Batteries to Power…
If I was a rich man, this would be my ride.
Category: Comics
Pics from the Drink & Draw Launch Party
Remember when I first told you about the Drink and Draw Social Club? Then I told you about the launch party for their cool art book The Drink and Draw Social Club Vol. 1.
Now you can check out some cool pics from the launch party posted by LeSean Thomas and Dan Panosian.
Don’t Walk, Start Ronin
It’s time for our hourly “300” update…
Newsarama is reporting that “300” producer Gianni Nunnari, was asked about other comic projects is working on and he responded by saying Frank Miller’s Ronin!
Ronin was a six issue miniseries published by DC after Frank’s initial run on Daredevil. It’s the story of a young Ronin in feudal Japan who seeks to avenge his master who was killed by a demon.
If the story pans out and the producer can get a director with the same passion that Zack Snyder has shown in translating “300” to the big screen, we could be in for another great ride. To check out “Ronin” click HERE.
FX, Day 2
FX, Day 2, got off to a much better start. I was able to breeze right in. John Higashi was already there and we met at Jason Palmer’s table. Then it was over to Matt Wagner. Matt said that he had finished my Jack Carter sketch, but wasn’t happy with it and wanted to re-do it. I told him that I didn’t want him to have to do double work, but he said it was no problem.
John and I decided to walk artists’ alley. We visited with Andrew Robinson, Mike Perkins [I set up a Judge Dredd Stallone sketch], Gene Ha, Whilce Portacio, Billy Tucci, Andy Smith, and others.
I swung by Miguel’s booth where I met up with some Stallone fans that were familiar with my site. Miguel and I talked about the Rocky Balboa card sets that he’s putting together. Stallone / Rocky fans are going to love them.
I saw that Matt Wagner was getting ready to have Q & A session and headed over. The 45 minutes flew by as Matt talked about his career in comics. It was interesting to learn that Matt postponed doing Mage when he learned that DC was doing a take on King Arthur with Camelot 3000. Then after seeing what they had done, Matt decided that Mage would still be a new spin on the legend… and the rest is history. It’s hard to believe that Matt has been in comics for 25 years. It’s cool to see how his style has changed and he has matured as an artist. It’ll be interesting to see where the next 25 years takes him.
After the Matt Wagner panel, I swung by Steve Niles’ table to get a couple of books autographed. Steve said that the “30 Days of Night” movie is going to make a lot of fans happy. Of course, I can’t wait to see it! Then I made my way to Mike Higgins’ table to pick up my Stallone Judge Dredd sketch.
Joe Pekar and I shot the breeze over a couple of Cokes. Joe’s a guy to keep an eye on! I hope to get a Stallone piece from him at some point.
Higashi and I met up again. We stopped by to talk to Andy Smith, Gene Ha, Bill Tucci and others. Although Bill is best known for his creation Shi and drawing the female form, he showed us a cool Sgt. Rock piece that he created for a proposed series. We stopped in for a visit for Dave Johnson and then back over to Matt Wagner’s table. Matt had started the second attempt on the Jack Carter sketch, but wasn’t happy with it and decided to take a third stab at it. Higashi agreed to pick up the piece for me since I wasn’t coming back on Sunday.
Then it was over to Miguel’s booth again to touch base. The “Rocky Balboa” card set will be out in March featuring 72 cards from the movie. Originally, the card set was going to cover all of the Rocky movies, but after seeing how well received “Rocky Balboa” was, Miguel worked out a deal for two separate card sets. The second set, out later this year will cover all five Rocky movies. Each will be sold as complete sets in custom binders. I’ve seen mock-ups of some of the cards and the binders. Stallone / Rocky fans are going to love them! I’ll premiere the items and post updates on the SZ as they become available.
FX 2007 was a worthy show. It had something for everyone. If they can get back artists like Dave Johnson and Matt Wagner, I’ll return next year. And who knows, maybe by then they’ll have the opening day kinks worked out.
FX Day [A Long Day] One
FX 2007 billed itself as “the coolest show on Earth.” After looking at their guest list which included comic superstars: Matt Wagner, Dave Johnson, Michael Golden; film and tv celebs such as Michael Biehn, Lance Henrikson, and many others, I decided to check out the show for myself.
Unfortunately the convention got off to a shaky start. None of the con workers seemed to know their roles. The lines for “will call” tickets as well as the “day of show” tickets were backed up and it was long past the early opening time before things got rolling. I had purchased an advance three day ticket knowing that the odds of me attending on Sunday were slim, but because advance ticket holders were allowed into the show an hour early, I figured that the extra cost was worth it since I really wanted a sketch from Dave Johnson. Unfortunately advance ticket holders did not get in an hour early, nor did they get the promised “goodie bag” [which didn’t bother me]. To slow things even more, all advance ticket holders had to wait while a con employee stuck a temporary tattoo on them so that they could gain admission the following days. Sheesh!
