Puddles: the Sad Clown with the Golden Voice

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Some people have a real fear of clowns.  I can understand that since some clowns are scary.

If you’re someone who gets scared of clowns, then you probably already booked it out of this post since it is about a seven-foot tall clown named Puddles: the Sad Clown with the Golden Voice.

Listen to Puddles sing and it’s easy understand the golden voice part… not sure why he’s sad since that clown can croon.

David “Brohawk” Williams Takes on Rambo

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I’ve been a fan of David “Brohawk” Williams’ art from the moment I first laid eyes on it.  Most folks become fans that quickly because Brohawk is THAT great.  

When I had a chance to meet David at HeroesCon in 2012, I was thrilled when he agreed to do a Stallone Rambo sketch for me.  Awesome, isn’t it?  And that’s just from a photo.  The actual art is too big for my scanner!

Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer

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The photo on the left is Louis Meyers.  The drawing on the right is a police sketch of the Zodiac Killer.

The Zodiac Killer is responsible for 5 unsolved murders in the San Francisco area committed between 1968 and 1969.  The Zodiac Killer taunted police in letters to newspapers and claimed to have killed as many as 37 people.  The Zodiac Killer was never caught.

Louis Meyers died in 2002, but before he died Meyers confessed to his best friend, Randy Kenney, that he (Meyers) was the Zodiac Killer.  Meyers claimed that he picked the victims (usually couples in lovers lane or secluded spots) because his girlfriend broke up with him.

Evidence supporting Meyers claim he was the Zodiac Killer…

  • In 1976 Meyers told another friend, Bob Robitaille, that he (Meyers) was the Zodiac Killer but Robitalle didn’t believe him.
  • Meyers lived in the area of the Zodiac killings.
  • Meyers attended two schools that were also attended by two of the Zodiac’s victims.
  • Meyers also worked at the same restaurant as another of the Zodiac’s victims.
  • Meyers worked at military surplus store.  A military boot print was left at one of the Zodiac’s crime scenes.
  • Meyers was stationed overseas in the military from 1971 to 1973.  Authorities received no letters from the Zodiac Killer during this time period.

All of these facts are circumstantial, but authorities have now added Louis Meyers to the list of Zodiac Killer suspects.

Source: DailyMail

Undertow #1 / Z-View

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Undertow is an on-going series created by Steve Orlando & Artyom Trakhanov published by Image.

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Artyom Trakhanov

Atlantis is the world superpower, and Redum Anshargal is its worst enemy. If you want to break free of the system, he can offer you a place at his side, exploring the wild surface world in his watertight city barge The Deliverer. He and his hostage-protege Ukinnu Alal hunt the Amphibian, a legend that could be the key to an air-breathing life on land. But as they become the hunted, can Anshargal’s team survive long enough to turn the tables on the godlike beast they set out for?

The Pitch: ”Hey, the world needs a comic set in Atlantis featuring a fully developed world from issue one, with a story that expects a lot from the readers, doesn’t dumb things down and features art smart enough to match the story.”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “You can die right here or be reborn.”

The Overview: Ukinnu Alal was an Atlantean born to privilege.  Growing up, Alal‘s potential friends had to be vetted before he could even meet them,  Alal attended the best private schools. Upon graduation his marriage to a trophy wife and office job were pre-determined and waiting.  It wasn’t until Alal joined the military that he was truly free.

We meet Alal in the middle of a terrible undersea battle against soldiers led by Redum Anshargal. Anshargal‘s troops are brutally slaughtering Alal’s Atlantean soldiers. Alal faces certain death.  Anshargal appears and offers  Alal a chance not only to live but to join Anshargal in a quest to break free from the yoke of Atlantis and explore the world above.

*** Beware – minor spoilers are found below ***

The Good

  • Trakhanov‘s cover (shown above).
  • We are dumped into a foreign world that is fully developed.  We are strangers in a strange land and understanding may not come easily at first.
  • Orlando‘s story is dense and doesn’t dumb down for readers.  This isn’t a comic one can read in five minutes.
  • The artwork created by Trakhanov is very good.

