Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Today we have Jack Carter as drawn by Dick “The Brush” Giordano. I’m sad to say that Mr. Giordano passed away yesterday. Dick Giordano was, in addition to being an amazing artist, a true gentleman and wonderful human being.
This piece was gifted to me by my buddy, Steve Lipsky, who is also a pretty nice fellow.
Dick Giordano passed away today. He was considered a legend in the comic business having literally done it all over the course of his long career. Many learned of Mr. Giordano’s passing through an e-mail sent out by his good friend and fellow artist, Bob Layton. Here’s how Bob broke the news:
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
It is my sorrowful duty to announce that legendary artist/editor/entrepreneur Dick Giordano passed away today. Few could ever hope to match what he accomplished in his chosen profession, or to excel while maintaining great humor, compassion for his peers and an unwavering love for the art form. His unique vision changed the comic industry forever and all of those who work in the business continue to share in the benefits of his sizable contributions.
I have been honored to call him a business partner, mentor and dear friend throughout the majority of my lifetime. We will not see his like again.
Regretfully,
Bob Layton
I’m honored to have met Dick Giordano several times over the years. He was always gracious and kind. As many of you probably know I have several Dick Giordano “Demolition Man” headsketches in my collection. Mr. Giordano did them in preparation for his work on the comic book adaptation of the movie. Last week, I received another headsketch drawn by Mr. Giordano. This sketch is Dick’s take on Sly as Jack Carter. It was gifted to me by my buddy Steve Lipsky [who also owns the sketch on today’s post]. I plan to post the Jack Carter piece with tomorrow’s update.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Giordano’s family, friends and fans.
Bob Layton is right, we will not see the like of Dick Giordano again.
Dick Giordano, the comics legend is back! During his fifty plus years in the biz he’s done everything from ink all the greats (including himself) to serve as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, to co-founding his own comic company.
I had the good fortune to pick up six model sheet headsketches of Sly that Mr. Giodano did before starting work on DC Comics adaptation of “Demolition Man”. This is the sixth. To see all of the other headsketches, click here.
Dick Giordano, the comics legend is back! During his fifty plus years in the biz he’s done everything from ink all the greats (including himself) to serve as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, to co-founding his own comic company.
I recently had the good fortune to pick up six model sheet headsketches of Sly that Mr. Giodano did before starting work on DC Comics adaptation of “Demolition Man”. This is the fifth.
Dick Giordano, the comics legend is back! During his fifty plus years in the biz he’s done everything from ink all the greats (including himself) to serve as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, to co-founding his own comic company.
I recently had the good fortune to pick up six model sheet headsketches of Sly that Mr. Giodano did before starting work on DC Comics adaptation of “Demolition Man”. This is the fourth.
Dick Giordano is a legend. During his fifty plus years in the biz he’s done everything from ink all the greats (including himself) to serve as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, to co-founding his own comic company. Mr. Giordano also has a great sense of humor.
I recently had the good fortune to pick up six model sheet headsketches of Sly that Mr. Giodano did before starting work on DC Comics adaptation of “Demolition Man.” That’s the third posted above.
To comic book fans, Dick Giordano is a living legend. During his fifty plus years in the biz he’s done everything from ink all the greats (including himself) to serve as Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, to co-founding his own comic company. Mr. Giordano also has a great sense of humor.
I recently had the good fortune to pick up six model sheet headsketches of Sly that Mr. Giodano did before starting work on DC Comics adaptation of “Demolition Man.” That’s the second posted above.
There’s an old saying, “Be careful what you ask for… because you just might get it.” Dick Giordano tells a great story that illustrates that point.
Now to Dick Giordano’s story of be careful what you ask for. Mr. Giordano had the assignment of pencilling a cover that featured a sexy female super-hero. He turned in art for final approval and received a note from the editor who shall remain nameless [ *cough* Jim Shooter *cough*]. The note said, “Make her breasts bigger.”
Mr. Giordano thought the breasts were already large, but he shook his head and re-drew the breasts larger.
He sent the artwork back to the editor. Once again the page was sent back to Mr. Giordano. This time the note simply stated: “MORE BREASTS.”
Dick didn’t want to disappoint the editor. He sat back down, drew a third breast on the character and sent the page back. Needless to say, it wasn’t returned again.
Mr. Giordano shared this story to a group of us as I was getting him to sign my Demolition Man mini-series.
Ken Meyer, Jr. presents a monthly column called Ink Stains. In the column Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts a fanzine from his collection. Here’s Ken…
I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!
