Category: Comics

Ken Meyer, Jr. Takes Us into the Realm!

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Ken Meyer, Jr. presents a monthly column called Ink Stains. In the column Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts a fanzine from his collection.  Here’s Ken…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

In Ink Stains 103, Ken shares with us Realm #5 which features an interview with Ray Bradbury, a Berni Wrightson checklist, a story by Jan Strand, art by Michael Kaluta, Vaughn Bode, Darrell Anderson, Dan Adkins, Alan Weiss, Carl Barks, Roy Krenkel, Barry Smith, Frank Frazetta, Richard Corben, Gil Kane, Bill Black (whose art is posted above) and many others.

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Ken Meyer, Jr. and More!

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If you’re a fan of fanzines, then you’ve got to check out Ken Meyer, Jr.’s monthly column Ink Stains.  Each month Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts… well, let’s let Ken explain…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

The top piece of art is a Neal Adams pencil sketch that appeared as a front piece for the fanzine Infinity #6.  Below is an unused Howard Chaykin cover for Scorpion!  Infinity #6 also featured a Jeff Jones cover, art by Tim Connrad, Clyde Caldwell, and much more. (Ink Stains #101).

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

The October Faction by Steve Niles and Damien Worm

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The October Faction by Steve (30 Days of Night) Niles and artist, Damien Worm is soon to be a series on Netflix. 

Before it was a tv series it was a comic series…

Meet the Allan family in this tale about the typical challenges that a very atypical family encounters while fending off the attacks of vampires, werewolves, demons, and more.

From Steve Niles, the co-creator of 30 Days of Night, and artist Damien Worm comes a series about retired monster hunter Fredrick, his wife Deloris, and their two children Geoff and Vivian.

As Fredrick works to put his monster hunting days behind him, his two kids insist on joining the family business. But ghosts from the past refuse to stay dead and conspiring forces lurk in the shadows all leading to a massive showdown with foes supernatural and natural alike!

The October Faction: Open Season collects the first 12 issues of the comic book series and is available for pre-order now.

Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories

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I’m really enjoying the Dark Side of the Ring series airing on Viceland.  Three episodes in and I remain impressed.  The series interviews the wrestlers, referees and behind-the-scenes folks that were actually involved in the events that each episode covers.  If you have any interest in the business of old school professional wrestling, then The Dark Side of the Ring is worth checking out.

If you’ve read this far, you also might be interested in Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories.  Written by Cornette with an assist from Brandon Easton and art by Denis Medri,  Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories is…

A true-story style anthology, these insider tales will show the lengths that wrestlers went to uphold “kayfabe” (the old carny term for the presentation of legitimate conflict) as well as the noteworthy cultural, racial, and economic effects these events and characters had on society. This is the graphic novel that old school wrestling fans have been waiting their entire lives for: a no-holds-barred representation of the moments that wrestling insiders couldn’t talk about for years.

Featuring appearances by Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Andy Kaufman, Sputnik Monroe, The Sheik, Junkyard Dog, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Midnight Express, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.

Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories present three chapters of tales, personally curated by Cornette and adapted by Brandon Easton (M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and Denis Medri (Red Hood/Arsenal), the award-winning team behind Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.

Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories drops on August 6, 2019 and is available for pre-order now.

 

John Wick, Volume 1 is Available for Pre-Order Now

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John Wick fans will probably want to add this hardcover collection prequel to their libraries.  Written by Greg Pak with art by Giovanni Valletta, John Wick Volume 1‘s synopsis follows…

When a young John Wick embarks upon an epic vendetta, he comes up against a strange, powerful community of assassins and must learn how to master the rules that guide their lethal business. What are the Three Bills? Who is Calamity? And why is John Wick seeking vengeance?

John Wick, Volume 1 is a hard cover that is available for pre-order now and ships May 7th.

Curly Kayoe vs Phil Zablo and the Mystery Behind the Story!

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The cover above is from Curly Kayoe #2 published by United Feature Syndicate in 1946.  Sam Neff wrote the issue, with art by his brother Mo Neff (who also drew another boxing comic, Joe Palooka).  What makes this issue especially interesting to me is that the fighter Curly is facing in the issue is Phil Zablo.

ZABLO!

It seems reasonable to me that one of the Neff brothers must have known a person with the last name Zablo and liked him well enough to feature him in the comic.  Phil Zablo is mentioned on the cover and then appears in the first half of issue two.  You can see the pages here (click on each page to see a larger version)…

My grandmother told me years ago that we had a boxer in the family.  If memory serves me correctly it was a relative named Pete (maybe it was Phil?) who went by the nickname Babe.  My Dad has no recollection of either.

I’d love to know the story of how Phil Zablo was chosen to appear in Curly Kayoe #2, his relation to the Neff’s and me.  Maybe someone reading this will have a lead.

