Category: Art

Cooke, Stark, Parker & The Martini Edition

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If you missed out on Darwyn Cooke’s two best-selling, award-winning adaptations of Richard Parker’s Stark novels, you’re in luck.  This July, IDW is publishing them together in a deluxe format they’re calling Parker: The Martini Edition. The new edition will combine The Hunter and The Outfit into an oversized 9×13 package with 65 pages of additional material running the total page count to 344.  It is set to retail at $75.00.

While I’m happy that the books are doing well enough to warrant the special treatment, it bugs me that fans who bought the original editions from the start will miss out on the bonus materials.  I understand that in order to make the “special edition” special, bonus materials are needed.  I guess it’s a catch-22, but wouldn’t it be nice if IDW published a “bonus materials only” special for folks who had supported the books from the start?  They could even do it in the same format as The Man with the Getaway Face and I’d love it.  Plus it would be another revenue source to help support the production of the next Cooke/Stark Parker graphic novel.

Tim Doyle: Reservoir Dogs

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I really like this Reservoir Dogs piece by Tim Doyle.  It is just one of seven images that Doyle created for Spoke Art‘s Quentin vs. Coens art show which will run from April 7th through April 9th at the Bold Hype Gallery, 547 W 27th St, 5th floor, NY, NY.  You can see more of Doyle’s images and learn more about the art show by clicking over to SlashFilm.

MegaCon 2011

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This past weekend I traveled to MegaCon with my buddy, John Beatty.  We always have a blast at the show and this time was no exception.  I didn’t take many photos, but I did get a shot of me with these two ladies.  They were busy every day of the show posing with fans.  I have no idea what they were there promoting… but like most everyone else I ended up getting a photo with them.

One of the best things about going to MegaCon is meeting up with folks I seldom see.  That’s Alberto Ruiz in the photo above with a Steampunk Poison Ivy. [I think that Ivy has hypnotized Alberto!]  It had been a couple of years since I crossed paths with the mighty talented Mr. Ruiz.  I also got to hang a bit with John Higashi, Mike Zeck,  Bob McLeod, Mike White, Gene Gonzales, Ron Salas, Dan Panosian, Dave Johnson, and many others.  I owe special thanks to John Higashi for “introducing” me to Tim Sale [John works with Tim at his table keeping the commissions flowing].

That’s Alberto [well, his hand, anyway] in the photo above sketching for a fan.  John was also sketching and I watched him kick it on a couple of Star Wars pieces and a Black Knight piece.  Who knows what I missed when I was out talking with artists and getting a few sketches of my own [which I will post in the coming weeks].

If you follow comics at all then you may have heard about the controversy with one of the artists at the show.  Rob Granito was set up at the show selling “his” art when a piece about him was posted at Bleeding Cool.  The article exposed that Granito was copying other artists’ work and selling it as his own.  In addition Granito was shamelessly taking credit for the work of others in order to help promote his copied artwork.  One of my con buds, Matt Crews [be advised that Crews uses adult” language… a lot], actually went over and engaged Granito in conversation about “his art” and professional credits all the while videoing the conversation.  A Rob Granito is a Fraud Facebook page went up.  Granito was contacted by convention promoters and informed that he was no longer welcome at their shows.

In summary, MegaCon was another fun and entertaining show for all… well maybe all but one.

MegaCon Bound

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This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, my buddy, John Beatty and I are going to be in Orlando hanging out with several thousand other like-minded folks.  Yep, it’s time for MegaCon.  John is going as a guest  of the show and I’m going as his guest.  That means while John is sketching for fans, I’ll either be hanging at his table keeping the fun at it’s maximum level or I’ll be visiting with other artists/friends looking to get a sketch or two for my Stallone Sketch theme collection.

If you’ve never been to MegaCon, you’re missing out.  There’s something for everyone.  There are celebrity guests, comic book creators, dozens of artists sketching for fans, panels, gaming, and more. If you’re in driving distance of the show, come on down.  If not, there’s always next year.  Hope to see you there!

Who Doesn’t Love The Big Bang?

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Now THIS is a movie poster.  I love everything about it: the old-time look [dig those creases], the design, the colors, the typeface.  Then you’ve got Antonio Banderas playing some hard case firing off his 45.  And let’s not forget that Delroy Lindo and Sam Elliott [love his look in that small photo] make every movie a little better.

Yeah, this poster rocks.

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Coffee, Art and Big John Beatty

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Hey, if you’re an early-riser, I’ve got a site that you might want to check out.  It’s called Morning Brew Art and it was created by my best bud, John Beatty.   Each weekday morning at 5:30 am EST, Big John goes live on U-Stream to create a piece of art that he wants to draw – no commissions or sketch requests — just something that John has a desire to create.  This frees Big J up to go as loose or as crazy as he wants.  So far the results have been impressive and my guess is that things are only going to get better.

Here’s another cool aspect of Morning Brew Art – the pieces that John creates each morning are available for purchase.  If you decide to buy the piece while John is still drawing it, the price is even lower.   So if you’re up early, why not plan on having your morning brew with a little art?

The Big Z

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I was going through the vault and I came across this caricature that my buddy, Jim Ivey, did of me a couple of years ago.  Jim is a political cartoonist, author, publisher, teacher, owner/curator of one of the first galleries featuring cartoon art in the world [The Cartoon Museum], World War II vet and self-professed mellow curmudgeon.  I’ve always loved the simplicity of Jim’s art… even when dealing with a subject as complex as me.

Sean Gordon Murphy Takes on Rocky (& Butkus)

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Sean Gordon Murphy is one of those artists who just seems to come out of nowhere with his own distinctive style that you can’t help but love. I met Sean at last year’s Heroes Con. His sketch list was full, but he said he started a new list each day and I should check back the next day. I made sure I was first in line and ended up with this classic piece of Rocky and Butkus.

You can see more of Sean’s art at his site. Sean is going to be at Heroes again this year and I’m hoping that lighting strikes twice.

Brian Stelfreeze: Stallone is Expendable

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Brian Stelfreeze. Barney Ross from The Expendables. What else needs to be said? Simply enjoy the genius of Brian Stelfreeze.

Ok. For those new to the show, Brian Stelfreeze is one of the most amazing artists working today. He can do it all… pencil, ink, color, design. I have never seen a bad piece by Brian. Yet, he is one of the most humble, approachable and appreciative artists you’ll ever meet. This is my second piece by Mr. Stelfreeze. [You can see my first here. Both are “cornerstones” of my collection.] I hope it is not my last.