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So You Think You Know John Beatty?

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Today happens to be the birthday of my best buddy, John Beatty.

Most ZONERs know “Big” John from his appearances on the SZ message boards, but in honor of his birthday, here are:

Some things about John Beatty that you might not know:

* John Beatty was quite an accomplished break dancer in his youth. Rumors abound to this day that he was the first choice to play the role of “Rerun” on “What’s Happening?”

* John Beatty invented the “spoiler alert” used on the internet to let folks not that plot points and surprise endings are forthcoming.

* John Beatty is quite a singer. Perhaps most famous for his cover of Elvis tunes, Jim Ivey [noted raconteur, in the Who’s Who of the World] continues to say, “It’s not Christmas season until Big John sings ‘Blue Christmas.’

* John Beatty is an accomplished actor. He appeared as the evil “Patch” in “Nightveil: Witch War” [available on dvd from accomics.com]. Rumors of an action figure are too scary to think about.

* John Beatty is an accomplished pool player. He has been known to repeatedly spot an opponent every ball on the table and still win!

* John Beatty is an accomplished poker player. He’s been known to go both ways in a game of high-low five card stud having nothing but an Ace High and a ten low and beat the table where players had better lows and better highs!

* John Beatty was ahead of the curve when it came to home computers. While still in his teens he had work published in several books on computer use!

* John Beatty‘s comic career is full of highlights: he worked on the first Secret Wars series [which spawned the popularity of the mini-series]; he worked on the first Punisher mini-series [which kicked the backup character to leading man status]; he worked on the first new Batman book in 50 years [which was also the first comic to start the trend of multple covers]. It is also rumored that Big John, while still a child, was the first to utter Alfred E. Neuman‘s famous, “What, Me Worry?” line.

Although unconfirmed, it is believed that John Beatty was the first to wear the haircut made famous by the lead singer of Flock of Seagals, that Beatty encouraged Brian Setzer to give up glam rock and try something with a rock-a-billy style, that Beatty suggested that James Cameron follow up “Terminator 2” with something “Titanic,” that Beatty was the first to suggest the ideas for “American Idol,” “Survivor,” and “What’s Happening Now?”

Many people find it hard to believe that Big John has done so much in just 45 years on this planet. Speculation abounds that he is much older than that. Unverified pictures of someone looking like John Beatty from the civil war era are rampant in conspiracy circles.

Happy, Happy, Big J!

Movies that MAY be Worthy

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May starts off with a bang. Mission Impossible III opens the summer on May 5th. Despite the bad press Cruise has been getting, I still think that MI3 is going to do big business and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen!

Hot on the heals of MI3 is X-Men 3, better known as X-Men: The Last Stand. While I’m a huge fan of the Claremont, Byrne and Austin run in the X-Men comic series, I’ve yet to see an X-Men movie in a theater. Although this clip looks pretty cool, I’ll probably be one of the few who wait for dvd.

The Poseidon Adventure was one of my favorite disaster movies when I was a kid. I can still remember getting together with a few of my friends and catching the bus to go downtown to the movie theater to see it. I think that this updated version, Poseidon, will be good, but I have a feeling that I may wait for dvd.

The Da Vinci Code is going to be HUGE. Based on the best selling book, and starring Tom Hanks with direction by Ron Howard. It can’t miss. And this one will get meback to a theater.

Next time we’ll take a look at June!

Soloman & Hunter… Now Thorn

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James Byron Huggins is one of my favorite authors. I’ve enjoyed every book that I’ve read by him, and two [Cain and Hunter] are all-time favorites. In fact, I’ve always wished that Huggins would do a sequel teaming the two heroes, Soloman and Hunter, in a new adventure.

Although Sorcerer, Huggins‘ latest novel, doesn’t bring back either Soloman or Hunter, it does introduce us to a new hero, Michael Thorn. Thorn is an ex-cop, ex-Airborne Ranger who, at 45, has opted for early retirement after seeing more than enough action in the military and as a decorated detective. Thorne, his wife, and two children move to a remote New England town where they buy a house in the country.

Any hope for a peaceful retirement is gone when Thorn discovers a hidden room in his basement. In the room he finds a skeleton chained to the wall. The manacles are engraved with an ancient writing. When the skeleton disappears and people start turning up dead, Thorn suddenly finds himself allies with Assassini sent from Rome to do battle with the ancient evil that has returned from the grave!

Huggins has the ability to make a story move, but never at the expense of character development. He also has the talent to make the unbelievable believable. I must admit that before reading the book,. I was worried that the villain would be some kind of wizard like in Harry Potter or King Arthur. Boy, was I wrong. This sorcerer is an ancient evil who dared to challenge Moses himself!

I thoroughly enjoyed Sorcerer and wouldn’t mind a sequel. Hmmm… maybe Thorn could team with Soloman and Hunter on a new adventure?

Scanning the Day Away

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Yesterday, James Howell [top left], John Higashi [top right] and I [middle] spent the day at John Beatty‘s [not pictured – every time I tried to get a pciture, he shot a bird! LOL!] We get together every so often just to hang out, catch up and share a few laughs. We generally arrange a get-together after a comic book convention to scan in our new art acquisitions and to share “con stories” like this one. It’s always a blast and yesterday was no exception.

Of course Higashi was the first to arrive [just as he’s always first in line at conventions]. I arrived second and Beatty was already scanning away. Higashi has an unbelievable Star Wars art collection, but he doesn’t just limit himself to the realm of the Jedi. Yesterday John showed us two really nice Walt Kelly Pogo strips that he’d picked up, as well as a Stan Drake “Julliet Jones” strip.

