Man vs Bear
Man vs Bear.
Nuff said.
Author: Craig Zablo
Digger’s Space
I’ve never been into the whole MySpace scene, but I definitely went to check out “Digger” McCrea’s page. It was just as cool, retro, hip and tough as I knew it would be. Christopher Mills not only provides us with Digger’s new digs but tantalizes us by saying…
“Oh – and by the way, there will be some exciting news about the future of McCrae’s criminal career coming soon….”
I can hardly wait.
A Hint of Why
I’m looking forward to Matt Fraction and Cory Walker’s arc on The Punisher War Journal.
The Blonde
I loved Duane Swierczynski’s The Wheelman which opened in the middle of a bank robbery gone wrong and was a fast paced, violent, at times humorous and always unpredictable story. So I couldn’t wait to read Swierczynski’s next novel The Blonde. I’m happy to say that I was hooked from the opening sentence [one of the best in recent memory]:
“I poisoned your drink.”
From there we are taken on a wild ride as Jack Eisley attempts to learn why he was poisoned by a beautiful blonde named Kelly White and why she is infected and on the run from a covert government agency’s hitman. The Blonde is fast paced, lean and will keep you on the edge of your seat as the pages fly by. Duane Swierczynski has another winner that left me excited to start on Secret Dead Men!
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Update: Duane Swierczynski just posted up the paperback cover to The Blonde which will be available October 30th!
RIP: Mike Wieringo
John Beatty called me at work this morning to tell me the news. Mike Wieringo had passed away. It was hard to fathom. Mike was only 44 years old and appeared in good health. He worked out, ate right and by all appearances was in fine shape. The news hit hard. Big Beatty was at a loss… and so was I. What could be said? What could be done?Mike was one of the most popular artists currently working in comics today. Fans loved him. Pros loved him. I never, ever, heard a single negative thing said about Mike or his art. My dealings with Mike were limited, but they were always positive. I first met Mike about 5 or 6 years ago. Mike was gracious and kind to both my son and me, but that’s the way he was with ALL of his fans.
I became a regular visitor to Mike’s blog and would often leave comments about his weekday posts. When Mike posted a sketch of Rocky Balboa along with his thoughts on the movie, I wrote to say that if he ever considered selling the sketch, I would be interested. Mike wrote me back to say that several of the fans who post on his site had already suggested that I might like to have it for my collection. Mike said that as he was drawing it, he thought the same and it was mine for the taking… gratis. Mike went on to say that he would be honored to have his work appear in my gallery. Can you imagine? That’s the kind of guy Mike was. I suggested that if he wouldn’t take money, since he liked the movie, I would be happy to purchase the dvd for him. He said that wasn’t necessary, but did finally agree and acted like I was doing him the favor.
I knew that my blog today would be about Mike Wieringo. Mike positively touched so many lives that I knew that my voice would just be one of the many remembering him, but I knew that I had to mark his passing. I figured that I would probably post the Rocky sketch that he gave me. The when I checked my mail, I found a letter from my old friend Jim Ivey. Jim has always teased me about being a Sylvester Stallone fan. One of Jim’s comments is that Sly has sad eyes… and Jim drew them on the envelope of his letter. Talk about appropriate.
Today Mike Wieringo’s family, friends and fans are in mourning. Yes, there are tears in our eyes. We’ve lost not only a great artist, but a wonderful human being. My life was better for knowing Mike Wieringo. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Diary of the Dead Update
George Romero’s “Diary of the Dead” has a MySpace page and has posted up some new images. You can get THERE by clicking HERE.
RIP: Merv Griffin
A few minutes ago it came over the wires that Merv Griffin had passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 82. Mr. Griffin started out as a singer, but really hit it big with his self-titled talk show which ran for more than 20 years. He is also known for being the creative genius behind two of television’s most popular and longest running game shows “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune.”Growing up, I enjoyed watching The Merv Griffin Show. Merv always seemed like a down-to-earth guy who was having fun hanging out with the celebrities joining him for the day. He was a true success story. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
America’s Zombie Threat
It is so good to know that the zombie threat to America is under control. [Thanks and a tip o’ the derby to Bill Crider.]
