26 Seconds of Fun
If you’ve got 26 seconds to spare, you might want to check out this fun ad for the November 7th Tampa Comic Book and Toy Show. I’d have suggested it even if John Beatty wasn’t featured.
Green Light for “Green Zone”
The only thing that I know about Green Zone is what I’ve seen in this trailer.
The good news is, that may be enough.
Steven King’s American Vampire
Steven King is going to write a five issue arc of Scott Snyder’s “American Vampire” series which is set to premiere in March of 2010. The main character, Skinner Sweet, became a vampire in the days of the old west. Skinner is a new breed of vampire and Steven King has made him a “bottomless pit of evil”.
If this sounds like something you’d like, then let your local comic retailer know. Until then, here’s the full article about Steven King and “American Vampire”.
Florida SuperCon Helps HeroesCon
I’ve been going to Heroes Cons for years. Heroes is without a doubt one of the best run, most loved and finest conventions you could ever find. It’s put on by good people, always has great guests, and has something for everyone. Heroes Con 2010 will be the 28th year of the show and surprisingly, the event was in danger of not happening. Shelton Drum, who runs the show, discovered that the only date that he could book the Charlotte Convention Center was the same weekend as Florida SuperCon. Shelton didn’t want to infringe on the SuperCon and so his options were to go to a smaller venue on a different date or cancel the show for 2010. Neither was a good option.
So Shelton contacted Mike Broder [who runs the Florida SuperCon] and told him of the conflict. Surprisingly, Mike said that he thought he would be able to change the date of his show and after a little research, did just that. How often do you hear of “competitors” helping each other out?
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Mike Broder also puts on a great show and has always come across as a straight shooter who truly loves comics, art and conventions. I was able to attend his show last year and had a blast. I planned to attend again next year. After reading about his willingness to help Heroes Con, not only do I plan to attend, but will encourage everyone to join me!
Top 50 Cartoon Characters
Recently About.com posted a piece about the TOP 50 Cartoon Characters. Like all lists, this one is sure to create some controversy. I definitely think that several characters that somehow didn’t make the cut, should have been on it.
Still, I enjoy playing around with lists, so, using just the characters on their TOP 50, here is my TOP 10 [in alphabetical order] with comments:
Batman: has always been a favorite comic character and I’ve enjoyed all of the different cartoon versions as well.
Bugs Bunny: was always best in small doses. I also enjoyed the supporting cast [Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, etc.]
Charlie Brown: If you were a kid growing up in the 60’s, you have to be a fan of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang. Holidays still aren’t complete without at least knowing that Charlie Brown is playing somewhere.
Fred Flintstone: is a simple concept – transport “The Honeymooners” to the stone age!
Mighty Mouse: I’ll admit it. I used to put on a cape and play Mighty Mouse. Yeah, laugh now, but if you needed me to save the day, you’d be singing a different tune.
Pink Panther: A great theme song and a fun cartoon.
Popeye: I probably watched more hours of Popeye than any other cartoon. I especially loved the oldest version with Bluto, Wimpy, the Sea Witch…
Space Ghost: When it first ran, I thought Space Ghost was pretty cool. I watched some episodes years later and thought “not so much”.
Tom and Jerry: Who doesn’t love the old Tom and Jerry cartoons. They were so much fun.
Wile E. Coyote: I was a huge fan of The Road Runner cartoons. My wife doesn’t like ‘em since they’re all the same. But that’s the beauty of it. How many different ways can ole Wile E. screw up?
Okay, now that that’s done… how could Jonny Quest not make the list?
Robbi Rodriguez’s Rocky
I first saw Robbi Rodriguez’s art at a convention. Robbi was set up selling his sketches, and sketchbooks. I didn’t have a clue who he was, but I really liked his art. Since my sketch budget was already shot, I couldn’t hit Robbi up for a sketch. I decided if I ever saw him at another show, I’d definitely try to get on his list.
Lucky for me, Robbi was at this year’s Heroes Convention. Luckier, still was that he agreed to do a Stallone piece for me. I really love the loosenes of Robbi’s style. The kid is talented. You can see more of Robbi’s art here and hopefully again here at the SZ in the future.
Live & In Person
I just want to remind everyone that at about 11am EST, John Beatty will be drawing live $10 head shots. Not only can you watch as he creates ’em, you can even order your own to be drawn as you watch. I’ll be in the luxurious JBI studio to co-host the event. It will be a blast. Hopefully you can drop in, even if you don’t plan to order a sketch or five. I’m on board for at least two! Full details are here.
I also want to remind ZONErs that John and I will be guests at Tim Gordon’s November 7th TampaCon. Tim’s Tampa show is always a blast and this one will be no exception.
Tim has put together an anthology Christmas comic with the proceeds going to charity. John and I did a three page story for it [which John pencilled, inked and colored] and we’ll be there with about 2 dozen guests including:
- Todd Nauck
- Billy Tucci
- Tommy Castillo
- Chuck Dixon
- Dick Giordano
- Alex Saviuk
- Gene Gonzales
- Rob Jones
- Shawn Surface
- Leeping Lanny Poffo
- Santa Claus
- and many others.
Dark Horse Team Ups
When most folks think of Adam Hughes, they usually think of the beatiful women that he draws. Adam can draw anything well, but he’s so wickedly talented at drawing the ladies, that fans lucky enough to get a sketch from him usually opt for, you guessed it, a female character. You wouldn’t immediately think of Adam illustrating Hellboy [although I’d love to see a full Hellboy story drawn by Mr. Hughes].
