Category: Comics

Steve Niles is Quite a Writer

Posted on by

Steve Niles is quite a writer.

I guess he should be though since he’s been making a living at it for about fifteen years. What? You haven’t heard of him? Sure you have! I wrote a ZONE piece on Steve way back on January 4th, after I read his novel, Guns, Drugs and Monsters.

I was so impressed with Guns, Drugs and Monsters that I immediately bought Savage Membrane, the first Cal McDonald novel. It was just as good! There are more Cal McDonald novels in the works, as well as a series from Dark Horse Comics.

Steve is also the author of 30 Days of Night, a vampire graphic novel that Ben Templesmith illustrated. It has just gone into it’s third printing, and was optioned [for a cool million bucks] by Sam Raimi‘s production company! Plus Steve get’s to write the screenplay!

You might think that all of this has gone to Steve‘s head. You’d be wrong. I got to meet Steve at MegaCon and he was very kind, gracious, and appreciative of his fans. Read this interview with Steve, check out his website [tell him I sent ya!] and then order his books. You’ll be glad you did because…

Steve Niles is quite a writer.

X-Men 2 Trailer

Posted on by
I’ve been a fan of the X-Men for a long time… since the glory days of the  Claremont, Byrne and Austin!  If you have to ask who they are, then it means you either not a comic book fan, or the 1980’s were just too long ago to matter.

At any rate, I found the first X-Men movie pretty well done. It wasn’t an all-time favorite and it’s not in my collection, but I did enjoy it on dvd.

Soon the sequel will be hitting the theaters, and the new trailer makes it look even better. So good, in fact, that I may have to catch it in a theater… as any long-time X-Men fan should!

Snake is Everywhere

Posted on by
Snake Plissken. Cool name. Cool character.

If you don’t know who he is [or you thought he was dead… sorry but I couldn’t resist], then check out “Escape from New York,” starring KURT RUSSELL and written/directed by JOHN CARPENTER.

Don’t buy the dvd — even though you’ll find it for less than ten bucks! Why, you ask? Because “Escape” will soon come out in a new edition with a lot of extras. See Snake Plissken is going to be showing up in a bunch of different places. New comics, video games and anime are gearing up all featuring Snake.

And how cool is that?

Art of the Raytrix

Posted on by
If you’re a regular ZZ reader, then you know how much I enjoy the artwork of Bill Marimon. I like Bill‘s work enough to create a web presence for him. Have you checked it out yet? If not you should.

Perhaps if you take a peek at the thumbnail to Bill‘s latest painting you’ll see what I mean about his art. If you can’t see it, then maybe it’s time for an eye exam.

Nolan Excited About Batman

Posted on by

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN [“Momento” “Insomnia”] has signed on to helm the next Batman movie. NOLAN was quoted as saying, “I grew up with Batman, I’ve been fascinated by him and I’m excited to contribute to the lore surrounding the character. He is the most credible and realistic of the superheroes and has the most complex human psychology. His superhero qualities come from within. He’s not a magical character.”

FRANK MILLER [writer/artist for the two classic Batman series: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns] is said to be working on a script. NOLAN directing from a script by MILLER would be a fan’s dream… at least this fan’s.

Meet Bill Marimon

Posted on by
Bill Marimon is one of the nicest guys that you’d ever meet. Bill‘s worked for AC, DC [not the band], and Marvel. He’s now available for commissions. [His art is great and his prices are reasonable — can you think of a better combo?]

I’ve put together a site to showcase some of Bill‘s work. Check it out!

FX

Posted on by
Can you imagine a party where the guests of honor included LINDA BLAIR, Insane Clown Posse, JIMMY “The Mouth of the South” Hart, JOHN BEATTY and other celebs in addition to THOUSANDS of fans? The FX show in Orlando was THAT party!

Over the years I’ve been to many conventions and the FX show was the biggest to be able to retain the feeling of a small show. FX was obviously well planned and had something for everyone. The Orlando Convention Center is huge but this worked to the advantage of the show. Dozens and dozens of dealers were located throughout the hall. Collect toys? Every kind from board games to action figures were available. Looking for original art? Not only were several artists on hand, but at least three comic companies also set up booths. Want to see the car from “Knightrider?” It was there. Maybe you want to meet and get autographs from celebrities. Remember the guest list? They were all there and signing.

If you’re getting the idea that I liked the FX show you’d be wrong. I loved it and am looking forward to the next show. If it sounds like something that you’d like then maybe then maybe we’ll see you there.

The Art of Sin City

Posted on by
FRANK MILLER is a genius. Although he’s worked in both movies and comics, it is in the latter that he has really made his mark. In the early ’80s, MILLER re-invented Daredevil taking him from a thrid rate hero to one of the most popular comics hitting the stands. After Daredevil came Ronin, and then Dark Knight Returns, the series that woke up mainstream America to the fact that comics were still around. MILLER went on to create Batman: Year One, Sin City and the groundbreaking 300.

But it is MILLER’s SIN CITY series that remains my favorite. All of the stories are set in the same corrupt big city and quite often feature overlapping characters. Every tale is well worth the price of admission and now MILLER even has released a book dedicated to The Art of Sin City. My copy hasn’t made it to the bookshelf yet, as I keep looking through and admiring the genius that is FRANK MILLER.