The Bad:

  • This isn’t a comic one can read in five minutes.  Some readers won’t like working for their story.
  • The coloring is hit or miss.  Sometimes it is spot on and at other times makes the lettering hard to read or overpowers the linework.

The Ugly:

  • Going to battle against Redum Anshargal.

I liked Undertow and have a feeling that it is going to just get better and better with each new issue.  I want to know more about Redum Anshargal‘s back story.  It will be interesting to learn why Ukinnu Alal was allowed to live and more importantly why Anshargal has brought him into his inner circle.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The White Suits #1 / Z-View

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The White Suits is a four issue mini-series created by Frank Barbiere & Toby Cypress published by Dark Horse Comics.

Writer: Frank Barbiere

Artist: Toby Cypress

Mysterious killers dressed in white, they savaged the Cold War Russian underworld—then disappeared. Now they have resurfaced in New York, leaving a trail of dead mobsters. In this bloody wake, an amnesiac and an FBI agent search for the answer to a single question: Who are the White Suits?

The Pitch: “Mysterious hit men, a resourceful female FBI agent with a personal quest and a tough guy suffering from retrograde amnesia.  What do ya say?”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Sometimes you can tear a memory wide open.”

The Overview: The White Suits, mysterious hit men who took on the Russian underworld, have resurfaced in the US and are now going after American mobsters.  Sarah Anderson was a little girl when her dad disappeared along with The White Suits.  How and why is a mystery.  She’s now a FBI agent now and wants answers.  We also have a man with a violent past who suffers from retrograde amnesia.  The three are on a violent collision course.”

*** Beware – minor spoilers are found below ***

The Good

  • Frank Barbiere creates a story that moves.  He has a lot of ground to cover but it never feels like exposition.
  • The White Suits is a crime comic that encompasses a mystery or two or three but never at the sake of action.
  • Cypress’ art is loose and unique.
  • The black and white art with a splash of color works!

The Bad:

  • What happens to mobsters when The White Suits show up.
  • Cypress’ art is loose… and won’t be to everyone’s taste.

The Ugly:

  • Automatic weapons in a crowded night club.

I’m a sucker for crime fiction.  Especially well done crime fiction.  The White Suits qualifies on both counts.  Bring on issue 2!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Star Wars, Burger Chef, Mike Kott and Me

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Recently while cruising alone the virtual highway known as the internet I came across these three Star Wars posters.  They were available in the early 1980’s at Burger Chef when you purchased one of their meals.  I know this not because I read it in the poster descriptions but because I worked at Burger Chef in that same time period.

While the posters were popular, when the promotion ended we were left with several boxes of unsold posters.  My boss was at a loss.  He couldn’t send them back.  He didn’t want to throw them away.  He sure wasn’t going to give them away.

I had a friend named Mike Kott.  Mike and I played poker on a regular basis and shared a mutual interest in comic books, comic art, movies and the like.  Mike ran (and still runs The Intergalactic Trading Company).  I knew Mike would buy the posters if he could make a profit on them.

So I told my boss that I knew a guy who’d buy the posters if the price was right.  My boss figured that if he sold them at cost he’d be ahead of the game.  He told me the amount which was pennies per poster.

I contacted Mike and the deal was done.  My boss was happy and Mike was thrilled.  He even tossed me $100 for making the deal!  (Remember this was the early 80’s, I was working my way through college and working part time at Burger Chef.  100 bucks was big money… at least for me.)

Mike told me that he’d sell the posters for a few bucks a piece and though it may take him a while, he’d do more than alright on the deal.  I just checked and he still has a few of those posters available if you’re interested.

I know Mike said it might take him a while to sell all those posters, but I wonder if he thought that over 30 years later, he’d still have some in his inventory.

I have more Mike Kott stories that I’ll share… in the near future I’ll tell you about Mike Kott and the Burger King Star Wars posters.

Jeremy Treece’s Bad Rambo Quickie Bonus Sketch

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Jeremy Treece has created art for comic books, trading cards, animation and independent films. Last week I posted Treece’s take on Sly Stallone.

Today I want to share the quickie sketch that Jeremy drew on one of the backing boards sent to protect the art.  Gotta love it!

You can see more of Jeremy’s art here… and hopefully again here at the SZ in the future.