That is one of the things that made Dark Horse 20 Years such a cool comic. In order to celebrate their second decade in publishing, Dark Horse Comics brought together over 35 of the most talented pencillers, inkers and colorists in the business to create 21 pinups for a comic that they sold for just 25 cents. In addition to the Adam Hughes Hellboy, the issue contained:
- Ghost by Art Adams & Michelle Madsen
- Conan by Sergio Aragones & Tom Luth
- Groo by Paul Chadwick
- Concrete by Chris Warner & Dan Jackson
- Black Cross [For the record, I really think it’s time for a new Chris Warner Black Cross mini-series] by Killian Plunkett & David Nestelle
- Star Wars by Eric Powell
- The Goon by Matt Wagner & Dave Stewart as well as many other characters & creators.
The issue makes a fun addition to any collection and the Adam Hughes Hellboy piece alone is worth more than the price of admission!
“The Road”
I kind of like the latest poster for “The Road”. If I were to suggest any changes, I’d say make it a bit darker and more ominous. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy’s novel and only hope that the movie will live up to expectations.
You can see a slightly larger version of “The Road” poster at IMPAwards.
John Beatty Works to Get a Head
My buddy, Big John Beatty, has decided to try something new. He’s going to be drawing ten dollar head sketches this Saturday on UStream. Folks will be able to watch and comment live as John draws. Fans wanting a sketch, will be able to order, paypall their payment and then watch as John draws it. For full details, click here.
Big Beatty has asked me to co-host and I’m going to try and make that happen. It should be a lot of fun… especially if I’m able to get in an order for a Stallone sketch!
Steranko Speaks
Jim Steranko [or simply Steranko as most folks know him] is quite a character. In addition to being a groundbreaking artist, a writer, editor, and publisher, Steranko was also a singer in a rock band, a magician and escape artist.
Oh, the stories Steranko could tell. Thankfully, he does [at least a few] in this nice little Q & A over at CBR.com.
Chaykin Raises Kane
I was diggin’ around in the ZONE vault this afternoon and came across this scan of a Howard Chaykin sketch of Soloman Kane. It was one of the first sketches I ever owned, bought at Jim Ivey’s Cartoon Museum over 30 years ago. I was, and still am, a huge fan of Howard Chaykin’s art. I guess some things never change.
Mike Zeck’s “Demolition Man”
My buddy, Mike Zeck sent me the scan above as well as this one. That is of course, Sly in his role as John Spartan from “Demolition Man”. Here’s what Mike had to say about his involvement with DC’s “Demolition Man” adaptation:
DC asked for a pencil image of these two characters. I delivered, got paid, and that’s the total extent of my knowledge. No idea if they were ever used for anything, ever inked, or anything else.
Site map
Interesting unseen art though for the ‘Zone‘.
I thanked Mike and said that I wondered how much Stallone-related art is out there that hasn’t been seen. I told Mike that when Joe Kubert was a guest at an OrlandoCon several years ago he told me that he had worked up some dailies for a potential “Rocky” newspaper strip that never sold. Mike wrote back to say that he’d been approached about samples for a potential “Rambo” newspaper strip, but because the pay was so low, he never got around to doing any.
At least we have these two previously unseen pieces of Stallone art to enjoy. Thanks to Mike for sharing.
Creepiest Lines in Cinema
Hollywood.com recently posted their choices for the 25 Creepiest Movie Lines in Cinema. You know me, so using just their choices here are my TOP TEN:
- 10. “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” — Psycho (1960) Combine that line and Anthony Perkins’ stare and you’ve got Creeepy with a capital C.
_____ - “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”— The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Follow that with Anthony Hopkins making a sucking sound and you’ll get goosebumps.
_____ - “I realized what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply…evil.” — Halloween (1978) That line hints at the scares to come.
_____ - “I see dead people.” — The Sixth Sense (1999) The catch phrase of that years
_____ - “It’s people! Soylent Green is made out of people! They’re making our food out of people…” —Soylent Green (1973) Not just creepy, but shocking to the 14 year old seeing the movie for the first time.
_____ - I can’t lie to you about your chances, but…you have my sympathies” — Alien (1979) How can THAT line not creep you out?
_____ - “There’s nothing to be afraid of. They were right. It’s painless. It’s good. Come. Sleep.” — Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) It was creepy to hear when I was twenty watching the remake in a theater, but even creepier when I was a little kid up way late watching the original presented on”Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater” on a little black and white tv!
_____ - “I want you to make a choice… Let the game begin.” — Saw (2004) Yeah, and Ms. Streep thought she had a tough choice.
_____ - “They’re heeeeere!” — Poltergeist (1982) Hearing that makes the small hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
_____ - “Have you checked the children?” — When a Stranger Calls (1979) That line creeped me out years before I had kids.
Lists are subjective, but how did my favorite creepy line, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” not make the cut?
“The Black Terror: Seduction of Deceit” Week: Day 7
“The Black Terror: Seduction of Deceit” Week [written by Beau Smith & Chuck Dixon with art by Dan Brereton]: Day 7 @ the ZONE. Today is the last day of our tribute to Smith, Dixon & Brereton’s Black Terror story so I thought it fitting that our last piece of art be the final page of the mini-series.
If you’ve enjoyed this week’s posts, then tell a friend or seven. If enough people [re]discover The Black Terror: Seduction of Deceit, perhaps we’ll someday get a trade edition, it so richly deserves.
