Steve Bissette
E-MAIL STEVE
CLICK HERE
Want to learn how you can save money by ordering SPIDERBABY products direct? Be sure to visit our ODDS AND ENDS PAGE.
THE GOODS:
TABOO
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES!
STEVE BISSETTE BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM GraphicNovels.com
* James isn’t the only one blathering these days. I’ll never shut up! I'll be among the extras on Paramount domestic DVD release of Mario Bava's marvelous DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968), which will be out in June. Kim Aubry of San Francisco-based Zoetrope Aubry Productions visited my Vermont home February 17th to interview yours truly on-camera about Bava's stylish feature film adaptation of the still-popular Italian fumetti. It was a pleasure to pay my respects to Bava's film, which remains among my favorite of all comics-based films. Two local veteran filmmakers who happen to be my neighbors, Alan Dater (HOME TO TIBET, etc.) and Andy Reichsman (SENSE OF LIFE, EYES OF FIRE, etc.), shot and recorded the interview; it was a fun day for all. More news as it's available!
* Speaking of fumetti and interviews, a new interview with yours truly is online compliments of 'Smoky Man' Max (aka Massimiliano Turco) of Ultrazine. An abbreviated version of the interview just hit Italian newsstands in VERTIGO PRESENTA, but Max posted the complete interview in English at: ...give it a read!
For the record, it’s the fourth theatrical feature that owed something to my work in the industry (the others were RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: SECRET OF THE OOZE, and FROM HELL). Not one screen credit, but CONSTANTINE is the first to pay something (Mirage did cut me in on toy profits for Tokka, and credited me on the first couple of Tokka toy packages), and for that I’m thankful.
*Speaking of movies and my years in comics: Vermont filmmaker Ben Coello has been working with the blessings of writer/artist Wendy Snow-Lang and a very talented cast and crew to complete a short film adaptation of Wendy’s story, “Want,” which originally appeared in TABOO. I’ve only seen frame grabs, but it looks like Ben and his collaborators caught the intimacy and atmosphere of Wendy’s tasty vampire love story, which Wendy expanded upon to create the mini-series NIGHT’S CHILDREN (FantaCo Enterprises) back in the early 1990s. More news as Ben is ready to share; in the meantime, I’ll be providing full coverage WANT, along with other Vermont-comics-related films (from David Giancola’s adaptation of Will Eisner’s TEN MINUTES to Vermont-native cartoonist Frank Miller’s cinema, including the upcoming SIN CITY) in an upcoming issue of GREEN MOUNTAIN CINEMA.
* What? You’ve never heard of GREEN MOUNTAIN CINEMA? It’s my latest book project, and the first volume (of many), GREEN MOUNTAIN CINEMA I, is NOW IN PRINT! This book series is dedicated to Vermont and New England film and video, and you can buy it right now. Go to: As a native Vermonter, I've long wished for a book on the subject -- and since no one accomodated that need, I've done it myself. The first volume features Fred Tuttle, the MAN WITH A PLAN himself, along with John Douglas and Simon Stockhausen's DA SPEECH, a Jonathan Brandis eulogy and review of his final feature film THE YEAR THAT TREMBLED, extensive reviews and info on other recent VT and New England films, and much more. The second volume will be out this spring (featuring the 1927 Vermont Flood films, the first installment of "The DIAMOND RUN Diary," detailing the making of the indy action film DIAMOND RUN, and more), and a major 50th Anniversary retrospective on the making of Alfred Hitchcock's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (shot in Craftsbury Common and other VT locations) will be our Fall 2005 special issue. Not to be missed! Coming soon: GREEN MOUNTAIN CARTOONISTS, a book-length overview of comics artists from my home state (including Rick Veitch, Skip Morrow, Frank Miller, Alison Bechdel, James Kochalka, Jeff Danzigher, and many others); GOOSEFLESH: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE HORROR FILM Vol. 1, collecting (and updating) many of the articles I’ve written over the years; and the anthology ALL THAT LOVECRAFT LOATHES, which will feature my fiction work along with the short stories and poems of my good friend and fellow writer Roderick Bates -- illustrated by yours truly! * There’s already MORE in the works, including a reboot of my clutch of characters from the fabled ”1963” series of a decade ago!
