Category Archives: Comic Books

Archie Comics Lunch!


Just about a year ago, I got together with several of my Archie Comics cohorts for an ad hoc summit meeting (really just a lunch) at the High Street Cafe in Hamilton, Ohio. It was a great place to eat, surrounded as we were by kitsch and pop culture memorabilia.

Here are the Kennedy brothers, Pat and Tim; Jeff Schultz (all top-tier Archie Comics cartoonists), and yours truly Craig Boldman.

Sadly, the pandemic took its toll on the Cafe during the past year, and they no longer offer sit-down dining, but have placed their emphasis on take-out, and catering service. They’re also leaning into memorabilia sales.

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Convention appearance queries – Info here!

Art commissions – contact me at craig@craigboldman.com .
Also see my caricatures page!

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National Cartoonists Society Art Auction! Oct. 27 – Nov. 3!

The National Cartoonists Society is taking the occasion of its 75th anniversary to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As many of you know, I’m a longtime creator for Archie Comics. I’ve worked on most of their titles, but am best known for my efforts on the Jughead comic book, and the Archie syndicated newspaper strip.

Here’s a video preview of a piece of original Archie art I created and have contributed to the National Cartoonists Society Art Auction. 

Since this year is also Archie’s 80th anniversary, I decided to pay homage to the cover of Archie Comics #1, cover dated Winter 1942. The original cover was drawn by the great Bob Montana. This update is a rare acrylic painting by me!

My auction art and the classic Archie cover that inspired it.

The online auction, which runs from October 27 through November 3, 2021, features original artwork from about 150 cartoonists, including such greats as: Cathy Guisewhite (“Cathy”), Dik Browne (“Hi and Lois”), Greg Evans (“Luann”), Jeff Keane (“The Family Circus”), Jerry Ordway (“Captain America”), Sergio Aragones (“Mad”), Jim Borgman (“Zits”), Joe Staton (“Dick Tracy”), Ron Ferdinand (“Dennis the Menace”), Marcus Hamilton (“Dennis the Menace”) — There really are too many to list. I may just come back and trade out a few names every day or two.

You can browse now! The auction is live at
NCS  Art Auction

This is your great opportunity to own a fun piece of art and to help a good cause. Christmas is coming, by the way, and this might be a perfect solution for that comics geek on your friend list.

Share this info around, please! Thanks and good luck!

INFO ABOUT THE AUCTION AT THE NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY SITE

DIRECT LINK TO BID ON THIS ARCHIE ART

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Convention appearance queries – Info here!

Art commissions – contact me at craig@craigboldman.com .
Also see my caricatures page!

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Archie Comics 80th Anniversary!

I wrote the lead story for Archie 80th Anniversary Jumbo Comics Digest #3! Look for it on sale in stores on June 23, 2021. My story, titled “Happy MANYversary,” focuses on Betty’s penchant for remembering and celebrating events. Not only big events, but also, small, insignificant ones! I believe Bill Golliher does the art. If so, it will be our first collaboration in quite a while. Previously, Bill drew a mini-series I wrote starring Dilton — It was a digital comic which I’ve never yet managed to see!

Look for my new story behind a nice cover featuring Archie in a retro style, by Bill Galvin.

The rest of the issue is filled with classic stories from Archie Comics’s eight-decades history. I don’t have a list of contents, but chances are good that you will find work by Bob Montana, Frank Doyle, George Gladir, Dan DeCarlo, Samm Schwartz, Bill Vigoda, Harry Lucey, Joe Edwards, Bob Bolling and many other favorites.

In keeping with the Archie Comics 80th anniversary theme, editors Mike Pellerito and Stephen Oswald invited me to write a story having to do with anniversaries in some fashion. For your interest, in an upcoming post I’ll show a few pages from my script and layouts for this story, along with some commentary. 

Following that, I might even post an alternate script/story that I wrote for the issue. It’s a story I never submitted for reasons to be revealed!

Convention appearance queries – Info here!

Art commissions – contact me at craig@craigboldman.com .
Also see my caricatures page!

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Jetta Raye Adventures, out now!


Happy New Year!

