Rocky Balboa by Kyle Baker!
I met Kyle Baker at HeroesCon 2007. I was (and still am) a huge fan of Kyle Baker’s art and comics. You can imagine how happy I was to get Kyle’s take on Sly Stallone as Rocky Balboa.
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YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker
YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Noel Coleman has it all. He’s a successful artist. Helen, his beautiful fiancée, loves him. He owns an attractive house in the country. For the past year that Noel and Helen lived together, life has been perfect.
Noel plans to ask Helen to marry him. It’s just… he has secrets. Noel wants to come clean. But how do you tell your future (hopefully) wife that you were a criminal when you met her? Noel decides he’ll figure out how to tell her when the time comes.
So Noel informs Helen that he’s going into the city to clean the last things out of his apartment. When he gets back, he’ll pop the question.
Noel heads in to the city and runs into his old crime partner. They decide to have a drink. The more they talk the more Noel realizes he misses the life. His partner talks about a job he’s set up. He offers Noel a piece of the action if he wants to come. Noel is tempted. He decides once he comes clean to Helen, her reaction will decide the life he’ll live.
Then Noel learns that an infamous serial killer just got released from prison. The killer has made it known he’s going to kill the bum that slept with his wife. Noel is that bum! Noel realizes he needs to get out of the city and quick. Thank God Helen didn’t come with him.
Noel sees Helen at about the same time as he catches sight of the killer. Unfortunately the killer has seen them.
Noel will have a lot of explaining to do if they survive. And odds are they won’t.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The art feels very Disneyish and yet the story is noir. The combination works. Baker sets us up to expect one thing and gives us another. The bathtub scene (in the preview below) is just one example. I love the cartoony style used in this tale. I also thought telling the story without word balloons was creative. Having the serial killer resemble Robert Mitchum was icing on the cake.
This isn’t a story for kids. There is sex and violence. Happy endings are for Disney and this is noir.
YOU ARE HERE gets my highest recommendation!
YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker rates 5 of 5 stars.
Rating:
Deathcathlon by Kyle Baker is Available Now!
Deathcathlon is already available for purchase and I just found out about it. How did that happen? I’m a Kyle Baker fan and am surprised I’m late to the party. Here’s the synopsis…
So what if nobody likes her and everyone wants her to fail? Detective Shakuntala Mahoney, the Last Honest Cop in the Most Corrupt Precinct is poised for a career-defining bust that will demolish the sports-rigging mafia in the city of Los Serafines. So what if her own team is sabotaging her and helping the bad guys? She’d rather be right than liked. Rules are rules and cheaters are cheaters. Only her obsession matters: Destroying the mafia.
She never counted on the brooding sinewy stranger with a haunted past who shatters the detective’s brilliant plans in an instant. An intriguing broad-muscled rogue who slaughters all of Mahoney’s suspects using sports equipment then vanishes into the night like a chiseled rugged ghost with a secret torment locked away in a hardened heart.
Someone’s wiping out the mafia, and it isn’t Mahoney. She’s finally found the only other person in this crooked town who shares her obsession, and he’s a damned serial killer. A damned hot serial killer doing the job she dreams the broken system would allow her to do. It definitely shouldn’t matter that he’s a world-famous athlete worth a fortune. The Last Honest cop will not tolerate vigilantism, especially if it screws up her promotion.
Rules are rules. Cheating is cheating. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
If Deathcathlon sounds like something you’d like, why deny yourself a little pleasure?
Kyle Baker Career-Spanning Interview
Steve Morris at Comics Alliance recently conducted a career-spanning that is worth a look. Here are a couple of quotes from Baker for a taste…
“I think that it’s never wise to measure one’s worth by the opinions of strangers. I’m just trying to create the work I enjoy…
“When I work, I do the best job I can according to my skill level at the time. I’m always studying, and looking to learn how to write and draw better, and that’s what’s important to me…
“If I am listening to a street-corner trumpet player, and I enjoy it, why should it matter that he is not performing for thousands?…
Some suggestions of Kyle Baker‘s work that I highly recommend…
Kyle Baker Gives It Up for Free
Kyle Baker is an amazing artist who doesn’t do enough work in comics aka graphic novels. Of course I’d say that even if he drew every comic published.
Kyle Baker is THAT good.
Recently Mr. Baker did something that is unheard of. He posted links to every graphic novel he created so that we can read them for free. That’s right, FREE. Which is of course the universal price that we all love the most.