Rucka & Robertson on Wolverine

Posted on by
GREG RUCKA is one of my favorite writers. Best known for his Atticus Kodiac novels, RUCKA has also written quite a few comics [including the very popular “White Out” series].

It has been announced that RUCKA is going to be the writer when Marvel unleashes a new Wolverine series next May. DARRICK ROBERTSON is going to provide the artwork and has this to say about RUCKA’s take on Logan: “You will be getting a very, very different Wolverine… I think some fans aren’t going to like it all. Greg sees Logan like the Hulk in that he shouldn’t just go berserk all the time, but when he does, it’s a big deal and there will be so much building up to his explosion, that we he does cut loose, it will be momentous.”

The series seems to have a lot of potential. I know that I will be watching for the first issue.

FX is Coming

Posted on by
This weekend JOHN “Big” BEATTY and I will be attending the FX Collector’s Toy, Comic and Fantasy Convention at Orlando’s Orange County Convention center. As if this weren’t reason enough to go, other guests scheduled to appear include LINDA [“The Exorcist”] BLAIR, DOUG [“Hellraiser”] BRADLEY, The Insane Clown Posse, and a whole bunch of comic book artists such as MARTIN NODELL, ALEX SAVIUK, and BILL BLACK.
JOHN will be selling some of his newly designed T-Shirts and doing some sketches while I will be checking out the place with my son and helping with the booth if it gets crazy. If you’re planning to attend, please make sure that you drop by and say, “Hi.”

Big Beatty

Posted on by
JOHN BEATTY has been my best friend forever. So I’m really happy to say that he’s starting to kick his personal web site into high gear. It’s going to be a blast. Many of you probably know of JOHN through his work for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, etc.

JOHN is still doing some work in comics [he’s currently inking Birds of Prey over CASEY JONES] but is also expanding into T-Shirt Design and more. The business “stuff” will be available online at Big Shot Graphics and the fun stuff will be on his personal site and I can promise you that it’s going to be a hoot. Be advised the humor and language will sometimes not be for kids.

Dick Giordano, “Demolition Man” and More Breasts!

Posted on by

There’s an old saying, “Be careful what you ask for… because you just might get it.” Dick Giordano tells a great story that illustrates that point.

Mr. Giordano is one of comics’ legends. In addition to inking all of the best artists of the last 50 years, Dick Giordano was the head of DC Comics, worked with Neal Adams at Continuity Studios and currently co-owns Future Comics (with Bob Layton).

Now to Dick Giordano’s story of be careful what you ask for. Mr. Giordano had the assignment of pencilling a cover that featured a sexy female super-hero. He turned in art for final approval and received a note from the editor who shall remain nameless [ *cough* Jim Shooter *cough*]. The note said, “Make her breasts bigger.”

Mr. Giordano thought the breasts were already large, but he shook his head and re-drew the breasts larger.

He sent the artwork back to the editor.  Once again the page was sent back to Mr. Giordano. This time the note simply stated: “MORE BREASTS.”

Dick didn’t want to disappoint the editor. He sat back down, drew a third breast on the character and sent the page back. Needless to say, it wasn’t returned again.

Mr. Giordano shared this story to a group of us as I was getting him to sign my Demolition Man mini-series.

  • Updated 5/13/23

Not My Rawhide Kid

Posted on by

One of the comics I enjoyed as a youngster was The Rawhide Kid. The Rawhide Kid was young and quick with a gun. He was thought to be an outlaw. He wasn’t.  The Kid traveled from town to town, stayed long enough to right a wrong and then moved on. He never drew his gun first, was shy and even drank milk. The Rawhide Kid had a real cool “costume” that was easily recognizable. Sure, he sounds like a cliché, but don’t most kids’ comics when you break them down into essentials? At any rate, The Rawhide Kid was a great role model for a young ‘un like myself.

When the western craze died out, so did The Rawhide Kid.

Now he’s returning in a new mini-series called “Slap Leather.” I can’t recommend it though. See, Marvel has decided to make The Rawhide Kid gay… not that there is anything wrong with being gay. My problem with the series is:
1) They’re approaching it as a joke. You know, NOW we know why he was shy and moved from town to town * wink* *wink*…
2) If they wanted to create a gay cowboy, why not create a new character instead of one that has been around for nearly 50 years?

And consider this… if the argument is that it will give a role model to young gay kids… how is it going to make the kids feel when they realize that the “hero” is being treated as the punchline?

Da Goon

Posted on by

Eric Powell writes and draws “The Goon” which is published by Albatross Exploding Funny Books. The Goon combines horror, sci-fi, humor, zombies, ufos, humor, gangsters, humor, werewolves… well, let’s just say anything that Eric wants to write or draw about would work in the series. And did I mention that it’s fun and funny?

Right now the second issue of the second series is out. But don’t worry, you can still get all of the back issues and a trade edition is coming in January. I’ll be getting it, even though I already have the issues off the stands. That should tell you just how much I enjoy Eric‘s work. I’ll bet you would too.

So check out his site, and tell him I sent ya! [If ya don’t expect a visit from The Goon — and I ain’t talking about Big Beatty or myself!!]