In Ink Stains 114, Ken shares with us Gaslite #10 which is a fantastic fanzine. Gaslite #10 is filled to the rim with talent and features a cover by R. Crumb, Jack Kirby art and interview, a Dick Giordano interview, Frank Frazetta sketch, Klaus Janson spot illo, Neal Adams art and interview, Kirby and Dan Adkins full-pager, Bill Gaines interview, Vaughn Bode art and interview, Isaac Asimov interview, Gil Kane backpiece and more.
As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!
If you’re a fan of fanzines, then you’ve got to check out Ken Meyer, Jr.’s monthly column Ink Stains. Each month Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts… well, let’s let Ken explain…
I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!
For Ink Stains 44, Ken took a look at Whizzard 12, 13 and 14 from 1979 – 1981 from Marty Klug.
Whizzard 12 features –
Whizzard 13 features –
Whizzard 14 features –
Boy, did these bring back memories. I owned all of these fanzines back in the day. Ken points out in his Ink Stains article that Whizzard was more focused on interviews than art and that art is timeless. As I looked back over these issues (which I loved at the time) I kept thinking I’d have loved to seen more art. Still, it was great to revisit them.
Ah, the memories of the glory days of fanzines. Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!
If you’re a fan of fanzines, then you’ve got to check out Ken Meyer, Jr.’s monthly column Ink Stains. Each month Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts… well, let’s let Ken explain…
I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!
For Ink Stains 42, Ken took a look at Collector issues 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 from 1969-1971. Edited and published by Bill G. Wilson.
I’d never seen issues of Collector before reading Ken’s columsn. The issues are full of the stuff that fanzines were known. These issues feature:
Collector 16 features –
Collector 17 features –
Collector 18 features –
Collector 19 features –
Collector 21 features –
Ah, the memories of the glory days of fanzines. Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!
When Frank Miller’s take on Batman was released earlier this week…
...along with Miller’s riff on Superman for the upcoming Dark Knight III: The Master Race reactions were to say the least, mixed.
It’s no secret I’m a huge Frank Miller fan. His work on Daredevil, Ronin, Dark Knight and Sin City are some of the best (and my favorite) comics of all time.
I’m not surprised by Miller’s latest incantations of Superman and Batman. If you check out CBR’s The 30-Plus Year Evolution of Frank Miller’s Superman you’ll see where I (and Miller) am are coming from.
Frank Miller and Dick Giordano’s Superman & Batman drawn in 1983.
This Saturday, I’ll be joining my buddy, John Beatty at Tim Gordon’s Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. If you’re a regular ZONE reader, then you’ve probably read about Tim’s shows many times. We try to attend as many as possible because they’re always a blast.
This one should be no exception. In addition to Big Beatty, you can also meet Todd Nauck, Billy Tucci, Tommy Castillo, Dick Giordano, Alex Saviuk, Gene Gonzalez, “Leaping” Lanny “The Genius” Poffo, Santa Claus, and a whole bunch of other talented folks. There will be a film room, give-a-ways, artists sketching and more.
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:
Heroes Con 2009 was an amazing show. There’s just something about the friendly, laid back atmosphere that runs through the Heroes convention that makes it so appealing. That and the guest list… and the panels… and the auction… and the costumes… and the…
What follows is a long, but abbreviated con report [as if THAT makes any sense]. If you just want to see the photos, then click here. Otherwise, read on, Leon…
I drove up to Charlotte the day before the show with a brief stop in Jacksonville to meet up with “The James”, Matt “Pecker” and “Sweet” Will. We took two cars [in order to accommodate “The James” protein shakes, vitamin pills, yogurt, cheese, water and other supplements — the dude has gone hard core after losing nearly 100 pounds in the past year]. The 6 plus hour ride went by quickly as we rotated who was in each car.
We stayed at the Hilton directly across the street from the convention center. Hal, who had reserved the room, was already there. After the normal amount of visiting, blowing up air mattresses [and popping one – don’t ask], we decided it was time for lights out. Of course we didn’t go to sleep and instead got on the topic of strange sketch requests — which led to a long riff about a mythical guy who wanted “Granny Goodness” drawn the way he likes her. Yes, it was all silly and we’d been up for far too many hours, but I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so hard. The laughter would die down and then someone would start up with “I want ya to draw Granny Goodness…” and then we’d all be howling again. Guess you had to be there.
Friday at the show I was able to pick up sketchbooks [with head sketches] from Francesco Francavilla and Gene Gonzales. I also picked up a model sheet that Dick Giordano had drawn prior to working on the Demolition Man comic adaptation. I saw Craig Rousseau and dropped off reference for a sketchbook sketch. I visited with Evan Bryce and gave him reference for a sketch. I met Chris Samnee for the first time and entered his Heroes Initiative Charity Raffle. I got autographs from: Eric Powell in my Goon: Chinatown hardcover, Ed Brubaker in my Sleeper trade and Ivan Brandon signed my Viking #1. I talked a bit with Steve Niles, but he’d already signed my novels. I also made it a point to stop by and say hello to all of the guests that I knew. It’s always great to see them again. Everyone said that they were having a great show.