My suggestion is to start with You Are Here. It’s one of my all-time favorite graphic novels. Oh, and before you dive in, make sure that you have plenty of time. My guess is you’ll want to stay a while.
Kyle Baker Stays Busy
Kyle Baker is a busy man. He’s currently producing, directing, and starring in an animated version of The Bakers for Fox. He just completed the first Special Forces storyline, He’s doing a biography of President Obama and is on tap to create two new comic series this year for Image. He also wants to do a new Bakers book to appear with the Fox release.
Whew! Talk about a workload. Everything Kyle Baker is involved in, is worth a look. It shouldn’t be hard to find something he’s involved in.
Kyle Baker’s Hawkman
I’m not much of a Hawkman fan, but I’m a big enough fan of writer and artist Kyle Baker that I’ll give his new Hawkman comic a look. In fact you can check out a sample page posted at Kyle’s site by clicking here.
Kyle Baker Has Spirit
I’m a huge Kyle Baker fan. [No wisecracks, Beatty!] Baker is a talented artist and writer. So you probably think I’m going to link to some of his art or a page from one of his comics.
Nope. Instead I’m linking to Kyle Baker’s review of “The Spirit” movie. Don’t you just love how he gets his point across.
Kyle Baker Soars on Hawkman
My admiration for Kyle Baker’s talents are well known. He recently posted Kyle Baker Stays Busy
You’ve heard me rave about Kyle Baker’s work before… and with good reason. He’s one of the most talented writer/artists working today. And he’s one of my favorites.
Currently Mr. Baker is enjoying the success of his
Nat Turner graphic novels [1 and 2], his on-going comic series Special Forces, and the recent publication of his How to Draw Stupid and Other Essentials of Cartooning Book. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that his ongoing semi-autobiographical, and hilariously funny, The Bakers, is in development as a potential animated series for FOX.You can check out this interview with Kyle Baker from the good folks at CBR.com. Kyle talks about his current projects, why he hopes never to have to work at Marvel or DC again, as well as why he gets a kick out of the line, “
God seems a little angry.”Crime Comics: What are the All-Time Most Influential?
Following up on yesterday’s list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement, it isn’t much of a stretch to turn our spotlight on crime comics. Richard Keller at CBR compiled his list of The Most Influential Crime Comics Of All Time. Keller’s list is a good one. Before you click over, here are my thoughts on his selections and a few not on his list that are favorites of mine…
Dick Tracy: As a kid I read Dick Tracy comic strips off and on. As an adult I’ve read some Dick Tracy comics (notably those by Kyle Baker and Michael Avon Oeming), but Dick Tracy has never been a character I’ve held dear. I wouldn’t mind someday reading some of the old Dick Tracy comic strips.
The Spirit: Will Eisner’s The Spirit is considered one of the classic comics by nearly everyone. Eisner’s work on The Spirit is cited as an influence by many, many great artists. I’ve read and enjoyed a cross-section of The Spirit comics, but not nearly enough. I need to remedy that. (Oh, and if all you know about Will Eisner’s The Spirit is the movie… you don’t know The Spirit.)
Crime Does Not Pay: I’ve never read any of these comics as they were well before my time. Perhaps I should try to find reprints.
True Crime Comics: Like Crime Does Not Pay, these comics were before my time and I’ve never read any.
Crime SuspenStories: Although also well before my time, I would like to read these EC comics. I’ve toyed with getting the reprints but have never, uh, pulled the trigger. I should.
Sin City: As most of you probably know, Frank Miller’s Sin City comics are my favorite series of all-time. If you like film noir, Mickey Spillane, tough mugs and sexy dames, then these are the comic yarns for you!
Sam & Twitch: I’ve never read any Sam & Twitch comics. Reading Keller’s write-up, I need to change that.
100 Bullets: A classic crime comic where the story was a great as the art. I loved that it was always scheduled for 100 issues and when the story was told, the comic ended… at 100 issues.
Powers: Where the focus is on the cops in a world of super-heroes. I’m a fan.
Stumptown: I haven’t read the comics. That needs to change.
Keller’s list provided me with some crime comics I need to track down. Here are a few I’d recommend that didn’t make his list…
The Black Terror, Seduction of Deceit written by Charles Smith, Beau Dixon, with art by Daniel Brereton. If you liked The Godfather and the tv series Wiseguy then this is for you!
Scalped written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra, Scalped is a modern day western where organized crime has moved onto a fictional Indian Reservation.
