Category: Movies

Hero, Dynamite and Henchman

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That’s the cover above to Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1.  I can remember buying the first issue off the stands [cover date June 1972].  Lucas was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  In an effort to get early release, Lucas agreed to an experimental treatment designed to boost a person’s immunity to illness.  Instead it gave him super-strength and steel hard skin.  Lucas used his new powers to escape prison and take on the identity of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire.

I loved the idea of a hero who took on cases like a private eye.    And although Cage was a “Hero for Hire” he often took on cases for no pay when the cause was right.  I really got into the comic.   In “shop” class we had to create business cards, so while other kids were creating cards as lawyers, plumbers and the like, I created cards that read “Blackjack Joey, Hero for Hire.” I explained to the teacher that “Blackjack Joey” was my secret identity [taking the moniker of my favorite professional wrestler, Blackjack Mulligan, and combining it with my middle name Joseph].

That was over 38 years ago.  So you can imagine my amusement when looking through the December issue of Previews to see these two comics coming out in the early months of 2011.

That’s the cover to Black Dynamite: Slave Island coming from Ape Entertainment.  It’s a 48 page full color graphic novel based on the “Black Dynamite” movie which starred Michael Jai White.  Black Dynamite: Slave Island was written by Brian Ash with art by Jun Lofamia.   The book is suggested for mature readers and will set you back $5.95.

Harry Walton: Henchman for Hire is a 62 page full color graphic novel [$9.95] from Arcana Studio.  Written by Zak Sherman with art by Tom Martinek and Jason Worthington, it is the story of a “disenfranchised ex-super-hero sidekick” who decides to “work his way up the ranks” and become a super-villain.

I’m not sure either of the two books are my cup of tea, but they did make me want to go back and re-read Luke Cage, Hero for Hire.

Andy Kuhn Gets Carter

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Andy Kuhn does the best sketches! He is a master of spotting blacks and knowing just what needs to be put in and more importantly left out. I love Andy’s sense of design so I was extremely pleased to get on his sketch list at Heroes Con and asked him for Jack Carter. As you can see he rocked it. You can check out more of Andy’s art at his blog and his DA site.

Riddick Returns

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Earlier this afternoon, Vin Diesel posted on his facebook page the art above and a tidbit about the third Riddick movie:

So the director of Riddick, my partner on COR [Chronicles of Riddick] since the beginning, DT [David Twohy]… has a new challenge in store. He wants me to have 3 different body looks for this next chapter… There is the DiNorscio type, the Dom type, and the lean Furyan type… but all in the same movie, haha… When it comes to art, we all like a challenge.

You can read more about the third Riddick movie here at Bloody Disgusting.

Indiana Jones and the Death Rumors

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There’s been quite a bit of speculation lately, that Harrison Ford would like to see Indy killed off in the next Indiana Jones movie.  Depending on which article you read, Ford either…

  1. wants Indy to die and pass the fedora and bullwhip on to his movie son played by Shia LaBeouf or…
  2. … the reports that Ford wanted to kill off Indy are false.

Either way, the rumors have some die hard Indiana Jones worried.  Although I’m an Indiana Jones fan and would look forward to another outing, I’m not in the least bit worried about the character.  Seriously, if Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t kill off the character, nothing will.

Dustin Harbin Gets Carter

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This week we have Dustin Harbin‘s look at Jack Carter. Dustin is a freelance illustrator working out of Charlotte, NC. I’ve known Dustin for years through his outstanding work with Heroes Con. It was only recently that I discovered Dustin’s talent for cartooning.

Well, you just know I had to see Dustin’s riff on Sly. I hope you dig it as much as me. Dustin will be back soon with his take on Sly as Freddy from “Cop Land.”

Thomas Boatwright Draws 1st Blood

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I had been a fan of Thomas Boatwright’s art for a while. When he announced a sale on commissions for the month of December, I wrote to ask him about a Stallone piece for my collection. Thomas quickly responded and said that he was a fan of “First Blood.” I was surprised at how quickly Thomas finished the piece and that he’d decided to put Richard Crenna’s character in as well. I totally dug everything about it.

So… I asked Thomas if he was up for some more Stallone. He said that he was, so you’ll be seeing his take on Sly from The Expendables and Get Carter on the SZ in the next few weeks. They are just as cool! If you want to see them sooner, Thomas has posted them on his blog and his DA site. Send him some love.