When I got into the show I made a beeline for Dave Johnson’s table. I already had one sketch by The Potentate in my collection, [a cool Rocky Balboa] and was hopeful that I’d get another to compliment it. Reverend Dave arrived about 15 minutes later and seemed surprised that he had people waiting. I spoke to Dave about my admiration for his work and he was genuinely humble. As he looked at my Stallone sketches, he commented about ones that he particularly liked. I think it’s always cool to hear artists talking about their craft and other artists that they admire. We agreed on the price and Dave said that he’d do me a nice Jack Carter.
My next stop was Matt Wagner’s table. Matt, like Dave Johnson, is one of my favorite comic creators. I’ve followed Matt’s work since his Comico days. Mage remains one of my all-time favorite graphic stories. I knew that Matt’s sketches were out of my price range, but I still wanted to meet the legend. Matt was as down-to-earth as Dave Johnson. We talked for a bit while I was looking at his pre-done con sketches. They were all sweet. Of course there weren’t any of Stallone. ; ) During the course of our conversation though, Matt agreed to do a smaller Jack Carter sketch that would work with my budget.
Getting a sketch from both Dave Johnson and Matt Wagner made my show. I wouldn’t be looking for more sketches despite the fact that it was a slow day for the artists. Still, I did make my way around the show to visit with Miguel at his Rocky Balboa booth, Andrew Robinson, Joe Pekar, Andy Smith, and the guys at Cadre’s Corner. In fact while I was talking to Cadre another guy came up and had a couple of pictures taken with some of the crew. As the guy was telling them how much he enjoyed their work, I realized that it was William “The Greatest American Hero” Katt! He must have noticed me looking at him because he reached out to shake hands and say, “Hi.” Surreal.
I decided to walk around the tv and movie celebrity section. It was cool seeing Michael “Terminator” “Aliens” Biehn and Lance “Aliens” “Near Dark” Henrikson. They had huge lines of fans waiting to get their autographs. I’ve always liked Michael Biehn and look forward to his role in Tarantino and Rodriguez’s “Grindhouse” this summer. A couple of the stars of the hit series “Heroes” were there, but since I don’t follow the show, I can’t tell you about them. I also Peter “Mission Impossible” Graves, King Kong Bundy [not as big as I thought he’d be], Ron “Serenity” Glass and a few others.
John Higashi showed up and we hung out for a bit. It’s really hard to keep pace with Higashi when he is in full-con mode. He was like a shark in fish-infested waters as he made his way from artist to artist, setting up commissions, buying sketchbooks and laying the groundwork for later art deals.
Dave Johnson finished my Jack Carter piece. It was a knockout… absolutely perfect. Then to top it off, The Potentate presented me with an autographed copy of his latest sketchbook as a bonus! [Later that evening, as I was looking at my sketchbook, I was surprised to find that my Rocky sketch was in it! Too cool.] It was a great ending to a fun day.
Drink and Draw Launch Party
Remember when I told you about the Drink and Draw Social Club?
Ok. Do you remember when I told you about their cool art book [The Drink and Draw Social Club Vol. 1]?
Well, you won’t want to forget this… especially if you’re able to attend. [And if you do make it, be sure and tell Reverand Dave that the I sent ya!] Anyway, the Drink and Draw Social Club is having a launch party for their new book on February 10th from 6pm until closing at the Meltdown.Drink and Draw Social Club founders Dave Johnson, Dan Panosian and Jeff Johnson will be joined by LeSean Thomas, Josh Middleton, Felipe Smith, Jim Mahfood, Tragnark, Michael Avon Oeming, Kat Von D and many others.
If you can’t attend, you can still get a copy of The Drink and Draw Social Club Vol. 1 by clicking on the link. And if you do go, be sure and get some photos!
Big Beatty Reveals All…
My buddy, “Big” John Beatty is back, baby!
He’s started up his blog again, and if you check it out you’ll learn:
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- why John is flying half-way around the world
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- about a comic book signing that John is doing
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- how he got the name “Big Beatty”
- why he’s no longer than man behind “Big Beatty.com”
Who knows what other vital info you’ll learn just by clicking HERE.
Heroes Helped by Heroes
It’s sad to say that many older comic book writers and artists end up financially strapped in their “golden years.” An organization called Heroes Initiative works to “provide a financial safety net for yesterdays creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life and an avenue back into paying work.”
One of their recent efforts involved recruiting over 80 comic book artists [and even a writer or two] to draw a custom sketch on the blank cover of a specially produced issue of Ultimate Spider-Man #100.