Finally “The James” Howell rolled in. James needed to get some pieces for his Batman collection scanned. James is always entertaining and yesterday he had us nearly crying as he told us of his recent charity race. In the last several months James has dropped 70+ pounds through exercise, diet, working out and now jogging. He recently decided to enter a charity run, and not only did he finish, but he had an experience with “the runs” during the run. LOL! Luckily there were strategically placed port-o-potties along the way. James also had us dying as he told us about special preparations and clothes needed for longer races! The thought of James “lotioning up” is just not something you want burned in your mind. Then again, maybe it is.

We decided to go to the Ale House for lunch. Big Beatty has lost over 25 pounds and limits himself to a “sloppy meal” every week or so. He had the Chili-Burger with onion rings. The James, ever vigilant had a chicken breast sandwich with no condiments, steamed broccoli instead of fries and a side salad. I normally would have gone for some wings, but since I’ve been watching my diet, I opted for the Chef’s salad. Higashi, who doesn’t need to watch his weight, went for the Mushroom burger and fries.

The meal was a lot of laughs. I had to try to get Beatty to talk a bit quieter when he began to loudly share with us what to expect during a colonoscopy. Luckily our meals came and the conversation drifted. We only had one “near incident” and that was when Beatty asked our waitress if he could see her “tat” and I misunderstood his question… luckily she didn’t. ; )

After lunch we hit Circuit City. I picked up a couple of DVDs [Antz and the Thief: Special Edition], and Beatty picked up two DVDs [Big Trouble in Little China and Poolhall Junkies] and a cd. Then it was back to Beatty‘s for more scanning and nonsense.

The James, Beatty and I were cutting up when I looked over to see Higashi had nodded off. How he could do that with all the noise, not to mention funny stories, is beyond me. I’ve seen Higashi work all day [overtime even], drive through the night and then work [and I mean work] a convention and still have enough energy to stay up late into the night, only to rise before the crack of dawn and do it again. Yet, there he was catnapping! A sixth sense must have alerted him to the fact that our attention had turned to him and he snapped out of it and picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately, The James needed to get back to J-Ville, so the party broke up around 5pm. Still, as we were all leaving, we discussed plans to “do it again.”

The Art of Michael J. Zeck

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It used to be that when an aritst had a sketchbook come out it was an event.

I can remember the excitement I felt when I received my first Art of Neal Adams or Art of John Byrne books. In those days, you had to be a really special artist to get an “Art of…” book.

These days it seems that every artist at every show has a sketchbook. Not that that’s a bad thing… but it has made it rare that the release of a sketchbook becomes an “event.”

If an artist’s sketchbook gets much notice these days, it’s because the artist:
1] is really THAT talented or…
2] rarely attends conventions or…
3] has never before released a sketchbook.

Guess what? Mike Zeck fits the bill. He’s just released The Art of Michael J. Zeck Volume I and it is a winner. It’s 52 pages jam-packed with art spanning Mike‘s career. It showcases a cross section of art ranging from preliminary pencils to finished inks… from never-before-seen drawings to classic re-interpretations. You can read more about it here.

My guess is that some of you will want in on this event!

Hurricane Jeanne and Rain Storm

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Hurricane Jeanne came and went without causing as much damage to our area as initially predicted. Still, I spent most of the last three days helping to run a hurricane relief shelter.

One of the best parts of that whole experience was that in my downtime I had an opportunity to finish Barry Eisler‘s third novel, Rain Storm.

All of Eisler‘s novels feature John Rain, a Japanese-American “struggling with his own divided nature: Japanese / American; soldier / assassin; samurai / ronin.” Rain, as written by Eisler is “a remarkable creation, a multifaceted killer with the soul of a poet.”

Eisler‘s first book, Rain Fall, put him on my favorite author’s list. His second, Hard Rain, proved that the first book wasn’t a fluke. Rain Storm cements Eisler‘s place as one of the best series writers working. Don’t take my word for it, check out what EVERYONE is saying.

Yeah, Eisler‘s that good. [So is John Rain, for that matter!]

Tampa Con Report

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On Saturday, August 7th my son Mike, John Beatty and I loaded into my “Jack Carter XG350” and headed to Tim Gordon’s Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. We try to make it to at least 2 of the three shows Tim puts on each year because they’re just_ that _much_ fun. And this show was no exception.

We decided that we’d get a good buffet breakfast before the show opened. As we sat down with our plates, in walked Alex Saviuk who was also in search of some morning nourishment. Alex usually attends Tim‘s Tampa shows and it’s always nice to see him. We finished eating and headed over to the convention. The doors hadn’t opened, but there was a huge line waiting. No doubt, the word is getting out about how much fun Tim‘s cons are.

Ethan Van Scriver was already set up. Ethan is one of the DC comics most popular artists and always shows up for Tim‘s conventions. The doors hadn’t even opened and Ethan was already working on sketches for fans. The guy is ALWAYS busy. John Higashi “turned me on” to Ethan‘s art a couple of years ago so that’s ANOTHER thing I owe to Johnny Star-Warz.

Alex Saviuk was set up. Next to Alex was Mark and Stephanie Heike from AC comics. Although I never get to spend much time with ’em, the Heikes always have something funny to say. Behind the Heikes was Miguel Insignares with a nice “Dawn of the Dead” trailer running on a loop next to the cool DOTD poster. That’s Tim Gordon and Miguel in the pic to the left… looking like they just stepped off the set of “Dawn of the Dead!”

