Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Hard to believe, but it’s been almost a year since the last regular issue of The Goon appeared. That’s about to change as Eric Powell, Goon creator, writer, and artist is back, baby!
What do you do?… when one of your favorite comic book creators [Matt Wagner] loves a character [Zorro] so much that he contacts the company that has just gotten the rights to said character [Dynamite – the same company bringing us Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name] and offers them his services as cover artist for the series?What do you do?… when the company [Dynamite] counters with an offer for the creator [Matt Wagner] to not only provide the covers, but to come on board as the art director for the series and to write the first storyline?
Give up?
Here’s what you do: 1] You post the info on your blog. 2] You post a link to Matt Wagner’s website where they can see the full Zorro drawing that he did long before learning about the new gig. 3] You tell your local comic shop owner to keep his eye out for the new Zorro series coming from Dynamite and Matt Wagner and 4] You promise to quit asking so many questions.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been talking up Crimeland for over a year. Of course when I first wrote about it, it was called Rumble in La Rambla and was to be a mini-series. I thought it sounded great and was on board. I knew we were in for a fun ride.
I finally got a chance to post up some of the art that I picked up at this year’s Heroes Con. Let’s take a look…Sly Stallone by Rick Remender. I’ve been a fan of Rick’s work for years. He’s that rare talent that can write and draw and he does both very well. Check out his bio and you’ll be amazed at all of the cool things that he’s worked on. Check out his site and you’ll become a fan [if you’re not already]. Now if Rick could just find time to get around to The Last Days of American Crime!
Rambo by Megan Ruiz. Can you believe that Megan just turned 14 and she can already draw like that? Of course her dad is Alberto Ruiz so we know where she gets her talent. Not only can the young lady draw, but she is one of the nicest and most polite people you’ll ever meet. It was a true pleasure to get a drawing from her.
Cosmo Carboni by Robin Mitchell. I discovered Robin through Alberto’s site and Robin’s blog. I dug his art enough to pick up his first art book and was thrilled to get an original sketch from him. Robin has a second art book out and you can get both HERE.
Rocky Balboa by Kyle Baker. Kyle Baker is an amazing talent with a wicked sense of humor, mad drawing skills, storytelling that just sucks you in… let’s simplify life and call him a genius. Check out Kyle’s site and you’ll get a taste of what I’m talking about.
Rocky Balboa by Andrew Robinson. Andrew Robinson is an artist’s artist. When he starts to draw or paint, other artists gather round. I met Andrew years ago through my good buddy John Beatty. It was obvious then how much talent Andrew possessed… and he just keeps getting better and better. Andrew will have an art book coming out soon. Save some coin, because it’s a “must have” item. Until then, here’s a link to his site to hold you over!
That’s my buddy, Jim Ivey, between me and my oldest son, Mike. The photo was taken at Jim’s 81st birthday celebration. I just learned today that Jim has gone up to Washington, DC where he [along with Hy Rosen and Jim Lange] were honored at the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists 50th-anniversary convention. Jim was quoted as saying, “I’m delighted the AAEC is still going.” Jim also noted that the organization could also be called the AAPC [American Association of Political Cartoonists] and that he hopes those initials never mean the “American Association of the Politically Correct.” Yeah, that’s definitely something that Jim would say!
On Sunday, July 22nd from 10am – 5pm, the Collector’s ComicCon is going to be the place to be in Fort Pierce, Florida. Not only will my best bud, John Beatty be a guest, but he’ll be joined by Bill Black [artist, writer, publisher of AC comics, writer, director and producer of “GARGANTARAMA” ] and Brenna Berry star of “GARGANTARAMA”.
It’s a fun little one day show. Click HERE for all the details. Hope to see you there!
They say, or at least I do in this post, that great news comes in pairs. Well, I have some great news for art fans everywhere. John Beatty and Kelsey Shannon have both started posting to their blogs again. Ah, life is good.
I never got into MySpace or FaceBook or any of those other sites, so it surprises me that I jumped on board at ComicSpace.com. It’s a site for folks that are interested in comic books, comic book art and just about anything else related to the art form. I’ve only been on it a couple of weeks, but I’m really enjoying it. If you have any interest in comics, you should check it out.
This is the crew that I hung with for most of the weekend. Starting at the left and working around the table, my oldest son Mike, “The James”, Raf Kayanan, John Beatty, Andrew Robinson, Matt, Lazenby and Hal. Getting together with these guys is always a blast. Raf, Beatty and Andrew were set up at the con next to each other [Bob McLeod, Derec Donovan and John Dell were also within reach] so it was a pretty hopping spot. Originally Dave Johnson was supposed to be set up in the same area, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it this year.
That’s Matt Fraction pictured above. He’s about to autograph my copy of Last of the Independents which I highly recommend! It was my first time meeting Matt who also writes the popular Casanova comic series.
Rick Remender not only autographed my Doll and Creature graphic novel [review coming soon], but did an amazing piece for my Stallone gallery. I’ll post it once it’s scanned. Rick said that The Last Days of American Crime is in the works. I can’t wait. Rick has so many irons in the fire with Fear Agent, Sea of Red, Strange Girl and more that I was starting to think that he’d never get to it.
Another first was meeting Kyle Baker. I’m a huge fan of Kyle’s work. You Are Here is one of my all time favorite graphic novels. Kyle signed mine and told me his an idea for a sequel. I truly hope that someday he’s able to do it. I also picked up Kyle Baker Cartoonist Volume 1 & Volume 2 and Nat Turner Volume 1 & Volume 2. I was also lucky enough to get a Rocky sketch from Kyle [which I’ll post later]. Kyle Baker is an amazing talent and it was a pleasure meeting him.
