Category: Art

Frank Miller Week: Day 5.  Today we have Miller’s cover to Comics Interview #2 promoting “Ronin”, his new creator-owned series for DC Comics.   “Ronin” was a six issue series [later collected into a graphic novel] published in 1983/1984 about a Ronin whose tale began in feudal Japan and ended in a post-apocalyptic New York City.  It was unlike any comic I’d ever read before.  Miller was breaking away from traditional American comics in both content and art style.  And I was loving every step of the way.

Tomorrow, we’ll jump back in time to 1981 and check out a cover that Frank Miller created for Marvel Comics that provides a taste of where his art was heading with Ronin.

Day 4 of Frank Miller Week and we have a Batman piece that Miller pencilled and Dan Adkins inked back in 1979.  It appeared on the inside back cover of a fanzine circa 1981/1982.  Frank was still seven years away from his groundbreaking “The Dark Knight Returns” and it shows.  At this point in his career, Miller was drawing a more traditional version of Batman than he would later bring to the table.

For Day 3 of Frank Miller Week we have the third and final post card used by Marvel back in the early 80’s. This one was generic enough in it’s message that it could go to anyone that wrote in.  Don’t believe me?  Well then click right here and see for yourself!  Oh, and Joe Rubinstein provided the inks on this card.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at a Batman piece that Frank drew about seven years before starting on his classic The Dark Knight Returns.

Today we have the art that appeared on post cards sent to artists who submitted samples to Marvel.  You can see what the post card looked like by clicking here.  I always liked Miller’s take on Captain America.   Joe Rubinstein provided the amazing inks on this piece.  Although Miller only did a small amount of work with Cap, he always wrote him like a respected soldier and a natural leader.  The drawings weren’t bad either.  ; )

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the third and final Marvel Miller post card. [Say that three times fast.]

One of my all time favorite comic book creators is Frank Miller. Miller is a writer and an artist. He is the creative genius behind “Sin City”, “The Dark Knight Returns”, “Batman: Year One”, “Ronin”, an amazing run on “Daredevil” and so many other comics.   So as you’ve probably already guessed [especially if you read the title of this post], it’s FRANK MILLER WEEK: DAY 1 @ the ZONE.

The piece we have today appeared on a post card that Marvel sent to fans who had sent in potential scripts.  You can see what the post card looked like by clicking here.  Joe Rubinstein provided the beautiful inks on this piece.   Tomorrow we’ll see more rare Frank Miller art when we take a look at the card that Marvel sent to artists submitting work.

MARSHALL ROGERS WEEK at the ZONE concludes, as it had to, with Marshall’s take on Batman. Over the years there have been a hundreds of artists who’ve worked on the Dark Knight.  Few have had the lasting impact that Marshall Rogers did as a young buck breaking in to the business. While credit must also be given to the stories that Steve Englehart wrote and the inks that Terry Austin provided, no one can argue that Marshall Rogers work on the character was pure joy.

Sadly, Marshall Rogers passed away in 2007. He was only 57 and should have had many more years to amaze us with his talents. But instead of mourning over what could have been, we should celebrate what was. To that end, I hope you’ve enjoyed MARSHALL ROGERS WEEK @ the ZONE.

Marshall Rogers Week: Day 6 and we have for your viewing pleasure the cover to Mr. Miracle #24. It was the last of a six issue run that Marshall had starting in September 1977 and concluding in June 1978.

I’d been a fan of Jack Kirby’s Mr. Miracle comic when I was a kid and so it was very cool to discover that the series had been re-started with the same numbering and this new artist named Marshall Rogers.  It wouldn’t be long before Marshall would shoot to fame with his groundbreaking work [along with Steve Englehart and Terry Austin] on Batman.

You can probably guess the character that will bring to a close Marshall Rogers Week at the ZONE.  Tune in tomorrow and find out if you’re right!

Marshall Rogers Week: Day 5.  Today we have the cover to Marshall’s Strange portfolio which featured his orginal characters.  It was published in a limited edition of 1200 copies [I have #220] by Schanes & Schanes in 1979.   The cool thing about the portfolio was that it was all Marshall’s work.  He created the characters, he pencilled, inked and added the wash tones.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at Marshall Rogers’ take on a classic Jack Kirby character.  It’d be a miracle if you couldn’t figure out which one.

Marshall Rogers Week: Day 4. Today we have one of my all-time favorite Marshall Rogers pieces. It was published as the front cover of The 1978 Atlanta Comics and Fantasy Fair program book and features Marshall re-design of DC Comics Blackhawk character. Although I’ve never been a Blackhawk fan, I would have loved to see what Marshall could have done with his version of the character.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look a some characters that Marshall created. Hope you can swing back by!

It’s Marshall Rogers Week: Day 3 and we have a pinup that Marshall pencilled and inked for Marvel’s Savage Sword of Conan #44 [September 1979].  I’ve always really liked this pin-up.  Marshall didn’t draw Conan as the traditional musclebound brute.  I also liked the all black winged creatures.  It would have been interesting to see Marshall draw a Conan story — the younger Conan when he was a thief.   

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at a redesign on a classic DC character that Marshall did for a con cover.  It is one of my favorite Marshall Rogers pieces ever.

It’s Marshall Rogers Week: Day 2 and we have a pinup that Marshall penciled and inked. The piece appeared in Rampaging Hulk #2 cover dated April 1977.   Although Bloodstone is a pretty cool looking character, he’s never been a major player in the comics world.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at a character that has been a major player in the comics world, not to mention novels and movies — well, I guess I did mention it, but you know what I mean — at least you will if you come back tomorrow!

Marshall Rogers seemed to just burst on the scene with his work [along with Steve Englhart and Terry Austin] on DC’s Detective comic series featuring Batman.  Marshall, at about the same time,  did a couple of really well done issues of Mr. Miracle.   From there he went on to do Detectives, Inc., a graphic novel that he pencilled and inked [written by Don McGregor, his co-creator].  Other favorite favorite Marshall Rogers projects included the Demon with a Glass Hand graphic novel [with Harlan Ellison], his run on Doctor Strange for Marvel, his Strange portfolio, his Batman portfolio, and Coyote for Eclipse Comics.

The Batman pinup above appeared in Visions #2 which was a fanzine published in 1980.

Sadly, Marshall Rogers passed away in 2007 at the age of 57.   Luckily for fans, his work lives on.  Join us here tomorrow for Day 2 of Marshall Rogers Week at the ZONE.

We come to the close of John Beatty Week with Day 7 and a piece that John did for a series he toyed with doing back in the early 80’s.  It was going to be a creator-owned series about a former soldier traveling through an apopalyptic future.  I really loved this piece and John allowed me to print it as the cover of a letter-zine [called ZONE] that I mailed out to friends back in 1985.

Click here to see a bigger version of the piece.