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.
Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
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.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
This new trailer for Captain America is about as close to perfect as you can get. Tommy Lee Jones adds the right touch of gravitas. Love the cameo by Tony Stark’s grandpa [dad?], the appearance of Dum Dum Dugan, the Agents of Hydra, Cap on a motorcycle… I could go on and on. July 22nd can’t get here soon enough!
[Via CBR.com]
Thursday
Doralya [my wife] and I left Port Orange in the Jack Carter mobile headed for Charlotte at approximately 11:30am on the day before the show. I had a free night at the Westin and so we decided to make a long weekend of it. My IPOD was full of enough music to get us there and back and we even had a little cooler of Diet Cokes, water and snacks. Life was good. My Garmin didn’t let me down and the weather was perfect. Once we arrived in Charlotte, Doralya dropped me off at the convention center so I could pick up my con pass and then we got our room.
After a bit of unpacking and freshening up, we decided to walk down to Mert’s Heart and Soul for dinner. If you like Soul food, then this is the place to go. Doralya had the fried catfish and I went with the traditional fried chicken. We both had cornbread [as good as cake], mac and cheese and I also had some greens. Doralya opted for lemonade and I had sweet tea. We were full of great food so I was thankful for a beautiful evening as we walked back to the Westin.
Friday
That’s Dan Panosian and Jeff Johnson, two of the founding members of Drink and Draw. I had a Jack Carter sketch commission set up with Dan. So his table was my first stop. Dan said that he’d sketched out a piece on the plane, but wasn’t happy with it. The way he described it was pretty cool, Carter holding a hand gun up and facing the viewer at an angle. Dan said he might just go ahead and give me the rough if he went with another idea. I was definitely cool with that. ; )
I asked Jeff to sketch in my Drink and Draw, Volume II sketchbook. Jeff put an awesome Viking warrior on the inside front cover to go with Dan’s equally cool Red Sonja and Dave Johnson’s creepy guy. I asked Jeff if he’d be interested in doing a Stallone sketch. Jeff agreed and did a very cool and on-point sketch of Sly as Cobra.
After setting up the sketch with Jeff, I decided to walk the con floor and see where everybody was. I’d also set up some sketches before the show with artists so picking them up was also on the list of things to do. Mike Torrance was at the show, but not set up at a table. He had some sketch cards for me: Rocky Balboa, Jack Carter, Barney Ross from The Expendables and Sly as John Spartan aka Demolition Man. I also had Mike do a Rawhide Kid card for my buddy, LittleJohn312. I had set up a Rocky sketch with Chris Brunner, who went above and beyond by giving me a piece with Rocky and Adrian! Chris is one of the good guys and his comic series with Jason LaTour and Rico Renzi, Loose Ends is gonna kill.
I also had set up two pieces with Robbi Rodriguez. The first piece I asked for was an iconic shot of Sly as Jack Carter. Robbi knew exactly what I was talking about and created a piece that just floored me. I liked it so much that I asked Robbi if he was up for another Stallone. He said he was and I told him to do what he wanted. Robbi decided to do Sly as Machine Gun Joe Viterbo from Death Race 2000. Robbi drew Machine Gun Joe standing on his car with a smoking machine gun and threw in the female co-pilot to boot. Robbi is the man! LittleJohn saw the sketches that Robbi was doing and jumped on board for a Snake Plissken.
LittleJohn312, his wife Patricia and my wife met for lunch in the convention center. The company was better than the food, and the food was a step up from most meals available at conventions. After lunch, LittleJohn312, Patricia and I made our way to the Comic Twart panel and Doralya decided to go out and enjoy Charlotte. Chris Sims moderated the Twart panel which consisted of Ron Salas, Dan Panosian, Dave Johnson, Declan Shalvey and Tom Fowler. The panel was a lot of fun as the artists all worked on Black Widow sketches as they took questions and shared anecdotes with the audience. The sketches were all later put in the Heroes Con auction. It’s cool that the Twartists took their show on the road. If you ever get a chance to see one, don’t miss it.
After the panel I made the rounds of the convention floor to see old pals, meet new artists and set up some sketches. Although Dave Wachter’s sketch list [photo above taken after he’d done my sketch] filled up quickly on Friday [and again on Saturday], he felt he could get me in on Saturday. He did and I got one of his best Stallone sketches yet. I spent the next couple of hours walking and chatting with Michael Golden, Andy Smith, Gene Gonzales [hiding behind his lil’ Punisher sketch below], Joe Pekar, Pat Broderick, Chris DiBari, Dustin Harbin, Casey Jones, Bob McLeod, Chris Moreno, Eric Skillman and others.
At 4pm, LittleJohn312, Patricia and I headed over to the Kickstarter panel. Dustin Harbin, Jay Potts and Jeremy Bastian answered audience questions and explained why their Kickstarter projects were successful. At 6pm I made sure I was at the Drink & Draw Social Club Panel. Dan Panosian, Dave Johnson and Jeff Johnson entertained the crowd and gave us a preview of what to expect at the Drink & Draw scheduled for that evening at Fuel.
That evening Doralya and I met up with LittleJohn312 and Patricia who’d saved us a table outside at Fuel. The place filled up inside and out with folks there to eat and participate in the Drink & Draw Social. Specially created Drink & Draw coaster and paper had been created for the event. Artists would draw whatever struck their fancy and then place it on a centrally located table where folks could buy the art for a donation. Chris Flick of Capes and Babes and Thomas Zahler of Love and Capes joined us at our table. I’d never met these guys before [they’re friends of LittleJohn] but they were a blast. Chris had my wife cracking up with his humor and enthusiasm for art. Thomas entertained us with a professional level William Shatner imitation. Not only could Thomas improv as Captain Kirk, he had enough material that he could literally take his act on the road. Before the evening was over, Chris and Thomas drew Stallone sketches after LittleJohn tipped them to my collection. Naturally I purchased both with donations to the cause. LittleJohn ended up with several pieces from the session. It was growing late, so we called it a night, with the knowledge that Saturday would be a busy day at the show…
Tune in tomorrow for more from Heroes Con 2011.
Dan Richards at CBR.com caught up with Howard Chaykin to speak with him about “Avengers 1959” — a five issue mini-series that Chaykin is writing and drawing. The simple fact that Chaykin is at the wheel is enough to get me on board. Here are some tidbits from the piece if you’re not sold yet…
Earlier this afternoon it was announced at Deadline.com that SHOWTIME and David Goyer [writer/producer] are teaming to bring the adaption of 100 Bullets to television. As most of you probably already know, 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello [writer] and Eduardo Risso [artist] ran for 100 issues under the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics. While it was running 100 Bullets was consistently one of my favorite comics being published. If the tv series is half as good as the comic series, we’re in for a heck of a ride.
Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd knows what the three shells are for and so he decided that it was time for Sly as John Spartan aka The Demolition Man.
You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. You’re also going to be happy to know that once a month Mike has a contest for someone to win a free sketchcard! That is how I came to own this cool sketchcard. I won the contest and told Mike to pick a Sly character. He chose Spartan and I couldn’t be happier.
Rob Zombie may have been at the bottom of your list of appropriate director’s for a Woolite commercial, but after seeing what he did, you may change your opinion. I know I did. Well played, Mr. Zombie.