One of the best parts of each Heroes Convention is watching artists create pieces for the auction. That’s Craig Hamilton working on his “300” piece. Craig’s an amazing artist who puts some much thought into everything he does. One of the cool things about Craig’s painting is that it works both horizontally [as seen above] or vertically! Tony Harris worked on a wicked “Phantom of the Opera” piece, while Phil Noto brought Batman, Batgirl and Catwoman together as Andrew Robinson started “After the Parade” .
That’s Gus Vasquez and his lil cousin Rosario Dawson. [Yeah, Rosario Dawson as in “Sin City”, “Grindhouse”, “Clerks 2”, and a whole lot more!] Rosario and Gus were back as special guests of the show and also the auctioneers! They did a great job and a new record was set when Adam Hughes’ Star Wars painting topped out at $5K!
It was so cool just to spend the weekend among friends, many of whom happen to be talented artists. Andrew Robinson definitely falls into both categories. The drawing above and this one are just two pieces that Andrew had created for his latest sketchbook. I was also lucky to see an advance copy of Andrew’s new art book that will be coming from Alberto Ruiz’s Brandstudio Press. Andrew’s book is going to be a hot seller and I can’t wait to get my copy!
Raf and Alberto spoke and Raf may have an “art of” book coming soon. I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of any of the sketches Raf produced. I was just too in awe of his work since it had been so many years since I’d been able to sit and watch him draw. I did get this shot and this one of two Punisher sketches that Beatty worked up for some lucky fans.
I guess I was just too busy actually talking to friends [Gary McKee, Jason Walker, and Eric Layton to name just three] and saying “hi” to artists [Jeff Parker, Brian Stelfreeze, Cully Hamner, Adam & Alison, Casey Jones, Cliff Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards and so many others] that I didn’t take many pictures. I promise I’ll do better next year… but please understand, no one does it as well as Pat Sun.
I was able to get some great additions to for my Stallone sketch collection. That’s Mike Wieringo pictured above. Mike’s blog is regular reading for me, not only because of his great sketches, but because of his thoughts about each sketch. When I contacted him about a Rocky sketch he posted after seeing “Rocky Balboa”, he said I could pick it up at Heroes. Mike was also selling a sketchbook and with each book purchased fans got a free sketch. Talk about a great deal! I picked up a sketchbook and got Mike’s take on Jack Carter as a bonus. [I’ll post it soon.]In addition to the two sketches I got from Mike Wieringo, I also was able to get one each from Rick Remender and Kyle Baker. Andrew Robinson did a cool Rocky for me before arriving at the show. So did Andy Smith. Megan Ruiz [Alberto’s daughter — a true prodigy] came through with Rambo. I also was able to get on Robin Mitchell’s sketch list and come home with The Art of Robin Mitchell, Volume 1 and his take on Cosmo Carboni from Paradise Alley. I’ll post all of these sketches once I get them scanned.
If you’ve made it with me this far, then you know a good time was had by all. Thank you and good night!
Crimeland is a graphic novel by writers Felipe Ferreira & Ivan Brandon and artist Rafael Albuquerque that you might want to pick up. I’m putting in my order for a copy. If the story seems familiar it’s because I first told you about the comic HERE and then HERE and even provided a link to a preview of the book HERE.
Mike Wieringo’s blog is a daily stop for me. Truth be told, I stop by his internet club house as much for his thoughts as his art [ok… maybe a bit more for his art… but just a bit]. Mike regularly posts up a daily sketch and his thoughts about it. You can never tell what will be Mike’s inspiration. Sometimes it’s a tv series, a movie or even something that he drew because no one would expect it from him. His rationale for the daily sketch is the icing on the cake. Drop by his newly redesigned and updated site, my guess is you’ll bookmark it and be back often.
I’m always ready for Heroes. It’s my favorite comic con of the year due to it’s laid back atmosphere and the amount of talent that the show attracts. I didn’t think that it would be easy for Shelton to top last year’s guest list, but this year’s is mighty impressive! And I just found out that Dave [100 Bullets] Johnson, Rafael [Conan] Kayanan, and Andrew [Dusty Star] Robinson will be sharing table space alongside my best bud, “Big” John Beatty.
Yeah, I’m always ready for Heroes… and now more than ever!
I’ve been digging Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips since the first issue. The second story arc [Criminal #6] has just started and it looks to be even better than the first! Since it has new characters and a new story, it’s the perfect jumping on point! Tracy Lawless is ex-military and AWOL. Already prone to violence, Lawless is after his brother’s killers and nothing is going to stop him from getting his revenge.Criminal #6 rates an A+
I just found out earlier this week that my buddy, Rafael Kayanan, will be a guest at this year’s Heroes Con. I first met Raf about 30 years ago! He was just a kid wanting break in comics. Since then he’s gone on a successful career in both the comic and film industry.
Raf’s not only an extremely talented artist [as in creating artwork], but also a highly accomplished martial artist [as in can kick some butt]. In the comic field he’s worked on everything from Conan to Star Wars. In the film industry he’s done everything from storyboards and conceptual art to serving as technical adviser and fight choreographer on major films. You just know he’s got some great stories.
Raf will be at a table next to Big John Beatty. You just know that this is going to be THE place to be. Hope to see you there!
My best bud, John Beatty has a post over at his blog that I think will interest most ZONErs. Big John presents storyboards that he’s created for another of Wild Bill Black’s low budget cheese-o-ramas. Not only has John done the storyboards, but he will also return in the film as the evil “Patch.”
