Craig Zablo’s Zone

Archive for October, 2009

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!  Give out some fun treats, eat a few yourself, and watch something scary!

[Art for today's post is by Dan Brereton]

Seeing this trailer for “24: Season 8″ reminds me of just how much I miss my weekly Jack Bauer fix.

Did you ever wonder why Dan Brereton loves monsters so much? If you read this piece written by Dan, you’ll wonder no more. Thanks to the fine folks at Broken Frontier for posting it.

I don’t know about you, but I really get a kick out of the e-greetings cards that JibJab offers.  You know, like this one for Halloween.

If you’ve got 26 seconds to spare, you might want to check out this fun ad for the November 7th Tampa Comic Book and Toy Show.  I’d have suggested it even if John Beatty wasn’t featured.

The only thing that I know about “Green Zone” is what I’ve seen in this trailer.  The good news is, that may be enough.

Steven King is going to write a five issue arc of Scott Snyder’s “American Vampire” series which is set to premiere in March of 2010.  The main character, Skinner Sweet, became a vampire in the days of the old west.  Skinner is a new breed of vampire and Steven King has made him a  “bottomless pit of evil”.

If this sounds like something you’d like, then let your local comic retailer know.  Until then, here’s the full article about Steven King and ”American Vampire”.

I have been going to Heroes Cons for years. Heroes is without a doubt one of the best run, most loved and finest conventions you could ever find. It’s put on by good people, always has great guests, and has something for everyone.  Heroes Con 2010 will be the 28th year of the show and surprsingly, the event was in danger of not happening.   Shelton Drum, who runs the show, discovered that the only date that he could book the Charlotte Convention Center was the same weekend as Florida SuperCon.  Shelton didn’t want to infringe on the SuperCon and so his options were to go to a smaller venue on a different date or cancel the show for 2010.  Neither was a good option.

So Shelton contacted Mike Broder [who runs the Florida SuperCon] and told him of the conflict.  Surprisingly, Mike said that he thought he would be able to change the date of his show and after a little research, did just that.  How often do you hear of “competitors” helping each other out?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  Mike Broder puts on a great show and has always come across as a straight shooter who truly loves comics, art and conventions.  I was able to attend his show last year and had a blast.  I planned to attend again next year.   After reading about his willingness to help Heroes Con, not only do I plan to attend, but will encourage everyone to join me!

Recently About.com posted a piece about the TOP 50 Cartoon Characters.  Like all lists, this one is sure to create some controversy.   I definitely think that several characters that somehow didn’t make the cut, should have been on it.

Still, I enjoy playing around with lists, so, using just the characters on their TOP 50, here is my TOP 10 [in alphabetical order] with comments:

Batman: has always been a favorite comic character and I’ve enjoyed all of the different cartoon versions as well.

Bugs Bunny: was always best in small doses. I also enjoyed the supporting cast [Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, etc.]
 
Charlie Brown: If you were a kid growing up in the 60’s, you have to be a fan of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang.  Holidays still aren’t complete without at least knowing that Charlie Brown is playing somewhere.
 
Fred Flintstone: is a simple concept - transport “The Honeymooners” to the stone age!

Mighty Mouse: I’ll admit it.  I used to put on a cape and play Mighty Mouse.  Yeah, laugh now, but if you needed me to save the day, you’d be singing a different tune.

Pink Panther: A great theme song and a fun cartoon.

 Popeye: I probably watched more hours of Popeye than any other cartoon. I especially loved the oldest version with Bluto, Wimpy, the Sea Witch…

Space Ghost: When it first ran, I thought Space Ghost was pretty cool. I watched some episodes years later and thought “not so much”.

Tom and Jerry: Who doesn’t love the old Tom and Jerry cartoons. They were so much fun.

Wile E. Coyote: I was a huge fan of The Road Runner cartoons.  My wife doesn’t like ‘em since they’re all the same.  But that’s the beauty of it.  How many different ways can ole Wile E. screw up?

Okay, now that that’s done… how could Jonny Quest not make the list?

I first saw Robbi Rodriguez’s art at a convention. Robbi was set up selling his sketches, and sketchbooks. I didn’t have a clue who he was, but I really liked his art. Since my sketch budget was already shot, I couldn’t hit Robbi up for a sketch. I decided if I ever saw him at another show, I’d definitely try to get on his list.

Lucky for me, Robbi was at this year’s Heroes Convention. Luckier, still was that he agreed to do a Stallone piece for me. I really love the loosenes of Robbi’s style. The kid is talented. You can see more of Robbi’s art here and here… and hopefully again here at the SZ in the future.