If you’d like to read the rest of Curly Kayoe #2 you can at ComicBook+.com.  Thanks also to Jerry’s House of Everything where I first read about Curly Kayoe vs Phil Zablo.

Hoyt Silva and Trey Walker: A Last Stop Interview

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Last Stop by Trey Walker and Hoyt Silva is a Kickstarter that’s running now.  Here’s the premise…

Time is ticking for the World’s last superhero. Disillusioned, Lincoln Adams (AKA Unstoppable) must make peace with the changing world around him—can there truly be a place for him in a world without Supers? After learning of his terminal disease, Lincoln sees an easy way out; however, the re-emergence of an old Arch-Nemesis, and a new shadowy masked figure, turn Lincoln’s plans of an easy passing on their head. Can Lincoln stop this new threat before the disease stops him?

Here’s a recent interview about the series: The World’s Last Superhero: In Conversation With Last Stop Creators Trey Walker & Hoyt Silva.

If this sounds like something you’d like, you should check out the Last Stop Kickstarter.   I’m on board.  I hope you’ll consider joining me.

The Vampire State Building Preview is Available Now

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Charlie Adlard, artist best known for his work on The Walking Dead has a new horror project coming out.  The Vampire State Building written by Ange, Patrick Renault and Sébastien Gérard.  Here’s the synopsis…

A young soldier about to be sent to war, Terry Fisher meets his friends at the top of the Empire State Building for a farewell party. Only for a legion of vampires to attack the skyscraper and massacre its occupants. Hounded in the 102 floors that have become a deadly trap, before the army of abominations spills into the city, they will face U’tluntla, the terrible Vampire God, walled in the building since its construction.

If The Vampire State Building sounds like something you’d like, check out the preview at Bleeding Cool.

Englehart & Rogers’ Unpublished Dark Detective III

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Pete Doree scored a major coup for comic fans.  At his The Bronze Age of Blogs, Pete has posted the story behind as well as pages from (and a link to the completed pencils for the first issue of) Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers’ Unpublished Dark Detective III!

For many, the Batman stories by Englehart, Rogers and Austin were their absolute favorite Batman stories.  To not only learn that another was in the works and to get to see the penciled pages?  Man, that is priceless.

Thanks to Steve Englehart for making it happen and for Pete Doree for helping to spread the word.

The Art of Eric Powell is Coming!

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Eric Powell, best known as creator of The Goon has an art book coming out on October 23rd.

Eric Powell is perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed series THE GOON. The premise of this art book is quite hilarious and has a definite tongue in cheek vibe. This is what Powell said about his new art book: “Ten years ago I thought to myself, ‘I’m a multiple award-winning artist who has been at this for a while. It’s probably time to put out an art book.’ … And here we are. On the verge of the publication of a biography about a backwoods idiot who taught himself how to draw pictures for money.”

THE ART (AND MANY OTHER MISTAKES) OF ERIC POWELL will definitely have a spot in my library!

CZ Suggests: Frank Miller Presents Tales from Sin City

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Check out Bill Sienkiewicz‘s Sin City art!  I sure wish Frank Miller would create more Sin City yarns.

If he doesn’t have time to write and draw ’em, he could write and turn the art chores over to another artist.  Or, maybe have guest artists and writers.  How cool would that be?

I get that Sin City is Miller’s baby but, man, the thought of a Frank Miller Presents Tales from Sin City featuring Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips, Dan Panosian, Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso, Mike Zeck & John Beatty, Phill Hester… well, you get the idea.

C’mon, Mr. Miller!  What do you think?

Rob Schamberger Wrestled with How to Make a Career in Art

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Robert Schamberger wanted to be a comic book artist but wasn’t setting the world on fire.  So he decided to branch out into other types of art — especially painting.  Despite making gallery sales, he still hadn’t found his niche.

After some thought Schamberger decided to combine his love of art with his love of professional wrestling.  He started doing paintings of professional wrestlers.  A successful Kickstarter followed.  Then within a year, the WWE contacted Schamberger and brought him on board as their resident artist.  Schamberger’s story is an inspiring one in that he worked to figure out how to make his love of art become his career.

Source: Syfy.

Tom Reilly and The Boxer!

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I’d never seen Tom Reilly’s art until last week when I learned…

Tom Reilly is an artist from Mount Desert Island, Maine. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, with a BFA in Illustration. Tom’s work has been included in exhibits such as the Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Exhibition, the Rhode Island School of Design Illustration Triennial Exhibition, and the 2017 MoCCA Arts Festival. Tom is also an Eagle Scout, and his dad keeps telling him to let people know this, because it might get him a job one day.

I really liked the art Tom had created for what looked to be a series called The Boxer.  I reached out to find out where I could purchase the comic/graphic novel only to learn there wasn’t one. (There should be!)

If so inclined, you can check out more of Tom’s art and follow him on Twitter.