Dustin Harbin Gets Carter

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This week we have Dustin Harbin‘s look at Jack Carter. Dustin is a freelance illustrator working out of Charlotte, NC. I’ve known Dustin for years through his outstanding work with Heroes Con. It was only recently that I discovered Dustin’s talent for cartooning.

Well, you just know I had to see Dustin’s riff on Sly. I hope you dig it as much as me. Dustin will be back soon with his take on Sly as Freddy from “Cop Land.”

John Beatty @ Collectors Comics

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Those mugs in the photo above are Keith Mallow and John Beatty.  Mallow and Beatty have been my buddies for years.  Yeah, I know.  My mom used to warn me about the company I keep.

Anyway, Keith is having Big Beatty down to his Collectors Comics store today.  Beatty will be drawing free headsketches for anyone who spends $25 bucks.  I’ll be there to heckle Mallow and cheer on John.  Heck, I may even try to finagle a new Stallone sketch.  Look for live tweets and later a full report.  If you’re within driving distance come on by!  For more information call 1-772-878-9229.

RIP Blake Edwards

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I was sorry to read that Blake Edwards passed on today at the age of 88.  Although Edwards is perhaps best known for his work on the Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers, he did so much more.  Here are just some of my favorites from Blake Edwards‘ credits:

  • The Great Race [original story, director]
  • Wild Rovers [screenplay, director]
  • The Return of the Pink Panther [screenplay, director]
  • The Pink Panther Strikes Again [screenplay, director]
  • Revenge of the Pink Panther [screenplay, director]
  • 10 [writer, director], Victor/Victoria [writer, director]
  • Experiment in Terror [director[

Blake Edwards also created the classic PI tv series Peter Gunn [I’ve only seen clips] as well as the classic films Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Days of Wine and Roses [both of which I’ve also never seen in case you’re wondering why they weren’t listed in the credits above].

Mr. Edwards is survived by his wife Julie Andrews as well as their two children and his two children from a previous marriage.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Edwards, his family, friends and fans.

Thomas Boatwright Draws 1st Blood

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I had been a fan of Thomas Boatwright’s art for a while. When he announced a sale on commissions for the month of December, I wrote to ask him about a Stallone piece for my collection. Thomas quickly responded and said that he was a fan of “First Blood.” I was surprised at how quickly Thomas finished the piece and that he’d decided to put Richard Crenna’s character in as well. I totally dug everything about it.

So… I asked Thomas if he was up for some more Stallone. He said that he was, so you’ll be seeing his take on Sly from The Expendables and Get Carter on the SZ in the next few weeks. They are just as cool! If you want to see them sooner, Thomas has posted them on his blog and his DA site. Send him some love.

I hope to get more Stallone art from Thomas in the future. If you get commissions, you should consider him as well. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist! – Craig

UFC 124 Results and Thoughts

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Last night Georges St. Pierre closed Josh Koscheck’s eye and the year with a win at UFC 124.  Let’s take a look at the earlier fight results and then come back to the main event:

  • Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig:
    Prediction: Joe “Daddy” Stevenson by decision.
    Result: Danzig caught Stevenson with a counter left hook knocking him cold and scoring a 1st round KO making me 0-1 for the night.
  • Sean McCorkle vs. Stefan Struve
    Prediction: I’ll go out on a limb with the upset… McCorkle wins by KO.
    Result: The limb snapped after McCorkle, who had been dominating the fight with a giant slam, a kimura armbar and dominating top control got swept and hammered by Struve until the ref stopped it at 3:55 of the first round.  0-2 for the night.
  • GSP vs Josh Koscheck.
    Prediction: GSP via stoppage.
    Result: GSP dominated every round with a brutal standup and won 50-45 on all three cards bringing me to a sad 1-2 for the night.

Final Thoughts…

  • Joe Stevenson may have fought his last UFC fight due to his KO loss.  I hope that’s not the case.
  • Stefan Struve showed heart and patience to earn his win.  My hats off to him.
  • GSP has cleaned out his division.  He says if he decides to go up in weight to fight Anderson Silva he will do it the right way.  He’ll gain muscle mass and will stay in that division.  THAT is a fight I’d love to see.
  • For the first [and last time] Dana White allowed the fans to vote for Fight of the Night ($100,000) bonuses.  Fans voted GSP vs Koscheck the Fight of the Night but reporters and Dan White felt that the bonus should have gone to Sean Pierson vs Matt Riddle.  White said he will “take care of them.”  Fans also voted bonuses to Mac Danzig for his KO of the Night of Joe Stevenson.  Jim Miller earned Submission of the Night for his kneebar on Mark Bocek.

UFC 124 Predictions

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UFC 124 is tonight.  Although the main event between Josh Koscheck and Georges St. Pierre is highly anticipated, the undercard doesn’t really grab me.  Still there are a few fights that have interested me [and hopefully you] enough that I’ll share my predictions:

  • Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig: It’s possible that the loser will also lose his contract with the UFC.  THAT should provide motivation for a good fight between two form Ultimate Fighter champions.
    Prediction: Joe “Daddy” Stevenson by decision.
  • Sean McCorkle vs. Stefan Struve: McCorkle is 6’7 and Strive is 6’11” so if a knockout occurs, it will take a bit longer for the loser to hit the mat.  Other than that, there’s not much that interests me about this one.
    Prediction: I’ll go out on a limb with the upset… McCorkle wins by KO.
  • GSP vs Josh Koscheck.  Although Kos is undefeated since GSP beat him 3 years ago and by all accounts is a better fighter; GSP hasn’t lost since he was upset [which he avenged] by Matt Serra… and he’s even better now.  There’s little chance that this fight will live up to the hype.
    Prediction: GSP via stoppage.

As always I’ll post results tomorrow.

What a Difference a Day Can Make

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If you were a fan of “24” then you might want to jump on this great deal from Amazon.  24: The Complete Series (eight seasons, the 24 tv-movie: “Redemption” and a bonus disc of supplemental materials) is currently on sale at 49% off the suggested price of $349.98.  That’s right, you can snap it up for $179.99 and get is shipped to you for free and in time for Christmas!

The dvd set comes available Tuesday and Kiefer Sutherland talks a bit about it and the series here.   “24” is one of the few series that I watched from the premiere until the end without ever missing a single episode… and if the series had continued, I’d have kept on watching.