Category: Art

“Primal: Season 2” (2022) / Z-View

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Primal: Season 2 (2022)

Written and storyboarded by: Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 11, 13, 16, 18, 20); David Krentz & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 12, 17); Mark Andrews (episode 14); Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 15); David Krentz (episode 19)

Story: Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 11 – 20)

Stars: Aaron LaPlante, Laëtitia Eïdo, Fred Tatasciore, Imari Williams

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Season 2 continues the story of Spear and Fang as they fight for survival in a primordial world.  Their adventures bring them in contact with strange creatures, mystic beings, warrior clans and more.  This season finds Spear searching for Mira with Fang at his side.  Their journey is full of surprises and a shocking ending.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Genndy Tartakovsky is the creative force behind Primal.  Season 2 builds on the foundation set in season one. Hard to believe it’s possible, but season two is even better than the original.

Primal won three Primetime Emmy Awards.  It wouldn’t surprise me if season two earns the series even more.

Primal: Season 2 (2022) earns 5 of 5 stars.

BLACKULA: RETURN OF THE KING by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander is Coming Soon!

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Blacula: Return of the King by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander will be released later this month.  Here’s the lowdown…

Los Angeles – the City of Angels. Two souls, one is looking for vengeance and one is looking for the truth. They share one thing in common, they are both searching for the legendary vampire Blacula. Tina Thomas is a reporter for the blog Dark Knights, which chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead. She meets a young man named Kross whose family was forever changed by the vampire. Kross asks Tina to help him kill Blacula.

Blacula too is on a mission, he is searching for the one who forever changed his life centuries ago. His name is Count Dracula.

Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020) / Z-View

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Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020)

Written and storyboarded by: Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 1-2, 9); David Krentz (episodes 3, 7, 10); Don Shank & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 4); Bryan Andrews & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 5); Bryan Andrews (episode 6); Nagisa Koyama & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 8);

Story: Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 1);  Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 2, 9); Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, David Krentz & Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 3, 7, 10); Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 4-6, 8);

Stars: Aaron LaPlante, Laëtitia Eïdo, Fred Tatasciore, Imari Williams

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A caveman who saw his family devoured by a pack of Tyrannosaurs, develops a friendship with a dinosaur who survived an attack by the same T-Rex pack.  Together Spear and Fang (as we come to know them) travel through a primordial world working together to survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was late to the Primal party.  Yeah, I’d heard how awesome Primal was.  But, come on.  A cartoon about a caveman and a dinosaur who are friends?  “Maybe if I was seven,” I thought.  Finally, I gave it a chance.  I should have checked out Primal sooner.

Yes, it is about a caveman and a dinosaur who become best friends.  But this ain’t no kiddie cartoon.  There is no spoken dialogue.  There is plenty of cartoon violence.  The violence has “real” repercussions.  People and animals die.  And you will find yourself caring more about the cartoon characters in this world than in most movies or television shows.

Hats off to Genndy Tartakovsky.  Primal contains stories with heart that are beautifully animated.  Each episode is a standalone tale, but builds to tell a bigger story.  Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get to Season 2.

Primal won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation: Stephen DeStefano (character designer) (for “A Cold Death”); Genndy Tartakovsky (storyboard artist) (for “Spear and Fang”); and Scott Wills (art director) (for “Spear and Fang”).

Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020) earns 5 of 5 stars.

Neal Adams’ Rare “Billy Jack” Original Art!

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That’s the rarely seen Neal Adams original Billy Jack painting used for the cover of The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #11.  If you click over to The Bristol Board you will see the art and magazine cover.  It’s interesting to note that for the magazine they did a close-up of the painting to make a more dynamic cover.

If you like action films, consider checking out Billy Jack and its prequel, Born Losers.  Both are fun.  Two additional sequels, The Trial of Billy Jack and Billy Jack Goes to Washington aren’t as good.  In 1985, Tom Laughlin began production on The Return of Billy Jack.  Sadly, it was never completed.

EERIE ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 is Coming!

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Eerie Archives Volume 2 is available for pre-order now.  Here’s the lowdown…

A gruesome gold mine of horror, suspense, and the supernatural, Eerie magazine (and its partner in crime, Creepy), set the bar for gripping tales of terror in the comics medium.

Collecting the groundbreaking series, Eerie Archives is now available in a value-priced paperback edition. Under a jaw-dropping cover painting by Frank Frazetta lies a collection of chilling tales written by comics legend Archie Goodwin and illustrated by a murderer’s row of top talents including Steve Ditko, Gene Colan, Neal Adams, Gray Morrow, Johnny Craig, Dan Adkins, and more.

Collects Eerie magazine #6–#10.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

Eerie Archives Volume 2

EERIE ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 is Coming!

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Hey!  If you were excited to learn that Dark Horse is republishing Creepy magazine in a trade paperback format, you’re going to love to know that Eerie is also getting the same treatment!

Now available in an affordable paperback format, Eerie Archives Volume 1 features some of the most acclaimed works of horror, murder, and the macabre in the history of graphic fiction.

Eerie, like its killer kin Creepy, features work from many of the grandmasters of comics storytelling, including Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, and others and stories by the legendary Archie Goodwin.

Features the ultra-rare Eerie #1, for which only 200 “ashcan” copies were originally printed!

Collects Eerie magazine #1–#5.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

Eerie Archives Volume 1

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 is Coming!

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Yesterday I posted about Creepy Archives Volume One.  That got me to thinking that maybe Volume Two has been announced.  Guess what…

The second bone-chilling volume of Creepy Archives is now available in a value-priced paperback edition, showcasing some of most harrowing stories of horror, murder, and supernatural mayhem in comics history!

Created by a who’s-who of comics legends, including Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Gray Morrow, Reed Crandall, John Severin, and more. Of special interest are Goodwin and Crandall’s superb adaptations of “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Body Snatcher” by gothic horror master Edgar Allan Poe.

Collects Creepy magazine issues #6–#10 and includes original letters pages, text features, and ads.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

Creepy Archives Volume 2

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 is Coming!

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When I was a kid I’d sometimes get to read a Creepy magazine.  Creepy contained, well, let’s just go to the synopsis…

Gather your wooden stakes, silver bullets, and the skeletons in your closet, and prepare for a descent into horror and science-fiction history with Creepy Archives Volume 1!

Reanimated in all its gruesome glory in a value-priced paperback format, and in its original magazine size, this terrifying tome presents some of the finest work by comics legends Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, Alex Toth, Joe Orlando, Gray Morrow, and more. Collects Creepy magazine issues #1–#5 and includes original letters pages, text features, and ads.

I love that the reprint will contain the original ads, letters pages, etc.  It goes without saying when you have artists like Frazetta, Toth and Williamson that they are worth the price of admission.  I think I’m gonna have to get this.  Pre-Orders are available now.

Creepy Archives Volume 1

Is This the Best Curt Swan Superman Drawing Ever?

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Is this the best Curt Swan Superman drawing ever?  It gets my vote!

Curt Swan first drew Superman in 1948.  After that he drew most every comic in the Superman “family” (Superman, Superboy, World’s Finest, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, etc.).  In the 1960s, Swan’s Superman became “the” definitive model for the character.

Art Source: Colin Smith.