UPDATES! UPDATES! Please note that the sub-sections My Thoughts and Recommendations and Reviews have both been updated! Also check out the Interviews section since I just recently spoke to Greg Weisman, the creator of Disney's Gargoyles and Head Story Editor for the new Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon.
"Comics are just words and pictures.
You can do anything with words and pictures."
Welcome, folks.
Did you know that Orson Welles and Hugh Hefner both used to read comic books regulary (particularly Superman and Batman stories) and that Hugh actually wanted to be a comic artist originally? Did you know that a pro-Nazi rally in New York City once burned Captain America in effigy soon before the U.S. entered World War II? Ever notice how Superman comics reflect changes in American society? Did you realize that Wonder Woman was created by one of the inventors of the lie detector? Do you want to learn about how some super-heroes are linked to religious arch-types and ancient myths?
I'm Alan Kistler, sometimes called "Sizzler" (or just "Sizz") by my friends. I am a long-time lover of novels, history, films, theatre and comic books (sometimes called "sequential art" or "graphic novels" these days). Simply put, I love STORIES in any form. And I just happen to know an absurd amount of information concerning comics.
So for a few years now, I've done several essays and articles that have been mostly focused on the history behind certain comic book characters and sci-fi/fantasy characters. To my amazement, I later found that enough people dug them that folks like Warner Bros. Pictures and The New York Daily News were suddenly interested in my opinions (though they did insist I remain sober while expressing them).
This site is a collection of all my works, both those history essays I originally began publishing on MonitorDuty.com and new articles I continue to publish (and amazingly get paid for!) at ComicMix.com. All my history essays get updated and occasionally I'll add on to them. You'll also note to the side that there is a glossary and guides if you are new to the world(s) of comics and wish a crash course on some of the lingo we jive-cats use. And on occasion, I post up my thoughts on something that's itching in my brain.
Please understand, this site is for everyone, not just the die-hard fans who can name every single person who's been an X-Man in under 60 seconds. Nor am I so into comics that I can't appreciate a joke about how weird it is that the original Robin seemed to be against wearing pants. If you're one of those die-hard snobs who can't take a joke about Superman wearing briefs outside his trousers, just go back to your parents' basement with your imaginary date and leave me be.
And whoever you are, wherever you're from, please remember one basic truth.
No matter what anyone tells you or what judgments they make, no matter what criticisms you hear about your loves and your hobbies and your nostalgic pleasures that have been with you since childhood ...
... You're never too old.
Cheers and glad tidings to you all,