I unbox my contributor copies of ‘Jetta Raye Adventures,’ featuring over 100 pages of new stories about Jetta, the ‘Sweetheart of the 22nd Century.’ This hardback volume includes stories and comic strips by me, along with an all-star line-up of contributors such as Chris Yambar, Jeff Shultz, Joe Sinnott, and many others!

Jetta originally came to life in 1952 her own comic book series drawn by the great Dan DeCarlo.

My apologies for mangling the names of some of the esteemed contributors in the video!

To order copies, jet on over to jettaraye.com

#makingcomics #comicbookartist #comiccollection #imagecomics #comiccover #igcomics #indiecomics #comics #comicbookart #comicbooks

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World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #101!

Good news for those who enjoy my work on the Jughead comic. ‘World of Archie Jumbo Comics #101,’ is a mini treasury of my past Jughead stories. In stores now!
I browsed this issue the way all of America does, while waiting in the grocery store checkout line.
The digest is billed as a ‘Special Jughead Issue.‘ It is heavily-weighted with fun summertime selections of my work from Jughead’s solo title. 
Look for the SPECIAL JUGHEAD ISSUE Seal of Quality. Accept no other!
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‘Christmas Never Sleeps’ Rolls On!

Christmas Never Sleeps is my year-long cartoon epic that has followed Santa J. Claus daily since Christmas day, 2019, and will reach its conclusion on Christmas Eve, 2020. During the course of those 365 days, it continues to paint the icon in familiar broad strokes, but with quirky details that aren’t apparent during his usual once-a-year appearance.

Continue reading ‘Christmas Never Sleeps’ Rolls On!

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Ron Randall’s Trekker!

My friend Ron Randall is conducting a Kickstarter campaign to issue his life’s work, Trekker, in a single, awesome hardcover edition. Check it out!

I’ve been sitting on the following interview for a few months, and now is a choice time to release it to the world. At the time we did this chat, the hardcover collection was not yet in the pipeline.

Craig: Let’s start with housekeeping. What’s your preferred path for anyone hoping to get immersed in Trekker?  Do you want them to see the early stuff, the current stuff, or what, and where do they go to accomplish it?

Ron: You know, that’s not as easy a question for me to answer as it probably should be. I’m happy to have readers dive in wherever. Each story is built to work as a fine introduction to the character and the world, and each volume has a complete adventure– beginning, middle and end. I feel very strongly about that. So any book should work as a fine introductory experience. But, I also construct the series so that each story builds on what’s gone before, and also points toward where we are heading next. Like each individual story, I’ve designed the series as a whole to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The character of Mercy St. Clair, the world she moves in, and the scope and scale of things grows and deepens over the course of the stories. Mercy is shaped and informed by her experiences as she goes along, the stakes rise, and so on. And I do have an endgame that we are heading toward. Still quite a way to go before Mercy gets there, though. So a reader who starts from page one and works their way through the whole series experiences a powerful cumulative affect which, I am told, is pretty rewarding. Continue reading Ron Randall’s Trekker!

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Tailipoe ala Michael T. Gilbert

As if to portend some new and exciting activity for my signature character in 2020, check this great character mash-up of my Tailipoe with the inimitable Mr. Monster by Michael T. Gilbert! It had to happen, as they say! Thanks Michael!

Stay on the edge of your seats for more about Tailipoe in the coming days and weeks!

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CuppaComics!

There has been SO MUCH happening during the second half of 2019 that I’ve kept my focus on the drawing board, rather than here. But, it’s time to get back on-line, and over the coming weeks I’ll write about some of the projects and events that have kept me away from the blog.

Today, let me just mention that CuppaComics is the imprint I’ll be using for a variety of projects that I’ll be managing from the home office. Before long I’ll spin Cuppa off onto its own website, but for now this will work fine. With all that’s going on I don’t want to overwhelm myself, so, baby steps.

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Upcoming 2019 Appearances!

Here are my CONFIRMED appearances for 2019. More to come. 

E-MAIL ME to commission a caricature or commission for pick up at an upcoming event – or – to inquire about me appearing at YOUR event!

March 9-10
FANTASTICON TOLEDO OH

April 27-28
GEM CITY COMIC CON DAYTON OH

Continue reading Upcoming 2019 Appearances!

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