ETHAN VAN SCIVER: THE FUTURE KING OF ALL MEDIA?

ETHAN VAN SCIVER: HUMAN SUNBEAM

Okay, I’m being tongue in cheek with that title, but Van Sciver seems to have the same oddball sense of humor that I do so I figured why not? Ethan Van Sciver’s livestreams about pop culture are as addictive as they are entertaining.

Like so many others I found myself binge-listening to as many as I could do per day for several weeks and now I’m among the many waiting with anticipation for the next day’s installment.

Van Sciver has spent nearly three decades in the comic book industry as an artist and writer. Most of his time was spent at DC with legendary runs on Green Lantern and Flash, but in recent years “Uncle Ethan” as he’s called has become one of the leaders of the indy comic book “Outlaws” going their own way to create works free of the toxic influence of the Big Two publishers.

As entertaining and instructive as Ethan can be in his videos about the art of illustrated storytelling his talent as a raconteur and cultural commentator has brought him additional fans outside of the comic book world. The man’s “made for radio” voice and wry sense of humor combine with his charm to virtually hypnotize his audience.

Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know how rare it is that I throw this kind of praise around but this figure has earned it, partly through his kindness to others. Van Sciver’s willingness to serve as a mentor for up and coming creators is part of his and his show’s appeal. Watch Ethan to catch the best comic book talent of the present and the future, and in genres far beyond just superheroics.

Van Sciver holds forth with tongue firmly in cheek as he introduces himself as a human sunbeam and other, even more embarrassing titles. He has definitely warmed up to his role as an entertainer and in my opinion his show’s success will be limited only by how much time he wants to devote to it given all the other irons he has in the fire.

Join the fun world of Uncle Ethan for tilting at the ugly corporate empire of Disney and for assorted pie-related theoretical physics HERE