Kurt Sutter: “Awaken the Dragon” and “Forever Sam Crow”
A couple of posts down Rafael Kayanan mentioned the Enter the Dragon re-make that Kurt Sutter is going to write and direct for Warner Bros. Since I hadn’t heard anything about this, I decided to find out the scoop.Kurt Sutter is an executive producer, writer and occasional actor on The Shield. Sutter told Variety that he’s..
…‘writing “Awaken the Dragon” as a contemporized drama about a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs.’
Enter the Dragon is one of my all-time favorite films. I love Sutter’s work on The Shield and have no problems with him updating, re-making or re-imagining Enter the Dragon. If his movie is great, then it will bring more awareness to the original. If his movie tanks, it doesn’t change anything with the Bruce Lee classic.
Sounds like a win-win situation for us action fans especially if Sutter’s FX pilot Forever Sam Crow [a drama set in the “world of outlaw motorcycle clubs] is picked up.
Fraction & Walker Will Punish Us
I haven’t bought an issue of The Punisher in years… maybe a decade or more? That will all change when Matt Fraction and Corey Walker team for a three issue story arc!
Fem Noir Mini Coming!
Ape Entertainment has announced that writer Christopher [Gravedigger: The Scavengers] Mills will team team with artist Joe [E-Man, Green Lantern, Scooby Doo] Staton to produce a four-issue, full-color miniseries based on their popular webcomic, Femme Noir.Mills describes what to expect when he says: “The Femme Noir series is my unabashed valentine to the crime fiction genre… All the conventions of the genre – and the cliches – are happily and enthusiastically embraced. It’s an amalgamation of 40’s Poverty Row B-movies, Golden and Silver Age comics, old radio shows, pulp stories… a little bit of everything I love in Pop Culture, old and new.”
BIG CONGRATS to Chris!
The Black Vault
John Greenewald Jr. has been obsessed with UFOs since he was a child. While still in his teens he started requesting, through the Freedom of Information Act, government documents related to UFOs. Greenwald, with one half million documents, may have the most comprehensive UFO collection in the world and it’s all online for the world to see at The Black Vault!
Sharing Personal Joy Buzzers
In Stephen King’s August 10, 2007 column for Entertainment Weekly, he could be talking about why I enjoy daily blogging. King says:
“…the real purpose of these things we write about – to cause a sudden burst of happy emotion, a sudden rush to the head…”
King goes on to say that IT can be a movie, a song, or a book, but whatever IT is causes us to smile and become caught up in the moment. King said that it happened to him when he saw Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds” and it happens every time he hears Van Halen’s “Jump” or gets ready to watch the latest episode of “The Shield.”
I know exactly where King is coming from. I felt the same rush the first time I saw “Rocky.” I can’t help but smile whenever I hear “Grooveline.” I still dig the original “Star Trek” and not much is better than Byrne and Austin’s run on “X-Men,”or Moench and Gulacy on “Master of Kung Fu.” Charlie Huston, Barry Eisler, and David Morrell are just three authors who can bring about “the rush.”
We all have things that give us the rush. King calls them our “personal joy buzzers.” The great thing about blogging is that we get to share our personal joy buzzers and re-experience “the rush.”
And that’s why I enjoy daily blogging.
Conan, Indeed
The above drawing came with a letter I received today from my old buddy Jim Ivey. You might not be able to tell, but that’s Jim remembering how I looked over 30 years ago when I first met him … well, if I was a cartoon character. The first time Jim ever drew a caricature of me, he turned me into Conan. Those days are long gone…
Jim wrote to tell me about the wonderful time he had in Washington, DC when he was recently honored at the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists 50th-anniversary convention. Jim is one of three surviving original members. Not only did Jim get to see them again, but also to meet many new artists for the first time. The highlight for Jim was meeting Ann Telnaes whose work he’s admired for some time. Jim favorably compares to Herblock, Rube Goldberg and Roy Crane! Lofty company! [Jim’s right, she is an amazing talent.] You can read more about Jim’s trip HERE.
What’s really amazing is that it’s been 50 years since the first AAEC meeting. Jim is 82 and probably in as good of shape now as he was then! Conan, indeed!