“Superman” Dave set up dinner for us at the Fox and Hound. I’d never eaten there, but enjoyed the food and company. In addition to “Superman” Dave, there was “The James”, “Sweet” Will, Matt “Pecker”, Zack and his soon-to-be-wife, Gary McKee, Jason Walker, Matt Haloub, Tom Fleming and at least 8 or ten others that I didn’t know. On the walk back to the hotel, we ran into Evan Bryce. He had his IPhone and showed me a photo of the sketch that he’d done for me. Whoa! Evan is a really talented artist, and I was expecting good things, but he went beyond my expectations. I’m saving the scan of Evan’s Stallone sketch for a separate post soon to come.
On Saturday I set up sketch commissions with Robbi Rodriguez, Andy Kuhn, and Jeff Wamester. I picked up my Craig Rousseau sketchbook/sketch, and Evan Bryce sketch. “The James” was impressed with Evan’s piece and so I introduced him to Evan. “The James” being the sketch master that he is, set up a watercolor commission with Evan. I bought Jason Walker’s sketchbook and he threw in a Demolition Man headsketch. When I wasn’t visiting with artists around the convention floor and taking photos, I hung out with Jason and Gary as they worked on their commissions. By accident I ran into Mike and Sandy who put on the Florida SuperCon. They were there supporting Heroes and talking to artists about a possible appearance at the next FSC.
Dinner was going to be at a Mexican joint across from the convention center. Unfortunately it was full and the place was hot. Since some of us wanted to hit the auction, we decided to split up. I ate at Fuel [a Heroes Con tradition] along with Matt Haloub, Zack & his better half, and Tom Fleming. Tom is into MMA and we had a great discussion during dinner. He’s really a funny and cool guy. I was glad I got to get to know him a bit better at this show.
We then headed over to the auction. Eric Cante’s auction piece was stunning, but I had a feeling that the Frank Cho painting would break the previous Heroes Con Auction Record of $4,200+. I took several pictures and decided to tweet results of key pieces from the auction floor. The Cho piece ended up going for 5 grand… and so did the Mark Brooks’ Scarlet Witch painting! Evan Bryce came in and we talked for a bit. I stuck around to the end of the auction since I wanted to see if Rico would win the Andrew Robinson painting. I was pulling for him, but unfortunately he didn’t get it. I was happy to learn that Dexter Vines was the winner — it’s always cool when someone you know wins.
Matt Haloub and I headed back to the Hilton. When we entered the room the place was empty. Everyone was still out partying. Matt asked me my plans for the last day of the show. I said, “’The James’ still has a couple of pieces to pick up and that it would depend on when they were ready as to when we left. “The James” is really excited about them.” At that point Hal came out of the bathroom laughing. He had heard us speaking and he thought I was “The James” and couldn’t figure out why he was speaking about himself in third person. Of course that led to each of us speaking in third person.
Soon after “The James” and crew showed up at the room. Matt Haloub called it a night and headed to his hotel. “The James” was feeling pretty woozy and conked out… followed by Will. It seemed like a good idea and so it was lights out. I was expecting some “Granny Goodness” talk, but instead we got on a riff which began… “So You’ve Been Dating This Chick for Six Months…” she would then proceed to provide you with some information about herself and the question was, was the info a deal breaker? Some were easy [she has a vitamin B deficiency] but most were strange and totally funny. Again, it was one of those things where you just had to be there.
Sunday, as I was going over my list, I realized that there were two artists that I really wanted to see, but up to this point had missed. Otis Frampton wasn’t there [I later learned that his father had passed away. My condolences to Otis and his family] but Derek Fridolfs was. I walked over with Hal and “The James” to see if Derek was available for a sketch. He was. I got him to do his take on Cosmo from “Paradise Alley”, “The James” and Matt liked Derek’s work and so they got sketches too! James got a sketchbook and a Batman sketch and Matt got a two figure commission of Zatanna and The Demon. I also set up a sketch with Dave Wachter who said he’d have to finish it and mail it to me. [Dave has already sent me a scan of the piece — he went above and beyond on it since he didn’t have it ready at the show!]
Finally we said our goodbyes and packed out gear. It had been a great show. As I was pulling up to pay for parking [$18 a day times three days] I couldn’t imagine how the weekend could have been any better and that’s when the parking attendant waved us on through with no charge!
I am already looking forward to Heroes Con 2010.
