Category: Comics

Sly Stallone is Cosmo Carboni from “Paradise Alley” by Bill Black!

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I’ve known Bill Black for over forty years.  Bill began his professional comics career in 1969 illustrating horror stories for Warren Publications’ CREEPY and EERIE magazines.  Since then Bill worked in advertising and in film production and illustrated comics for Marvel.

Bill’s real claim to fame came when he started AC Comics, one of the first 5 Independent comic book publishers in America and the only one of that group still in business.  Over the years Bill has done it all — writer, penciler, inker, painter, publisher.  What an amazing career!

I’ve been fortunate to know Bill as a friend.  I say fortunate because Bill is one of the most positive, fun people I’ve ever met.  In 2022, Bill gifted me his take on Sly Stallone as Cosmo Carboni from Paradise Alley.  We were sitting and talking at his table during a Daytona Beach Comic Convention and he whipped this out.

Jim Fern’s Sly Take on Stallone!

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Jim Fern created his take on Sly Stallone at a small Florida convention (Daytona?  Jacksonville?  Tampa?) several years ago and somehow it was placed in the vault without every being posted… until now.

Jim Fern is a freelance artist best know for his work at DC Comics and Marvel on titles such as Adventures of Superman, Batman, Detective Comics, Spiderman, X-Men, Transformers and Wolverine.

Rocky Balboa Book Page Sketch by Jarrod Alberich!

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Jarrod Alberich aka The Yard Sale Artist created the Sly Stallone as Rocky on a page from a book about boxing. If you check out Jarrod’s site, you’ll find that he has tons of cool BOOK PAGE SKETCHES of different characters drawn on a page from a book appropriate to the character.

I’ve known Jarrod for years.  He’s a fun guy and an easy artist to deal with.

Jarrod calls himself The Yard Sale Artist because he uses materials that he finds at yard sales, thrift stores and so on. When Jarrod comes across books that with torn covers, missing pages, etc., instead of discarding them, he repurposes the pages for art.

Stanley Rosiello from “Lords of Flatbush” by Mark Stegbauer!

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At HeroesCon 2026, I commissioned Mark Stegbauer for two sketch cards: Sly Stallone as Marion Cobretti from Cobra and Stallone as Stanley Kowalski from Lords of Flatbush.  This, in case you didn’t guess, is the Stanley Kowalski card.

Each August Mark does an Action Against Alzheimer’s art campaign.  It’s a great way to pick up cool art and at the same time help a wonderful cause.  Please consider watching for it (and participating if you can).

“That’s the whole thing. That’s the whole thing. You see, I don’t need a bike to go any place, Chico. To go places, I mean to really go places, you gotta have imagination.” – Stanley Rosiello

“Frank Miller: American Genius” (2021) / Z-View

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Frank Miller: American Genius (2021)

Director: Silenn Thomas

Screenplay:  Silenn Thomas

Stars:  Frank Miller

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Frank Miller revolutionized comics with his groundbreaking art and writing.  Hollywood called and Miller answered.  Along the way there were personal struggles which Miller overcame.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Frank Miller is considered a living legend.  This is his story.

Frank Miller created Sin City, my all-time favorite comic series.  He also revolutionized comics with Daredevil, The Dark Knight Returns, Ronin, Batman: Year One and so many other stories.  I’m glad he overcame his personal issues to see the love fans have for him.

Frank Miller: American Genius (2021) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Zablo is FIRST WULF by Chris Flick!

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Here’s another gem from the vault.  It’s of me as a werewolf as visualized by Chris Flick.  Note the Stallone/Rambo reference.

Chris Flick is a professional illustrator, cartoonist, caricaturist, web and graphic designer.  He created the webcomic Capes & Babes featuring Roy the Werewolf.  All 1,200+ strips are available at capesnbabes.com. If you prefer hardcopies, Chris has collected the strips into trade paperback books and created three all ages coloring books available on Amazon.com.

Chris attends several conventions throughout the year where he primarily draws caricatures of people as werewolves and other monsters, sells mash-up posters, coloring books, stickers and so much more.

THE BOXER by Tom Reilly!

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I’m a sucker for a good crime story.  Especially ones with a tough guy who refuses to bow down to mobsters.  Way back in 2019, I’d never heard of Tom Reilly (or seen his art).  I came across the pieces above and below and was SOLD.  I thought they were preview art for a new series.  I immediately e-mailed Tom to find out where/when I could purchase the series.

Tom wrote back to say, that there wasn’t one.  He created the art for himself… just toying around with ideas.  I asked Tom if he took commissions.  He did and so I requested Sly Stallone as Jack Carter teamed with Keanu Reeves as John Wick. (No surprise, right?).

Tom came through with a winner.  He also surprised me by gifting me the art above and below.  I was (and remain) blown away.  What a wonderful, kind thing to do.

Maybe someday Tom will return to the idea that sparked these drawings.  You just KNOW it would make for an awesome story.

Sly Stallone is Rambo by Jim Ivey!

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I was going through the vault and found this piece that Jim Ivey surprised me one day when I was visiting him.  Jim (and most of my other friends) liked to occasionally razz me about my admiration for Sylvester Stallone.

Jim was one of my oldest (in age and length of time) and dearest friends. Jim was the owner of The Cartoon Museum in Orlando, Florida, when I first met him. At the same time, Jim also worked as a syndicated cartoonist [The Thoughts of Man], a political cartoonist [The Orlando Sentinel], a publisher [CartooNews], teacher [UCF cartooning class] and comic book convention organizer [OrlandoCon]. Jim made a lot of life-long friends through these activities and I was one of them.