Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Are you enjoying the American Vampire mini-series by writers Scott Snyder and Stephen King with art by Rafael Albuqerque?
If so (and even if you’re not), you might get a kick out of this post by Mark Doyle over at the Official Vertigo Blog. In it, Doyle takes us through the steps and changes that went in to the creation of the cover to American Vampire #3.
Newsarama recently ran a six page preview of Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Outfit. It’s the sequel to Hunter [also an adaptation of a Stark novel] and it…
…won the 2009 Diamond Gem Award for Original Graphic Novel of the Year, is nominated for a 2010 Eisner and was a New York Times bestseller.
If that doesn’t make you want to check it out, nothing will.
Robbi Rodriguez is a talented artist. He has a unique style and I love his art. This year Robbi created a digital sketchbook that you can check out for free. My guess is after looking at it, you’ll be a fan, too!
That’s a partial look at a splash page from The Expendables comic adaptation which is due to hit comic shops this Wednesday. The great news is CBR.com has a five page preview of the comic available now!
Today Joel Carroll started his new weekly web comic, Topaz. Topaz is…
… a space trucker with a heart of gold, blasting from world to world, hoping to make the galaxy a better place. But trouble seems to follow her…
If this sounds like something you’d like, then check out Topaz by Joel Carroll.
Frank Frazetta died today. He was 82. Although Mr. Frazetta had been in failing health for many years, the news of his passing is shocking. Perhaps it’s because his paintings had such strength, such life. And perhaps because Frank Frazetta’s art has always have been a part of our lives. Mr. Frazetta’s art appeared on the cover of over 150 books and comics, as well as movie posters, album covers, comic book stories, newspaper strips and more. Equally as important are the number of artists and writers who have been influenced by Frank Frazetta’s talent. Thankfully, Frank Frazetta’s art will live on to influence future generations.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Frazetta’s family, friends and fans.
How often do you get something good for free?
Well, if you’re a regular reader of Francesco Francavilla’s blog, pretty often would be the correct answer. So head on over and enjoy!
Dave Wachter and Jim Clark created a web comic, The Guns of Shadow Valley, which was recently nominated for an Eisner award. Although Jim’s name may be new to you, regular ZONE readers should know Dave’s because of my posts about the Stallone pieces he’s drawn for me.
At any rate, here’s an interview from the good folks at Fandomania with both Dave and Jim about their creation The Guns of Shadow Valley…
“Somewhere in the mysterious Shadow Valley lies a secret that could forever change the face of the frontier. To protect that secret, a posse of gunmen with special abilities must come together and defend against a tribe of ghostly warriors, an advancing army led by a deranged Colonel, and the perils of the valley itself.”
That’s the partial cover to Bullet in the Head #2 published by Dynamite. I’d actually meant to post about the series sooner, but it’s still not to late to get on board — the first issue won’t be out until June. Bullet in the Head was first published in France back in 2004. It went on to win “Best Story” at the Prix Saint-Michel comics awards. In 2009 the film rights were optioned by Warner Bros.
So, what’s Bullet in the Head about you ask? [And I’m glad you did.] Bullet in the Head is a crime noir about a pair of buddy cops, a pair of buddy hitmen, some femme fatales and a ever-increasing body count. Written by Matz, with art by Colin Wilson, the series is geared toward mature audiences.
You can read more about the series and see the first two covers here.
Patrick Thomas Parnell created today’s sketch of Rambo. I first met Patrick at MegaCon earlier this year. I don’t think I’d ever even seen his art before. Patrick was doing these really cool, tall/thin color sketches for a reasonable price. I asked him if he’d be interested in doing a Stallone piece for my collection and he chose Rambo.
If like me you’re a fan of Sean Phillips & Ed Brubaker or maybe just their cool crime series, Incognito, then you’ll be pleased to hear that the series has been optioned.
This trailer for the Jonah Hex movie is such a let down. The movie had so much potential with a cast that included Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox and a story based on the DC comic series. The “high tech” weapons, gatling guns on horseback and Jonah Hex as a gunslinging medium just don’t work.
Jonah Hex should have been a gritty western in the vein of the old Clint Eastwood classics. The sad part is that movie goers who don’t know any better will think that the stupid parts of the movie came from the comic series. Bah.
Pretty cool, huh?
I discovered this Captain American piece over at Bleeding Cool in a post called Put a Comic Icon on Your Wall. As Rich Johnston says, they’re “incredibly stylish” and “completely unlicensed” which means they may not be around for long.
What with all the talk lately about James Brolin playing Jonah Hex in the up-coming movie and Darwyn Cooke providing the cover to Jonah Hex 56, I’ve been thinking about my favorite artists who’ve drawn the deformed gunslinger.
This is Howard Chaykin’s prelim for the cover of Jonah Hex #4 which was cover-dated February 2006. It’s interesting to note that this appears to be an older Jonah Hex than we normally see and the powerlines in the background would indicate that the story takes place later in Hex’s life. Chaykin said that…
“My inspiration for the image – and this is based on memory, as opposed to actually looking at the artwork in question – was a cover for a MAX BRAND paperback by an illustrator named Roy Andersen – who did a beautiful series of covers for Warner books back in the seventies or eighties…”
The artwork appeared in Rough Stuff magazine #4 and can be found in back issue bins in most comic shops.
The piece above by Darwyn Cooke accompanies the write-up for Jonah Hex #56 in the latest issue of Previews. Although Cooke is only providing the cover [Phil Winslade and others illustrate the tale by Justin Gray and jimmy Palmiotti], it may be worth the price of admission.
