Category: Art

Michael Golden art day. No more words are needed.

My recent trip to Heroes Con 2005 was recounted here, but now that I’ve posted my art pick-ups in my Stallone Gallery, I thought that I should also provide links not only on the SZ [for Stallone fans], but also here in the ZONE for my blog and comic friends.

My first piece posted, by Steve McNiven, was actually one that I got at MegaCon
2005 when Steve was sketching for the ACTOR charity.

Rick Leonardi was the first artist I approached at Heroes 2005. I’m a long-time Leonardi fan and was very pleased that he agreed to draw Rambo for me.

Brian Walker surprised me with this fun sketch of Sly as Lincoln Hawk from Over the Top. As a bonus, Brian even through in [or is that drew in] Bull Hurley!

What a great gift!

Mike Ploog was an artist that drew some of my favorite childhood comics.
I couldn’t pass up a chance at a freebie head sketch from Mr. Ploog and love
his take on Jack Carter.

I loved Nat Jones‘s work with Steve Niles on The Nail. Nat was one of the artists that I really wanted to try and get something from at Heroes. You can imagine how happy I was when he agreed to draw Cobra.

Gary McKee and I have been talking about him doing a piece for my Stallone gallery for a while. I was extremely happy when he agreed to do me a water color piece. I was even happier when I saw the end result.

Let’s cut to the chase. Casey Jones did one of the finest Stallone sketches I have yet to receive. He hit a homerun, raised the bar, use whatever metaphor you’d like… or just click HERE and… see for yourself!

I knew that my sketch from Cliff Chiang was going to be very good. How could it not be, it’s Cliff Chiang! What I didn’t know was that Cliff was going to follow Casey Jones‘ lead and create one of my all-time favorite pieces. Not only did Cliff add Adrian to the mix, but he also captured the essence of their characters. Wow!

If you’ve read this far, you’re a true fan of Stallone, comic art or both. Either way, let me give you a heads-up… yesterday I received a piece of art for my Stallone gallery from an artist whose work I’ve admired for years. I never dreamed that I get something from him, since he rarely goes to conventions or sketches for fans. I’m still in shock. The piece was a gift and is so nice. I’ll add it to my gallery in a day or two after I quit staring at it.

Anyone want to comment on my latest sketches or take a guess as to who the mystery artist might be?

Mike and I arrive in Charlotte at a little after 7PM on Thursday. While checking in to the Weston we see Hal, Matt and Kwan from the Comic Art List. Brian Stelfreeze and Cully Hamner are also in the lobby.

I call James “The James” Howell and he tells me he’ll arrive at the hotel in a few minutes. Mike and I put our things in our room. We freshen up a bit and head back down to the lobby. It’s been about 10 minutes and still no “The James.” Matt, Hal, Mike and I head back up to my room to wait for “The James” to arrive.

Matt remembered to bring me a Stallone piece that Steve McNiven did for me at MegaCon after I left. Heroes hasn’t even started and I already have a new addition to my gallery! ; ) “The James” arrives and so we head down to the lobby.

As we’re all getting ready to go out for dinner, “The James” says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins? Wasn’t it great?” Everyone has seen it and agrees… except for me.

I say that I liked the movie, but had a few problems with it. “The James” gives me a look like I just threw up in his cereal [he’s the king of giving people looks]. “What problems did you have?” he asks. So I begin to lay out a few of them. With each one “The James” looks pained and then gives me a rationalization.

As we’re walking, Brian Stelfreeze, Cully and their crew appear. We all say, “Hi” and stop to talk for a minute. Brian then says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins? Wasn’t it great?” [“The James” gives me a smug smile.] Everyone nods and says, “yeah”… everyone except for me. I say, “I liked it, but had some problems with it.” Since we’re all going out in different directions, I say that I’ll talk to him about it later.

We head over to dinner, and all through the course of the meal the discussion is Batman Begins. Everyone but “The James” agrees that I’ve brought up some valid concerns. “The James” just doesn’t see it. He’s like Tom Cruise talking about Katie Holmes when it comes to Batman Returns. We all head back to the hotel and end up talking art, comics, movies and playing a movie trivia game. “The James” is nearly unbeatable.