Marc Maculay, an actor who has appeared in “Monster,” “The Punisher,” “Bad Boys” and many other movies was ready for the fans. Some small press artists were set up to our left. Mitch Hyman, creater of the ever-popular Bubba the Redneck Werewolf, Jesse “Cadre” Hansen, Michael “The Ciderview Project” and Austin Janowsky were all having a blast. Dick “Cracked” Kulpa was set up at his usual spot just as you entered the convention room.

Yeah baby, things were looking good.

When the doors opened, the convention room quickly filled. The room is really huge and so even though there were hundreds [and hundreds] of people coming in, there was never that claustrophobic feeling that some convention rooms produce.

Several fans came up to John for autographs or sketches. John has really been doing some cool sketches lately and the fans are definitely digging the tones and colors that he adds to them. I got pictures of some of them, but missed out on a few… one was a really nice Cap that John did for a fan’s Captain America themebook.

I had a chance to talk briefly with Randy Martin. Randy collects Edward Scissorhands. In fact it was Randy‘s Scissorhands sketches that inspired me to start my Stallone sketch theme. Randy‘s one of the good guys and so it was cool touching base with him.

Miguel Insignares remembered me from Atlanta Con and said that he still wanted to do a Stallone piece for my gallery when he gets some time. That’d be sweet. Miguel has been attached to some really cool projects and you just know that there’s more to come!

Marc Maculay [pictured above with Mike and me] noticed my StalloneZone t-shirt and asked me about it. We ended up having a nice conversation about movies, education, etc. Marc‘s been acting professionally for over twenty years and did it without having to relocate to New York or LA. It was ironic that he played a scene in “Monster” with Charlize Theron that Beatty had been telling me about just a week earlier. John had watched the movie and it really impresed him. The next day he was telling me about this particular scene and sure enough the actor involved was Marc! Now how often do we get to meet actors who’ve impressed us?
The costume contest was a hoot!

There were two divisions… kids and adults. The three kids that entered all won some convention cash and had a fun time. Then came the adults… I never quite know what to make of costumers at conventions. Sometimes they are so good, they look professional… but other times…

There were several outstanding costumes. I thought that Catwoman would take first or second, Wolverine would get whichever spot Catwoman missed and third place would go to… well, one of the others. I was so surprised when the guy who came in first won, that I didn’t even get a picture of him! At any rate, everyone enjoyed the costume contest… and I mean everyone. Even the artists stopped drawing to watch the action.

Then all too quickly it was time to go. The con ended at 4:00 and we still had to drive back to Daytona. We made sure to tell Tim what a great time we had and hit the road.

Tim‘s next show is November 14th.

As I’ve said, all of Tim‘s shows are great, but this one is going to be really special. NOEL NEILL [Paramount Movie Star, Popular Pin-Up for WWII GIs, and best known as Superman’s Girl – Lois Lane] will be a guest! Ethan Van Scriver, Jim Fren, and Rob Granito have also already agreed to appear!

Who knows, maybe we’ll see YOU there as well!

Heroes Con 2004 Report

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Shelton Drum‘s Heroes Con 2004 was a blast.  I arrived at the Westin, [truly one of the finest and most reasonably priced hotels anywhere thanks to the Heroes Con rate] at 10:30AM on Friday. The show opened at 11 and I was anxious to get in.

 

As we were unloading the car I saw Cully Hamner and Casey Jones who were also getting ready to head over.

Big John Beatty was able to get me a guest pass since I was helping him with his art and thanks to Shelton, my son, Mike and I were able to get right in. John‘s table was next to tables occupied by Craig Hamilton, Neil Vokes, Michael Avon Oeming, Arron Lopestri and Andy Smith. We were in good company.

 

Mike and I took a quick trip around the con to get our bearings and ran into several fans including Steven Lee [who was wearing a StalloneZone t-shirt! Thanks Steven!], James Howell, Hal, Robert Jewell, Kwan, The ComicDude and others. I saw that Tony Harris was setting up and took him a StalloneZone shirt since I ran out before he completed my sketch at AtlantaCon. Gus Vasquez told me that he’d have my Stallone piece on Saturday.

I then made my way to Jason Pearson‘s table. Only two other people were ahead of me so I felt pretty confident that I’d get a sketch if Jason didn’t mind drawing Stallone. Jason was running late, but luckily “The Big Man” had his portable dvd player and entertained us with a history channel dvd on comics. Jason arrived and when it was my turn I asked him about doing a Stallone piece. Jason said that he wasn’t real good at likenesses, but I explained that I wanted HIS take on Sly. He said he’d give it a try and that I should bring back my reference material at the end of the day since he wanted to work on it in his hotel room. Cool!

Next was Michael Avon Oeming‘s table. I picked up his sketchbook [a bargain at five bucks]. Michael had already turned out a couple of cool sketches and I asked if I could get on his list. He said that he wasn’t real good at likenesses [where had I heard that before?] and I told him that I wanted HIS take on Sly. He looked at my portfolio of Stallone sketches and said he’d like to give “Nighthawks” a shot and that I should check back in an hour or so.

