Category: Art

Two “Rocky Balboa” Newspaper Strip Samples by JOE KUBERT!

Posted on by

Back in January of 2005, I posted about meeting the legendary comic artist, Joe Kubert.  Here is part of what I wrote then:

I had the good fortune to meet Joe Kubert in the early 80’s. He was Guest of Honor at one of Jim Ivey’s OrlandoCons. Joe Kubert was there to pick up his Ignatz award. At the time Mr. Kubert was also promoting a series that he was to write and draw for DC called The Redeemer. Sad to say it never appeared.

Another thing that Joe Kubert worked on that never appeared is, interestingly enough, a proposal for a Rocky Balboa newspaper strip. Mr. Kubert told me that he was approached to work on a daily newspaper strip and that he had in fact worked up character sheets, some daily samples, etc. Sadly the strip was never picked up.

You can imagine how excited I was to hear that JOE KUBERT had drawn Rocky Balboa. I asked Mr. Kubert if the art was available for sale, but it wasn’t. I then asked if I could buy Xeroxes but again, Mr. Kubert politely declined. Man, you just know that those pieces look great… maybe someday we’ll get the chance to see them in a treasury of his work.

The two strips you see above (click on the art to see them biggie-sized) are samples that Joe Kubert created for the proposed Rocky Balboa newspaper strip.  These are the only two I’ve ever seen.  I’m not sure how many others he may have drawn.  One thing I am sure of: Any strip Joe Kubert drew would contain great art.

“300” (2006) /Z-View

Posted on by

300 (2006)

Director: Zack Snyder

Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Michael B. Gordon based on 300 by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley

Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Andrew Pleavin, Rodrigo Santoro  and Eli Snyder.

Tagline:  Spartans, tonight, we dine in hell!

The Plot…

Based on Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel, 300 tells the story of King Leonidas (Butler) who led an army of 300 Spartans against a Persian force of over 100,000.  Persian King Xerxes (Santoro) planned to rule the world. His army was decimating every country in his path.  King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans would meet the Persians in the mountain pass of Thermopylae known as “the Gates of Hell”.  There they would make their stand.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

There has never been a movie adaptation that follows the source material as well as 300.  Zack Snyder’s respect for Frank Miller’s graphic novel is evident in every scene.  That’s not to say that Snyder didn’t have an impact on what we see.  Using Miller’s panels as storyboards, Snyder has created a stylized film that is  a thing of beauty.

300 (2006) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: John Romita

Posted on by

John Romita Sr. died on June 12, 2023.  Mr. Romita was 93.

John Romita began his career in 1949 providing art for Timely Comics.  From 1958 through 1965, Mr. Romita created art for DC Comics.  In 1965, John Romita moved to Marvel Comics where he worked on the Daredevil comic series.  When an artist was needed to replace Steve Ditko on Spider-Man, John Romita was chosen. In 1973, John Romita was named Marvel’s Art Director.  In this role, he influenced the look of all Marvel Comics.  He designed covers as well as the look of new characters such as the Punisher, Wolverine and Luke Cage.

John Romita was inducted into he Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame in 2020.

I was and remain a big fan of John Romita’s amazing art.  By all accounts Mr. Romita was just as nice a human being as he was an outstanding artist.  We’ve lost a legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Romita’s family, friends and fans.

“Agent Elvis”: Season 1 / Z-View

Posted on by

Agent Elvis: Season 1 (2023)

Written by: Mike Arnold (ep. 1; 4; 6; 10); Casper Kelly (ep.2); Mark Ganek (ep.3); Matt Roller (ep.5; 9); Asha Wilson (ep. 7); John Eddie (ep. 8)

Directed by: Gary Ye

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Kaitlin Olson, Johnny Knoxville, Niecy Nash, Tom Kenny, Don Cheadle, Fred Armisen, Chris Elliott, Baz Luhrmann, Gary Cole, Ed Helms, Simon Pegg, Craig Robinson, Kieran Culkin and Priscilla Presley

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Elvis is recruited by The Commander to join a US government agency to become one of their secret agents.  Elvis, his best friend Ray and Elvis’ out of control monkey Scatter, are partnered with CeCe Ryder on various missions.

In season one Elvis…

  • is marked for death by Charles Manson and his cult
  • meets Howard Hughes on a nuclear plane while fighting enemy agents for control of the craft
  • has the filming of his movie with Mary Tyler Moore (Change of Habit) interrupted when Elvis goes rouge to stop a drug deal
  • attends the famous Altamonte Free Concert with The Rolling Stones bodyguarded by the Hell’s Angels
  • goes to Washington, DC to meet President Nixon and discovers enemy agents in the White House
  • goes to Viet Nam to entertain the troups and discovers the use of a weapon used for mind control
  • tracks down Timothy Leary to gain information on mind-control drugs
  • seeks information on “Project Tupelo”
  • learns that his satellite for “Aloha From Hawaii” concert is being prepped to use as a mind-control weapon

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I loved Agent Elvis.  The animation is perfect for the series.  Getting name actors to voice the characters is a plus and of course, having the participation of Priscilla Presley is the icing on the cake.  It’s cool how actual events and famous personalities are incorporated into the series.  It’s a bit over the top, but that’s part of the fun.

