Category: Art

“Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection is here.  I cannot wait to see this!

Dave Stevens was a once-in-a-lifetime artist who created the hit comic book series The Rocketeer that reintroduced the world to ’50s pin-up queen Bettie Page and was adapted into a beloved feature film. Dave carried with him a style born of 1930s American Pop Culture, an era he never experienced firsthand, but lived on in his heart and through his illustrations. His award-winning, 35-year career spanned advertising, comics, animation, movies, and TV working with luminaries like Jack Kirby, Doug Wildey, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Landis, and Joe Johnston. Widely considered one of the best illustrators of his generation, Dave Stevens lived life the way he drew, meticulously pursuing a perfection he saw in his mind. His elegant brush work and iconic imagery continue to attract fans and inspire new generations of artists.

“The Abominable Dr. Phibes” Alt. Poster by John Dunn!

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Once a week Joblo.com posts Awesome Art We’ve Found Around the Net.  As you can imagine, they post awesome art that they, well, you get the idea.

I always enjoy seeing what JoBlo has found because with each post they list the artist’s name and a link to more of his/her art.  If you check it out you’ll discover amazing artists like John Dunn who did The Abominable Dr. Phibes piece above. I actually like Dunn’s poster better than the movie!

Jim Ivey: A Celebration of Life!

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Jim Ivey died on July 13, 2022, at the age of 97.  Jim led an amazing life which you can read about here.  On October 9, 2022, 25 of Jim’s friends came together to celebrate him.

The photos above are of the front and back covers of a booklet that Charlie Moffitt put together.  It contained photos, drawings and remembrances of Jim by many of his friends.  Thanks to Charlie for putting the booklet together and also Mike Kott & Sue Cornwell who paid for the printing costs so that everyone got a copy.

Our celebration was at an Outback Steakhouse. Twenty-five of Jim’s friends attended. John Beatty wanted to, but his mother passed away two days prior.  I printed a sheet of Jim Ivey caricatures for everyone.  Jim liked to say if 100 artists drew the same person, the drawings would all be different, yet each would capture an aspect of the person.  It reminded me that Jim had friendships with each of us, but like the caricatures, the relationships were all slightly different.

It was great seeing so many of Jim’s friends who were also friends with each other because of Jim.  We shared a meal, and many wonderful memories.  There was a lot of laughter and we kept things low key – just as Jim would have wanted.

Mike Kott shares a Jim Ivey story!

Charlie shows Frank the proper way to hold a baby.

Everyone ignoring the waitress when the bill comes.

Cliff prepares to strangle Doralya.

The All-American Boy (we might have to revisit that nickname) tells the story of Jim Ivey’s slow motion fall during a poker game.

Bill and Rob recreating the Keep on Truckin’ pose.

Rob found Joy’s homemade cookies… so did everyone else!  Yummy!

Joy shares an art book that Jim gave her.

Cliff’s smile means something is up.

Wild Bill Black and me… it looks like my hair had a stroke.

When Jim was approaching his mid-80s, he sent me a letter that contained the full page below.  Jim came up with advice for himself  since he was over 80. I always thought it contained great advice for any age, so I made a copy for everyone attending.

Jim will be missed, but never forgotten.

THE FAFHRD and the GRAY MOUSER OMNIBUS is Coming!

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The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Omnibus will be released on June 27, 2023.  Here’s the lowdown:

Fritz Leiber ranks among the giants of fantasy and science fiction visionaries, capturing multiple Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards and influencing a generation of writers.

And his most renowned creations are the swashbuckling Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories.

Collected here are adaptations of some of the finest of these tales—including the Hugo and Nebula Award winning “Ill Met in Lankhmar”—by comics legends Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, Dennis O’Neil, Al Williamson, and more. Join the hulking barbarian and the diminutive rogue as they battle swordsmen, necromancers, and flagons of strong drink!

Collects Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: The Cloud of Hate and Other Stories.

Pre-orders are available now!

Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross!

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I don’t think I’ve read an issue of the Fantastic Four since John Byrne left the title in 1986.  Alex Ross has written and illustrated Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a graphic novel that has me interested in the team again.  Here’s the 411…

It’s a rainy night in Manhattan and not a creature is stirring except for . . . Ben Grimm. When an intruder suddenly appears inside the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), the Invisible Woman (Susan Storm Richards), the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and the Thing (Ben Grimm)—find themselves surrounded by a swarm of invading parasites. These carrion creatures composed of Negative Energy come to Earth using a human host as a delivery system. But for what purpose? And who is behind this untimely invasion?

The Fantastic Four have no choice but to journey into the Negative Zone, an alien universe composed entirely of anti-matter, risking not just their own lives but the fate of the cosmos!

Fantastic Four: Full Circleis the first longform work written and illustrated by acclaimed artist Alex Ross, who revisits a classic Stan Lee–Jack Kirby story from the 1960s and introduces the storyline for a new generation of readers. With bold, vivid colors and his trademark visual storytelling, Ross takes Marvel’s first team of super heroes to places only he can illustrate. The book also features a special poster jacket, with the front flap unfolding to reveal an all-new fully painted origin story of the Fantastic Four.

Welcome to the Negative Zone and MarvelArts—a new collaborative line of books between Marvel Comics and Abrams ComicArts—where nothing is impossible and anything can happen!

Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross is available now.

Francesco Francavilla’s Poster for the Limited Release of George Romero’s Classic “Night of the Living Dead”!

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Francesco Francavilla was asked to design/illustrate a poster for a limited German theatrical release of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.  Francesco hit a home run!  I love that Ben is given center stage and we see him surrounded by the living dead. Walking zombies in the foreground and hands seen through the boards over the window.  Bravo!

Source:  Francesco Francavilla