Then it was back to Beatty‘s table where he was working on a Punisher commission. Craig Hamilton had arrived with his lovely lady,and he was sketching. Craig‘s amazing. Not only is he a super talented artist, but he puts a lot of thought into his work. For each of his convention sketches Craig draws roughs and really thinks about the character. Not just what the character looks like or what kind of costume he/she wears, but how they would sit or stand and what kind of attitude they would project. I loved hearing Craig talk to fans and having the opportunity to watch him sketch all weekend. Craig has a broad knowledge and appreciation for all types of art. You just know I had to ask to get on his list! Craig said that he’d like to draw Sly from “Oscar” since he has a real affinity for the time period [and he really liked the movie]!

As Friday was winding down I picked up my sketch from Michael Avon Oeming who did a great job [and I think that it does look like Sly] and dropped off my reference material for Jason Pearson.

Several of us, actually about 20, had decided to walk over to Uno’s for dinner. My wife and two sons, Big Beatty, James Howell, Steven Lee, Robert Jewell, Gary McGee, Jason WalkerGary and Big Beatty… and believe it or not Gary was wilder. It was about 10:30 when we finished up with dinner so it was back to the hotel for a little visiting and then to the room for some sleep. and others made the trip. Because our group was so large it took a while for them to get us in and even then we were split into two groups. And of course my group was the rowdy one thanks to

As the con was gettting ready to open on Saturday I found myself in line for some breakfast at the concession stand with Michael Avon Oeming. He said that he met several StalloneZone fans on Friday [they saw him working on the Sly sketch]. Michael offered to buy me breakfast! I thanked him, and instead offered to buy his breakfast! As it ended up, we both bought our own eats, but what a cool guy. I’d heard good things about Michael and he lived up to his rep of being “one of the good guys.”

I spent Saturday alternating between Beatty‘s table and walking around the show to talk to fans and pros. I was able to spend a bit of time with or at least say hi to Kelsey Shannon [Beatty‘s son!], Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze, Jeff Parker, Adam Hughes and Allison Sohn, Phil Noto, Tony Harris, Eric Powell, Casey Jones, Tommy Lee Edwards and so many others.

Gus Vasquez was able to get me my sketch before he had to fly out to the set of Sin City! He gave me two characters [Rocky nailing Clubber Lang] and it was definitely worth the wait

Neil Vokes and I had fun conversations about movies [horror flicks, re-makes, B-movies], comics, and more. Neil is a cool guy and I had a blast hanging with him. Neil’s project The Wicked West has the tagline “What would happen if Josey Wales rode into Salem’s Lot”… it’s a great concept and the art is right on. It’s going to rock! In the meantime you might want to check out Neil’s Parliment of Justice [with Michael Avon Oeming] or Black Forest. It was also cool to see Neil‘s apppreciation for other artists. Neil keeps a sketchbook and was excited when Eric Powell contributed a killer piece! [Michael Oeming also keeps a Lord of the Rings sketchbook from other artists!]

I checked in with Jason Pearson. He had sketched out my Stallone piece and had decided to do Rocky hitting the meat. It was looking great. The big beefy Rocky punching the beef! LOL!

Dinner Saturday night was at Fuel for some pizza or subs. This time it was Beatty, James Howell, Steven Lee, Hal and others. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and spent an hour or so in the lobby talking with fans and pros. Then a bunch of us headed up to James and Hal‘s room to look at their portfolios and latest acquisitions.

On Sunday Jason had my Stallone piece ready. Several people came up to me and told me it was done and looked great. When I picked it up I saw that they were right. Jason Pearson is such a talented guy.

Craig Hamilton was not going to be able to get to my piece before the end of the show. He offered to do a take home piece but part of the joy of Craig‘s work is watching his process so I decided to wait… I may be able to up to DragonCon later this year.

As you can see from this picture Craig and Big Beatty hit it off pretty well!

I had been by Tommy Lee Edwards‘ table. He was doing some really cool sketches and I hoped that I’d be able to get on his list. Luckily he could fit me in. Tommy and I talked about which character he would do… he wasn’t sure and so I suggested Jack Carter if he couldn’t decide on one. I went back to Beatty’s table and told him I had the hook-up with Tommy.

Beatty was stoked. He’s a big Tommy Lee fan and so we walked over. It turns out that Tommy likes Beatty‘s work as well. We all talked for a bit and then Tommy said I should check back in a little while. When I did, I found that Tommy had started to do Deke from “Nighthawks” but then remembered that I suggested Jack Carter and so he changed it to Carter. Man, I can’t tell you how much I love this piece. The energy and colors and… just look at it! Beautiful!

The auction was a lot of fun. So many artists donated work to help support the con. Some of the highlights included Phil Noto‘s painting of “The Bride” from “Kill Bill,” Brian Stelfreeze‘s painting of Mary Jane, Mike Wieringo‘s huge Fantastic Four piece, Craig Hamilton‘s Fairey [done in crayon — you’d have to see it to belive how nice it was!], Alison Sohn‘s Harliquinn, and many others.

Believe it or not Big Beatty was even recruited to serve as one of the auctioneers with Tim Townsend!

As you can probably tell, if you’ve read this far, it was another great show.  We make Heroes Con part of our annua; family vacation — it’s that much fun. If you haven’t ever attended you should give it some thought. Next year Heroes will be on June 24-26, 2005.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

AtlantaCon 2004 Report

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Last week Mike [my oldest son], John Beatty [my oldest buddy] and I drove up for AtlantaCon 2004. The con didn’t officially start until Saturday, but we decided to go up on Friday so we would be fresh in the morning when things kicked off.