Drink and Draw
Artists, for the most part, live solitary lives. They usually work alone, spending long hours at the drawing board. In an effort to combat this isolation, Dave Johnson, Jeff Johnson and Dan Panosian formed the Drink & Draw Social Club. Once a week these talented artists would get together to eat, drink, draw and socialize. The idea was such a great one that more and more artists began to join in.
Soon talents like Andy MacDonald, Josh Middleton, Jim Mahfood, Lesean Thomas, Kat Von D and others began to swing by for some drawin’ and jawin’.The idea was such a natural that similar groups began to spring up around the country. Heck, even “Big” John Beatty started his “Sketch Society” last year wrapped around the same concept.Can you imagine how cool it would be to hang out in a relaxed atmosphere with these talented artists as they drew stuff that THEY wanted to see? Well, you might not be able to hang out with these talented cats, but you can see some of the cool art that their Drink and Draw sessions produced! The Drink and Draw Social Club Volume 1 is now available. Featuring over 100 pages chock full of art,! My order is in!
Raise the Dead
Raise the Dead is a new comic book that I think will appeal to most ZONErs. The story follows a “disparate group of seven people forced to cooperate with each other in order to survive” a zombie infestation. Yeah, not an original idea, but one that works. I know how much we all enjoy “The Walking Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “World War Z,” “28 days later” –
– Hey! How did that last one get in there? It’s not technically a zombie story??
– Yeah, but that’s not the point. The point is that we enjoyed all of those “zombie” stories and we ought to give Raise the Dead a chance. So check out the preview HERE and let me know what you think. I’ll bet Chad likes it!
FX or Bust
In just a little over two weeks I plan to attend the annual FX Convention in Orlando, Florida. This year the show looks to be the best ever due to the strong guest list that includes: Matt Wagner, Steve Niles, Michael Golden, Dan Brereton, Dave Johnson, Steve Niles, Whilce Portacio, Andy Smith, Phil Noto and many, many others.
The media guests include Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Ray Park, Adam Baldwin, Hayden Panettiere, and a bunch of others. I usually don’t get too excited with the movie/tv stars, but I have to admit that Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen would be pretty cool to meet.
The best part of the show for me will most likely be hanging out with friends I seldom get to see [John Higashi and James Howell to name two] and hopefully picking up a couple of new pieces for my Stallone art collection.
If you can make the show be sure and say, “hi.” I’ll be the guy in the Stallone t-shirt. [With the success of “Rocky Balboa” I may not be the only one though!]
Scalped… a Sly Recommendation
Today I’d like to recommend Scalped, a new comic series which premieres in January. It’s a crime comic set in the “world of gambling, gunfights, G-men, Dawg Soldiers, massacres, meth labs, trashy sex, fry bread, Indian pride -”
Hey! Wait a minute. Did you say Indian pride?
Yep [and thanks for asking].
Scalped comes to us from Vertigo comics [for mature readers] and is written by Jason Aaron with art by R.M. Guera. For a preview of the issue click HERE.
The first cover is by fan favorite Jock and can be seen here. Now is it me or does the face on the Native American look a bit like Sylvester Stallone from this Herb Ritts photo? Want to see them both together? What do you think?
Truth be told, it does look like Jock used a Herb Ritts’ photo of Sly for reference, but it may have even been another photo from the same session. I can’t lay my fingers on the photo, but here’s a digital painting that John Beatty did of it.
It’d be cool if Jock was a Stallone fan… but either way, I’d still recommend Scalped.
Frank Miller has the Spirit!
It’s drawings like the one above found at Lying in the Gutters [click on the link and scroll down to see the full version] that make me wish Frank Miller did more comics.
2 Guns and 4 Issues
In January writer Steven Grant is teaming with artist, Mataes Santolouco, to bring us the crime comic mini-series “Two Guns.” Grant, probably best known for his work with Mike Zeck and John Beatty on Marvel’s first Punisher mini-series and subsequent graphic novels, is joining forces with Boom Studios for this creator owned release.
Full of betrayals, gunplay and plot twists, Grant’s tagline for the series [“Imagine the perfect crime. Now get it wrong.”] hints at the fun readers should have if they pick up the series.
After reading this interview with Grant, I’ve added the series to my “pull list.” You may want to do the same!
Steve Niles & 28 Days… What a Treat!
Longtime ZONErs know that I really dug “28 Days Later.” The sequel, “28 Weeks Later” will be out next year. I can’t wait.
Now there is word of a graphic novel [written by Steve Niles!] called 28 Days Later: The Aftermath. It will serve as a bridge between the original movie and the sequel.
Want to know more… click HERE!
Oh yeah, trick or treat!!