The next morning, I’m up early. Mike is sleeping in and coming over after the show starts, but since I’ve scored a special guest pass via John Higashi [who is arriving on Saturday], I can get in early. “The James” and I meet in the lobby and decide to pass on the $16 breakfast buffet and go for the $2.75 bagel. We hang out in the lobby and talk to different folks as they pass through. Rico comes by looking for some dish soap to wash his baby’s bottle. Casey Jones passes through and says that he’s going to have a Stallone piece for me by the end of this show! Matt and Hal come down.

Brian Stelfreeze and Cully come through. Someone brings up Batman Begins [it wasn’t me, I promise]. I tell Brian some of my concerns.  He listens and says, “You know, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that!”  [I give “The James” a smug smile.] I say, “Overall I liked it though and expect the sequel to be even better.”

We all head over to the show. I get in James Jean’s line for Paul Singh who can’t make the show. Man, it seems that everyone wants something from James Jean. I give him Paul‘s reference and money for Paul and say that John Higashi will take the art back with him.

I stop by and say, “Hi” to Adam and Alison. I get on Rick Leonardi’s list. He says he’s going to draw Rambo. I look for Nat Jones who hasn’t arrived yet. I talk with Mike Ploog and lay the groundwork for John Higashi to get a take home commission. I get on Cliff Chiang‘s list.

I spend a lot of the day hanging out with the guys from Tsunami Studios: Gary McKee, Jason Walker, Mike Torrence and Brian Walker. I set up a watercolor Stallone piece from Gary and Jason and I agree to a future Stallone piece. I check back on Nat Jones throughout the day, but he looks to be a no show… as does Craig Hamilton.

Dinner that night is at Uno’s. There are 14 of us so we get two tables. The place is packed, but we get seated pretty quickly. I’m at the quiet table [yeah, Gary McKee is at the other one and no Beatty this year].

After dinner we head up to the Tsunami Studios room. Brian Walker gifts me a Stallone piece that he did!  We’re all laughing and talking junk when some of us discover that two of the people sitting at Gary’s table for dinner, work in the porn industry! Gary is also shocked and we’re all laughing because he didn’t know that when he shared his beef tips with the woman. Gary gets all flustered which makes everyone laugh harder.

The next morning I am awakened at 6AM by a phone call from John Higashi. He’s driven through the night [on 2 hours of sleep after a full day of work] and is ready for some breakfast. I get cleaned up and head down. John arrives and we find a Burger King for some “nourishment.” As we’re eating John maps out his strategy. He’s a day late [but NOT a dollar behind] and he writes down names and locations of artists on his “hit list.” Military invasions have been planned with less strategy and I know that Higashi is on a mission.

The show opens and I discover that Higashi hit the ground running. Literally. And carrying several bags of art. Higashi is already on several artists’ lists and he’s also picking up commissions and pages that he worked deals on before the show even started!

I see Rick Leonardi who has completed my Rambo piece! Cool! Very cool!

I meet Howard Chaykin. He is one of my comic idols. If Howard writes or draws it, I’ll buy it. Meeting Chaykin is so cool. He tells me about a new comic that he has coming out. It’s in the tradition of Peckinpaugh. It’s called Generations and sounds awesome. Chaykin also tells me about a noir comic that he’d like to do, but so far he hasn’t found a publisher. It’s a very and dark realistic story. I hope that it finds a home. Chaykin says that he’s doing head sketches for ACTOR, but we’d be better off with a home commission. I decide to wait and see if I can work out something later. Meeting Howard Chaykin has been a highlight of ANY convention I’ve ever been to.

Nat Jones arrives! I head over and talk to him. Nat says that he usually doesn’t sketch at shows, but because he knows I am a fan of his work [and maybe because it’s obvious that the piece won’t end up on ebay], and because my theme is different, he agrees to a sketch! Yeah, baby. I pick up the sketch later in the afternoon and love it. Cobra by Nat Jones.

I get word that Craig Hamilton has arrived. “The James” and I head over to his table. Craig has a piece that he completed for “The James.” It’s Snow and Big Bad Wolf and it is sooo sweet. I set up a commission with Craig, who decides to do it as a take home piece since he couldn’t get to me last year at Heroes. Craig promises it will be really nice. How could it not be, since Craig is doing it?