Actually it was good that we went up on Friday since the con organizers set up a pre-show sketch session. For a $25 donation [which went to Jeff Jones] you could mingle with the artists who were doing really nice head sketches and more. Artists sketching included Phil Noto, Mike Kaluata, Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Cully Hamner, Georges Jeanty, and many others. I’ve got to make special mention of a cool sketch “combo.” Georges did a nice head shot of “Captain America looking up into the distance” for one of the fans. Later the same fan returned. Adam Hughes had added a headshot of Bucky looking up in the same direction as Cap with the caption, “Uh, Cap… what are we looking at?” That just cracked me [and everyone else at the table] up.

Mike was making the rounds getting Hellboy sketches while I sat at a table with Big Beatty and Phil Noto who were both sketching. As the sun went down Phil moved to a better light source and his seat was taken by a rotating crew which included Kelsey Shannon, James Howell and others. The table got kind of rowdy as people came up asking Big Beatty for sketches and he determined whether or not it was for a “fetish collection.” It was really cool talking movies and comics and “stuff” with everyone at the table or passing by. A guy named “Little John” was gettting sketches and said that he checks out The StalloneZone and ZONE on a regular basis. How cool is that?

The session was supposed to end at 10:00 but went on until 11:00. The artists were really giving the fans their money’s worth. Special thanks to the Gaijin folks who didn’t even get to sit and eat a proper dinner before they were swamped by fans wanting sketches!

The next morning Mike, Beatty, and I met James Howell at the Waffle House for a hearty breakfast. Then it was off to the con! As we were walking in we saw John Higashi and Steven Lee arriving. Higashi was sporting his StalloneZone shirt!

Beatty and I went up to get our passes. Adam Hughes was there to get his as well. The guy giving out the passes asked Adam if he was an artist! Adam patiently said he was and proceeded to spell his name. No passes. The guy looked in a couple of different places. Still no passes. As Adam looked around for someone he knew [or at least knew him] I asked if the passes might be under Gaijin Studio. Adam asked the man and sure enough, they were. Adam then asked if there was a pass for Allison. Nope, but the man quickly made her one. Beatty and I picked up our passes and followed Adam into the show.

The artists were starting to set up. Most dealers were ready to go and fans were lined up waiting to get in. After a bit of looking Beatty found his table. Mike and I decided to check the place out. My goal was to get Stallone pieces from Jason Pearson, Tony Harris, and Brian Stelfreeze. Anything else would be gravy. A quick circuit of the con and I was able to learn that Jason Pearson had to cancel, Brian Bolland was running a few hours late [due to a flight problem], and other artists were just rolling in. A line was starting to form for Brian Bolland. I got in along with John Higashi, Steven Lee, James Howell and a few others.

I saw Tony Harris starting to set up the Jolly Roger display. The guys said they’d hold my spot so I could go down. There was already one guy in line and knowing that Tony is very slow I decided to take them up on their offer. I was there at #2. [Last year at Heroes I just missed getting my first Harris sketch — I was next on the list when Tony had to stop sketching so he could get ready for the charity painting session — and I didn’t want to face the same thing again.] Steven Lee was behind me. Things were looking good for both of us. When it was my turn to make a request I told Tony I wanted a Stallone piece. He remembered me from last year. Tony said he’d give it a shot.

Then it was over to the Gaijin booth. The whole gang was there Adam and Allison, Cully, Karl, Brian and Kelsey [who was wearing his StalloneZone shirt!]. Phil Noto was sketching there as well. Several fans were oogling a Brian Stelfreeze painting which was a beaut! I asked Brian if he had started a list and he hadn’t. I was first! When I told Brian I wanted him to do a Stallone piece he called out to Cully [who was sitting further down the way], “Hey Cully! I’m being called up to the big leagues!” LOL! Brian said he wanted to give Jack Carter a shot! Cool by me, as that would have been my choice for him as well.

As I walked the convention I met up with fans that I usually only get to “talk” to via e-mail like Terry webmaster of ComicArt Community, Benno, Rich DeDominicis, Ken Danker of Monster Collectables and Scott Blacksher.

Scott Blacksher has a really cool “Astro-Zombies” Theme. We’ve exchanged a few e-mails over the past year. Scott came by the table and commissioned Beatty to do him an Astro-Zombie sketch.

I could tell that Beatty wasn’t feeling well [too much junk food on the ride up is our guess] but before the sketch was done, I thought that he’d recovered. John didn’t think so. He told Scott that he was sorry that the sketch wasn’t better and he could have it for free.

Scott was really surprised and said the sketch was fine, but Beatty refused to take any money and even said he’d try to come up with a better piece sometime in the future. Scott thanked Beatty and said that he had an autographed copy of “Mark of the Astro-Zombies” that Beatty could have. Big John passed the tape on to me since he knows that I’ve been wanting to see the movie and I’ll get to it before he ever does!

Finally Brian Bolland arrived! By this time Brian had a huge line of people waiting. With almost no time to even catch his breath, Brian began to take time with each fan. Some only wanted a chance to thank Brian for the wonderful work that he’s produced [and continues to produce]. Others were hoping for a sketch or even an opportunity to buy one of his prelims. When it was my time with Brian, I thanked him for providing me with many hours of pleasure, asked if he would autograph a book for a friend and pose for a picture with me. Brian was gracious and modest. He was a true pleasure to meet and I hope that he enjoyed meeting his fans as much as they enjoyed meeting him!