* Hey, my illustrated history of dinosaur comics is online! But there’s a little background story, so read on -- Back in 2003, I wrote a lengthy introduction for PALEO, the collected edition of the best dino comic of the 21st Century, which happens to be the brainchild of my friend and dinosaur-comics-colleague Jim Lawson. That’s part of this. But a decade before that, during my years working on TYRANT, I had no stauncher ally in the paleontology field than Michael J. Ryan, Ph.D. (who also advised, and occasionally worked with, dapper Mark Schultz of XENOZOIC TALES aka CADILLACS & DINOSAURS fame). Michael showed me the ropes, sponsored my membership in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists, and guided me through a few years of annual SVP conventions and introduced me to many experts in his chosen profession, who in turn helped me keep TYRANT as factually-based as possible. Michael has also been a dear friend, and I am forever in his debt for nurturing my love of Frank Black and the Pixies. Well, Michael is now Curator and Head of the Vertebrate Paleontology department of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and we’ve been knocking emails together to come up with something unique. The best first step we’ve come up with is now online at the Museum’s blog: Michael is serializing an illustrated online edition of my history of dinosaur comics -- adapted from the intro I wrote for Jim Lawson’s graphic novel PALEO -- beginning on March 18th, and continuing weekly until it’s completed (about 12 weeks). So, dino lovers, make Michael’s blog a destination point from now till summer! In the meantime, I am working on an expanded and revised rewrite of that essay for publication later in 2005. Michael and I (and, for that matter, Jim and I) are cooking up some more goodies for your edification down the paleo path... In the meantime, especially if you live in or near (or will be visiting) the Cleveland area, be sure to visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, at 1 Wade Oval Drive,University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio 44106; toll-free phone for US only, 1-800-317-9155, or go online to:
If you visit the Museum, look up Michael, and please tell him I sent you. He’s one of the unsung heroes of comics, as well as one of the nicest guys on Earth. ________________ [Illo at right, below: The Spectre in the Moore/Bissette/Totleben SWAMP THING Annual "Down Amongst the Dead Men," 1984] On to other recent news: and get your copy NOW! * There was some talk of Tim Truman and I having our own blogs here at comicon.com, but months have passed and that’s not happened. Sigh. Too bad, I’d have happily posted my detailed CONSTANTINE comments, as I found the film fascinating on a number of levels. Reckon you’ll have to wait for the publication of GOOSEFLESH I later in 2005 for that. Heck, I can’t even get comicon Grand Omnipotent Stomper Steve Conley to remove the word ‘February’ from the frozen first line of this homepage. You want Tim and I to have blogs here at comicon? WRITE TO THE COMICON.COM HONCHOS TODAY! * I’ve just sent a fat package of never-before-published vintage SWAMP THING pencil photocopies to the French comics publisher Delacourt, to sweeten the already-launched Delacourt SWAMP THING graphic novels collections. These are very handsome reprints of Alan Moore, John Totleben, Rick Veitch, and my work (not to mention co-collaborators like Shawn McManus, Alfredo Alcala, and others), and highly recommended. Go to: Looks like the extras including reproductions of my original pencils pages will begin to appear in Volume 3 of the Delacourt editions. More news as it happens... * Of course, US editions of the COMPLETE RUN of the Alan Moore/Bissette/Totleben/Veitch DC Comic's SWAMP THING are in book stores and comic shops everywhere. These handsome trade paperbacks offer ripe reading from the salad days of the 1980s when Alan Moore, John Totleben, Rick Veitch, and I had our way with the vegetarian Jolly Green Giant of comics. DC has also seen fit to extend the collections into Rick Veitch's run, which is a most welcome continuation. Though I must say the reproduction on these reprint volumes takes a toll on John's lavish inks (they never looked better than they did in the original printings, I'm afraid), these reprints do offer you the chance to read or re-read a body of work we are all still very, very proud of. And yes, we DO earn royalties off these puppies (rumors to the contrary stem from the long out-of-print UK Titan Press editions, which paid us squat). MIDNIGHT DAYS clocks in at over 150 pages, and also features Neil's Swamp Thing Annual story featuring Brother Power, the Geek and more. Sadly, the powers-that-be at DC saw fit to exclude Neil's Poison Ivy story from Secret Origins, despite Neil's best efforts. Nevertheless, this is a book well worth owning. * Just a reminder: Sorry, folks, no commissions, sketches, or future comics work from this corner. As most of you know, I formally retired from the comics industry in December of 1999. It was a great and worthwhile 24+ years, all in all, and I left the field with a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. When I entered the industry in the mid-1970s,
like all creative people I ached to leave a positive mark on my chosen profession -- particularly in the genre of horror. With the collaborative work on SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING and TABOO and the TABOO series under my belt, I feel lucky to have indeed made some small difference in comics.
