Category: Comics

2 Comic Conventions

Posted on by
There are two comic cons within driving distance of most folks living in the central Florida area. The first, on November 11th is the ever-popular Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention put on by Tim Gordon. You’ve heard me rave about it over the years and there’s no doubt that this one will be another good ‘un.Another buddy of mine, Steve Meyers, owner of World of Comics [where I’ve gotten my comics for the last 20+ years] is putting on a small show which will feature two big guests! Legendary comic artist Dick Giordano will be on hand along with Big John Beatty! 

Top Marvel / DC Characters (2007)

Posted on by
ComicBookResources.com posted the Top 50 Marvel and DC characters as voted on by fans. It gave me the idea to list my Top 10 Marvel and DC characters:
  1. Wolverine /Batman
  2. Daredevil / The Question
  3. The Punisher / Green Arrow
  4. Nick Fury / Mr. Miracle
  5. Luke Cage / Swamp Thing
  6. Sub-Mariner / The Joker
  7. Spider-Man / Superman
  8. Captain America / Robin
  9. Adam Warlock / Catwoman
  10. Iron Man / Darkseid
My list was chosen from the characters in the top 50… so no Shang Chi.

Collector’s Comics Con is Coming!

Posted on by
If you’re in the Port St. Lucie, Florida area on October 13th, you should come by the Collector’s Comic Con. It runs from 10am – 5pm and promises to be a fun way to spend the day. Big John Beatty, Alex Saviuk, Herb Trimpe and others will be on hand to sign autographs and sketch for fans. I’ll be there hanging out with Beatty and messing with con promoter Keith Mallow.

The show is always a lot of fun. Hope to see you there!

Superman / Doomsday

Posted on by
I got a chance to watch the Superman / Doomsday animated movie yesterday.While not on par with the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 30’s [not many cartoons are], Superman / Doomsday is an enjoyable tale brought to life by co-writer/co-director, Bruce Timm and a well chosen cast of actors including Adam Baldwin [Superman], Anne Heche [Lois Lane], James Marsters [Lex Luthor], Ray Wise [Perry White] and others.

The bonus features include behind the scenes with the voice actors, the animators, commentary tracks, as well as a sneak peak at The New Frontier [an upcoming animated feature based on Darwyn Cooke’s award-winning series — and I can’t wait to see it].

If you’re a Superman or comic book fan, my guess is that you’ll enjoy it. If you’re not a fan of either then you probably stopped reading this post long ago.

OrlandoCon Next Week!

Posted on by
Next weekend I’ll join my best bud, John Beatty, at OrlandoCon. John will be a there all weekend signing autographs and sketching. I’ll be there to hang with Big J, see some old friends and hopefully relax a bit. Who knows I may even try to get an addition to my Stallone sketch collection.

If you’re in the area, swing by and say, “Hi.”

Ole Shell Head

Posted on by
Iron Man was never really one of my favorite characters. I did read the title when David Michelinie was writing it with art by Bob Layton. They had a great run, but when they left the book so did I.

The Iron Man movie trailer hit the internet today and I’ve gotta tell ya, it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I guess I’ll have to give ole Shell Head another try.

Living with the Dead

Posted on by
While we’re on the subject of first issues of new comics as we were HERE and HERE, there’s one more that I thought I’d mention. It’s called “Living with the Dead” by Mike Richardson [writer], Ben Stenbeck [artist] and Richard Corben [covers].

It’s a “hilariously funny” look at the life of two slackers who’ve, at least until now, survived a zombie plague. When they discover a beautiful young girl across the way things get really interesting.

I’m giving it a shot since I enjoyed “Shaun of the Dead.”

XXXombies

Posted on by
Another first issue that caught my eye while going through Previews was Crawl Space: XXXombies #1 by Rick Remender, Kieron Dwyer and Tony Moore. The idea is it’s 1977 and a low rent movie producer has brought together a cast of adult film stars for a weekend shoot in LA… just as a zombie plague hits.

Mix together Remender, Dwyer, Moore and zombies and I’m there. You can be too if you give your local comic shop owner a “heads-up.”

Where’s Willie?

Posted on by
The piece above is a close-up of a fanzine cover created by Willie Blyberg back in 1978. At that time, Willie was a very prolific and talented fan artist who not only created his own fanzines, but contributed to others as well. Willie’s goal was to break into comics as a professional inker and his dream became a reality.

My favorite Willie Blyberg ink job was over Paul Gulacy on the Valkyrie: Prisoner of the Past mini-series. I must not have been the only one to enjoy it, because Paul and Willie were nominated for the 1988 Best Art Team Eisner Award. Willie inked a lot of other comics, but then I lost touch with his career.

Tonight as I was looking through my copy of Willie’s fanzine from 1978, I wondered where Willie is today. Perhaps someone reading this knows?

Digger’s Space

Posted on by
I’ve never been into the whole MySpace scene, but I definitely went to check out “Digger” McCrea’s page. It was just as cool, retro, hip and tough as I knew it would be. Christopher Mills not only provides us with Digger’s new digs but tantalizes us by saying…

“Oh – and by the way, there will be some exciting news about the future of McCrae’s criminal career coming soon….”

I can hardly wait.