Regular readers of PopCult should be well aware by now of your PopCulteer’s admiration and enjoyment of the Charlton Neo movement. We included a special Charlton Neo day last year in the Gift Guide, and there’s plenty of new stuff to tell you about in 2016.
Charlton Comics was sort of the “shadow comic book company” that operated on the fringe of the industry as a self-contained unit that handled their own editorial, printing, and distribution. Their comics had a certain funkiness to them because of the weird printing and the fact that they didn’t pay anywhere near the comic industry’s top rates.
While Charlton Comics is no longer with us, the spiritual heirs of the denizens of Derby, Connecticut are fighting the good fight, trying to make comic books fun again. These items are the perfect gifts for the comic book lover on your holiday shopping list.
Charlton Arrow
The flagship of the Charlton Neo movement is the Charlton Arrow, an anthology series that combines work by original Charlton creators with that of like minded newcomers. These books are a tremendous amount of fun and include some top notch storytelling. The latest issue, number five, is available for order now.
In addition to the Charlton Arrow, there have been new books featuring Romance and Western stories, plus an anthology collecting some of the Pix-C webcomics which had only been available to contributors to the Charlton Neo Patreon campaign.
All of these comics can be ordered directly from Mort Todd at his website and there you will also find reprints of Charlton’s Hot Rod comics, as well as other really cool graphic novelties.
Many of these books can also be ordered at Amazon. And remember, Charlton Neo comics make great stocking stuffers. Mort has also used Kickstarter to fund a Charlton cover gallery project. That campaign recently closed, and if any of the cover gallery books are produced for people who missed the campaign, I’ll tell you about it here.
Charlton Spotlight
Charlton Spotlight is a magazine devoted to the history of the original Charlton Comics and presents interviews with the original creators, as well as the occasional previously-unpublished Charlton comic book stories.
Argo Press is currently running a 25% off sale, so it’s a great time to snap up some classic issues that include interviews with Charlton creators, many of whom are no longer with us. Supplies are getting low on some issues so you might want to get over there quick.
All back issues of Charlton Spotlight, can be ordered directly from the publisher. These are terrific reads for any lover of vintage comic books.
The Charlton Movie
Currently in production is a documentary film about the humorous, tragic & simply amazing story of Charlton Comics; Derby, CT’s infamous comic book company that launched legends.
Produced By Jackie Zbuska, Keith Larsen, & Dennis Peters, The Charlton Movie promises to be a captivating look at the grand underdog of the comic book world.
You can help support the production The Charlton Movie by shopping at their Cafepress store, and following them on Facebook.
I’m glad you mentioned the “weird printing”. Even as a child, I had a handful of Charlton comics among my collection, and I always looked at the color separations as “What the heck is up with this, anyway?” One of my favorite artists in the comics world has been John Byrne. I actually had a couple of his Charlton “Space: 1999” issues. Glad to hear there are those keeping the legacy alive.