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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories MADGE busts alleged meth lab Antarctica a 'giant novel' locked in ice Food for the hungry Law enforcement probes White City firm LBJ sequel, musical topped OSF choices for 2014 season Crime, Courts and Emergency Services MADGE busts alleged meth lab Woman charged with burning her 3-year-old Morning fire damages rear of Medford home Emergency services Victims' families recount pain, loss as drunken driver sentenced to 15 years Politics and Elections Buckley again named Ways and Means Committee co-chairman Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Education Good news for SOU: Enrollment's up Mom gives school lobby a makeover Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Environment Birders sought for bird counts Grow 'em before you plant 'em Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill State News Washington to sue over nuclear site's tank vapors Oregon population up 1 percent in year Unauthorized immigrant numbers grow in Idaho Oregon cities plan to seek legislative OK for pot taxes Police shoot robbery suspect in Klamath Falls Nation - World Obituaries Jason Lee Manthe Perry Charles Card Robert E. 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Opinion Latest Jim Brock: Some Americans really like bullies Granlund cartoon: Bill Cosby scandal Letters to the editor, Nov. 19 Court ruling may envelope Cover Oregon Granlund cartoon: Adrian Peterson suspended Editorials Court ruling may envelope Cover Oregon Our View: Kicking the can down the road Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not Other Views: A chastened Kitzhaber must tend to business Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor, Nov. 19 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 18 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 17 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 16 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 14 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: County voters rebuffed judicial appointment process Fix health care reform, don't scrap it Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Gratitude Expressed Through Giving To Others Aids Health Mortgage insurance: Your questions answered Go Ask Alice: We’d be lost without her Dave Ramsey: Mother-in-law needs a push toward financial independence Kitchen Call: Corn pudding is perfect for Thanksgiving Food Kitchen Call: Corn pudding is perfect for Thanksgiving Keep it simple with Thanksgiving wines Homes for the holidays Community blog: Bourbon-bacon pie crust perfect with pumpkin Food for Thought: Embark on a culinary trip around the world Home and Garden Mortgage insurance: Your questions answered Home Help: Spruce up your home with quick DIY painting projects Beyond curb appeal: When it pays to stand out Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Health Community blog: Gratitude Expressed Through Giving To Others Aids Health Community blog: Lazy Able-Bodied People Could Live Here Here's a hand up you can use Community blog: Happy Holidays? Surviving and Even Thriving in the Dark Times Dr. Murray Feingold: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Seattle-based mega-church dissolves Religion Briefs 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Milestones and Achievements Local farmers need more products in grocery stores Ashland honey festival draws swarm of visitors Fundraiser to benefit Medford Senior Center New Arrivals The meaning behind Veterans Day Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Clayfolk Show set for this weekend at Medford Armory Caleb Klauder Band and The Steel Wheels play the Unitarian Fellowship 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows Theater 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Music Caleb Klauder Band and The Steel Wheels play the Unitarian Fellowship Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Makana plays the Unitarian Rogue World Ensemble presents 'Gather 'Round' Community Events Clayfolk Show set for this weekend at Medford Armory Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Dining Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW LBJ sequel, musical topped OSF choices for 2014 season ... Woman charged with burning her 3-year-old ... Morning fire damages rear of Medford home ... LBJ sequel, musical topped OSF choices for 2014 season ... Woman charged with burning her 3-year-old ... Morning fire damages rear of Medford home ... Graphic tales lure Rogue Valley residents into a world of ink and intrigue By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 9, 2014 @ 2:00 am By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 9, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News Ask Susan Kirtley why she thinks comic books have endured as an art form, and she'll answer eagerly, like you've just asked her to do a sales pitch on their relevance in popular culture. "The medium works like no other form. The pairing of text and image. It's visceral, it's immediate," says Kirtley, former Medford resident and Portland State University English professor. "You as a reader often have to participate. You have to fill in the blanks what is happening. It's special, and it's different." Comics have exploded in popularity in recent years, spawning video games, television shows and blockbuster films such as "The Dark Knight Trilogy" and "Guardians of the Galaxy." The U.S. market for comic books and graphic novels topped $870 million last year, according to industry blog "Comichron." The Pacific Northwest has become a hot spot for those working in the medium as a career. Between the number of comic book artists and writers who live in Portland and Seattle, and Oregon-headquartered comic book publishers such as Dark Horse Comics and Oni Press, it's third in line only to New York and Los Angeles, Kirtley says. Even Southern Oregon has ties to the world of pages and panels, ink and intrigue. Comics drew Mike Royer of Medford into their embrace, allowing him to "tell stories and act on paper" alongside legendary creator Jack Kirby. Dan Buck, a Grants Pass resident, became part of the creative team responsible for Dutch Bros. Coffee's ongoing comic book series, "Rebellion." "We have a lot of talented people in the valley that know how to draw, know how to write stories," says Ted Paglia, who manages the comics section at Astral Games in Medford. Here are a few of their stories: Susan Kirtley: The Comics Scholar Rises When it comes to Susan Kirtley's accomplishments in the comics field, you could say they all started with a mean boy on the playground. Girls don't read comics, he sneered at Kirtley, then in fourth or fifth grade. But Kirtley did read comics. She liked them a lot, and his words kicked her interest into overdrive. "I decided I should read every comic I could get my hands on," Kirtley says. Her defiance is still paying dividends decades