I hope to get more Stallone art from Thomas in the future. If you get commissions, you should consider him as well. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist! – Craig

John Beatty: The Expendables

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The art above was created by my brother from another mother, John Beatty at our second annual Black “Stallone” Friday. Last year Big Beatty decided to create a new piece for my Stallone art collection live on U-Stream. This allowed Stallone fans as well as fans of John’s art to watch and interact with us live as John created the piece. We called it “Black Stallone Friday” and had a blast.

This year, John decided to sweeten the pot with a free, Expendables Blu-Ray giveaway. We fired up the Beattytron and began broadcasting from the beautiful JBI Studio in downtown Holly Hill a little before 2pm. The show ran until 9pm — and John still had more to do on the piece. Along the way we were joined by Shana, Sophie, Mike aka Killer Karl Krupp, Royce, Rob Smith Jr., The Mad Pirate, Husky Courdoroy, and others. Shana was the lucky winner of the DVD set.

I can’t thank John enough for the art. As great as it looks on screen, it is even more impressive in person. John set the bar high and surpassed all expectations.

Want to Win The Expendables?

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WANT TO WIN A FREE COPY OF “THE EXPENDABLES” 3 DISC SET BLU-RAY DVD OR A FREE COPY OF “THE EXPENDABLES” SOUNDTRACK?

How to win:

You need to do two things:

  • 1: Re-Tweet this post using the “hashtag” #BlackStalloneFriday
  • Don’t have a Twitter account? Sign up HERE
  • On twitter, follow @CraigZablo or @_JohnBeatty_
  • 2: Be in the room watching the LIVE Ustream show on 11.26.2010
  • Don’t have a Usteam account? Sign up HERE
  • Ustream show link HERE

MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!!!

Ustream Starts At 2:00pm Eastern Time: USA!

Contest will be announced during the stream.

Winner must have valid shipping address in the USA

for physical shipment!

May also choose digital download via iTunes!

Outside the USA a digital download will be available via iTunes!

YES…it’s that simple!

All-Time Scariest Movies

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A few weeks ago, EW.com posted their choices for the 20 Scariest Movies of All Time.  Using just their picks here are my top five:

5. CARRIE (1976): I saw this at a midnight showing during it’s initial theatrical release.  I thought that Carrie [Sissy Spacek] was creepy, but her mom [Piper Laurie] was terrifying.  And I’m man enough to admit that the ending made me jump out of my seat.

4.  JAWS (1975):  I went with the family and saw Jaws in a sold out theater.  Everything about this movie worked: the cast, the direction, the story, the music and the mechanical shark that appeared, oh so, real.  And I’m man enough to admit that at one point I jumped so high in my seat that I thought I was going to go over the back.  [Hey, I’m starting to see a pattern about me jumping during scary movies…]

3.  NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968):  I first saw NOTLD on a small tv using a VHS machine. [Yes, I’m that old.]  I’d already seen “Dawn of the Dead” in a theater, but found NOTLD to be much scarier.  It was easy to see how this classic spawned a new genre of zombie movies.

2.  28 DAYS LATER (2003):  I saw this during it’s initial theatrical release with my oldest son.  There are so many great scares… the priest banging on the door and then coming down the hall; the church full of what appear to be dead bodies, and then one turns his head; being chased up the stairwell; the car getting a flat tire in the tunnel and so many more.  Just writing about the movie makes me want to watch it again!

1. THE EXORCIST (1973): Although I did get to see The Exorcist in a theater, it wasn’t until it was re-released in 1979.  I went with my future wife and best buddy.  Without a doubt, this is the creepiest/scariest movie I’ve ever seen.  A lot of people talk up the gross/shocking scenes with the vomit spewing, cursing possessed child.  To me, the scariest stuff were the subtler scenes: grandma walking up the steps and then turning and walking back down, the marks appearing on the child with no explanation, and so on. This is the one movie that stayed with me long after I saw it… and continued to creep me out.

Black “Stallone” Friday

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The poster above was created by my buddy, John Beatty to announce our second annual Black “Stallone” Friday. As most of you are probably aware, the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally a day of shopping. For many businesses it’s their biggest day of the year. For those of us who don’t like crowds and traffic, it’s a pain. So last year Big Beatty decided to create a new piece for my Stallone art collection live on U-Stream. This allowed Stallone fans as well as fans of John’s art to watch and interact with us live as John created the piece.

We called it “Black Stallone Friday” and had a blast. We had so much fun that we decided to make it an annual event. So this Friday, we’re going to do it again. John and I will post the specifics later this week, but our hope is that we can get a lot of folks to tune in, even if only for a bit. The more fans that pop in with questions and comments, the more fun it becomes. So check back here or at John’s site later this week for full details. Oh, and I posted the art from last year’s event to give you an idea of what we can expect this year.