Understand, though, that there's simply nothing left for me in the industry as it currently exists. I won't say I should have left comics sooner -- the launch of TYRANT was a genuine labor of love, and the MIDNIGHT DAYS "Swamp Thing" tale "Jack in the Green" was an ideal farewell piece -- but I will say leaving was the right thing for me to do. There are some who seemed to feel I'd outlived my welcome or usefulness. C'est la vie; I gave it my best, and if that was not enough, there's little left to say. * One last SWAMP THING tidbit: In the summer of 2004, rumors were circulating about one of my new possible projects -- during the summer, I wrote here, "until the contracts are signed, it's all pie in the sky." Well, drop the pie. It's true, I was in line to write three original SWAMP THING novels for Byron Preiss's iBooks imprint, and it came awful close to being a reality. DC Comics and my favorite comics editor Karen Berger (who helmed Alan, John, Rick and I through our best years on SWAMP THING) were all for it, the characters I wanted to use were approved, John Totleben was on board to do covers, and I plotted a tight three-novel narrative arc -- but in the end, iBooks and I could not come to terms. The vagaries of contracts (particularly work-for-hire contracts) and budget often scuttle the best of projects, and this was one of 'em. It would have been sweet, and it was definitely fun to entertain the possibilities and play with the beloved SWAMP THING characters again, but sorry. I’ve been notified by my departing iBooks editor that the novels are NOT going to happen; too bad (if I were that critical to the project, you’d think it would have been worth seeing through the contract negotiations). I was looking forward to reading whatever iBooks came up with... Anyhoot, that’s the long and short of it, and another potential SWAMP THING venture bites the -- uh, moss. * As of this week, I am no longer at First Run Video. I have been a partner in the business since it opened in November of 1991, and worked there full-time from 1998-2004, and remained active as a buyer for the store and a participant in
First Run's activities with the New England Buying Group until this past week. It's been a lively few years: I've played
a part in bringing many indy videos into our area. I've aggressively campaigned
for our buying group to pick up worthy titles deserving of special attention
(such as THE LAST BROADCAST, the first all-digital theatrical feature), films that distributors
have ignored or rejected (Mark Borchardt's curio COVEN,
the subject of the documentary AMERICAN MOVIE, and others),
and regionally-produced features of special interest to our customer base
(including Jay Craven's STRANGER IN THE KINGDOM, Rusty DeWees' THE
LOGGER, parts one and two, and Nora Jacobson's excellent first narrative
feature MY MOTHER'S EARLY LOVERS). Over the years, we sponsored numerous
filmmaker appearances at First Run and other NEBG member stores to
call special attention to not only their films, but all independent
films most casual renters idly pass by en route to the latest big-budget,
major studio "flavor of the week" new release. By doing so, we set our
stores apart from the video chains, sparked consumer interest in a wider
diversity of options and alternatives, and reaped the benefits (monetary
and karmic) of cultivating fresh pastures in our respective communities.
Though I know these projects are of peripheral interest at best to most
comicon.com visitors, you should know my efforts to nurture the
independent film scene (and build bridges between indy creators and
merchants in the video market) have led to my own creative endeavors in the field, already underway. For years, I was as passionate about building these 'indy bridges' between filmmakers and retailers as I once was in the independent comics
and self-publishing scene. Consolidation of corporate power has taken
a terrible toll on indy video on both the creative and mercantile sides
of the fence -- much as similar forces crushed the direct comics market
in the late 1990s. Though I'm no longer there, First Run is still alive and kicking, though, and will be for years to come. Support your local video store
(if there's one left anywhere in driving distance around you)! If you're
only renting major Hollywood films from your local Blockbuster, you have
no idea what you're missing... * Fearless editors Kim Newman and Stephen Jones just accepted an essay by yours truly for the new, revised HORROR: ANOTHER 100 BEST BOOKS, sequel to their 1988 classic reference volume HORROR: 100 BEST BOOKS. More news as we get closer to the book's hoped-for Halloween release...