later. Kirtley, now a Portland State University professor, won an Eisner Award — think comic book Oscar — for a book she wrote about cartoonist Lynda Barry. She's also putting the finishing touches on a comic book studies course at PSU, which she hopes to kick off in January. "This is a great moment for comics, and this is a great place for comics, so why wouldn't we?" Kirtley says. As a child, Kirtley started with the Archie Comics in grocery store spinner racks. Later she upgraded to superheroes, with a particular interest in X-Men stories. The stories of outcasts living among a populace that misunderstands them resonated with her. "I think that they function both as entertainment, enjoyment, escape, but also as making sense of the world," she says. After Kirtley graduated from South Medford High School in 1991, her comics fascination continued. Her tastes grew to include more alternative writers and artists, such as R. Crumb and Lynda Barry. The latter ended up being a focus for Kirtley's book, "Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass," which examines the life and works of Barry, a playwright, artist and creator of the comic strip "Ernie Pook's Comeek." Kirtley received her Eisner Award in the Best Educational-Academic Work category for her book in 2013. With that momentum, Kirtley started working on a course featuring comic books. Her goal is to have students study comics from a critical, academic perspective — much like a traditional English class — with an emphasis on history and theory. Similar programs are popping up on college campuses across the country. Accomplishments aside, Kirtley is, at heart, still just a fan, one who proved a playground bully wrong. "There's just such a rich diverse world of stories in comics," Kirtley says. "And so I find myself coming back to them again and again." Mike Royer: Ink Master meets The King Mike Royer was sitting in his Los Angeles studio when The King called. Ruler of the realms of pages and panels, Jack Kirby was the co-creator of numerous Marvel characters, including Captain America, The Hulk, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and of the iconic "Fourth World" stories at DC. Royer, now 73 and living in Medford, still remembers the first words of that 1969 phone call. "Mike Royer? This is Jack Kirby. (I hear) you're a pretty good inker." It was the start to a profound milestone in Royer's comic book career. He had been in L.A. working as an inker and artist the last four years. In his early 20s, he'd grown up in the Willamette Valley and was a voracious consumer of comic newspaper strips such as "Alley Oop" and "Flash Gordon." The stories and art entranced him. He wanted in on the action. "I just wanted to tell stories and act on paper," Royer says. "I just thought, if I'm going to work in comic books, I can't stay in the Willamette Valley." He moved to L.A. in 1965 and got his start at Gold Key Comics and worked under Russ Manning, the comic book adapter of numerous "Tarzan" stories. Royer also worked on the "Amazing Spider-Man" animated TV series. The call from The King was of a different caliber. Kirby was looking for someone to ink numerous pieces he had drawn for Marvel's merchandising company, Marvel Mania. Royer went to Kirby's home and looked at his first assignment: a self-portrait of Jack at a drawing board with numerous superheroes flying off it. Royer got going. Kirby watched. "I'm sitting at The King's drawing board, inking, for the very first time in my life, his pencils," Royer says. "When it was all over he was pleased with it." For the next decade, Kirby drew and wrote; Royer inked and lettered. It was a challenge to keep up with Kirby's output — sometimes as much as three pages a day — but Royer did, during Kirby's DC and Marvel stints. "Talk about intimidating," Royer says. The two became close. Royer still remembers sitting at Kirby's drawing board and going over pages. He recalls occasional glances out the window and seeing his children play in Kirby's pool. The two talked about films and attended art shows as judges. "Those are the things that I remember," Royer says. "Jack was such a warm person." Kirby died in 1994, about 15 years after Royer had gone to work for Disney. Royer still does occasional work in the comic book field, but says he has lost a lot of interest in the medium. He's spent a lifetime in comics, but those years with Jack Kirby stand out. "He always encouraged every aspiring artist not to copy him," Royer says. "To tell the stories and draw it the way they felt it should be." Dan Buck: The Comic Book Caffeinators The first comic book Dan Buck wrote has a star-studded supporting cast when it comes to the story's artist, inker and letterer. "Dutch Bros. Rebellion: The Further Adventures of Rebel Man" is drawn by "Walking Dead" artist Tony Moore, colored by John Rauch of Marvel Comics and lettered by Rus Wooton, who has lettered comics for Marvel, Image and Dark Horse publishers. "All of a sudden, we have this star-studded cast of industry pros doing this book," Buck says. It wasn't the first time that had happened. The first issue was penned by Nathan Edmonson, who is the current scribe on the "Punisher" and "Black Widow" titles for Marvel Comics. "Rebellion" isn't Dutch Bros.' first attempt at comic books. Several years ago, the company cranked out a more kid-centric series called "Freedom Fighters." "Rebellion" stories are a bit edgier. They tell of a renegade hero wandering through an apocalyptic wasteland as he picks fights with zombie hordes. Buck and other Dutch Bros. employees recently traveled to Rose City Comic Con in Portland to distribute the book for free. Buck says he and Dutch Bros. director of culture Brant Boersma hope to do more and make their mark in a storytelling medium that's meant so much to them both. "Comics, from the get-go, has been a way of delivering stories and messages for Dutch Bros. that we've really had a personal passion for," Buck says. And that storytelling medium finds itself in a renaissance, he adds. Between numerous comic cons and the popularity of comic book movie adaptations, the books are appealing to a wider audience, he says. "Comics, certainly where it's a niche thing, it has this way of working hand in hand and forming this symbiotic relationship with other media channels," Buck says. "What you're seeing is an elevation of the art form." Buck says the "Rebellion" stories will continue to be plugged into that world. More zombie stories are inbound, and he's pretty excited to share them. "We find ourselves on a trajectory with this pursuit," Buck says. "We like them because they're fun, and the people who like them are fun. It just works so well with how we approach business, anyway. I imagine that you'll be seeing Dutch Bros. comics and zombie rebellions for a long time." Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 9, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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