Author: Bill Baker

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Comics: Rick Geary on A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium, Volume 1

For the better part of a generation, Rick Geary has explored some of the darkest corners of the human experience and recorded his findings in a series of critically acclaimed books of graphic nonfiction. To create those volumes he’s researched and reported on some of the most famous and gruesome murders of the past, including...

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Comics: Keu Cha on Hex: The Lost Tribe

I first met Keu Cha about a decade ago, just after he accepted his first major assignment, penciling Witchblade for Top Cow. I still remember being blown away by his highly detailed, stylish approach to that character and her world. As is typical, he moved on from there, taking on one plum assignment after another,...

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Books: Tom Kaczynski on Uncivilized Books

As briefly mentioned at the end our previous conversation, the indefatigable Tom Kaczynski is more than a gifted comics creator. He’s also the publisher and driving force behind Uncivilized Books, an upstart press specializing in comics collections and original graphic novels. Now, if you happen to be a regular reader of this column and that...

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Books: Gary Scott Beatty on Tales of Fear

Gary Scott Beatty is someone whose work I’ve been following with real interest for the past few years. Not that I ignored him before that. Rather, it’s his recent activities, especially as a small press publisher with a singular vision that makes total sense in today’s fluid market, that’s proven to be particularly interesting. What...

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Books: Warren Ellis on Gun Machine

While he’s widely recognized by comics aficionados as the author of such critically acclaimed hit series as Planetary, Transmetropolitan and Astonishing X-Men, Warren Ellis is perhaps best known by the general public as the co-creator of RED, a three-issue comic mini-series that saw life as a rather successful film starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and...

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Books: Tom Kaczynski on Beta Testing the Apocalypse

The release of Tom Kaczynski’s latest book couldn’t have been better timed. Published by Fantagraphics late last year right around the time of the highly anticipated (not to mention greatly misunderstood) Mayan “end of days,” Kaczynski’s Beta Testing the Apocalypse collected a number of previously published shorter comics, along with a brand new graphic novella....

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Lucky Lady: Gabrielle Bell on The Voyeurs

As the title of her award-winning series, Lucky, suggests, Gabrielle Bell has lived what some might call a charmed life…and with good reason. Her work as both a cartoonist and diarist has been widely praised by critics, fans and her fellow professionals alike. One of her tales was adapted for a film by director Michel...

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Homeworld Bound: Mark Wheatley on Webcomic The Return of the Human

As might have become obvious by now, I’m a huge fan of Mark Wheatley’s comics. His latest project—The Return of the Human, which is now running online as part of the first slate of titles from a major new webcomics consortium—is a perfect example of why I’m so intrigued with his work. It’s a graphic...

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Comics: Tommy Castillo Reveals The Art of The Darkside of Oz

Since entering the field nearly 25 ago, Tommy Castillo has carved out a niche in the comics and entertainment industries that perfectly suits his sensibilities. While he’s perhaps best known as an ace illustrator of the macabre, the truth of the matter is that he’s an incredibly gifted and versatile artist capable of working in...

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Comics: JR Han on JR Comics and Monkey King

Dreamers, the world’s full of them. But someone possessed of a vision, as well as the willpower and fortitude to work their way through all obstacles to finally achieve their ultimate goal? Well, that, my friends, is what’s known in the comics business as “Living the Dream.” And right now, JR Han, the mastermind behind...