More Riddick Coming

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I admit it.  I’m a Vin Diesel fan… especially when he plays Riddick.  I loved “Pitch Black.” And while its sequel, “The Chronicles of Riddick” fell short, I have grown to like it a bit more with each additional viewing.

That’s why I get a twinge of excitement every time a new Riddick movie is brought up.   You can imagine my delight when Diesel said in a recent interview:

Maybe we’ve been too tight-lipped about the movie, and you’ll probably hear a lot more about it… [Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick screenwriter] David Twohy is finishing up the next script.

Whoa.  Now THAT is great news.  You can read the full interview here and if you’re in to video games you should since there’s a lot of talk about the new Riddick game about to be released.

Beat the Reaper

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The Pitch: Beat the Reaper is like The Sopranos meets ER as written by Charlie Huston and Duane Swierczynski

The Overview: Peter Brown, a mafia hitman,  now in the witness protection program finds his cover as an emergency room physician blown when he is recognized by one of his own associates.  With hitmen in the hospital, Brown will have to use his new skills as a doctor coupled with his hitman abilities if he is to survive.

The Good: Josh Baszell’s writing presents a unique spin on a mafia hitman.  Nothing is as it seems.  Footnotes.  Yes, footnotes.  This book moves.  The characters.

The Bad: Being dumped in a shark tank.  Stuck with a hypo full of **** and another full of infected fluids.  Thrown out of a 6th story window.

The Ugly: What Brown has to do to survive.

The Summary: I loved Beat the Reaper.  I can’t remember the last time I read a book by a first time author that I enjoyed so much.  Bazell has created a winner and I can’t wait for his follow-up.

Mitch Byrd, Tampa & FX

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I posted the Mitch Byrd sketch I got at MegaCon. Pretty nice, huh?

love Mitch’s art and am surprised we don’t see more of it in comics and on-line. Mitch said he doesn’t do anything with a computer and any of his art on-line was put there by someone else. If you ever get the chance to see Mitch at a show, don’t miss it. His portfolio is amazing. He’s a very humble person and such a talented artist. I hope that my first Mitch Byrd piece is not my last.


Tim Gordon’s Tampa Con is quickly approaching. It’s Sunday, March 22nd from 10am – 4pm. The funny thing is the con is now in Largo. I haven’t been to the new location, but am thinking about making the trip on the 22nd. My wife and mom would like to go down that way to visit a family member and I could be dropped off at the show. LOL. It could work. Hmmmm…. Here’s a link to the show [link] of you planning to attend?


FX is the con that I’m really looking forward to. There are a ton of artists planning to attend. I haven’t been able to talk my buddy, John Beatty, into going so it looks like I’m going to have to do this one solo. The guest list is just too good to pass up. Funds are tight, but I have to work this con in. Here’s the link [link] who’s with me?


Mood: Joy
Listening to: Groove Line by Heat Wave
Reading: Another Life by Andrew Vachss
Watching: Babylon A.D.
Playing: Internet Spades
Eating: Spanish Omelet
Drinking: Vitamin Water

Mir vs Lesnar & Hughes vs Sera

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On Tuesday it was announced that on May 23rd, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) will square off against UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir (12-3 MMA).  This unification bout will be their second meeting.  In the first, Mir won via tapout from a leg bar in the first round.

The card will also feature the highly anticipated bout between Matt Hughes and Matt Sera.  There’s no love lost between these two and you can bet that trash talk will lead up to sparks in the ring.

At this point, I’d have to say that the smart money is on Lesnar in the title bout and Hughes in the battle of the Matts.  I have to admit that I’ll probably be pulling for the underdogs when May 23rd rolls around.

The Rocketeer is Coming Again!

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IDW Publishing recently announced that in October they will release two editions of Dave Stevens’ “The Rocketeer.” Both editions will feature all of Stevens’ Rocketeer material in a single volume [recolored by Laura Martin — the colorist that Stevens handpicked].  The project’s editor, Scott Dunbier said the deluxe edition will be:

“Oversized, about 8 x 12 inches, and loaded with unpublished Dave Stevens Rocketeer art. There will be tons of drawings, sketches, cover roughs—100 pages of them! How’s that for the ultimate Rocketeer collection?”

Pretty good, I’d say.

ABC Kills “Life on Mars”

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I was disappointed to just read that ABC has cancelled Life on Mars. The good news is that the series starring Jason O’Mara, Gretchen Mol, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Jonathon Murphy and occasional guest star Lisa Bonet will be allowed to complete the season and resolve the mystery that propelled the series.  Namely why a modern day cop “suddenly, mysteriously finds himself transported back to the 1970s, where the rules are dramatically different.”

I really hate to see this series end.  I’d been with it since the premiere and enjoyed every episode.  At least “Life on Mars” will get to resolve the mystery that kept fans coming back for more.

Dave Johnson & Howard Chaykin Pull No Punches

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It’s no secret that I’m a Dave Johnson fan.  It’s no secret that I’m a Howard Chaykin fan.  Up until today I did not know that Howard Chaykin is a HUGE Dave Johnson fan.  At WonderCon this past weekend Chaykin helped moderate a panel along with and about Dave Johnson.  As you can imagine, it was insightful, funny, informative and pulled no punches.  Here’s a taste from a CBR.com report:

Chaykin: . “Dave is consistently the finest cover designer working in the field today. He finds the bridge between the intellectual and the emotional.”

Johnson {when he was praised and not fired after submitting a radical cover): “I realized I just had to be fearless (when creating a cover).”

Johnson (on his influences): “John Byrne, Michael Golden. Byrne is a total *******, though—I met him once and I vowed never to do that again.” Chaykin chimed in again: “The good thing about Byrne is, as long as he’s alive, you know you never have to be the most despised man in comics.”

The piece by Dave Sikula is really well written and informative.  It goes on to tell how Steranko vindicated Johnson after he was over-ruled by an editor, why it’s tough to be the cover artist for Eduardo Risso, what Byrne, Art Adams and Michael Golden have in common, how Johnson approaches covers and much more.  You can read the whole piece right here.