Undercover Agent Art by Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips created the art above for an article about ATF undercover agents, written by T. Jefferson Parker that appeared in the LA Times Magazine.
The Return of Walter White
Breaking Bad, one of the best shows currently in production, returns on July 17th. AMC, in an effort to wet our whistle, has posted a new extended trailer for the upcoming season as well as a bunch of other cool stuff.
Sons of Anarchy: Season 4 Teaser
ScreenRant posted a nice piece about the new season of Sons of Anarchy which starts in September on FX. The article has a well done teaser video and some minor spoilers. I believe season four has the potential to be the best yet.
The Urbanbarbarian Speaks
One of my favorite artists, Dan Panosian is featured in an interview with Chris Arrant over at Newsarama. Here are a few quotes from the Dan…
- Dave Johnson, Jeff Johnson and I started Drink and Draw in early 2005 and it’s taken off like Fight Club around the globe. There are literally Drink and Draw Chapters all over the country and all over the world. It’s amazing.
- Comic Twart is a real honor to be a part of and a great excuse to draw some eclectic/off beat character studies.
- The Retro 70’s Luke Cage/Iron Fist pin-up/pitch you mentioned was something I really wanted to see Marvel do. I wrote a very fun script for what could be a four issue limited series and I was genuinely thrilled by the tons and tons of re-posts across the internet clamoring for it to happen.
- I got into the comic business because I loved the Conan comic book so much. Even my website, www.UrbanBabarian.com is a homage to Conan… I’m drawing issues 9-10 of Conan: Road of Kings written by Roy Thomas for Dark Horse. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am. It’s a dream of mine to work on this book.
Dan also discusses his start in comics, how he hooked up with Image in the early days, what he was doing when he “disappeared” from comics, his work on video games and a character called Duke Nukem, and much, much more.
EW: Sneak Preview – Sons of Anarchy
The July 8/15, 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly features this photo from the upcoming season premiere of Sons of Anarchy. Opie [Ryan Hurst] and Lyla [Winter Ave Zoli] get hitched in the first episode when SOA returns to FX in September.
And did you notice that Jax is sporting a new hairstyle?
Breaking Bad Returns
On July 17th one of my favorite shows, Breaking Bad, returns for it’s fourth season. Man-o-man, does it look to be a great season.
Captain America Poster… Blues
This is the first thing relating to the new Captain America movie that I’ve seen that I haven’t really liked. This poster could have been so much better… the Red Skull should have looked more menacing… Cap should have looked bigger/broader and in a more action pose… Dum Dum Dugan should have been much bigger…
The good news is the poster may not be up to par, but the movie looks to rock.
The Killer Elite… Lose the Stache
The only thing I don’t like about this poster is Clive Owen’s mustache… and it may work for the character.
[Via IMPAwards]
EGG: Hard-Boiled Stories #1
Egg: Hard-Boiled Stories #1 is a rare find in comics these days. First of all, it’s an anthology. Second, every tale is excellent in both story [all written by Eric Skillman] and art [Jorge Coelho, Joe Dellagatta, Dan Duncan, Jhomar Soriano and Connor Willumsen]. Let’s look at the issue…
These Kids Today by Eric Skillman and Connor Willumsen kicks off the issue with a three page story that packs a gut-punch ending. A somewhat older [wiser?] guy decides to hook up with a young babe who’s mad at her boyfriend and looking for a good time. Needless to say, good times ensue… for a bit. I didn’t see the ending coming and that made me love it all the more. I really liked how the line art and colors worked on this story.
Our second tale, Below the Fold teams Eric Skillman with Jorge Coelho in an eight page story about a reporter who needs to break a major story in order to keep her job. Her luck turns when she discovers information that would save her career… but cost her much more.
Next up is Eric Skillman and Jhomar Soriano teaming to bring us Uninvited, a three page tale of suspense. Kate Carville is the lead prosecutor against a mob boss in a trial set to start the following morning. Kate is home alone prepping for the case when she hears someone in her house.
As I was reading this short tale I was thinking that I’d really like to see Skillman and Soriano team for a graphic novel. I was thrilled to learn that they did [Liar’s Kiss] and that it would live up to my high expectations [future review coming].
The Real Thing [by Eric Skillman and Dan Duncan] explores what happens when a con man set to score big discovers that a female con artist is also working the same guy. Can they trust each other so that everyone, except the mark, comes out ahead?
Our final tale is Spared by Eric Skillman and Joe Dellagatta. It’s every woman’s nightmare to be traveling alone on a deserted road and for the car to breakdown. That’s exactly what happens to Kristen. Perhaps things are looking up when a stranger stops to help. Perhaps not. I foresaw a couple of different endings to this tale, but not the one that Skillman and Dellagatta delivered. THAT is the sign of good storytelling. Special props for the coloring of this story as well.
So there you have it. Five excellent crime stories by Eric Skillman and five talented artists. If you’ve read this far, then Egg: Hard-Boiled Stories #1 should find a home in your collection.
Talking with Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell
Recently a couple of my favorite writers, Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell sat down for a two part conversation. In part one Duane and Josh talk about how they write novels, the influence of comic books & movies, and why they want to keep readers turning the page. In part two Duane and Josh discuss their first jobs, their first books, 80’s movies and tv shows, James Ellroy’s White Jazz and more.
