Waiting for Steranko

Jim Steranko.

I have been in awe of the man's ability to tell a story in pictures ever since I first saw his work in the old Strange Tales comic books.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, never looked as good as it did in those early years.

The fact that Steranko left the comic art field just a couple of years later, around 1970, after his one and only love story, "My Heart Broke in Hollywood" and yet, he is still considered to be a seminal influence on the medium, speaks for it's self.

Unfortunately, any project that has the Steranko name attached to it, either comes in exceptionally late or completely disappears without a trace!

Many years ago, there was the promise of a book that would teach or explain the Steranko way of making comic books and graphic works, the name of which escapes me now but it never happened and there was never any explanation for it's failure to arrive.

Today, we are still waiting on the second volume of his comic book stories about Nick Fury, another Artist's Edition from IDW.

It has been delayed and delayed again, which, given the rapidly dwindling interest in the Artist's Edition format, must be more than a trifle worrying for the publisher.

It must be even more irksome to IDW, given that the first volume was such a raving success.

It is now promised for a December 2015 release and I really hope that it makes it.  As usual, I will be there, waiting in line, money in hand, panting to buy a copy... in the twinkling of an eye, I will be 17 years old again and floating on air, having just parted with a small fortune to buy a copy of Captain America 113!

I have been a collector of comic books and related things, for about 45 years and I have finally started to wonder how much longer I will go on collecting.  Perhaps, with the publication and purchase of this book, I will have reached a milestone and I will finally leave the party and walk away.

I don't think that my interest in the art form will stop but I am seriously considering ceasing to collect.