Gary McKee has been working all day on my Stallone watercolor piece. He opted to do Sly as The Punisher. It was cool seeing Gary work on it from concept sketch to finished piece. And I agree with Gary, Sly would have made an excellent Punisher.

I see a lot of friends including Tim Gordon [from The Tampa Comic and Toy Convention], Robert Jewell, and others. Richard “Jaws” Kiel is there. I guess it goes without saying, that he’s HUGE. As the show winds down for day two, we head back to the hotel for the Art Auction. The room is packed. Higashi bids on a few items and wins one. After the auction, Mike and I decide on pizza in the room. Normally we’d hang out with the guys again, but tonight we opt to play some poker [for fun] and watch “Tombstone.” Man, Val Kilmer owns that movie. He should have won an Oscar!!

The next morning, we check out of the room and head over to the last day of the show. The group immediately gets in Mike Ploog‘s line. Mike‘s old school. I grew up on his “Werewolf by Night,” “Frankenstein” and work for Warren. Mr. Ploog is [and has been since the con opened] drawing FREE headshots for fans. Up to this point, I’ve never asked an artist to draw Stallone when they’re sketching for free. It’s one thing to whip out Batman or Spider-Man or a character that they’ve probably drawn dozens of times. It’s a whole different can of worms to ask them to draw a real person. But this is Mike Ploog!! I decide to ask him to draw Jack Carter and I use Brian Stelfreeze‘s piece as reference. When it’s my turn, I hand over my sketchbook and reference and Mike draws me a nice little Stallone headshot! Whoo-hooo! I have Mike Ploog in my Stallone Gallery!

I check in with Casey Jones and he’s done me a great, great piece. It’s Sly from Oscar and the design on the sketch is awesome.  Casey, you are the MAN!!!

Cliff Chiang has completed his Stallone piece. It’s a really sweet piece of Rocky and Adrian. Cliff has really captured the essence of both of these characters. I absolutely love it!

Heroes has once again been a great show. I was able to hang out with my son and friends, meet artists who’ve I’ve admired and even get new artwork for my Stallone Gallery. I should have better pictures of the artists and scans of my new pieces posted within the next week.

I’m already looking forward to next year to do it all again!

Heroes Con is one of the best conventions that you’ll find anywhere. It has just the right mix of professional artists, publishers, dealers, media celebrities and fans.

I love the show, because there’s something for everyone. In fact, for the last four years we’ve scheduled our family vacation so that we can attend the show. This year will be no different.

Another great thing about the show is that I get to meet up with friends that I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. Some of them are professionals and some are fans, but those lines blur when we’re hanging out.

Of course, another benefit of attending the show is that I always get a few new pieces for my SZ Gallery. With literally dozens of artists showing up, the anticipation is half the fun. Well, let’s hope it’s just half the fun…

…Yesterday I had lunch with John Beatty and John Higashi. We went to a Chinese buffet and my fortune cookie said: “It is sometimes better to travel hopefully than to arrive.”

Well, that surely didn’t sound good. Still, despite the fortune cookie, I’m expecting to have a blast at the show. If you’re in the area, swing by and join in the fun. And if you can’t make it, don’t worry, you can expect a full report when I return!

Yesterday my wife and I drove up to Jacksonville to spend the day at the Cavalcade of Comics 2nd Annual Bennefit to fight Tourette’s Syndrome. Comic’s legend Don Perlin and his wife spearhead the event and this year looked to be even bigger and better.

The show had been moved to an elementary school because it had grown so large. Outside a children’s chorus was starting to line up, there were games for kids, people in costume, and the artists were setting up.

We headed into the artist’s room and the first person that we saw was Don Perlin. Don came over and thanked us for coming and for posting info about the benefit here at the ZONE. How cool is that?

Doralaya and I were checking out the art that was up for auction, and we ran into Robert Smith. Robert‘s an old buddy (and one of the guest artists) and he said that he wanted to do a Cobra piece for my gallery. Cool! The con hadn’t even officially started and things were already going great!

Jason Sobel was set up with Alex Saviuk, Bob Layton and Don Perlin. I met Jason at last year’s event and he did a Judge Dredd piece for me so I’ve kept an eye on his work. The sketches Jason was turning out yesterday were leaps and bounds ahead of last year. Keep an eye out for this guy!

