A view from a Goon

Guess who's going to be 50 this year?

2012-01-08T15:12:00.002-05:00

Yep the Ol' Web-Headed Wonder is turning 50! This summer will be a half century that Spider-man made his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15.

Above is a pencil sketch I found in one of my old fan magazines of Spidey drawn by his co-creator, Steve Ditko. I inked it last night and and very happy with the results.

I'll post some more Spider-man art I've done throughout the year.

70 Years of Archie

2011-12-18T16:45:00.004-05:00

Ever wish you could remain a teenager forever? Archie Andrews did!

This month marks the 70th Anniversary of Archie and his Pals and Gals and the whole line of Archie Comics. Making his first appearance in Pep Comics #22, Archie, Betty and Jughead were around thirteen years old when they first appeared but by the time "Archie Comics #1" would hit the newsstands a year later the gang would be around sixteen as we know them today.

Archie and his Friends have lasted almost as long as the super-hero genre that dominates the the comic book industry. Even though these characters never grow old, they do change with the times and that makes them as popular today as they were with your parents.

To think that the gang from Riverdale High School lived through the Big Band Era, Rock and Roll, Psychedelic Music, Disco, New Wave, Punk, Grunge, Hip-Hop and on and on.
And not to mention Radio (which Archie had a successful series that lasted for ten years), Television (with numerous successful animated series) Film, Internet, etc.
And let's not forget the very successful rock group (spun off of the Animated TV series of the 60's) "The Archies"with their number #1 smash, "Sugar, Sugar".

Archie Comics and IDW Publishing are putting out some wonderful books celebrating these great characters and the people who have worked on these comics. I suggest you check them out, they are GREAT reading.

Happy 70 Years to Archie and his Friends, and especially my favorite member of the gang Jughead.

50 years of the Fantastic Four

2011-11-20T14:34:00.003-05:00

This month marks the 50 anniversary of the First Family of Super-heroes, Marvel's Fantastic Four.

In the first issue we were introduced to Reed Richards, the stretchable Mr. Fantastic, his girl friend Susan Storm, who became the Invisible Girl. We also meet Sue's hot-headed little brother Johnny who becomes The Human Torch and of course Ben Grimm, The Everlovin' rockbound Thing. These four individuals, changed by Cosmic Rays set the stage for Marvel's revolutionary comics that would change super-hero comics forever!

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby gave the world super-heroes who acted like you and me and just because they had extraordinary powers didn't mean they didn't ordinary problems.

In the few years that followed, Stan and Jack (and a whole other stable of talented writers and artists) gave us a brand new universe that looked familiar but was populated with Marvels that protected our world. And the special part of these Marvels (and who they were as individuals) is that they could be you or me.

I love the Fantastic Four and even though they only exist in the "Funny Books", I feel close to these characters because they are so real and that I could be a part of their family in some small way. The Fantastic Four ARE a Family first and a team of heroes second. THAT'S what makes them special.

Or should I say "Marvelous"?

NAH! Make that FANTASTIC!

Happy 70th Birthday Plastic Man!

2011-08-22T14:32:00.004-04:00

This month marks the 70th Anniversary of the first appearance of Plastic Man in Police Comics #1.

Created by Jack Cole, Plas was former small time hood Eel O'Brian who during a heist was shot and bathed in experimental acid. O'Brian fled into the woods and passed out only to awaken days later in a monastery. The monks who lived there had treated the Eel's wounds and brought him back to life.

While recouperating O'Brian discovered that the strange acid had affected his body and he could now strecth his body great lengths and change into different shapes.

Being moved by the kindly monks unselfish act, O'Brain swore to use his new incredible powers to fight crime and make up for his past misdeeds.

Eel O'Brian was no more and so was born the strechable super-hero, Plastic Man!

Plas was created by Jack Cole who had a background in gag cartooning and used this talent and his great sense of comic timing to tell the hilarious tales of Plastic Man's fight against crime.

Cole's run on Plas is one of the great highlights of the Golden Age of Comic Books and have been reprinted in the DC Comics Archive series of books. I highly reccommend them.

Plas is still going strong today. He is a member of the Justice League of America and has been recently featured in the Batman The Brave and the Bold animated series on Cartoon Network.

I love Plas and he is one of my favorite super-heroes. Anytime I want a fun and entertaining read, I pick up a Plastic Man Comic Book and enjoy the ride.

Happy Birthday, Plas!!!

A Green Movie

2011-06-11T20:45:00.002-04:00

Waiting for the "Green Lantern" movie. The previews look soooooo good!

I hope Ch'p is in it.

