Author: Greg Goldstein

Greg Goldstein is a veteran publishing and media executive; most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer, President and Publisher of IDW Publishing, managing all aspects of the company’s book and games business from 2008 to 2019. Throughout his career, Greg has developed creative and profitable publishing programs for dozens of the world’s best-known entertainment brands including Star Wars, Transformers, Star Trek, James Bond, TMNT, Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla. In 2013, Greg led IDW’s acquisition of Top Shelf, an independent publisher best known for Congressman John Lewis’ March trilogy, which has become the most lauded non-fiction graphic novel series in the history of the medium. In 2011, Greg won an Eisner award for his editing on the first-ever collection of Bob Montana’s Archie newspaper comic strips. (Published under IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint.) Prior to joining IDW, Greg was VP of Entertainment and Gaming for Upper Deck, responsible for the company’s blockbuster slate of games, including Yu-Gi-Oh, World of Warcraft and The VS Superhero system. During his tenure, he created Marvel Ultimate Battles, the first-ever trading card game that focused exclusively on Marvel’s popular mass media characters. As VP of Brand Development for Activision from 2000-2002, Greg established strategic partnerships with the largest Hollywood studios, and worked closely with Marvel Entertainment to successfully develop Spider-man into one of the biggest blockbuster licensed videogame brands in interactive history. Greg’s career has also included a successful stint at Topps, where he helped launch and manage Topps Comics in the mid 1990s. Additionally, Greg serves as an adviser for to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBDLF). He is also a frequent guest lecturer at San Diego Sate University and has presented at dozens of panels and conferences throughout the US. He is also a well-known collector of original comic book art and rues the day he sold his collection the first time around in the late 1990s.

Dan Parent — The Amazing Transformations Of… Archie Andrews?

October 31, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Commission, October 2019, Based on Brian Rolland’s TPB cover, The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen

As a kid, I loved the goofy adventures of Jimmy Olsen.

As an adult, I love Brian Bolland’s art. I wish I had the good sense to acquire a cover years ago, when the price was in a lower level of the stratosphere. But of course, hindsight is 20/20, etc.

So naturally, I get a kick out of Brian’s cover for The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen. Peanut Butter and Chocolate, yes?

Well, mostly. I think Bolland’s interpretation of Jimmy is a just a bit too “adult” — despite the bizarre themes and eccentric characterizations.

Enter Archie All-Star Artist Dan Parent: Turn Jimmy Olsen into Archie Andrews, and presto, you have the goofiness and joy this treatment deserves.

My pal Dan knocked it out of the park, and he is kind enough to show appreciation for my wacky commission ideas.

And let’s face it, the 60s Jimmy Olsen is pretty much a Pete Costanza or Curt Swan version of Archie anyway. Wait a minute — now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them in the same place at the same time. Hmmmm…

Happy Halloween!

*My first two issues of Jimmy Olsen (#104 and 105, 1967) obviously shaped my Olsen worldview forever.*

Jose Gonzalez — Vampirella Tells All

October 27, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Vampirella #22, March 1973

Romance. Longing. Despair.

Is this a romance comic or a Vampirella story?

Why not both?

Frankly, it’s gorgeous art like this from Jose Gonzalez – the best of a very talented group of Vampi artists during her original Warren run — which makes the melodrama secondary for me. This is my second piece of Gonzalez art, and this one is an absolute keeper. (Ok, I had to sell the first one to help finance this one.)

NYCC — 2023 Edition (Part 4 of 4)

October 24, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023

Well it was great to see everyone at NYCC. Missed a few folks of course, but saw quite a few, so I think I will take the win. I might have some issues with this show, but it still has one of the best Artist Alley’s around.

NYCC — 2023 Edition (Part 3 Of 4)

October 20, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023

A few of the terrific creators at NYCC.

See you on Tuesday for another great group, and the wrap-up.

NYCC — 2023 Edition (Part 2)

October 19, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023

NYCC — 2023 Edition (Part 1)

October 18, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

October 12-15, 2023

My first trip back since 2019. The Convention expansion has provided (some) breathing room, but it still felt like it took forever to get from point A to point B. Of course, I am four years older…

Norm Breyfogle — Split Personality

October 17, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Spectre 23, January 2003

The late Norm Breyfogle spent about a year applying his exceptional talents to the Spectre. Here’s one of the best pages of the run: The Hal Jordan-merged Spectre vanquishes Sinestro, and — I kid you not — basically sends the dark member of the GL Corp to hell. (Well, Sinestro helps choose his own fate. It’s complicated.)

I wish DC had comics like this when I was a kid. (Well, with Jim Aparo’s version of the Spectre, and Neal Adams’ Deadman, maybe they did. Sort of.)

Tom Mandrake — The Spectre’s Eclipse

October 12, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Spectre #17, April 1994

Tom Mandrake — criminally underrated as a storyteller — gets to have some fun with the DC occult universe in a page that’s somehow now twenty years old.

The bottom 1/2 splash featuring Etrigan (Demon), Phantom Stranger, Dr, Fate and Zatanna is definitely cool — and looks especially great in the original black and white.

And the long-time villain Eclipso —also apparently an avenging angel, but an evil one — merging with the Spectre to form a super-villainous apparition? Love it.

Neal Adams — Supernatural Talent

October 10, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Spectre #5, August 1968

Neal Adams delivers a terrific Spectre action page from his third issue on the series, and the second he wrote, penciled and inked himself. I love the looks of terror and fear on the faces, especially in that last large panel.

(DC jammed quite a few creative changes through those brief 10 issues of the silver age Spectre, so it was apparently a good place to give Neal a shot at writing a “superhero” title.)

Of course, it’s nearly Halloween, so it’s time we take our annual visit with the ghouls, monsters and apparitions of the comic book art pages.

See you back here on Thursday.

Jack Kirby & Gil Kane — Titans, Together

September 28, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

San Diego Comic-Con, July 1993

Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Jim Salicrup at the Topps booth, 1993 San Diego Comic-Con. Photo by Greg Goldstein

30 years ago, I had the good sense to snap this fantastic photo of Jack Kirby and Gil Kane at the 1993 San Diego Comic-Con. (Jaunty Jim Salicrup, the Topps Comics EIC, is the happy fella in the middle.)

Fantastic, but, as it turned out, bittersweet: This was the final time these two legends had a chance to greet each other. (Jack passed away the following winter.) I’m not sure they were both scheduled at the Topps booth at the same time, so it may have been a very happy coincidence.

I’ve discussed Topps Comics (and trading cards) numerous times in previous posts — it was a wild ride with many great moments. This was one of my favorites.

And did I say good sense? Hardly. If I did, I would have handed off the disposable camera to someone else and jumped in the photo as well.