Category: Comics

Joshua Greathouse Gets Carter!

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This amazing watercolor was created by Joshua Greathouse. When I saw that Greathouse was taking pre-show commissions for HeroesCon, I contacted him about a Get Carter piece.  Man, did he nail it!

The funny thing is, when I picked up the art, Greathouse told me it was the second piece he’d ever done for me.  I was sure it was the first.  Greathouse went on to say he’d done a Rocky sketch for me at another show several years ago.  That night I checked my online posted art and there was nothing by Greathouse.  Of course I have many pieces that have not been scanned and posted yet.  When I returned home I found the piece Greathouse was talking about.  You won’t believe his growth as an artist.  I’ll post the Rocky piece soon.

In the meantime, if you’re a sketch collector, check out Greathouse on the web.  You can find him here and here.

Breakfast to Honor Jim Ivey!

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What a fun morning!  About every six months I try to pull together a group of folks to get with our buddy Jim Ivey for a marathon breakfast session.  This time we belatedly celebrated Jim’s 92nd birthday!  That’s Jim Ivey to the far right, me, Mike Sikes, Bill Black, John Beatty, Cliff Weikal and Jim (missed his last name). Taking the photo was Steven Martinez.

Jim Ivey is one of my oldest [as in been a friend the longest], oldest [as in age] and dearest friends. I first met Jim in the mid 1970’s when he was running The Cartoon Museum in Orlando, Florida. At the same time Jim was working as a syndicated cartoonist [The Thoughts of Man], a political cartoonist [The Orlando Sentinel], a publisher [CartooNews], teacher [UCF cartooning class] and even a comic book convention organizer [OrlandoCon]. I was just graduating high school and into collecting comic books and later original art. Jim’s shop was like heaven.

Going to The Cartoon Museum became a weekly trip [almost always accompanied by my best friend, John Beatty]. When I moved to Orlando to attend UCF, my trips to Jim’s Cartoon Museum became even more frequent. We’d spend the day shooting the breeze and playing cards [blackjack, gin, hearts, poker] and would occasionally stop for lunch or Jim to make a sale. Jim hated it when business got in the way of fun!

You never knew who would come through the store. Sometimes it was other buddies like Bill Black [pictured in the photo above with Jim and I], Mike Kott, Rafael Kayanan, or Robert Smith. Sometimes it was established artists like Mike Zeck, Bob McLeod, Bruce Stark or so many others.

As the years have gone by and we’ve all gone in different directions.  Many of us correspond via e-mail, but Jim doesn’t mess with computers. So it’s snail mail correspondence for us. I love getting my letters from Jim. Just like when we’d go to his shop and you’d never know what would be waiting; it’s the same experience opening an envelope from Jim.

Getting back to today’s breakfast…

John Beatty, Cliff and I went in on stogies for Jim — got him some really nice cigars individually rolled ones from a specialty shop.  Other gifts included a nice Prince Valiant book, a Bill Black movie, a homemade carrot cake and more.  Jim was truly touched that so many old friends made the trip to honor him.  Old stories followed faster that our ice tea refills.  It was a wonderful time for all.  My guess is that our next get-together will be more of the same.  How could it not be when old friends make a point to re-connect?

“John Wick” Coming to Dynamite Comics!

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Fans of the John Wick movies may want to check out the new comic series coming from Dynamite Comics.  Written by Greg Pak with art by Giovanni Valletta, the series will delve into John Wick’s world and even feature stories about his origin adding to the John Wick mythos.

(On a side note, I’ve commissioned Valletta for a Jack Carter & John Wick sketch! And if John Wick’s father ever makes a movie appearance he should be played by Sylvester Stallone.)

Souce: SlashFilm.