Gravedigger written by Christopher Mills with art by Rick Burchett. Sadly there are only two Gravedigger tales, but they should be in every crime comic fan’s collection. The stories are collected in the trade Gravedigger: Hot Women and Cold Cash.
I Die at Midnight for Free
I’ve talked about what a great artist and writer Kyle Baker is many times. On many occasions I’ve encouraged you to visit Kyle’s site. Tonight, I’m going to once again suggest that you stop by. If you do, check out Kyle’s graphic novel, I Die at Midnight,
Kyle posted up the entire book which can be read for free, and told me:
I thought this might be a cool experiment, since I had the PDF anyway. If people respond well, I’ve got about 20 books to follow it up with. It might be nice to turn my site into a public library. We’ll see if people download it. The fascinating thing about the web is the access to statistics. I’m often surprised at which posts get the most hits. We’ll see if this is popular.
How cool is that? Most folks would post up a preview and then try to get you to buy the book. Kyle not only posts it up in its entirety, but talks about doing the same with his other books.
Kyle Baker is a great artist and writer — he’s a generous one as well.
Art from Heroes Con
I finally got a chance to post up some of the art that I picked up at this year’s Heroes Con. Let’s take a look…Sly Stallone by Rick Remender. I’ve been a fan of Rick’s work for years. He’s that rare talent that can write and draw and he does both very well. Check out his bio and you’ll be amazed at all of the cool things that he’s worked on. Check out his site and you’ll become a fan [if you’re not already]. Now if Rick could just find time to get around to The Last Days of American Crime!
Rambo by Megan Ruiz. Can you believe that Megan just turned 14 and she can already draw like that? Of course her dad is Alberto Ruiz so we know where she gets her talent. Not only can the young lady draw, but she is one of the nicest and most polite people you’ll ever meet. It was a true pleasure to get a drawing from her.
Cosmo Carboni by Robin Mitchell. I discovered Robin through Alberto’s site and Robin’s blog. I dug his art enough to pick up his first art book and was thrilled to get an original sketch from him. Robin has a second art book out and you can get both HERE.
Rocky Balboa by Kyle Baker. Kyle Baker is an amazing talent with a wicked sense of humor, mad drawing skills, storytelling that just sucks you in… let’s simplify life and call him a genius. Check out Kyle’s site and you’ll get a taste of what I’m talking about.
Rocky Balboa by Andrew Robinson. Andrew Robinson is an artist’s artist. When he starts to draw or paint, other artists gather round. I met Andrew years ago through my good buddy John Beatty. It was obvious then how much talent Andrew possessed… and he just keeps getting better and better. Andrew will have an art book coming out soon. Save some coin, because it’s a “must have” item. Until then, here’s a link to his site to hold you over!
Heroes Con 07 Report
Heroes Con 2007 was a blast. Rather than go into a lengthy con report, I thought I’d post up some pictures and my thoughts. Hope you enjoy them half as much as I did the show…
This is the crew that I hung with for most of the weekend. Starting at the left and working around the table, my oldest son Mike, “The James”, Raf Kayanan, John Beatty, Andrew Robinson, Matt, Lazenby and Hal. Getting together with these guys is always a blast. Raf, Beatty and Andrew were set up at the con next to each other [Bob McLeod, Derec Donovan and John Dell were also within reach] so it was a pretty hopping spot. Originally Dave Johnson was supposed to be set up in the same area, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it this year.
That’s Matt Fraction pictured above. He’s about to autograph my copy of Last of the Independents which I highly recommend! It was my first time meeting Matt who also writes the popular Casanova comic series.
Rick Remender not only autographed my Doll and Creature graphic novel [review coming soon], but did an amazing piece for my Stallone gallery. I’ll post it once it’s scanned. Rick said that The Last Days of American Crime is in the works. I can’t wait. Rick has so many irons in the fire with Fear Agent, Sea of Red, Strange Girl and more that I was starting to think that he’d never get to it.
Another first was meeting Kyle Baker. I’m a huge fan of Kyle’s work. You Are Here is one of my all time favorite graphic novels. Kyle signed mine and told me his an idea for a sequel. I truly hope that someday he’s able to do it. I also picked up Kyle Baker Cartoonist Volume 1 & Volume 2 and Nat Turner Volume 1 & Volume 2. I was also lucky enough to get a Rocky sketch from Kyle [which I’ll post later]. Kyle Baker is an amazing talent and it was a pleasure meeting him.
