Comic-Con is pop culture’s beating heart. Comics creators made it so

Good morning and welcome back to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter!

I’m novelist and punk historian Jim Ruland, and some of my earliest obsessions with storytelling came from comic books. From humble paperback beginnings to box office behemoths, comics have surged to the forefront of pop culture. And this week, Comic-Con International returned to San Diego. While the annual gathering has expanded over the years to include toys, TV shows, movies and video games, it’s still the premier place for those of us who are crazy about comics.

In the world of comics, Alex Segura has done it all. He’s reported on the industry, worked on the publishing side of the business and penned stories with iconic characters from Riverdale to the Spider-Verse.

The comics-loving kid from Miami won the 2023 L.A. Times Book Prize in the mystery/thriller category for his novel “Secret Identity.” Set in the comic book industry circa 1975, the plot revolves around the origin of a character named the Legendary Lynx. The novel’s sequel, “Alter Ego,” comes out later this year.

I asked Alex about his incredible journey through comics and what he loves most about Comic-Con.

Alex Segura has done everything in the comic book space, from reporting on the industry to penning stories with iconic characters from Riverdale to the Spider-Verse.

(Irina Peschan Photography; Flatiron Books)

How did you break into comics?

I started as a comics journalist, writing for places like Newsarama and working at Wizard magazine, then pivoted to doing PR and marketing, first at DC Comics, then Archie. But I always wanted to write. My first published comics work was a story in a DC Halloween Special, featuring Frankenstein and the Flash, which was wild, and a real learning experience. Shortly after that, I moved to Archie and started writing more regularly, doing stuff like Archie Meets KISS and things like that. Nowadays, I write a lot of stuff for Marvel, DC, Mad Cave and my own creator-owned stories.

What do most people on the outside get wrong about comics?

It’s a collaborative medium. It’s like jamming with a band. If everyone is doing their part, and bringing their best, the end result is greater than you could imagine. It’s a visual medium too, so the majority of what you write — the camera direction, the details, the notes — doesn’t make it on the page. You pass those on to the artist and then they translate it into something visual. It’s not like writing a novel, which is a solitary experience.

You’re not only a writer but you were an executive in the business.

I worked on the publishing side for many years. First as a publicist and marketing person at DC and Archie, then some editorial and new business work at Archie, and finally as the head of sales and marketing at Oni Press. But for the last few years I’ve been fully freelance and it’s been truly amazing. The experience gained from the other side has proven invaluable as I try to navigate freelancer life.

In your novels, “Secret Identity” and the forthcoming “Alter Ego,” executives in the comic book business aren’t favorably portrayed. What are we to make of that?

I think the core idea of both novels is the push and pull of art vs. commerce. The publishers need to make money to continue to create the work. For a creator, you’re hyper-focused on the art — on telling a great story that resonates with you. I wanted to show that friction as realistically as I could, without falling into caricature. The best villains think they’re the hero.

What do you have in the pipeline?

“Alter Ego,” the follow-up to “Secret Identity,” hits in December from Flatiron Books. Additionally, we’re doing a “remastered and expanded” edition of “The Legendary Lynx,” the comic book featured in “Secret Identity,” in November. I have a sci-fi novel, “Dark Space,” coming in October co-written with Rob Hart; a Bruno/“Encanto” novel prequel from Disney Books; “Nightmares and Sueños” in December; a Spider-Verse prose anthology in October; and lots of comic book work, including Spider-Society from Marvel, Dick Tracy and a few things that are not announced yet. I like to stay busy!

What’s your favorite thing about Comic-Con?

The people! Meeting readers, people that love and engage with your work, is always a thrill. I love connecting with old friends and getting face time with people I don’t get to see often. It’s a rush.

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The Week(s) in Books

J.D. Vance is “someone who goes through life with no principles other than getting ahead, and no loyalty to a community other than his own,” writes columnist Gustavo Arellano.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

J.D. Vance’s 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” is a bestseller again, and, like it or not, we’re going to be hearing a lot about the book for the next few months. Gustavo Arellano has a fresh and fascinating take on Vance’s bootstrap bible.

For a more authentic (and better written) book about people eking out a living at the margins of society, I highly recommend Willy Vlautin’s new novel “The Horse.”

Leigh Haber reviews “Liars,” Sarah Manguso’s scorching portrait of a crumbling marriage. “With a surgeon’s precision, Manguso painstakingly autopsies a couple’s unfolding — and increasingly toxic — relationship,” Haber writes.

Was 1982 the greatest year for science fiction? Chris Nashawaty, author of “The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982,” thinks so.

Bookstore Faves

Didn’t make it to Comic-Con? No problem! Pulp Fiction, a comic book store in Long Beach, has you covered.

(Diane Bondareff / Invision / AP)

Weren’t able to make it to Comic-Con this year? Pulp Fiction has you covered! It’s been in business for 20 years and has been at its current location in Long Beach since January 2020. I spoke to owner Ryan Skinner about what comics Angelenos are reading.

What are some hot titles that are selling at your store?

• “Ultimate Spider-Man”: Peter Parker gets bit by a radioactive spider ... except he’s 35, married to MJ and has two kids!
• “Wonder Woman”: Tom King and Daniel Sampere are putting out the best superhero book on the stands.
• “Grommets”: Skateboarding comedy coming straight out of 1984, ror fans of Linklater and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

What’s coming that you’re excited about?

• “Nice House by the Sea”: The anticipated follow-up series to “Nice House on the Lake,” one of the best books I’ve read in the last 10 years.
• “Universal Monsters: Frankenstein”: Officially licensed comic written and drawn by one of my favorite artists, Michael Walsh. Also, check out his horror anthology “Silver Coin.”

What makes Pulp Fiction different from other comic book shops?

Community and customer service! Folks have so many options for comic reading these days, so we do our best to provide an inclusive place to meet other fans and a robust holding system to make sure they don’t miss the books they want.

Thanks again for reading. Stay cool and see you in two weeks!