Matt Wagner and Mage: The Hero Denied

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Matt Wagner has announced that Mage: The Hero Denied, the conclusion to his Mage trilogy will be a 15 issue series coming from Image later this year. Wagner describes Mage as…

… the archetypical Hero’s Journey told as a modern, urban fantasy. Our unlikely protagonist, Kevin Matchstick, is a cynical everyman until he encounters a ragged and beguiling street wizard named Mirth who soon reveals that Kevin is heir to a heroic destiny that he had never imagined. Along the course of his adventures, Kevin gathers a posse of comrades who all aid in his struggle to defeat the dark magic of the villainous Umbra Sprite. At the end of the first volume, The Hero Discovered, Kevin accepts his role and finds himself the wielder of an ancient and mythical power. In the second volume of the Mage trilogy, The Hero Defined, Kevin finds himself paired with a whole new posse of companions, all reborn heroes based on the mythic cycles from a variety of cultures. As they track down and battle supernatural threats together, Kevin is pursued by a befuddled vagrant, Wally Ut, who claims to embody the next stage of Matchstick’s mystical mentorship — his second Mage. Eventually, Kevin’s own arrogance and stubbornness leads to devastating consequences that threaten to undermine his entire struggle against the forces of darkness. The new series, The Hero Denied, is the third and final part of the trilogy. The storyline takes up, as I said, about ten years after the conclusion of the previous series and finds Kevin at a very different place in both his personal life and his role as the reborn Pendragon. The Hero Denied #0 kicks things off in July and is a half-sized issue that features the third “Interlude,” a motif I’ve traditionally used to bridge the gap between the various Books of the trilogy. It’s a great jumping-on spot for new readers and an exciting fresh return to the world of MAGE for longtime fans.

If you’re so inclined you can read a short interview with Wagner and see Mage: The Hero Denied preview pages at Previewworld.

Adam West – R.I.P.

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Adam West passed away last night after short battle with leukemia surrounded by his family.

West, known as tv’s Batman, is (along with Leonard Nimoy as Spock) perhaps the best example of the danger of typecasting.  Chosen to play the Caped Crusader for television, West shot to such fame that he had trouble finding new leading roles when Batman ended.  Yet he persevered and in later years did very well on the convention circuit meeting fans who couldn’t wait to get an autograph and photo with Batman.

I was seven years old when Batman premiered.  Adam West instantly became one of my childhood heroes.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Frank Miller’s Sin City TV Series One Step Closer to Reality

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Deadline is reporting that a Frank Miller’s Sin City tv series is closer to becoming a reality.

…Glen Mazzara, the showrunner whose resume includes The Shield, The Walking Dead and The Omen…

…would take over the writing chores with  Len (Luficer) Wiseman set to direct.

If this comes to pass on a network like AMC, or FX or one of the other networks that’s not afraid to make Sin City without wholesale changes, then I’m all over it.  Bet you are too.

35 Things We Learned from James Mangold’s “Logan” Commentary

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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 35 Things We Learned from James Mangold’s Logan Commentary.  Here are three of my favorites…

1. He and Hugh Jackman began thinking about a follow-up immediately after completing 2013’s The Wolverine, and they knew it would most likely “bring the curtain down on his character.” They both agreed that superhero films in general had grown repetitious and wanted to do “something different, something deeper.”

2. The first thought on the road to crafting the story here was “what is Wolverine frightened of? What is Logan afraid of?” They wanted his final story to be the thing that scares him the most, and after scouring the comics he realized there was no villain or end-of-the-world scenario that would unsettle Wolverine. “The answer that came to me was love. Love scares him, intimacy scares him, being dependent on others scares him, being vulnerable scares him.”

10. Some people assumed Mangold’s interest in the R-rating was that he’d be able to increase the level and detail of violence, foul language, and sexual references, “and in many ways all those things were attractive.” His biggest reason for going this route though “was a little more complicated than that.” An adult-rated film means the studio won’t make an effort to market the film to children with Happy Meals and toy tie-ins, and “what does that mean to the filmmaker?” He says what it changes for the writers/director is that no one at the studio is reading the script on a marketing level and then dictating editing choices to ensure it plays well to kids. “The ideas of the film are allowed to be more sophisticated because you’re no longer having to pace up the movie, edit it faster, make it more charming or colorful for a nine year old’s attention span. The film becomes what I had hoped for which is a comic book film for adults.”

