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Here’s a comprehensive interview with Dover’s Drew Ford about the future of their comics line, with many more reprints coming (including a personal favorite, Through the Habitrails). But a little gem is dropped that the book I wrote with Phil Yeh about Alfredo Alcala, Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master has found an audience:

Ford also acquired the rights to Elleander Morning, a just-published, long-out-of-print saga about going back in time to kill Hitler, which rang up big sales when its very premise turned up in the Republican presidential debates. Other big sellers in 2015 were the graphic novels Puma Blues (featuring 40 new pages of original storytelling to complete the graphic novel) and Sailor’s Story; Ford noted that the house was about to go back to press for both. He also cited The Art of Alfredo Alcala: Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master, a series of interviews with the comics icon, coauthored by Phillip Dana Yeh and Heidi MacDonald, PW’s graphic novel reviews editor. He said the title “won’t stop selling.”


*beam* Won’t stop selling! words that any co-author would be proud to hear. I looked on Amazon for the sales rankings:
Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master  The Art of Alfredo Alcala  Heidi MacDonald  Phillip Dana Yeh  Gil Kane  Roy Thomas  0800759800414  Amazon.com  Books.jpeg
and while these are no threat to coloring book sales, it’s nice to be in the top 100 of ANYTHING! I’d heard anecdotally that the original printing from 1994 has been a hot item, with copies going for quite a bit on the second hand market (An old copy is listed at $40 on Amazon even now.) I hear that many people consider this a fine addition to the how-to list for comics, and I’m happy that the book has value to readers and aspiring cartoonists.

Of course, I am happiest to give attention to Alfredo, an amazing person and artist who touched my life in so many ways. I know Phil Yeh, who originally published the book, and Alfredo’s son Christian feel the same way.


And thinking, hm, perhaps it is time for a follow-up? I’d love to hear some other artists explain their creative process the way Alfredo did. What do you all think?

5 COMMENTS

  1. An overview or examination of any great classic comic book artist would be welcome. Gotta get these folks in print again before it’s too late.

  2. Congratulations on the success of the AIcala book! would love to see how other artists handle their creative process. But they should be chosen on the basis of being able to explain themselves; no offense, but some artists are completely intuitive, or they struggle to explain why they do something (“I just get it done”).

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