Heroes and Villains column with E.A. Henson is off for the week and will return in its regularly scheduled time next week. In the meantime, you’re stuck with me. But that won’t be too bad, as I get to wax poetic about one of the heroes in the world of comic book history.
We’ve covered titles from TwoMorrows Publishing for years now, most notably their work on celebrating and maintaining the legacy of the great Jack Kirby. All of their wonderful magazines and books are put out under the auspices of John Morrow, who began his publishing house some 25 years ago and has seen it become the leading house for historical works on comic book writers and artists.
All of these accomplishments are celebrated in a new book, The World of Twomorrows: Celebrating 25 Years of the Future of Fandom. Edited by Morrow and longtime colleague Jon B. Cooke, the book looks at the history and development of the publishing house and features contributions from writers, editors, and artists that have contributed to its TwoMorrows success over two and a half decades. When you kick off a book with words from Alex Ross, you know you’re in the right place.
Here’s the logline:
In 1994, amidst the boom-&-bust of comic book speculators, The Jack Kirby Collector #1 was published for true fans of the medium. That modest labor of love spawned TwoMorrows Publishing, today’s premier purveyor of publications about comics and pop culture. Celebrate our 25th anniversary with this special retrospective look at the company that changed fandom forever! Co-edited by and featuring publisher John Morrow and Comic Book Artist/Comic Book Creator magazine’s Jon B. Cooke, it gives the inside story and behind-the-scenes details of a quarter-century of looking at the past in a whole new way. Also included are Back Issue magazine’s Michael Eury, Alter Ego’s Roy Thomas, George Khoury (author of Kimota!, Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore, and other books), Mike Manley (Draw! magazine), Eric Nolen-Weathington (Modern Masters), and a host of other comics luminaries who’ve contributed to TwoMorrows’ output over the years. From their first Eisner Award-winning book Streetwise, through their BrickJournal Lego® magazine, up to today’s RetroFan magazine, every major TwoMorrows publication and contributor is covered with the same detail and affection the company gives to its books and magazines. With an Introduction by Mark Evanier, Foreword by Alex Ross, Afterword by Paul Levitz, and a new cover by Tom McWeeney!
Some might think that a title like this would purely be a vanity project, and in some ways it is (the editors acknowledge as much right off the top), but The World of Twomorrows is as much about the house as it is about the comic industry and why it continues to matter to so many people. In a business that seems to be in a state of flux at the moment, with distribution issues and the increasing possibility that digital may take on greater importance, knowing why people fell in love with comics in the first place just seems that much more important. That’s what TwoMorrows Publishing, along with their new book, continues to do so wonderfully. Hearing from so many voices who love the industry and TwoMorrows is inspiring stuff.
You can order The World of Twomorrows: Celebrating 25 Years of the Future of Fandom at the TwoMorrows website in a variety of formats. While you’re there, take a look at some of the other excellent titles they have available. You won’t be disappointed. And to John Morrow, congrats on 25 years, and here’s to 25 more.