It was cool catching up with some artists that I hadn’t seen in a while. Dan Bereton and his lovely lady were there leading the celebration of the tenth anniversary of The Nocturnals. Eddie Powell and his wife had some really cool Goon t-shirts [James Howell got the last 2XL before me!], sketchbooks, and more. Gus Vasquez was there and promised to have my Stallone commission ready at Heroes. Gus said he’d do it that weekend, but I want him to take the time he’d like to do it “up right.”

Speaking of doing it up right, Sanford Greene has been turning out some great stuff lately. Sanford was sketching away, but did take some time to show us the latest book he’s putting together. It’s got a really hip look and should be a lot of fun once he gets it rolling. LeSean was also doing some work that really kicks butt. Hmmm… perhaps I’ll get them in the Stallone Gallery at some point. Andy Lee was there… and Jason Walker too!

I decided I would head over and see if Brian Stelfreeze had finished my Jack Carter commission. As I got closer to the Gaijin table, a couple of fans who know I collect Stallone pieces mentioned that they’d seen what Brian had done for me and that it totally kicked uh, butt. When I got there Brian was talking to another fan but I could see the completed piece! Man!! Brian had nailed it. His Jack Carter was one bad mofo. Going back to Brian‘s analogy of being called up to the “big leagues” — well, if that’s the case then Brian hit a grand slam the first time at bat. I couldn’t thank him enough for the piece. I did give him a StalloneZone t-shirt though.

I also gave shirts to Cully and Adam since they had completed Stallone sketches before I had the shirts and I didn’t want them to be left out. The cool thing is that some fans and pros are wearing the shirts to conventions [and not just to mow the grass]. At this point I’m totally out of shirts and I unfortunately ran out before getting one to Tony Harris [I thought we had put a couple back… but they got away].

Speaking of Tony Harris, I decided to check and see if he had finished my commission since Saturday was winding down. I was surprised to find that Tony hadn’t even finished the first sketch yet. Well… at least I was number 2 and Tony was confident that he’d be able to finish before we pulled out on Sunday at noon.

Rob Prior was set up doing some air brush paintings. Rob is quite an interesting guy. He’s worked in a number of artistic capactities in the comic and film industry. His most recent work has been on the Buffy, Angel, and Firefly TV shows. I’d heard that Rob was in the process of directing a movie called Shadowwalkers from a story that he’d created. Rob was nice enough to share the story and progress on getting the film made. If everything comes to pass we’re going to be in for a very cool couple of hours. The story is ripe for a multitude of venues from other movies to games to a tv series… but Rob is just concentrating on THIS movie now. Rob Prior‘s a guy to keep an eye on and I wish him continued success.

As the show was winding down Kelsey and I were laughing about the hacki-sack game that he got into at MegaCon. Before you could say hacki- Kelsey, Mike and Big Beatty started up a game. Soon Brian was involved… then Cully… and things were rockin’. I don’t know if watching Beatty keep missing with his kicks or Mike‘s doublekicks had us laughing more. The game was called when the janitors were ready to turn off the ligjhts. [At least it seemed that late!]

John Higashi, Steven Lee, James Howell, Jason Walker, Big Beatty, Mike, and I [along with another six or eight people] decided to have dinner at Road House. The meal lasted literally for over two hours as we all laughed and told “war stories” of conventions and art collecting. After everyone had ordered and some of us had even started to get our food the waitress came back to tell John Higashi that they were out of baked potatoes.

John was pretty disappointed, but not as disappointed as Big Beatty when he was told they were out of club sandwiches! Higashi opted for the onions [don’t ask]. Anyway… John‘s picking at his steak mumbling that he would have really liked his potatoe when the waitress brings out baked patatoes to others! Finally she comes back by [John‘s finished his steak by now] and she says, “Oh, we’ve got potatoes now.” John [looking sad] says, “No, that’s ok… I’m finished now.” “But sir, would you like your onions brought out?” John hung his head even lower and said, “No thanks. I’m finished.”

Now you might think that a man who was sad about not getting 1/3 of his meal would not be the target of teasing. But if you do think that way, then you don’t know Big Beatty. Beatty started in with riffs about Higashi being the infamous Johnny StarWarz [‘dat’s right StarWarz with a “Z”] and we were all off to the races. Before too long we had Johnny‘s “gang sign” [making a “J” and a “W” with the fingers on each hand], Johnny pimping out his rental car, making deals for commissions and then his homies bringing up “da cash,” Johnny wearing a Death Star medalian for his bling… and on and on and on.

When we finally left the restaurant it was after 10:30… and we were beat. So it was back to the hotel for a bit of sleep… The next morning Mike and I headed back to the Waffle House where we crossed paths with John Higashi, James Howell and Steven Lee. Then on to the convention.

Beatty and I were hanging at his table talking to the folks from Cute Girl Demographics who had the next table. Kelsey came by and hung out for a while. Ya just gotta love Kelsey [even if he did spill coffee on Mike]! After a bit I decided to go down and check on Tony Harris‘ progress. It’s always a good feeling to hear someone tell you how cool your piece is before you get to see it and that’s exactly what happened as I approached Tony‘s table.

Tony had really created a beautiful piece. This is the same guy who told me he had problems with doing a likeness! Man, his Stallone is dead on. Tony always turns out a great sketch and this one was exceptional. Big Beatty thinks it’s the best in my collection. And getting any compliment from Beatty is as rare as Higashi getting a baked potato at Road House.

I couldn’t belive my luck. I was able to get both Brian Stelfreeze and Tony Harris to do Stallone pieces for me… and they both nailed him. Life is good!

