Hey, People want to talk to me!

So here's the thing. Back in 1981 I officially entered the professional side of the comicbook business with the publication of my first article in Amazing Heroes #5. Over the years since then, I’ve been published by virtually every comicbook publication in the business. Yep, that’s right, everyone from Amazing Heroes to Wizard, and everyone in between. I’ve even been published by several non-comics publications (Non-Sports Update, Ahoy!, Videogaming Illustrated, Relix, and many, many others.

I've even written articles for Marvel, DC, Extreme, Valiant, Dark Horse, and other comicbook publishers.

I've also written a book or three (Trivia Mania: Commercials and Ads, Kiddie Meal Collectibles, as well as contributed to other books including Stan Lee’s How to draw Superheroes and Stan Lee’s Master Class).

Well in ‘87 I created and wrote my first comic, Agent Unknown for Renegade Press. While it took me some 19 years to get back into writing comics, I did return to the field in 2006 in Psychosis #1 with my short story Never Judge a Book. Since then, I've gone to contribute stories to several small-press publishers including Main Enterprises, Red Anvil Comics, InDELLible, and others. I even produced three of my one comics for Pronto Comics; The Adventures of Hot Girl and Totally Hot Girl, First in Flight (The Story of Gustave Whitehead), and Perceptions (with more to come).

Needless to say (and for reasons I still don’t quite get) recently, a number of folks who run comicbook podcasts have chosen to interview me. Here are just some of the most recent interviews.

First up are the fine folks from Grawlix podcast:

Then Vera Sam interviewed me on his Catch the Craze podcast:

Next up were Ray Felix and Lance Mecaneck, on Bronx Heroes:

And most recently Michael Grassia and Miike Lopesz from IncrediCon Live interviewed me on their IncrediChat:

There have been (and undoubtedly) will be others, but here is a good look into my Funnybook history for now. Enjoy kids!

The Measure of a Superhero: Ray Felix

This is an “older” article of mine that was originally published elsewhere. I’m choosing to (re)present it here as I consolidate my work under a unified umbrella. 

Ray Felix is a real life superhero.

No really, he totally is, and we are not exaggerating in the least. In a world where most aspiring comicbook professionals want to work for one of the big two comicbook companies on one of their iconic superhero franchises, Ray has quietly been building his own Tyler Perry-style funnybook empire. Not only does he publish comics as Bronx Heroes, he runs an annual comicbook show in the Bronx (Bronx Heroes Comic Con), attends other shows (including NYCC & Alex Simmons Kids’ ComicCon — also in the Bronx), he is involved in the Bronx Council of the Arts, he produces T-shirts spotlighting his own characters, bottles his own brand of Bronx Heroes soda, has his own art studio (Cup ‘O’ Java), stages art events in and around NYC (including a Black Comic Day in Harlem, an art show celebrating women in comics, a sequential art show spotlighting Will Eisner, and more). Hey, he even traveled to Africa with Simmons to teach kids about comics. Then in his “spare time” he teaches.

Then, just to make his life interesting, he is standing tall, David-like against the mega-super-goliath(s) of Marvel and DC comicbook corporations as he attempts to “take back” the word “Superhero.” That’s right, back in the late ‘70s Marvel and DC got together on one of their earliest team-ups not to produce a precedent-setting crossover of some of their well-known superheroes, but to copyright and trademark the word “superhero” itself. Now, according to published reports, the two companies jointly co-own the word in all of its iterations (one word, two words, hyphenated, etc.). Further, they apparently have the word so locked up (and the courts so bumfuzled, that if you tried to open up a retail store, sell a sneaker, bottle a soda, market a surfboard or, in any way, shape, or form, utilize the word “Superhero” without first paying these two corporate entities off for the “right” their team of well-paid lawyers will descend on you like the hordes of Hydra on Captain America and a slice of apple pie.

Needless to say, this type of bizarro corporate branding seems as silly to any intelligent person as Microsoft and Apple co-owning the word “PC,” Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors co-owning the word “beer,” or Coco-Cola and Pepsi co-owning the word “soda.” Needless to say, it is actually happening. Back in 2010 Ray, under Cup ‘O‘ Java studio, published a comicbook entitled A World Without Superheroes. It wasn’t long afterward that he received his first Cease and Desist letter from The Big Two (TBT). In April of 2012 Ray (who it turns out has balls as big as Montana) chose to not back down but to enter into the ring with Twin Titans of Comics in order to dispute their unfair, and completely illegal monopoly of the word “Superhero.”

“They’re holding the word ‘superhero’ hostage,” Ray tells us. “It’s an infringement on our First Amendment rights.” Ray then goes on to point out that the word “Superhero was first used in 1917 before either company existed. The word is in the dictionary. It doesn’t belong to anyone.” While Marvel and DC attorneys (naturally enough) disagree, Ron Coleman, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property, indicates that the joint ownership by Marvel and DC over this word violates the basic tenet of trademark law. According to Coleman, “A trademark stands for a single source of origin, not two possible sources of origin. If the public understands that the word ‘superhero’ could come from A or B, then by definition that’s a word and not a trademark.”

According to Marvel and DC when most folks think of Superheroes they think of the long-underwear wearing characters published by them, hence they don’t want somebody’s “inferior” product besmirching the good image of what they publish (an unintentionally ironically funny position to take, considering the entirety (and quality) of material churned out by these two corporations) over the past 75+ years. Still, even though the possibility of him actually winning his counter suit (the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) which has officers from both companies on its Board, refuses to take Ray’s case), Ray is standing firm in his tracks, categorically refusing to be bullied by the corporate giants.