Movie for the Gods

2011-06-11T20:37:00.002-04:00

I loved the "Thor" movie! It was great adaption and really captured the spirit of the God of Thunders comics. I think Jack Kirby would have been very pleased.
Asgard looked breath taking!

Eatin' of the Green

2011-03-17T14:32:00.001-04:00

Uh- Oh! Here we go again!

2011-03-16T03:54:00.002-04:00

Daffy Duck in a familiar pose.

A Good Idea Anytime

2011-03-12T14:25:00.002-05:00

This one page "gag" is from the current run of the "Looney Tunes" comic book #89. It was published around the time in the aftermath of the attacks on 9-11-01.
But giving blood is a good idea anytime so let's follow Bugs' advice and donate today!

When there is trouble...

2011-03-07T17:16:00.002-05:00

...he is not slow! It's hip, hip, hip and away he goes!

Will Eisner Google Tribute

2011-03-06T07:28:00.002-05:00

Today is the Anniversary of the birth of one of Comics greatest innovators, Will Eisner. Eisner was there at the dawn of Comics Books and helped shape it into the medium that it is today.
Not only did he create one of comics most enduring characters The Spirit, the debut came in a special comic book section that was in Sunday newspapers.
Eisner was one of the first to experiment with the layout of the comic page using it to effectively to tell his stories. He was also a master of mood and lighting and the use of shadow play that few have ever been able to duplicate.
And his slash pages had few equals. Every new Spirit story started with the hero's name used for the background or buildings, wind blown papers, puddles of water and blood and so many, many more uses of stylized lettering.
Eisner is also credited with creating the Graphic Novel, a complete novel told in comic book form or the phrase he coined, "sequential art".
He was also a scholar of the medium, helping people learn the full use and potential of telling a story with sequential art.

Today Google is honoring Mr. Eisner with it's logo done like Eisner did with the aforementioned Spirit splash page.

Nicely done.

Experiments with Color

2011-03-05T02:10:00.003-05:00

These two sketches are something new I'm trying with a color outline. As much as I like a good, thick black outline with some proper weight to it, I also like to switch it up once in a while. Of course achieving this means drawing the darker color outline first, then adding the lighter shades of hues.
Now working with markers (Berol-Prismacolor, old Design Markers and Sharpies) when you do this the light colors are going to run and bleed from the darker outline, even if using marker paper.
From working with xerox copies of my artwork when coloring them, I know that mostly the black ink will not run...most times. So I got the idea of coloring the outline using the appropriate colors, then making a copy of it, then finish the copy with the lighter hues.

For my first experiments with this method I used an old sketch of Muttley I did a copy years ago and a Harvey Eisenberg inspired drawing of Huckleberry Hound.
Here are the end results. I would love to hear what you think.

Tazmania Part I

2011-03-03T20:31:00.003-05:00

Recently I found a box full of artwork from the early 90's. During that time I did a lot of drawings featuring the Looney Tunes characters. Some of the art in the box was preliminary sketches for commission pieces.
The character that I got the most requests for was the Tasmanian Devil. During this time Taz was very popular, having the animated series and a big merchandising push.
This is the first of a group of drawings I did of Taz for t-shirts, paintings, tattoos, etc.

Those Darn Puddy Tats!

2011-02-28T20:48:00.004-05:00

Here's a sketch I back in the 90's of Tweety and Sylvester. This is part of a compilation painting I did of the Looney Tunes characters.

"Oh Father!"
This is a recent sketch of Sylvester Jr. in a familiar pose.

Men of Steel

2011-02-25T00:38:00.002-05:00

My pairing of The Man of Steel and The Mouse of Might.

Superstars of Animation

2011-02-24T11:10:00.002-05:00

My pairing of the two greatest cartoon stars of the Golden Age of Animation.

In honor of our Forefathers

2011-02-21T18:16:00.001-05:00

The Big "G" by A.R.

2011-02-17T00:18:00.003-05:00

OH MY GOD! Painter Alex Ross (one of my favorite artists) has done a painting of Godzilla for the new IDW comic series.

I don't know about you, but I live for this kind of stuff!

A Valentine's Date

2011-02-14T03:50:00.003-05:00

Underdog and Sweet Polly Purebred off on a date that only our hero can give her.

Bugs Bunny by Chuck Jones and Me

2011-02-08T01:58:00.003-05:00

Sometime ago I posted this sketch of Bugs Bunny that was drawn by Chuck Jones for his 1943 cartoon, "Super Rabbit". I got this image from the wonderful Chuck Reducks Blog run by Jones' family.

I love any opportunity to ink my art heroes and finding this pencil sketch of Bugs by Jones was like finding gold (especially this being so early in Bugs' career). Above are my inks over Jones' pencils after a little bit of clean up and tightening the lines.