As much as I wanted to stay, I knew that we needed to head back to Daytona since we all had work or school the next day. [And in my case I had both since I’m a middle school administrator.] We made a final pass of the convention floor and said our good byes.

We’d had a great time… and are already counting the days untl Heroes!

Everyone Loves Remender & Beatty

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As many of you know, John Beatty‘s next comics project is inking Rick Remender‘s pencils for a two issue run on The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic.

I know, I know. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?! If you’re like me you’re probably thinking why would I want to read a comic about a bunch of mutant ninja turtles.

Well, I could tell you because the book looks great. I could tell you that Rick and John really outdid themselves on this run. That you can tell that they were jazzin’ off the way their work was coming together. That Rick and John really make a great team… and I hope that they work together again soon. That I’m ordering the two issues and I have NEVER bought a turtle book before. I could tell you all of these things and they would be true… but some of you may think, “Aw… Z‘s just saying all of these great things because John’s his best friend.”

So… here’s what comic pros are saying…

“Rick Remender and John Beatty are the best thing to happen to the turtles since Simon Bisley. It’s so refreshing to see a team come on to an old favorite and bring life to it in a way that makes it seem completely new. Dynamic angles, fantastic expressions, bold confident inks… the Turtles have rarely looked better. I’ve already seen the stuff and I’m dying to get my hands on a copy! –Robert Kirkman [Walking Dead, Invincible]

[On a side note, as regular ZONE readers know, The Walking Dead is my favorite regularly published comic these days. You should check IT out too!]

“Rick and John have worked hard to give the reader their moneys worth on this TMNT extravaganza. Packed with monsters, violence, mysticism and incredible detailed artwork, this book has everything but color. But who needs it with pages to be so drenched with blacks and nice grey tones? The Turtles are coming back. Sandpaper your fingers and grab on to the shell.”
– Bill Wray [Ren and Stimpy, Hellboy Jr.]

Wow. Remender and Beatty‘s pleasingly bold and crunchy work on the series has turned my head – …it more than delivers the punch.” – Dan Brereton [creator of the Nocturnals]

“Not since the glory days of the original black and white series by Eastman and Laird have the Ninja Turtles looked so damn good! Remender, Beatty, and Cohn have managed to capture the same kinetic flair and energy that made this such a unique comic when it hit the stands all those years ago.” – Jim Mahfood [Stupid Comics, Grrl Scouts, 40oz Collected]

“Another young penciling tyro enters the fray. If he weren’t a pal, I’d have to have his fingers busted. Remender is a triple treat! Not content to just be a great inker…no, animator…no, writer…no…wait! That’s four things! Remender busts out with some great moody action penciling, polished to a fine edge by Mr. Beatty‘s crisp inking and toned nicely by Mr. Cohn. Good comics!”
– Mike Manley [Draw Magazine, Batman, Samurai Jack]

“A true rarity… a meticulously crafted comic that also oozes exuberance. These guys are clearly having fun with the turtles, and it shows on every page.”
– Ande Parks [Green Arrow, Superman]

So there you have it. Testimonials from pros. You’ve seen the preview art. You know I’m a fan of Rick Remender‘s work. Beatty is da man. Now it’s up to you. If you like what you’ve seen and read, then be sure to tell your local comics retailer to order you a copy.

If you do order a copy , you’ll be making a lot of people happy… Rick, John, your comic shop owner, the publishers of TMNT and most of all, hopefully you!

Tampa Con & More

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I’m looking forward to this weekend. Big John Beatty and I will be motoring down to Tampa for Tim Gordon’s Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. Big Beatty is a guest but before I get to that…Saturday night Beatty and I are going to attend a little get together put on by Randy Martin. Randy is an avid art collector whose theme happens to be Edward Scissorshands. How cool is that? John Higashi will be there with his Star Wars theme [which includes are from just about anyone who is ANYONE. How many collections do you know that feature Drew Struzan originals [note the “s” as in many]? John Dell and other artists will be attending as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

The next day is Tampa Con. John is a guest [which makes me a guest of a guest, I suppose]. Other real guests include MARTY NODELL [creator of the original GREEN LANTERN], ETHAN VAN SCIVER [X-Men], ALEX SAVIUK [Spider-Man], JIM FERN [Scion, Wolverine], AUSTIN JANOWSKY [Superman], DICK KULPA [artist and publisher of CRACKED], MARK and STEPHANIE HEIKE and others.

If you happen to be in the area, stop in and say, “Hi.” I’ll be the guy in the StalloneZone shirt angeling for more Stallone sketches!

New “Must See” TV

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As the new tv season draws near, these are the shows that interest me the most:
MONDAY* Everybody Loves Raymond: Believe it or not, I had never watched an episode until this summer. I found it to be one of the best comedies going and am looking forward to the new season.* Vegas: This is a new show and I may find myself checking it out even though it goes up against Everybody Loves Raymond.

TUESDAY* 24: The third season looks to come back as strong as the first two. 24 was one of my top two favorite shows last year. [Unfortunately The Shield won’t return until January!]WEDNESDAY* The West Wing: Always in my top three “must see tv” shows… but this season could be different with the lose of it’s creator. Still the last season’s finale left me wanting more.* Karen Cisco: Based on the Elmore Leonard’s character [from the book and movie], this is the new show that I’m most looking forward to.

THURSDAY* Survivor: This is a family viewing event each week which makes it a lot of fun.* ER:  Although not as good as it once was [few shows are], it still makes it to the “must see tv” weekly list.