Agent Elvis: Season 1 (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

BRONZE STAR by Mike Baron & Pat Broderick

Posted on by

BRONZE STAR by Mike Baron & Pat Broderick is live on Kickstarter now.  Here’s the lowdown…

Bronze Star is a suspenseful, weird western tale that explores redemption and revenge, offering a fresh take on the werewolf mythos while delivering heart-pounding scares, glorious artwork, and unexpected twists that will grab readers by the throat and not let go until the final page.

Created by Eisner winning writer Mike Baron (Nexus, Punisher, Star Wars), and beautifully illustrated by Pat Broderick (Micronauts, Alpha Flight, Legion of Super-Heroes), Bronze Star tells a frightening tale of a civil war vet who kills a powerful landowner’s spoiled son after catching him cheating in a poker game. An angry posse soon forces him to flee to a remote mining town where he discovers the town’s sheriff is afflicted with lycanthropy, but this sheriff isn’t the only supernatural danger lurking in this silver mining town…

Click over for more details.  Western horror by Baron and Broderick?  Deal me in!

WHERE THE BODY WAS by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips!

Posted on by

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have announced WHERE THE BODY WAS, a new original graphic novel that drops December 12, 2023.  Here’s the lowdown…

A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a Private Detective looking for a runaway girl. These stories collide one fateful summer in WHERE THE BODY WAS, a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth?

WHERE THE BODY WAS is a tour-de-force from grandmasters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Starting with a map of the crime scene, this murder mystery follows the ripples of this killing as they echo through decades of love and loss and passion and violence. Like a true crime podcast crossed with a long-lost diary, WHERE THE BODY WAS is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, and a must-have for all their avid fans!

WHERE THE BODY WAS is available for pre-orders now.

RIP: George Maharis

Posted on by

George Maharis, the actor, singer and artist, died on May 24, 2023 from natural causes.  Mr. Maharis was 94.

George Maharis studied at the Actors Studio after a stint in the US Marines.  He began to get roles in off-Broadway productions and television appearances.  His big break came in 1960 when he was cast as Buz Murdock in Route 66.  The show catapulted him to stardom.  Due to his popularity and singing ability, Mr. Maharis even began a recording career!

During the third season of Route 66, George Maharis left the series for health reasons.  The show’s producers felt that Mr. Maharis wanted to break his contract to pursue roles in feature films.  Reports later surfaced that tensions rose when the producers learned that George Maharis was gay.  Once Mr. Maharis was off the show, Route 66 declined in popularity and was cancelled the following year.

George Maharis went on to star in television roles and feature films.  Later in his career, he sang in nightclubs and became an impressionist painter.

Some of George Maharis’ television appearances include: Mister Peepers; The Investigator (2 episodes); The Phil Silvers Show; Naked City (4 episodes); Search for Tomorrow (5 episodes); Route 66 (82 episodes); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (2 episodes); The Danny Thomas Hour; Journey to the Unknown; The Most Deadly Game (13 episodes); Night Gallery; Cade’s County; Medical Center; Canon; Mission: Impossible; Barnaby Jones; Marcus Welby; McMillan & Wife; Rich Man, Poor Man; The Bionic Woman (2 episodes); Kojak; Police Story (3 episodes); Switch (2 episodes); Fantasy Island (6 episodes); Matt Houston and Murder She Wrote (2 episodes).

Some of George Maharis’ feature films include: Quick Before It Melts; The Satan Bug; The Happening and The Sword and the Sorcerer;

I can remember watching Route 66 because it was what the adults watched in the house.  I also remember my mom and her friend talking about the rumors that Mr. Maharis left the show because the producers found out he was gay. They had a hard time believing it, and thought George Maharis was so handsome.  I liked him in Route 66 and always enjoyed seeing George Maharis appear in shows that I watched.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to George Maharis’ family, friends and fans.

JOHN TIFFANY by Stephen Desberg and Dan Panosian!

Posted on by

On July 19th, John Tiffany Vol. 1 by writer, Stephen Desberg and artist, Dan Panosian becomes available.  Here’s the lowdown…

John Tiffany Vol. 1 collects and updates this raucous action-adventure. Filled with car chases, intrigue, and beautiful women, John Tiffany is exactly the sort of gut punch that fans of international spy stories love.

John Tiffany is one of the best bounty hunters in the world. Given his precarious line of work, he has found that he can only truly trust four people: Pastor Lovejoy, an unorthodox priest; Wan Chao, an underworld geek; Dorothy, his conservative teammate; and Magdalena, a sex worker he has foolishly fallen in love with. But it seems that one of them has turned against him and now he’s the one with a bounty on his head. It’s a race against time as he tries to survive being a high-priced target and find out which of his confidantes is the traitor.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you know what to do.