Above here I xeroxed my inked piece and colored it using Berol-Prismacolor Markers. This was a sheer delight for for me. In my opinion Chuck Jones was the greatest animation director of all time and this opportunity to ink the masters pencils was a true honor.

I hope you all like it as much as I enjoyed working on it.

FLAME ON!

2011-01-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

Great picture of The Human Torch I found on the web.

Happy Birthday Popeye!

2011-01-17T00:12:00.002-05:00

His 82nd Anniversary!

Peanuts Every Sunday

2011-01-06T06:27:00.003-05:00

Today is the Anniversary of the debut of the Peanuts Sunday Page. The Peanuts Gang first appear in color on January 6, 1952.
Please enjoy the reprinted strip above.

Early Charlie Brown

2011-01-06T06:22:00.003-05:00

Above is a sketch I did of Charlie Brown as he looked in the first few years of Charles Schulz's Peanuts. I love these early looks, and it is also fun for me to look in the collections of early strips and see how the characters have evolved over the years.

Stan Lee receives a Star on Walk of Fame

2011-01-06T06:13:00.002-05:00

This past Monday (January 4, 2011) Stan Lee received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This of course was for his huge body of work in the field of Comic Books and the characters that he created/co-created that have also become successful in television, cartoons and movies.
To this there is only one thing I can say:

EXCELSIOR!!!

Happy Birthday Stan The Man Lee

2010-12-28T04:51:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to Stan Lee. He created the Marvel Universe.

Comic Books would be very boring without it!

Santa Popeye

2010-12-24T02:11:00.003-05:00

Popeye is helping the Big Guy this year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Christmas with Top Cat

2010-12-24T02:08:00.002-05:00

Top Cat and the Gang sing Christmas Carols for their friends in the Alley.

It's Christmas Folks!

2010-12-24T02:05:00.002-05:00

Porky Pig strikes a familiar pose for Christmas!

"M-M-M-MERRY C-C-CHR-CHR-CHRIST - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Christmas with Super Goof

2010-12-24T02:00:00.002-05:00

Our Goober Gulpin' Guardian helps his buddy Mickey deliver presents to the children of the Duckburg Orphanage.

Who needs reindeer when you've got Super Goof!

Santa Betty

2010-12-24T01:59:00.001-05:00

One of Santa's Special Little Helpers

Rudolph and Santa Woody

2010-12-24T01:56:00.000-05:00

Rudolph didn't count on helping this Santa!

My Reveiw of the Yogi Bear Movie

2010-12-20T19:39:00.006-05:00

Saturday I went to see the new CGI Yogi Bear Movie (I didn't see it in 3-D, I find those glasses annoying). I found the movie to be pretty good, funny in places that used classic cartoon slapstick and the bathroom humor kept to a minimum (it seems that new versions of classic cartoon charaters always have to fart, burp or vomit, I guess producers think that is the only way to get laughs out of kids).
The plot of the movie is that Jellystone Park is losing money. It isn't a national park like in the TV series (this took away one of Yogi's classic excuses when caught by Ranger Smith threatening punishment, "I'm a government protected bear!"). So is the adjoining town so the corrupt Mayor wants to sell the rights to Jellystone to a logging company. This will make the Mayor look good in the voters eyes (and voting ballots) because it will get the town out of debt and give the townspeople an extra $1000 bucks.
Meanwhile in Jellystone Yogi is up to his usual picnic basket stealing schemes. In this film Yogi and Boo Boo act like Yogi and Boo Boo and in my opinion, this is what you what from this type of film. Yes it is a little off-putting seeing the two bears with fangs and claws, but going for a somewhat realistic look they still maintain their cartoon characteristics. Justin Timberlake does a great job of voicing Boo Boo, he sounds very close to the original version done by the great voice artist Don Messick. Yogi on the other hand, well I don't remember who wrote this but it sounds like Dan Aykroyd (who voices Yogi in the movie) imitating Rodney Dangerfield imitating Yogi Bear. It doesn't really sound like the original voice provided by Daws Butler, the great voice artist who gave voice to many of the great characters created by Hanna-Barbera.
A young documentary filmmaker named Rachel (played by Anna Farris) comes to the park to study "the two talking, upright standing bears". She becomes smitten with Ranger Smith (played by Tom Cavanagh) when she finds out they share a love of all things in forestry.
Cavanagh plays the ranger as kind of bumbling and clumsy, especially when he is around Rachel. This goes against the personality established in the cartoon series. Of course in the TV show he was always exasperated because of Yogi's actions which he still is in the film.
Mr. Rangers assistant, Ranger Jones (played by T.J. Miller) is an over-eager ex-boy scout who wants to be head ranger and questions everything Smith does. I found this character to be completely annoying and over the top especially when he becomes a pawn of the corrupt Mayor in his plan to take over Jellystone.
The Mayor tells Ranger Smith that the park is in debt and if he dosen't come up with twenty grand, he will take over the park. Ranger Smith comes up with a plan to get the money by throwing a big celebration picnic celebrating Jellystones' 100th Anniversary. The big payoff will be a big fireworks display. The picnic goes great but thanks to the evil Mayor's prodding, he convinces Jones to "step things up" by getting Yogi to perform his water skiing act. This of course turns into a disaster and ruins the picnic. Smith is out and Jones is in, unaware that the park is going to be nothing a forest of stumps. Yogi and Boo Boo find out the evil Mayor's plan and travel to the city to find Ranger Smith to save Jellystone.
The film moves a little slow but none-the-less is entertaining. I thought it could use a lot more picnic stealing gags but it cuts to the main plot pretty quick. (The movie only lasts 80 minutes)
On a scale of 1 to 5 stars (1 being bad, 5 being good) I'd give it a 3. This is the first time in many years of anything being done with Yogi and Boo Boo and I would have to say it was a good movie - not great but good.

