Category: Art

Free Comic Book Day

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Today is Free Comic Book Day.  Comic shops all over the country will be giving away free comics, having store signings with comic book writers and artists, offering big discounts on comic related items, having drawings, costume contests and all sorts of fun.  Although I love going to comic conventions, meeting artists and writers, and having all sorts of fun, I’ve never attended a FCBD event.  Today that changes.

The Queen and I have been up since 4:30am [had to drop my son & his girlfriend off at the Orlando airport] and have already driven well over 100 miles.  In an hour or so, we’re getting back on the road and heading down to Famous Faces & Funnies in West Melbourne, Florida.  Derec Donovan and Karl Moline will be there sketching and signing autographs.  We’re going to check out the festivities [and maybe see about a Stallone sketch or two].

Then it’s back on the road and down to Collector’s Comics in Port St. Lucie, where my buddy, John Beatty will be sketching and defacing comics with his signature.  His lovely wife, Bella, will also be there and it will be a chance for her and the Queen to get together and compare notes.  Oh, and store owners Keith Mallow and Monica will be on hand to keep Beatty and I in line.  A good time for all is guaranteed.

Then the Queen and I will get back on the road to head for home.  If we time it right a dinner a Dixie Crossroads is in the plans.  Yeah, this looks to be a great day.

Welcome to the Bayou

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That sweet Reverand Dave Johnson cover will kick off a four-part mini-series by writer Victor Gischler and artist Goran Parlov.  Titled “Welcome to Bayou” begins in “Punisher: Frank Castle” #71, in stores June 10th. Gischler describes the mini-series as

‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ meets ‘Devil’s Rejects’ with a little ‘Deliverance’ thrown in,”

You can get a six page preview thanks to the good folks at CBR.com simply by clicking here.

“Curse of the Werewolf” Werewolf

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Here’s another gem from the ZONE vault.  I dug it then… and I digs it now.  This is a spot illustration created by Doug Hazlewood back in 1977.  It’s of course a drawing of Oliver Reed from “Curse of the Werewolf.” What, you didn’t recognize ole Oliver under all that make-up?

Growing up I always thought that the wolfman was one of the coolest of all monsters and that the “Curse of the Werewolf” werewolf was the version of the wolfman that I liked best… and I still do!

Gene Gonzales: Lords of Flatbush

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The extremely talented, extremely nice, Gene Gonzales created his take on Sly from “The Lords of Flatbush” at the recent FX show.  Big John Beatty had requested that he have a table near Gene and it was a great move.  Gene is funny, knowledgeable and really nice.  [Did you hear that somewhere before?]

Although many artists said the FX show wasn’t as busy as they’d hoped, Gene was constantly signing autographs and sketching for fans.  At one point Gene even surprised me by singing the promotional song for “Lords of Flatbush.” That sealed the deal — I asked him if he would draw Sly as Stanley and Gene came through with flying colors.

You can see more of Gene’s work at his blog where he posts art DAILY!  Gene is also available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable.

Thanks again Gene!

Steranko Sketch

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Here’s another item from the ZONE vault.  This time we have a rarely seen Steranko sketch of Nick Fury.  It appeared as the back cover of a fanzine from around 1978.  Steranko was [and remains] one of my favorite comic artists so finding the, until then, unknown fanzine with some of his art made my day.

I can remember my excitement when I found the zine at a little comic book store in Tallahassee… or was it Gainesville?  John Beatty and I had driven up with Bill Black or to meet Bill or something… Big John, do you recall the specifics of that trip?

Mike Zeck’s Hulk

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After all that talk yesterday about how cool Mike Zeck’s Hulk and frontpieces were, I decided to dig into the ZONE vault and see what I could come up with.   So today we have a Mike Zeck frontpiece that appeared in The Hulk magazine #14 dated April 1978.

A couple of interesting tidbits:

The frontpiece originally was published flipped horizontally so that the Hulk’s left hand appeared to be in a fist [to the viewer’s right].  Because it was flipped, Mike’s signature appeared to be SECK.  So, 31 years later, I post the art the way Mike meant it to be seen… but unfortunately my scan cuts off his signature… : (

I may be remembering wrong, but I believe the taxi driver is meant to be Mike Zeck his own bad self.

Jeff Warmester’s Rocky

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I first discovered Jeff Wamester on his ComicSpace page.  I really liked Jeff’s art and thought his concept pieces for a futuristic bounty hunter graphic novel had a ton of potential.  I’ve continued to follow his postings at DeviantArt.

When Jeff recently offered his sketchbook [along with a free headsketch], I immediately put in my order.  Jeff was quick to respond that he got my request.  The sketchbook arrived in no time at all and was securely packaged.  [If you had a mail carrier like mine, you’d appreciate that!]  The sketchbook rocks and contains a nice cross section of Jeff’s work.  I’m not sure if it’s still available, but if so, you can’t go wrong by ordering one.

100 Bullets Hits 100

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100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso has consistently been one of the best comics published each month during it’s 100 issue run.  I’m sorry to see it end, but 100 Bullets was designed to go for just 100 issues.  And it did.  And with the same creative team [including Dave Johnson‘s magnificent covers] in every issue.  CBR.com has a spoiler heavy review right here.

I’m going to miss my monthly 100 Bullets fix… but have to admit I am looking forward to whatever Azzarello, Risso and Johnson do next.

Chris Lopez & FX Countdown

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Today’s Stallone sketch is by Chris Lopez.  I love his work, but Chris’ website disappeared years ago and unfortunately I have no idea what happened to him.

Chris Lopez is a very talented artist who used to run SpaceBop.com. I sent Chris an e-mail praising his work and the next day this digital sketch and explanation appeared in my e-mail:

“The Lords of Flatbush is one of my favorite flicks. So I figured I’d do one of Stanley. I loved the scene with him in the pigeon coop, or when he goes to buy the engagement ring and gets pressured into buying the more expensive one. Oh yeah, swinging around 2 football helmets!!! Classic stuff.

So anyway, here it is. I hope you like it. I really had fun doing it. I tried not to fall back on the stereotypical Sly caricature features (eyes, lip) and give him a more realistic approach.”

That was about eight years ago. I lost track of Chris when SpaceBop.com went offline. [There is a site with the same name now, but it’s not Chris’.] Periodic searches for Chris on the internet haven’t turned him up.

Maybe one of you know him??

We’re less than a week away from FX and the fever is growing.  I had breakfast yesterday with Big John Beatty [who else has a milkshake with a sausage & cheese omelet?] and he’s ready to rock some sketches.  LOL.  Mike Zeck is putting us up for the weekend.  Too bad we can’t get Mike to join us for some FX fun.  Mike, like Bella [John’s wife] and Doralya [my wife] will probably enjoy the quiet while Beatty and I are at the show.

 
  • Mood:  Sunny Mood
  • Listening to: Smiling Faces by The Undisputed Truth
  • Reading: Patient Zero by Jonathon Mayberry
  • Watching: Pitch Black
  • Playing: Dead
  • Eating: Easter Dinner soon!
  • Drinking: Diet Coke