose...
Holy Time Is on My Side!
The Kurt Busiek-written epic will benefit The Hero Initiative…
A BIRTHDAY SALUTE: The celebrated Mr. K’s latest in a new series of great stories about storied storytellers…
