Author: Craig Zablo

Sleeping With the Champ

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Chuck Wepner has received a bit of press lately since he filed a lawsuit against Sylvester Stallone for a percentage of the profits made off of the “Rocky” movies. While the lawsuit is laughable, it’s not as funny as this true story…Wepner fought Ali in 1975. Before the fight Wepner, known as the “Bayonne Bleeder” told his wife. “Go out and buy some expensive lingerie because after the fight you’ll be sleeping with the Champion of the World!” Ali won the fight. A bloodied Wepner walked back to his dressing room…… where his wife asked, “So, do I go to Ali’s room or does he come to mine!”

Fairplay Works

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The season finale of Survivor is on tonight. Although I normally watch Alias, I’ll pass on it to find out who gets the million bucks.I really don’t care who wins this one. If I had to guess I’d say it’ll be Darrah. After Ruppert got booted few weeks ago I said, anyone but “Johnny Fairplay.” The guy is so annoying. Yet, the more I thought about it and watched him work… although he’s still very irritating, he has played the game well. He’s not the smartest or the strongest, but has been the best at working others. To think that he planned to pull the “grandma’s dead” scam long before he went to the islands… well, maybe he does deserve the million bucks.

Meet Ben Templesmith

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If you’re a regular reader of my ZONE posts, then you know I’m a huge Steve Niles fan. I first discovered Niles through his novels and then his comics. Niles’ classic 30 Days of Night is being prepped for the big screen.
Since I’ve talked so much about Steve Niles, I think it’s time I give some time to Ben Templesmith the artist who helped make 30 Days such a runaway hit. Templesmith has his personal website here. If you enjoy them you should give his comics a try!

QT Has a Plan

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Michael Madsen is one of those under-rated actors who makes a movie better every time he shows up. For nearly a decade fans have hoped that Madsen, Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta would get together and make “The Vega Brothers” based on their characters from “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction.“
As the years passed the project seemed doomed to never happen. Although Madsen says that Tarantino has a plan that could make it work…

Riddick Returns!

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One of the movies coming out next year, that I’m really looking forward to, is “The Riddick Chronicles.” This sequel to “Pitch Black” [a movie that I loved] reteams Rob Cohen and Vin Diesel.Riddick is a role that Diesel was born to play and I have high hopes for the proposed trilogy. Unfortunately the movie doesn’t open until next year… still there’s the trailer coming out Monday and several cool things happening before the movie is released!

Mad #438 features Art Adams, John Byrne, J. Scott Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, John Romita, Jr. and More!

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The last issue of MAD magazine that I bought featured a Frank Frazetta cover for the parody of Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone.In other words it’s been years.

That’ll probably all change in January when Mad #438 hits the stands.

Mad #438 features the work of Arthur Adams, Michael Allred, John Byrne, J. Scott Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, and John Romita, Jr.

You may not buy it, but you’d be, uh… mad not to at least give it a look!

Meet Rick Remender

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Rick Remender.

You know, the award winning animator who created Swingtown. He worked on the classic Iron Giant. Titan AE. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.Still not sure? OK, maybe if I list some of his comic work. The Avengers. The Terminator. Doll and Creature. Black Heart Billy. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ok.
Granted, Rick Remender is not a household name. But he should be. The guy has a gazillion cool ideas. He writes. He draws. He animates. The dude is a natural born creator. Rick is pencilling and Big Beatty is inking a 48 page Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book and I gotta tell ya, the art is amazing. It’s black and white with really sweet tones thrown in. I’ve never bought a Turtles book before. Ever. But I may have to break down and get this bad boy.But back to Rick. Check out his website. The new school design rocks. Plan to spend a while. Be sure to check out his Swingtown animations, his sketchbook [I want to see more of The Last Days of American Crime], heck order a book or two if the spirit grabs ya, and drop him a line and tell him I sent ya!

Meet Bill Black

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Bill Black has been publishing comics since 1969. He’s outlasted every other independent comic company and is still going at it. 

Bill is best known for writing and drawing his own creations, but has also published the work of big name artists such as Mike Zeck, Dave Dorman, Dick Ayers, Erik Larsen, George Perez, Greg Horn, Jerry Ordway, Pat Broderick, Paul Gulacy and Wm. Michael Kaluta to name just a few. Bill even gave Big Beatty his first professional job in comics…
…and believe it or not Beatty pencilled, Jerry Ordway inked and I scripted a story which appeared in the comic above!

Meet Tim Bradstreet

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If you like moody, photo-realistic art then you owe it to yourself to check out the work of Tim Bradstreet.I first discovered Tim’s work when he was inking Tim Truman’s Dragon Chiang. It wasn’t long after that that Bradstreet was doing his own stuff. Really cool black and white pinups, covers for just about everyone and giving us glimpses of his Red Sky Diaries.

 

It Was 40 Years Ago Today…

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Forty years ago today… I was five years and one month old and President Kennedy was assassinated. Like everyone old enough to remember, I know exactly where I was when I first learned of it. 
I was in a grocery store in Miami with my grandfather. He and my grandma had taken me on vacation to Florida. It’s the one vacation that I can tell you specifically where I was on a given day.

I remember a man saying that the President had been shot and all of the adults looking scared. I’d never seen that before and it caused me some concern. My grandfather assured me things would be ok, but I remember us hurrying back to the hotel. I was only five years old but I followed the details as they became clear. President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald while visiting Dallas, Texas. Oswald acted alone and was caught after he killed a police officer named Tippett.  Oswald in turn was murdered [in a police station of all places] by Jack Ruby. I remember adults saying that Ruby should be given a medal for killing Oswald.

It wasn’t until I was older that I began to learn that maybe there was more to the Kennedy Assassination than we were led to believe. I read the Warren Commission Report. I watched and read every related item that I could get my hands on. As the years have passed I have continued to read and search out new information. I hope that someday we will definitively know exactly what happened.

But as each year passes, I find the only thing that I am truly sure of in relation to the Kennedy Assassination is where I was when I first heard of it.

Rupert Bounced

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It just had to happen. Rupert was voted off Survivor.

Rupert was just too strong… too smart. I can’t say blame them. If Rupert stuck around much longer he would have probably won it all.
Now Burton hopes to go to the finals with Jon. At first glance this seems a wise move. Since Jon irritates everyone, Burton’s a cinch to win, right?

Not necessarily. Once the judges learn that Burton set up the ousting of Rupert [coupled with the fact that Burton was already kicked off once] and Jon might win the million bucks. And you know Rupert will be on the jury!

Risso Rocks

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Eduardo Risso is a genius. His work on 100 Bullets is astounding. What makes Risso even more unique is that although he’s been honored with the top awards the industry has to offer, and he’s admired by fans and pros alike, he continues to work on the regular monthly title 100 Bullets. There’ve been six trade paperback compilations and I highly recommend them all! [ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX] Risso and Azzerello have recently teamed to produce a six issue arc of Batman. The first issue is #620 and is on stands now. The first printing sold out from the publisher, but you may find a few still around. It’s great stuff, so it’d be worth your effort to find a copy. 

Sleepy Time for Riggs

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I’m a huge fan of the Lethal Weapon series. Part of the joy has to be that Richard Donner has returned to direct Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in each of the entries. The fact that Richard Donner has expressed interest in one more movie to “put the franchise to bed properly” has me hoping!