Alex Saviuk is not only a great guy but also a very talented artist. Before he was even seated he had a list of eight or ten sketch requests. Bob Layton‘s list was swamped as well. Since I didn’t have a Stallone from either Alex or Bob, I asked if they’d put me on their lists. They agreed.

Doralya and I went back to check out more of the auction art. My prediction was that the Kubert “Sgt. Rock” would get the highest amount, but the piece with the most buzz was the Neal Adams’ Batman and Robin piece?! My favorites were a Wrightson pencil sketch called The Reaper and a print by Lee Ames called The Magician.

Doralya bought several raffle tickets then it was lunch outside with music from a middle school jazz band. As we settled down with some Mexican food we watched a karate presentation and several Jedi sword battles.
; ) The food was good and the jazz was even better.

When we went back into the artist’s room we hooked up with some fans and spent time sharing art and stories. Robert Smith came over and gave me my Cobra sketch!

Bob Layton‘s wife came over and asked if I would mind if Bob did my Stallone piece at home.

Bob was getting tons of requests and it’s take longer to draw Sly (for the first time) than Iron Man or Spider-Man for the 1,000th time. By doing my piece at home more fans would get a piece of art and the benefit would raise more money.

How could I argue? I told her that would be no problem.

I’m just excited to be getting a Stallone piece from Bob!

Robert Smith taught a wonderful session with little kids who want to be artists. While that was running I had a chance to speak with Ed Hall and thank him again for the Stallone piece he did for me last year. Ed was sitting with Dana Sumers [Politcal Cartoonist for the Orlando Sentinal] and Tom Armstrong [Marvin]. I asked Dana if he’d like to do a Stallone piece for my gallery. Tom said he’d give it a shot. I thanked him and headed back to catch the rest of Robert‘s sketch session.

After the session I headed over to put in my donation for my Bob Layton piece. Alex said that he’d also like to do my piece at home so I kicked in that donation as well.After a bit of visiting I headed back to get my Stallone piece from Dana Sumers. Dana said that after five or six false starts he came up with one that worked. I agreed with him; it does work! Dana said that Tom Armstrong also did a Sly drawing. As Tom was signing it for me, he added a little Marvin peeking over Sly. How cool is that?

The show was starting to wind down.

It’d been a great day. We made our way around and said our good-byes (and although it looks like Alex is begging us not to go, that’s just an illusion).

Then it was back on the road home.

Hopefully, the benefit made even more money than last year. It seemed to be better attended. I know that everyone I talked to had a super time and are planning to attend again next year.

I know, I’ll be there!

My buddy, Billy Ray [“The Raytrix”] Marimon dropped me an e-mail with his latest painting attached.

Yeah, that’s it… well, a small jpg of it anyway.

You can see a larger version of it by clicking on the picture or HERE.

You can also see more of Bill‘s work HERE at his website.

Bill‘s a talented artist and his prices are very reasonable. If you decide to visit his site, please tell him I sent you his way!

On Saturday, October 9th, the 2nd annual Cavalcade of Comics‘ benefit to support the Tourette Syndrome Association will be held in Jacksonville, Florida.

I had a blast last year and am looking forward to more fun this time around.

Dick Giordano (DC Comics), Bob Layton (Marvel, Acclaim & Future Comics), Don Perlin (Marvel & Acclaim Comics), Alex Saviuk (Marvel), Howard Perlin (artist, caricatures & storyboards), Tom Armstrong (creator & artist, MARVIN), Don Edwing (MAD Magazine) , Ed Hall (political cartoonist), Robert Smith, Jr. (political cartoonist and caricatures) and Jason Sobol (comics artist & writer) are just a few of the artists who will be on hand sketching for fans.

There will be an auction of original rare comic and cartoon art, live music, entertainment, raffles, door prizes, and many other exciting events. Heck, Big John Beatty may even be there sketching and kickin things up a notch! Click HERE for full details.

And if you can make it, be sure and look me up. I’ll be the guy in the StalloneZone shirt looking to score more art for my Stallone Gallery!

That’s right, Mike Grell’s Sable will be back in a story written and drawn by Grell himself.

And to make it even better some of the original stories will be released in trade paperbacks.