Robbi Rodriguez & Jack Carter
Robbi Rodroguez did a Rocky sketch for me at last year’s Heroes Convention. When I saw that Robbi was going to be at Heroes again this year and was taking commissions early, I asked for an iconic black and white piece of Sly as Jack Carter. Robbi knew exactly what I was looking for and came through like a champ with the piece above. I was totally blown away.
You can see more of Robbi’s art here and here… and definitely again here at the SZ in the future.
The Rocketeer Flies Again
This really well done fan animation was made to honor the 20th anniversary of Dave Steven’s The Rocketeer. Wouldn’t you love to see a feature length version? Yeah, me too.
Heroes Con Report – Saturday
Saturday
Saturday is usually the busiest day at most shows and this was going to be no exception. My goal was to get all of my sketches by the end of the day so that Doralya and I could head back home [a 7 – 8 hour drive] at a decent time on Sunday. So I spent the morning setting up sketches with Billy Fowler, Rob Holstein, Chris Schweizer, and Evan Bryce. That freed me up to circulate the con floor and con art auction area. So here are some con photos and comments…
One of the great things about Heroes Con is that on Saturday night there is always an art auction. During the day it’s not uncommon to see artists in a special area working on the pieces that they’ll donate to the show. Above is Adam Hughes just starting on his painting which went for an all-time Heroes Con record of 12 grand!
That’s Billy Fowler and his lady. Last year I met Billy and got his really cool take on Sly as Jack Carter. I wanted to get another piece from Billy and he agreed and gave me his on-point take of Sly as Rocky.
Although I’d never met Chris Schweizer, I’d discovered his art through a link for Heroes Con. I really liked his style and was delighted to discover that Chris was a very approachable and enthusiastic artist. He really took his time interacting with folks who stopped by his table. I picked up his art book and he threw in his take on Sly as Freddy from “Cop Land.”
Robin Holstein was another artist that I discovered from a link for Heroes Con. I really liked Robin’s pen and ink work. He agreed to do a sketch of Sly as Rambo. When I saw the results, I immediately asked if he had room on his sketchlist to do another Stallone. He did and did an equally cool riff on Sly as Jack Carter. LittleJohn saw what Robin had done for me and immediately signed up to get Robin’s take on Little John from Robin Hood.
LittleJohn, Patricia and I ended up at the Inkwell Awards Panel. Dan Panosian kicked off the panel and then Tim Townsend [pictured above] served as the host. It was cool seeing Kevin Nolan there and getting some well-deserved recognition. It was also a kick to see that my best friend, John Beatty, was nominated for an award.
That’s a shot of David Williams aka Brohawk working on his Spider-Man painting which ended up being won by Adam Hughes at the auction. Andrew Robinson is working on his barbarian painting which turned out to be my favorite piece in the auction. Brian Stelfreeze did a really sweet painting of Scooby-Doo and Daphne to support the show. Eric Canate worked up this really cool Avengers piece. Phil Noto checked in with his take on Supergirl. Tommy Lee Edwards turned his brush towards the Rocketeer. Not all pieces that make it into the auction are paintings. Some very cool pen and ink art also made the cut.
Doralya and I joined LittleJohn312 and Patricia at the auction. I brought Rico his bigger-than-life-size Mr. T and Rocky Balboa standees. Rico seemed truly happy to get them. This year the auction moved at a much quicker pace, but after a few hours, Doralya and I were beat and knew we had a long drive waiting for us in the morning. We said our good-byes and headed to the Westin.
This was one of the best Heroes Cons ever. I know I say that every year, but it’s true. Doralya had a blast enjoying the city while I was at the con and then meeting up with LittleJohn, his wife and others for meals and special events. Doralya is already making plans to go next year. Truth be told, so am I.
RIP – Peter Falk
Peter Falk, best known as tv’s legendary Detective Columbo, died last night at the age of 83.
My first memory of Peter Falk is in his role as Maximilian Meen from The Great Race. Truth be told, I’d probably seen Mr. Falk earlier in one of his guest appearances on tv shows like Have Gun Will Travel, Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone. I know that I saw him in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World before I ever saw The Great Race, but it was his role as Maximillian Meen that made the first big impact and brought him to my attention. I would have been all of seven years old.
My next big memory of Peter Falk is in his role of Columbo. He first appeared as Columbo in the tv movie Prescription Murder [1968]. Then from 1971 to 2003, Mr. Falk reprised the role in 68 more tv movies. Peter Falk was perfect in the role and fans loved him. I can remember watching the movies with mom or my grandfather. They enjoyed the series as much as me… maybe more.
In 1979, my girlfriend [later to be my wife] and I went to movies every week. One of the films we decided to see was The In-Laws. I thought it would be okay. I was wrong. The In-Laws turned out to be a comedy classic. We left the theater talking about how great it was and laughing about it long after the film was over.
Peter Falk appears in another of my favorite films, The Princess Bride which we [my wife and I] watched with our sons when they were young. It’s pretty cool that I was able to enjoy Mr. Falk’s movies with the significant people throughout my life. I guess that’s the sign of a true star, he/she is able to continue to find good roles throughout their lives. Mr. Falk was such a star.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