Meanwhile, Ray isn’t about to slow down, he’s publishing four titles (with more on the way). He’s even has teamed up with the legendary comicbook artist Trevor Von Eeden to produce comics for Bronx Heroes. One of Ray’s newest projects is “Occupy Superhero” where Ray takes his fight to the people. He is attempting to garner support amongst those who actually read (and create) superheroes by selling Occupy SuperHero T-Shirts. According to Ray’s website these shirts will be available on sale July 27, 2013 at SuperHeroes Comic Con @ The Andrew Freedman Home. George Bernard Shaw once said, “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not?” Ray Felix is precisely one of those guys, a whirling dervish of perpetual motion; never willing to sit still and always looking towards his next project. Truly — in the final analysis — if part of the definition of a hero is someone who stands up against bullies, then Ray Felix is not just a Superhero, but he’s a Superhero’s Superhero.

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This article originally appeared online in 2013. It is being republished here as we consolidate some of our work into our own blog. SInce this article was originall written Ray has gone on to actually win his suite against Marvel and DC and is allowed to use the word “Superhero” in the title of his comics. He has also (along with Tom Sciacca and Tom Ahearn) published a satiric comic where his heroes meet donald trump =. That book Bronx Heroes in Trumpland is available from Arsenal Pulp Press, as well as through Amazon. 

The Cinema Couch

A couple of weeks back, while I was attending Ray Felix’s Superhero comic con (once again in the Bronx) I was interviewed by Dana Gallagher from The Cinema Couch. here is that interview.



Truthfully, this was a tad odd for me, as I am usually the one doing the interviewing, not being interviewed (as you can probably tell from the clip).

Bronx Kids Con 7

Last Saturday I spent the day (once again) in the Bronx. This time I was attending Alex Simmons’ Kids Con. While there I was at the Pronto Comics table selling some of my books First in Flight and Iconic), where I again turned a bit of a profit. (Hey, that’s three weeks in a row! How cool is that?) Both of my recent comics First in Flight (about Gustave Whitehead, who flew before the Wright brothers), and Hot Girl and Totally Hot Girl) were published with Pronto.

Anyways, here are the pics I took at Kids ComicCon

First up, welcome to the Con.

  Who is that shadowy figure?

Why it is our host, Alex Simmons

Ray Felix and his Bronx Heroes!

East Coast Black Age of Comics

Pronto Comics

Jim Salicrup & Adam Post

And now, for the Cosplay folks

More from Bronx Heroes Con 5

When I was at Ray Felix's Bronx Heroes Con #5 I received this very cool Spidey con sketch from my good buddy, Chris Buchner:

Thanks Chris.

Hanging with Ray Felix

Perhaps one of the coolest things about going to comic book shows (like NY Comic Con) is getting to hang with good friends, including people like Ray Felix from Bronx Heroes. Which is precisely what I did while I was at NYCC, and I’m glad that I did, because it was there that I met Trevor Von Eeden. Trevor is doing work for Ray’s Bronx Heroes Comics and spent quite a bit of time at Ray’s booth. It was there — while visiting with Ray — that I was introduced to and got to chat with Trevor.

I even purchased a copy of the first volume of Trevor’s book, The Original Johnson. The graphic novel is Von Eeden’s personal and heartfelt biography of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world, international celebrity, and the most controversial American of his time. This is an amazing artistic achievement of Trevor’s long and storied career (Trevor has worked on Batman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Green Arrow, and many other characters), more than four years in the making and worth every moment (Look for my review soon to follow).

Anyway, here are some Pics from the con, including several of Trevor.

First up, Spider-Man stopped by.

Trevor & Catwoman

Trevor and the gang @ Bronx Heroes.

Mr. Trevor Von Eeden

Even Solomon Grundy stopped by.

For those of you who don't know Ray, he is an industrious guy. Never quite satisfied to do just one thing, he is now packaging his own line of soda. No, really, check it out!

Unable to resist, I purchased one myself, I even got mine autographed!

Seriously, Droogs, who’s cooler than Ray?

NY ComicCon 2012

So, last weekend (as I write this) I attended the New York Comic Con and well, not only did I have a greet weekend (I hung out with a couple of new-found friends Bill Baker & Joel Meadows (Publisher/Editor of Tripwire Magazine). Turns out we were three Journalists, comicbook fans, and cinephiles having something of a great weekend together. Anyway, here are just some of the pics that I took over the weekend.

First up are The Avengers and some Patriotic Babes

This was the only Spider-Woman I saw

Spidey recently turned 50, and this is the birthday card that Marvel got him.

It was signed by numerous Spidey-Fans, with the hope of getting it into the Guinness Book of World Records (and of course, I signed it too!).

Naturally enough there were also a bunch of Spideys on hand (this one brought a friend)

This one stopped by Fay Felix’s Bronx Heroes Con table

Then he had to fight off none other than Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin!

Eventually though Spidey was apparently defeated by...who is this, Zero of the GI Joes?

Lastly, there was at least one Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly) on hand to carry on!

And of course an Ultimate Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

This pic is from my buddy Ray Felix’s booth at the NY Comic Con. Ray publishes Bronx Heroes 2,0 and produces the Bronx Heroes Con.