Category: Comics
Original Batmobile Sells for $4.62 Million
Back on December 5, 2012, I let everyone know that the original Batmobile from the 1966 tv series was going up for auction.
I also dropped a strong hint…
If you were wondering what to get me for Christmas, this would be a good place to start.
Well, I guess no one had an extra $4.62 million to buy it for me. Other than Rick Champagne, that is. That’s what Mr. Champagne paid and since he hasn’t contacted me, my guess is he’s keeping it for himself.
I can’t blame him.
Thanks and an extra “turbines to speed” to CBR.com for the post.
Kyle Holtz Really Gets Carter
When I learned that Kyle Holtz was taking on some mail order commissions, I just knew I had to try and get on his list. I was able to and Kyle agreed to give me his take on Sly as Jack Carter.
This is the piece Kyle created. I think Kyle did an amazing job. I love everything about this piece. Unfortunately, it was lost in the mail. I have hope that it will eventually turn up. Thankfully, Kyle sent a scan before mailing the art. When Kyle learned that the piece never arrived, he agreed to redo it.
Knowing how much artists hate to redraw something, and because I thought Kyle totally nailed this piece, I asked if I could upgrade to a larger piece. Kyle agreed. So Kyle is going to create a new Jack Carter drawing. My hope is that this piece will eventually turn up.
If you’d like to see more of Kyle’s art, click on over to his Facebook page.
Batman: Action on Set (1966)
If you like to peek behind-the-scenes, you’ll probably get a kick out of this short video that let’s you get a look at the production of the Batman series from the 60’s.
Thanks and a tip o’ the Bat-cowl to Mark Evanier for the link.
The Franchize is Expendable
Jerry Gaylord aka The Franchize makes his first, but not his last appearance in my Stallone Sketch Gallery with his take on Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables.
I highly recommend Jerry to all sketch collectors. He quickly responds to e-mails, his turnaround time is quick and he packages the art to ensure it arrives safely.
To check out more of Jerry’s art, head here. – Craig
Who is the Best Batman Artist? My Choice is…
Recently iFanboy asked readers…
Who is your Batman and what does he look like? Is he a living shadow or a figure in blue and gray? Are the ears of his cowl short little nubs or do they climb like spires?
You tell us.
Then we’ll tell you who was nominated the most.
No lists either. Just one pick per person. And make your case!
Deciding who is my best Batman artist is tough. Because of the long history of the character and the number of amazing artists who’ve worked on The Dark Knight, it is not an easy task. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites and see if we can reach a definitive “best Batman artist.”
- Neal Adams: Many consider Neal Adams the best Batman artist. He is the artist who brought Batman out of the Adam West age of “Bam! Pow!” stories and made the Batman more of a Dark Knight avenger. His Batman had a more realistic look than in the past.
- Marshall Rogers: Rogers’ Batman was more less realistic looking than Adams, but not full out cartoony. I loved Rogers’ run with the character back in the 70’s.
- Mike Zeck: Zeck’s Batman was big and tough and someone whose presence would strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers because he looked like he could and would hurt them.
- Frank Miller: The older, tough Batman. The Batman who went toe-to-toe with Superman and won.
- David Mazzucchelli: The Batman Year One artist. Mazzuccheli’s style made every line count.
- Kelley Jones: Jones drew the Batman that was scary. He was scary not because he was physically imposing, but because he was The. Bat. Man.
These are the top 6 artists who come to my mind. There were others: Jim Aparo, Norm Breyfogle, Brian Boland, Eduardo Rizzo, John Byrne… the list could go on and on. But let’s get back to the task at hand… picking my favorite Batman artist.
Drumroll, please…
And the award for Zablo’s Favorite Batman Artist goes to… Marshall Rogers.
Eye (for an Eye) on The Walking Dead
I like this poster for the new season of The Walking Dead which premieres on February 10th.
I can’t imagine that if you have any interest at in all The Walking Dead, that you’re not watching it. It truly is one of the best shows going. In fact, I’d say that The Walking Dead, along with Justified and Sons of Anarchy are the top three.
Riggle Gets Carter
Jon Riggle is back with his take on Sly as Jack Carter from Get Carter. To check out more of Jon’s art, head on over here. – Craig
The Return of Gravedigger by Mills & Burchett
One of my all-time favorite crime comics, Gravedigger, makes a return on February 4th, 2013.
That’s right, Gravedigger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett is making a comeback, and in a big way. Gravedigger will begin re-appearing as a web comic with weekly updates.
Mills & Burchett will start by serializing the original Gravedigger story, The Scavengers, and then will move on to a new Gravedigger tale, The Predators. The plan is to then collect both storylines into one graphic novel.
Kickstarter, anyone?
This news has absolutely made my day, and if you love great comics, my guess is it has made yours as well.
Doug Dabbs is Expendable
Doug Dabbs is back! I first met Doug in 2011 at Heroes Con. I was heading out from the show and saw his art. If there had been time, I’d have got a sketch on the spot.
I told Doug I would get a piece from him in 2012 and I did. Two in fact. This piece is Doug’s riff on Barney Ross from The Expendables. Since it is one of my favorite sketches from 2012, I thought it would be fitting to go out with a bang! – Craig
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” Loved by Almost Everyone
A Charlie Brown Christmas is considered a classic. And rightly so.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the second longest-running animated Christmas special in television history. It won a Emmy and a Peabody award. The night it premiered on December 9, 1965, 50% of the viewing audience tuned in to CBS to check out Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang.
Everyone loved A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Everyone except the executives at CBS.
They hated it. Let me rephrase that. They hated everything about it. They didn’t like the kids’ voices. They didn’t like that there was no laugh track. They didn’t like the jazz score. They didn’t like Linus’ speech at the end about the true meaning of Christmas.
About the only thing that they did like is the fact after they aired A Charlie Brown Christmas, they weren’t obligated to order any more Charlie Brown specials.
Check out this post at Neatorama by Eddie Deezen and you’ll see how everything the CBS execs hated, helped to give A Charlie Brown Christmas it’s charm.
Of course, after the ratings, positive reviews and awards started rolling in, the execs at CBS probably started to like A Charlie Brown Christmas just a little bit more… as evidenced by the more than 30 animated Charlie Brown specials that have been produced over the years.
Jon Riggle is Expendable, Too
Jon Riggle is back with his take on Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables 2. To check out more of Jon’s art, head on over here. – Craig
Wolverine: Regular, Biggie-Size & Motiontastic
Hey! Do you like this international poster for Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman and directed by James [Cop Land] Mangold?
“Bullet to the Head” Poster
Can’t wait until February 1st! – Craig
Mike Henderson Gets Carter
This week we have Mike Henderson and his take on Sly as Jack Carter. Mike is a freelance artist who has worked for DC, IDW, Marvel, and Nike to name just a few. I saw Mike would be a guest at Heroes Con and really liked his art [especially a Conan piece that he drew following Frank Frazetta’s death].
I met Mike at Heroes and set up a commission for the Jack Carter sketch posted today. My son, [also named] Mike, was with me at Heroes and knew how much I liked the Conan piece. Heroes was in June. In October, my son gave me a birthday gift — yep, the Conan piece by Mike Henderson!