FRIDAY* Boston Public: Moving the show to Friday’s isn’t going to help. I’m just hoping that it hasn’t jumped the shark.

SATURDAY* I usually watch a bad sci-fi movie on, oddly enough, the SciFi channel or maybe even rent a dvd since there’s not much on except Cops and that’s not “must see.”

SUNDAY* Alias: Yeah, I’m coming back for more… who can blame me?* The Lyon’s Den: I saw a preview of this before “28 days later” and was sold!

Well, at least it looks like there’s a little something every night worth checking out. Have I missed anything?

Odd But True

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  • Let’s start off with a strange trailer today… “Bubba Ho-Tep” is a horror-comedy starring Bruce Campbell as an old Elvis impersonator who has to fight off evil… well, take a look. If you like it, you’ll say, “Thank you… thank you very much.”
  • Michael Crichton’s best seller, Timeline, is coming to the big screen! The trailer rocks! See it and then check out the book before the movie premieres!
  • I’ve been talking about how cool “Underworld” looks — any movie with vampires and werewolves has gotta be at least somewhat cool — anyway, there’s a new trailer online now. This one just keeps looking better and better!
  • BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – Ozzy Osbourne’s tour manager, in town for the Ozzfest heavy metal music festival, was found dead in his hotel room, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office said today. You just know this is going to mess Ozzy up.
  • ROCKY M0UNT, Va. (Reuters) – Prosecutors accused three teen-age boys of promoting fist fights between boys who were in their care at a summer camp and charging other campers admission to watch the boxing matches. Only in America!
  • LONDON (Reuters) – An elderly British man who lived in a run-down house, bought second-hand clothes and watched television at his neighbor’s to save on electricity left a million pounds to a dog charity and nothing to his daughters, newspapers reported on Friday. Well, dogs are man’s best friends!
  • BERLIN (Reuters) – A giant catfish that ate a dog and terrorized a German lake for years has washed up dead, but the legend of “Kuno the Killer” lives on. Well, dogs are not catfish’s best friends!
  • SAN FRANCISCO – Rick Beal wanted to grab some cash on the way to the airport — so he hired a limo and allegedly robbed a bank on the way. “Just leave the motor running… I’ll be right back!”

Hello Parker, Bye Buddy & More

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  • Jeff Parker, creator of Interman [which you really ought to consider picking up], has written up his Heroes Con Report. StalloneZone is mentioned… Even if you don’t like comics. I’ll bet you’d get a kick out of his Con Reports.
  • LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Matthew McConaughey is in talks to star in “Tishomingo Blues,” an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard best seller that will mark Don Cheadle directorial debute. Although I haven’t read the book, I do like the work of McConaughey, Leonard, and Cheadle.
  • LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Cable news channel MSNBC on Monday fired Michael Savage after the controversial talk show host wished AIDS on a caller whom he dismissed as “one of the sodomites.” And I’ll bet Savage was surprised.
  • LOS ANGELES – Buddy Ebsen best known for his roles in “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Barnaby Jones,” has died. He was 95. Harry Knowles has written a nice tribute over at Ain’t It Cool News. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and fans.
  • LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Police and prosecutors met in Colorado on Monday to discuss filing sexual assault charges against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant as his lawyers said he was innocent and accused the local sheriff of “bias.” It’s pretty strange that the DA and sherrif are not on the same page with this one.
  • LONDON (Reuters) – British police investigating how a young sky diver plunged 13,000 feet to his death revealed on Monday his parachute cords had been deliberately severed. That sounds sounds like something out of a tv mystery… but what a scary thought when you really consider it.
  • SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean man angry with his daughter’s Web surfing faced possible charges on Monday after he threw a computer monitor out of his 12th-floor apartment, hitting a four-year-old girl below on the head, police said. I would think that he would face more than “POSSIBLE” charges.
  • MONTPELLIER, France (AFP) – A shopper in southern France literally named his own price when he visited several supermarkets near here. According to police, the 22-year-old suspect fabricated barcode labels on his home computer, and by using them to replace the originals was able to acquire goods for a fraction of their real prices. I wonder how that system works out in jail?
  • HELLAM, Pa. – House hunters and footwear fanatics, take note: A three-bedroom, two bath house that happens to be shaped like a giant shoe is up for sale. I’ll be some old lady buys it — she’ll have some many children she won’t know what to do.
  • EAST DUBLIN, Ga. – There was bobbin’ for pigs feet and hubcap hurling. Grown men competed against each other by belly-flopping into a mud pit. This year’s Redneck Games at Buckeye Park in East Dublin drew thousands of spectators. As stupid as it sounds, I’ll bet everyone had a lot of fun!
  • ROSWELL, N.M. – The sports editor of the Roswell Daily Record has been fired for fabricating part of a news story about a golf tournament in which he quoted a fictional character from the movie “Caddyshack.” And I’ll bet the editor was surprised.

Crais is Great & More

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* A couple of days ago I wrote to say that LA Requiem by Robert Crais is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is, but believe or not, his follow-up The Last Detective, is even better! I read it almost non-stop this weekend. It’s that good! If you’ve never read any of Crais’ work, now is the time to give him a shot!

* Can you believe that “Bruce Almighty” earned $86.4 million at the box office this weekend AND it knocked “The Matrix Reloaded,” from the top spot.

* Busta Rhymes has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery charges on a fan. Busta was busted.