One of the best parts of each Heroes Convention is watching artists create pieces for the auction. That’s Craig Hamilton working on his “300” piece. Craig’s an amazing artist who puts some much thought into everything he does. One of the cool things about Craig’s painting is that it works both horizontally [as seen above] or vertically! Tony Harris worked on a wicked “Phantom of the Opera” piece, while Phil Noto brought Batman, Batgirl and Catwoman together as Andrew Robinson started “After the Parade” .
That’s Gus Vasquez and his lil cousin Rosario Dawson. [Yeah, Rosario Dawson as in “Sin City”, “Grindhouse”, “Clerks 2”, and a whole lot more!] Rosario and Gus were back as special guests of the show and also the auctioneers! They did a great job and a new record was set when Adam Hughes’ Star Wars painting topped out at $5K!
It was so cool just to spend the weekend among friends, many of whom happen to be talented artists. Andrew Robinson definitely falls into both categories. The drawing above and this one are just two pieces that Andrew had created for his latest sketchbook. I was also lucky to see an advance copy of Andrew’s new art book that will be coming from Alberto Ruiz’s Brandstudio Press. Andrew’s book is going to be a hot seller and I can’t wait to get my copy!
Raf and Alberto spoke and Raf may have an “art of” book coming soon. I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of any of the sketches Raf produced. I was just too in awe of his work since it had been so many years since I’d been able to sit and watch him draw. I did get this shot and this one of two Punisher sketches that Beatty worked up for some lucky fans.
I guess I was just too busy actually talking to friends [Gary McKee, Jason Walker, and Eric Layton to name just three] and saying “hi” to artists [Jeff Parker, Brian Stelfreeze, Cully Hamner, Adam & Alison, Casey Jones, Cliff Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards and so many others] that I didn’t take many pictures. I promise I’ll do better next year… but please understand, no one does it as well as Pat Sun.
I was able to get some great additions to for my Stallone sketch collection. That’s Mike Wieringo pictured above. Mike’s blog is regular reading for me, not only because of his great sketches, but because of his thoughts about each sketch. When I contacted him about a Rocky sketch he posted after seeing “Rocky Balboa”, he said I could pick it up at Heroes. Mike was also selling a sketchbook and with each book purchased fans got a free sketch. Talk about a great deal! I picked up a sketchbook and got Mike’s take on Jack Carter as a bonus. [I’ll post it soon.]In addition to the two sketches I got from Mike Wieringo, I also was able to get one each from Rick Remender and Kyle Baker. Andrew Robinson did a cool Rocky for me before arriving at the show. So did Andy Smith. Megan Ruiz [Alberto’s daughter — a true prodigy] came through with Rambo. I also was able to get on Robin Mitchell’s sketch list and come home with The Art of Robin Mitchell, Volume 1 and his take on Cosmo Carboni from Paradise Alley. I’ll post all of these sketches once I get them scanned.
If you’ve made it with me this far, then you know a good time was had by all. Thank you and good night!
You Are Here
Remember when I said that last week I’d ordered two graphic novels and told you how much I enjoyed Last of the Independents by Matt Fraction and Kieron Dwyer? Well, today I’m going to tell you about the second book, You Are Here by Kyle Baker that I enjoyed even more!
Noel Coleman thinks he’s got it made. Coleman is in love with Helen; a beautiful, spiritual and sesitive animal lover. They’ve been together a year and Coleman is ready to settle down and marry her. There’s just one catch. Coleman isn’t the man he’s led Helen to believe he is. Sure, he’s a talented painter… but he’s also criminal who’s been on the run for a year. Hoping to leave his checkered past behind, Coleman goes back to New York City to sell his apartment so he can return to the country and live happily ever after with Helen.
You just know that ain’t happenin’.
Shortly after arriving in New York, Coleman accidently meets up with his old crime partner, Oscar. Coleman and Oscar decide to hit some of their old haunts and Coleman learns that the cops and a homicidal maniac are still looking for him. Helen shows up to surprise Coleman and before you know it they’re both running for their lives. The book ends with a fight to the death and a conclusion that you won’t be expecting!
Kyle Baker’s art is amazing. You Are Here is visually stunning. Baker’s use of color and a storyboard panel design is to complete advantage. The story is full of humor and yet the book never loses it’s pulp feel. It’s a crazy combination that works. It’s not a comedy, but there are comedic moments. It’s not noir by the strictest definition, but it has that undercurrent. The art is cartoony but not in a bigfoot way. And you gotta love it that Robert Mitchum plays the homicidal maniac. I loved every page. You probably would too.
You Are Here rates an A+
