“Rocky” by JC Richard – New Release from Grey Matter Art

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Grey Matter Art, under license from MGM, is proud to announce a new officially licensed, limited edition screen print featuring the classic 1976 Sylvester Stallone film, “Rocky” by artist, JC Richard. With the “Creed 2” trailer being released last week what a way to honor the original film. Below are details regarding poster and release information.

“Rocky” by JC Richard
12″ x 36″ hand-numbered screen print
Regular Edition: 150/40.00
Variant Edition: 75/50.00
Printed by: D&L Screenprinting

This poster will be released this Wednesday, June 27th on our website shop page at 1:00 PM est. at www.greymatterart.com

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James Byron Huggins is Back!

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James Byron Huggins is back!

Long-time readers probably remember Huggins best as the author of Hunter.  Huggins wrote Hunter specifically with Sylvester Stallone (who bought the movie rights) in mind as the book’s hero.  Hunter is one of my all-time favorite novels and would make an exciting movie!  Stallone fans continue to hope that Sly will helm a movie version of Hunter even if he doesn’t star in it (and he should!).

Huggins wasn’t a one-hit wonder.  He also wrote The Reckoning, Cain, Leviathon, Rora, and other novels.  (And I recommend each of them!)  Huggins’ novels are a combination of thriller, action-adventure and horror.  His skill at seamlessly combining the genres made Huggins an international best-selling novelist.  When two of his books were optioned for over a million dollars a piece, Huggins turned his attention to work on films.

But now James Byron Huggins is back!

International and New York Times bestselling thriller author James Byron Huggins is back with a vengeance. The former police detective-turned successful author has signed with Denver based WildBlue Press to release two new novels and four backlisted titles. The backlisted books will begin release in April, starting with the thriller The Reckoning.  More backlisted titles will release in 2018, including The Hunter, a sci-fi/thriller with film rights owned by Sylvester Stallone. Dark Visions, a brand-new thriller from Huggins will release in July 2018. In the novel, Joe Mac, a legendary homicide detective forced into retirement when he lost his eyesight in the line of duty, is compelled to find whomever or whatever killed his grandson. Even if it costs him his life.

“I am both honored and privileged to put out the books I’ve been working on for so long,” Huggins said.  “I wouldn’t go with any other company. WildBlue will always be my company. They are solid. The best there is.”

Dark Visions will release July 31, 2018.

I am excited to revisit Hunter and The Reckoning.  It will be great to have the new Huggins’ novel, Dark Visions in July.  Now if Sly will add Hunter to his “Films to Do” List…

Mignola & Golden’s Joe Golem: Occult Detective Returns!

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Mike Mignola, best known as the creator of Hellboy, has teamed with best-selling novelist Christopher Golden and artist Peter Bergting for Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Drowning City, a five issue mini-series premiering in September.  This will be the third mini-series featuring Golem with the first two being Joe Golem: Occult Detective—The Rat Catcher and the Sunken Dead and Joe Golem: Occult Detective—The Outer Dark.

Source: Paste.

RIP – Koko

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Koko the gorillia known throughout the world for her ability to use sign language has passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 46.   Koko was able to understand over 1,000 signs and approximately 2,000 words.

Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo but lived most of her life in The Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.  Koko was a celebrity and made headlines for her love of kittens as well as her meetings with other celebrities such as Robin Williams, Betty White and Mr. Rogers.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Koko’s friends and fans throughout the world.

Action at Cemetery Beach!

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Cemetery Beach sounds like something that readers of this site would enjoy.  Created by writer Warren Ellis with art by co-creator Jason Howard, Cemetery Beach will be an action fan’s fix.

“​Jason wanted to do an action book, so I wrote something that starts with a conversation in an interrogation room, ignites four pages later, and doesn’t stop until the end of the final issue—which he’s drawing right now, so when issue #1 comes out, the whole series will be in the can,” said Ellis. “It might be the most relentless action book I’ve ever written.”

For more information check out the Cemetery Beach press release from Image Comics.

How Do You Steal From Dracula? Stephan Franck Knows!

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I’ve been singing the praises of Stephan Franck (writer & artist) since I discovered his Silver graphic novels which he describes as…

… an original universe built around Bram Stoker’s original Dracula, and it begins 40 years after the events of the novel, into the noir/pulp era of the 1930s. You meet James Finnigan, who is the most notorious conman/gentleman-thief of his day, as he teams up with Rosalynd “Sledge” Van Helsing (granddaughter of the original Van Helsing, and altogether the last of the Van Helsings), to steal a mystical treasure hidden in Dracula’s castle. Finn, of course, brings his known associates—a fun assortment of conmen and grifters of all kinds—as well as the kind of amoral attitude that puts him immediately at odds with Sledge. Lastly, the team enlists Tao Leu (or more accurately, he enlists himself), who is a 10-year-old boy with the gift of second sight and who might be the biggest scoundrel of them all.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Beetle Bailey

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Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 10 Things You Might Not Know About Beetle Bailey.

1. IT STARTED AS A COLLEGE CAMPUS COMEDY.

Walker’s initial idea for a strip didn’t feature any fatigues or military equipment. While drawing cartoons for The Saturday Evening Post, he decided to try creating a story around a university student named Spider who kept his hat pulled over his eyes and tried to navigate college life by doing as little as possible. Changing his name to Beetle Bailey—the surname was a nod to a supportive editor at the Post—Walker had him wander into an Army recruiting station. Inspired, he retrofitted the strip so that barracks would take the place of a dorm. (Walker himself had been drafted, serving four years during World War II.) Debuting in 1950, Beetle Bailey set a record for the longest continuous work by a comic strip artist: Walker worked on it for 68 years.

2. IT WAS BANNED BY THE U.S. MILITARY.

In the 1950s, Beetle Bailey took its place as a steady but otherwise unremarkable addition to the comics pages. Then Walker got an unexpected promotional boost. The U.S. military’s Stars and Stripes newspaper, which had been running the strip, banned it from its Tokyo editions over fears it might incite disrespect toward commanding officers. (Beetle was lazy and typically disinterested in following orders.) The prohibition lasted for a decade and was subjected to so much ridicule that Beetle became a recurring presence in newspaper headlines. The strip was eventually syndicated to more than 1800 papers.

10. THE STRIP WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE PENTAGON.

After 50 years of “service,” Beetle Bailey finally got a little acknowledgment from his higher-ups. The (real) Pentagon invited Walker and three of his costumed characters to a ceremony in May 2000 that honored the cartoonist for his work in supporting the military. Walker was presented with the Secretary of the Army’s Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the Army’s highest civilian honor. “I think finally the brass has learned how to laugh at themselves a little bit,” Walker said. “They’re not kicking me out of Stars and Stripes anymore like they did a couple of times.”