* Quick overview of my work on (and in) various book projects: - My cover art & illos. for Matt Spencer's debut novel THE DRIFTING SOUL are attracting some very kind letters; you can get your copy NOW at: Click on the cover reproduction there to blow it up for proper viewing -- but the best way to savor my latest book illustration work is to buy your own copy today! It's a good read... - You can still order your own signed copy of WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOU! (which features some moist Bissette art, too, and a gratis signed print) -- 300+ pages, over 100 illustrations for $30 postpaid in the US (write for foreign rates) with an email to yours truly at msbissette@yahoo.com -- PayPal payments to the same email address are also welcome -- or by sending a check or money order to SpiderBaby Grafix at PO Box 47, Marlboro, VT 05344. It's my self-published ode to 'long pig' movies, and well worth the cover price. Negotiations are now underway for a revised, expanded edition with FAB Press, but until then, this is the only one available, an archival SpiderBaby Press creation. Don't miss it! - I have an essay in UNDERGROUND U.S.A., edited by
Xavier Mendik and Steven Schneider. UNDERGROUND U.S.A. sheds light into the dark corners of cinema history, from the genuine
avant-garde and underground film tradition to celebrated (and reviled) international
exploitation, grindhouse, drive-in, and 'fringe' fare. You can check out
the official website at: There you'll find a dozen chapter abstracts, including essays by Joel
Black (author, THE AESTHETICS OF MURDER) on realist/snuff horror cinema,
Joan Hawkins (author, CUTTING EDGE: ART HORROR AND THE HORRIFIC AVANT-GARDE)
on Abel Ferrara's THE ADDICTION, and many others. My own contribution revises one of my fave VIDEO WATCHDOG articles,
highlighting the underground and 'overground' horror and fantasy films of
director Curtis Harrington, whose ground-breaking short 'dream'
films of the 1940s and '50s were fixtures of the American underground
film scene until Harrington's debut feature NIGHT TIDE(1961), starring
Dennis Hopper, led to his exile from underground circles even as it opened
the door to his career in features. With drive-in gems like QUEEN OF
BLOOD (1966), mainstream studio efforts like GAMES(1967), and
a clutch of fascinating TV movies to his credit, Harrington remains a
key genre filmmaker whose work has remained underappreciated and too-long
ignored. Co-editor Steven Schneider (who lurks in the hallowed halls of the Department
of Philosophy at Harvard University and the Department of Cinema Studies
at New York University) was taken with my humble efforts, and most recently edited the marvelous book FEAR WITHOUT
FRONTIERS, an overview of unusual horror and fantasy films from around
the world. * BTW and FYI, my new email address is: msbissette@yahoo.com Use it, don't abuse it!
(Now, on to my first comicon homepage text, typos and all, as it originally appeared in 1998! Ah, the optimism of youth...)
>
First , allow me to introduced myself.
I've been kicking around the comics industry as a working professional
for over twenty years. Though I've had my hands in all kinds of things,
I'm still best-known for my pencilling chores (and uncredited co-plotting)
on DC Comics' Swamp Thing, working with the brilliant Alan Moore
(be sure to check out Alan's table on your right after you leave, if you
haven't already) and my dear friends (and equally brilliant) John Totleben
and Rick Veitch (check out Rick's table, too, to your left).
I've also left my mark in the pages of a few other comics, too, including
Heavy Metal, Bizarre Adventures, Epic, Taboo,
Godzilla, 1963, and others.
Though primarily known for my art skills, I've also done my share of
writing, editing, publishing, and whatnot. I've been on almost every side
of the fence there is!
For more info, check out my biography and checklist
elsewhere at the table.
In those twenty-plus years, I've also tried to live up to the belief
that one should leave a place better than one found it. Though I've no
plans of leaving too soon, I've hopefully made some small difference in
the comics world.
For over a decade, I've been a passionate advocate for creator's rights
in both public and private professional arenas. I participated fully in
the series of meetings that led to the drafting of the Creator's Bill
of Rights in 1987, and have aggressively promoted the ideals that document
was founded upon.
Behind the scenes, I have aided many creators in their private struggles,
whether creative or business-oriented. I've also been a creative consultant
on numerous projects... just as many of those creators have offered advice
on my own ventures.