Ken Meyer Jr.’s Ink Stains 79: Zeck, Williamson & 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!

For Ink Stains 79, Ken took a look at RBCC #134 (Part 1 and Part 2) from March 1977 from Publisher and Editor: James Van Hise.

RBCC #134 features:

  • Flash Gordon cover by Stephen Fabian
  • Mike Zeck Flash Gordon contents page illo
  • Al Williamson Flash Gordon illo
  • Beautiful 4 Page Flash Gordon story written and illustrated by Mike Zeck
  • Art and article about Alex Raymond
  • Mike Zeck Flash Gordon full-pager
  • Buster Crabbe Interview
  • Zeck Full Page Illo
  • Ron Wilbur Flash Gordon parody comic story
  • Marc Hempel Spider-Man pinup
  • Articles, a letters page and more.

RBCC was a main stay of fanzine readers.  Mike Zeck appearances were fairly regular and always welcome.  Zeck’s Flash Gordon story in this issue is an all-time favorite — and I’m not much of a Flash Gordon fan.  Great memories!

Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!

Ken Meyer Jr.’s Ink Stains 73: Blyberg, McGregor & 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!

For Ink Stains 73, Ken took a look at Woweekazowie #2 from 1976 from Publisher: Willie Blyberg and Editor: Dean Mullaney

Woweekazowie #2 features:

  • Killraven cover by Pete Iro
  • Black Panther back cover by Willie Blyberg
  • Iron Fist & Daughters of the Dragon splash by William Nevile & Sam de la Rosa
  • Don McGregor Interview and Checklist
  • Full page illo by Mark Gruenwald
  • Spot illos by Pete Iro, Willie Blyberg and others
  • Article by Mary Jo Duffy
  • Victory strip by Willie Blyberg
  • Full page Superman illo by Willie Blyberg (always loved this one!)
  • Articles, a letters page and more.

Woweekazowie was one of my all-time favorite fanzines.  Willie Blyberg was such a cool cat (where is Willie now?) and excellent artist.  Love the memories Woweekazowie #2 brings back.

Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!

“The Soft, Sweet Lips of Hell” by O’Neil, Adams & Steve Englehart

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Diversions of the Groovy Kind has posted The Soft, Sweet Lips of Hell by (writer) Denny O’Neil and (artists) Neal Adams & Steve Englehart which appeared in Vampirella #10 (December 1970)!  Englehart went on to fame as a comic book writer.  I had no idea he began his career as an artist.

Thanks to Diversions for giving us another look!

Ken Meyer Jr.’s Ink Stains 71: Steranko, Ditko & 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!

For Ink Stains 71, Ken took a look at Comic Crusader 5 and 6 from 1969 from Editor and Publisher: Martin L. Greim.

Comic Crusader 5 and 6 feature –

  • Covers by Steranko
  • Lots of fan art and articles
  • Comic story by Martin Greim
  • Early art by Dennis Fugitake
  • Steve Ditko’s Mr. A comic story
  • …and more!

The Steranko pieces make these issues worthy for me even if as Ken points out, it appears that someone else (Greim?) inked the cover to #5.

Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!

Richard Stark: Parker’s Rules

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If you’re a fan of Richard Stark’s Parker you’re going to love…

Parker’s Rules

  1. Don’t ever show a gun to a man you don’t want to kill.
  2. Don’t talk to the law.
  3. Always split the money fair.
  4. Each man for himself.
  5. Don’t kill somebody unless you have to. It puts the law on you like nothing else.
  6. Never leave a guy alive who’d like to see you dead.
  7. Don’t let yourself be framed in a lit doorway.
  8. Don’t meet in a town where you’re going to make a hit.
  9. Don’t stay in the hotel where you’re going to make a hit.
  10. Don’t take a job on consignment.
  11. Don’t work with anyone you can’t trust or don’t respect.
  12. When there’s no place to hide, stay where you are.
  13. Any job that requires more than five guys to be pulled can’t be pulled.
  14. For a big enough score, any rule can be broken.