Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
It’s no secret that Frank Miller’s Sin City character, Marv, is one of my all-time favorites. Any time I see a cool Marv piece of art, I share it. So, how awesome is it that this piece features both Frank Miller & Marv? Click on the image to see it Sin City-sized.
Jason Copland’s FULL TILT is finally ready for pre-orders on ZOOP! My order is in. Here’s a preview…
After five years of hard work, passion and sacrifice, the epic indie crime-scifi-noir comic by Jason Copland is FINALLY being collected here for the first time!
FULL TILT is a perfect book for those that love gritty noir tales, dystopian future realities and kinetic black and white art. Think Sin City meets The Godfather in the setting of Blade Runner.
This soon-to-be modern day classic is presented in a slick 320-page oversized 7.8″ x 12″ hardcover.
Here’s the synopsis…
New Manhattan, once the gleaming, state-of-the-art city of the 23rd-century, is now in the throes of social and moral decay. Its despondent citizens lose themselves in narcotics and hi-tech toys. Corrupt law enforcement agencies terrorize the populace. Bloodthirsty fans cheer as indentured gladiators fight deathmatches to gain their freedom. It’s the end of civilization… and the five crime families control it all.
Massimo Miller, the fiercely loyal consigliere of the Chessa family, narrowly survives an attack that wipes out all five of New Manhattan’s crime-syndicate bosses. As the massacre’s lone survivor, the new bosses accuse him of the assassinations and gather their armies to hunt him down.
Injured and alone, Miller must battle his way homeward through enemy territory to discover the party responsible for the death of his mentor… and make them pay.
The choice between love and loyalty brought Massimo Miller to this moment. To make it right, he’ll have to go FULL TILT.
Matt Wagner created the Batman story Heist which first appeared in Batman: Black and White #3. It’s a short story but is so creatively done and stylish it’s one of my favorites. Above we have the opening splash page. Below is just one panel from the story. The Bristol Board has posted the complete tale in a larger format. Click over and enjoy!
Tim Shinn is a freelance artist. He’s known for his storyboarding, advertising and comic work. Tim’s done art for Hasbro, Disney, Dark Horse and Fun Publications. Tim takes commissions and regularly posts art for sale. When I saw this sketch of Sly Stallone as Rambo, I didn’t hesitate. Hopefully there will be more Tim Shinn art in my future. You can see more of Tim Shinn’s art on his Instagram page and his Twitter feed.
Here we have the cover to Cracked 145 from October 1977. Rocky impresses Laverne & Shirley at the expense of The Fonz. ; )
It’s interesting to note that Sly Stallone and Henry Winkler were unknowns just a few years before when they co-starred in Lords of Flatbush. Now they were the hottest stars in movies and on television.
When Sly Stallone was in college, he and his buddy, John Herzfeld worked on a project together called Horses. It was a film that involved time travel. Sadly it was never completed. Here is a photo from the project that I cleaned up a bit. Sly and Herzfeld stayed lifelong friends and both went on to careers in Hollywood. They worked together on the feature films Reach Me and Escape Plan: The Extractors.
Graham Humphreys created this cool alt poster for Death Proof. While Death Proof isn’t one of my favorite films, it does feature Kurt Russell and Rosario Dawson directed (and in a screenplay) by Quentin Tarantino. If you’d like to see more of Graham Humphreys’ art, you can at his Instagram page.
Brian Shearer is a professional artist/illustrator. He is best known for his art on titles such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, Dr. Who as well as his creator-owned graphic novels, Gunship Thunderpunch and William the Last. When I saw that Brian was doing live-stream sketch sessions, I jumped on board and got his awesome take as Sly Stallone as Jack Carter. You can see more of Brian’s art at his website or his Twitter posts.
Gabriel Hardman recently posted the art above. I absolutely love the idea of Creatures from the Black Lagoon! Talk about potential. If you’d like to see more of Hardman’s art, you can at his Instagram page. Oh, and be sure to click on the art above to see it biggie-sized!
John Wick by Seung Eun Kim was just too cool not to share. You can see more of Seung Eun Kim’s art at his Instagram page.
Yvan Quinet created this cool alt poster for Heat. It is available as a very limited print. If you’d like to see more of Quinet’s art, check out his website or his Instagram.
Here’s a blast from the past! Sly Stallone as Rocky makes a cover appearance on National Lampoon’s December, 1985 cover by Boris Vallejo.
Frank Frazetta created the art above. It’s for a panel from his last comic book story. Werewolf tells the tale of a great hunter hired to track and kill a creature believed to be a demon. Werewolf appeared in Creepy #1 published in 1964 by Warren Publications.
While individual back issues of Creepy are hard to find and expensive, reprints are coming. Creepy Archives Volume 1 reprints Creepy magazine issues #1–#5 and includes original letters pages, text features, and ads. Frazetta’s Werewolf is worth the price of admission. My order is in. Click on the link if you want on board as well.
Al Jaffee, the award-winning cartoonist best known for his work with MAD magazine died yesterday from organ failure. He was 102.
Al Jaffee attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City. There he met Will Elder, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Al Feldstein all of whom would go on to work for MAD magazine and become noted cartoonists.
Mr. Jaffee’s career began in 1942 when he began getting work from Joker Comics, Timely Comics, Atlas Comics and other publishers. During World War II, Al Jaffee worked as an artist in the military. After his service, Mr. Jaffee became editor for Timely Comics humor and teenage comics. In 1957, Mr. Jaffee created the Tall Tales syndicated strip. It ran for six years.
Al Jaffee’s art first appeared in MAD Magazine in 1955. In 1964 Al Jaffee created MAD Magazine’s longest-running feature, the fold-in. Jaffee would create a full page illustration with text that when folded vertically in half would present a new illustration with text that served as a punchline to the original drawing. The fold-in appeared in every issue of the magazine from 1964–2020 except for two. One issue in 1977 lacked a fold-in although Mr. Jaffee provided a back cover illustration. One issue in 1980 had a unique Jaffee presentation: the inside back cover and back cover illustrations when held up to a light source merged to create a third image. Al Jaffee also created MAD’s popular and long-running series “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”
In 1971 and again in 1975, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Special Features Award.
In 1973, Al Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award.
In 1979, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Humor Comic Book Award.
In 2008, Jaffee was honored by the Reuben Awards as the Cartoonist of the Year.
In October 2011, Al Jaffee won the Comic Art Professional Society’s Sergio Award.
In July 2013, Mr. Jaffee was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
In April 2014, Al Jaffee was elected to the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame.
On March 30, 2016, Mr. Jaffee was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a comic artist.
In June 2020, Al Jaffee announced his retirement. MAD Magazine published a tribute issue that same month.
Al Jaffee’s sense of humor and artistic talent translated into decades of smiles for countless children and adults. What better legacy could one hope for?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Al Jaffee’s family, friends and fans.
Ok, I’m in. Love the poster. The trailer has the right feel. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny looks to be a good bookend to Raiders.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in theaters June 30.
Harrison Ford returns as the legendary hero archaeologist in the highly anticipated fifth installment of the iconic “Indiana Jones” franchise, which is directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Logan”). Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), John Rhys-Davies (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”), Shaunette Renee Wilson (“Black Panther”), Thomas Kretschmann (“Das Boot”), Toby Jones (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”), Oliver Richters (“Black Widow”), Ethann Isidore (“Mortel”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”). Directed by James Mangold, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981, is once again composing the score.