Despite the hardships, it's been a lively and rewarding community to
be part of, and I'm excited by the possibilities this new horizon may
offer.
At this comicon table, you'll find an ever-changing variety of information,
product, art, and options.
Being a comicon, you'll always be able to pick up the SpiderBaby line
of comics, books, and esoterica. Some of these will always be available.
Others will only be on sale for a limited time, or in limited quantitites
on a strictly first come, first serve basis.
Along with the always in-print titles, from time to time I'll dip into
the SpiderBaby archives for choice blasts from the past, so stay alert!
You may yet find that coveted collectible or "need-to-read"
slice-of-heaven at this very table.
Some of these, such as my original art, are indeed one-of-a-kind.
Once the on-line Comicon wizards work out the technology, I'll even
be able to do original sketches for you here.
In any case, have a look at what I've already brought to the table.
Have fun, and happy hunting!
To that end, I'm offering other substantial life-enhancing necessities:
information, articles, interviews, observations, and other essential non-consumables.
I hope you -- and the other comicon participants -- will do the same.
Open your eyes and look around. What a remarkable gathering this is
already!
Together, we can turn this comicon into something vital, alive, and
self-sustaining.
Thanks! I'll see you in the funnies...
*
* ALSO AVAILABLE: I did two illustrations for Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficer's definitive new translation (featuring text NEVER available to English language readers!) of Gaston Leroux's classic horror novel THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, offering my take on Leroux's venerable haunter of the Parisian opera house (and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's monster, for a bonus original short story). I'm just one of 40 top-drawer illustrators in this handsome book -- go to:
* If you want to complete your SWAMP THING collection, you need Vertigo's Neil Gaiman anthology MIDNIGHT DAYS. Published in December of 1999, and collecting nearly all of Neil's previously-uncollected Vertigo efforts (including the classic HELLBLAZER episode "Hold Me"), this is the only place to find my final SWAMP THING effort, "Jack-In-The-Green," illustrated by yours truly and my old Swamp Thing crony, John Totleben. This emerald ten-page shoot grew out of a seed Neil planted over a decade ago, shortly after meeting John and I in the UK in the mid-1980s. For Neil, the script was at that time a sample piece, prompting Karen Berger and DC's decision to nurture the Black Orchid project out of Neil and his artistic amigo Dave McKean. For them, the rest is history, but for John Totleben and I, the
seed finally sprouted the summer of '99. Neil called out of the blue asking if John and I would be interested in illustrating that ten-page "sample script," which was a short tale of the medieval SWAMP THING called "Jack in the Green", suggested by Alan Moore and the Parliament of Trees mythos Alan had developed in the pages of Swamp Thing.
Just a few days prior to Neil calling, John and I had been musing about doing something together again "someday, down the road." Thus, Neil's invitation was timely indeed. After due (and some undue) consideration, discussion, delays, and diplomacy, favor smiled on the collaboration. We finished the job up in the fall of '99, and that "goodbye" on the bottom of the final page is from yours truly. The story offers a succinct reflection of my own feelings about the industry today, and I can't imagine a more fitting farewell to the industry.
* But wait, there's more! There's the cover art I painted for Barrel Entertainment's DVD release of the 1970s horror rarity LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET -- see right -- which is still available online from various DVD venues. This sterling release of the notorious 1973 'snuff film' horror opus is a corker, and well worth picking up -- IF you've the stomach for it. My old pal Chas Balun is on the DVD extras, too; DEEP RED fans (you know how you are), this is required viewing! 
In 1989, I co-founded SpiderBaby Grafix and Publications. Since
1994, SpiderBaby has provided an occasional outlet for my self-published
work. Most important among them is my pride and joy, S.R.
Bissette's Tyrant®.
Though comicons have degenerated into glorified flea markets in the "real"
world, my hope is that this comicon will evolve into something more. We
may both be here initially (or occasionally) to buy and sell SpiderBaby
and Bissette-related goods, but there's more -- there SHOULD BE more --
to this comicon than mere commerce.
All artwork and logos (TM) and ©
1998 their respective creators. All rights reserved.
All orders through COMICON.com take place between the booth attendant
and the convention visitor. COMICON.com cannot track orders placed by
convention attendees. Please read the COMICON.com
guide for more information.