By the way before the movie, one of the new Road Runner CGI shorts was played. The plot centered around Wile E. Coyote souping up a Segway Rider to chase the Road Runner which of course continuously backfires on him. I found this short to be very funny. My only problem with it was that it was only three minutes long. Chuck Jones established in his cartoons that their would always be eleven gags per each short which usually lasts seven minutes. And this is the first time the gags were centered around one theme (the Segway). Still it was very funny and I hope to see more in the future.

Happy Birthday Olive Oyl!

2010-12-19T17:22:00.002-05:00

On this date back in 1919, Elzie Segar's "Thimble Theatre" made it's debut in the Hearst papers. At first the strip was a parody of silent movie melodramas of the time but soon Segar dropped this concept and gave Olive Oyl and her original boyfriend Harold Ham Gravy individual personalities.
The following January, Segar introduces Olive's brother Castor into the strip and starts to tell ongoing stories along with his "gag-a-day" regular strips.
Of course "Thimble Theatre" would become famous in 1929 when Segar would introduce Popeye the Sailor into the strip during the "Dice Island" storyline. Popeye would go on to conquer newspaper strips, radio, cartoons, TV, etc. and take Olive, Wimpy, Swee'pea, Alice, Eugene, Bluto, the Sea Hag and the rest of the cast of the strip with him.
But Olive Oyl has been there from the start. So Happy Birthday Olive!!!

Happy Birthday, Alice the Goon

2010-12-10T03:25:00.003-05:00

Debuting this day back in 1933! (Popeye #165 - cover by George Wildman)

Have a Goon(y) day!

Recent Hanna-Barbera Art

2010-12-01T03:21:00.002-05:00

Above and below are some recent sketches I've done of Hanna-Barbera characters. Above is a sketch of Huck done in the style of Harvey Eisenberg, the artist who first drew Huckleberry Hound and the early H-B stars in Comic Books.

Here are those two "meeses" Pixie and Dixie and their foil Mr. Jinks.

The hero of the old west, Quick Draw McGraw.

And here's Yogi Bear and Boo Boo up to their usual picnic basket filching shenanigans but got more than they bargained for.
Don't worry about Ol' Huck, he'll get out of this with a couple of P.B.&J's.

Huckleberry Hound Comic Panel

2010-11-28T11:01:00.003-05:00

Comic Book Panel of Huckleberry Hound from his first Comic Book appearance in Dell Four Color #990, drawn by Harvey Eisenberg.

Happy Turkey (?) Day!

2010-11-25T02:18:00.003-05:00

Moose and Squirrel Day!

2010-11-19T01:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to one of the funniest shows ever on television "Rocky and Bullwinkle".
It was on this date in 1959 that "Rocky and his Friends" debuted on ABC and introduced us to a heroic moose and flying squirrel as they fought those rotten no-goodniks Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. The show also featured "Fractured Fairy Tales", Peabody's Improbable History" and segments featuring Bullwinkle, "Mr. Know-It-All" and "Bullwinkle's Corner".
In 1961 the show moved to NBC and was retitled for it's new prime time slot, "The Bullwinkle Show". We got all our old friends plus two new features, "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties" and Aesop Fables".
In my opinion "Rocky and Bullwinkle" was one of the funniest shows ever written and this classic show has stood the test of time and will endure forever.

"And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"

I do and it's "Rocky and Bullwinkle"!!!

DAWS BUTLER DAY!

2010-11-16T02:32:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to the great voice artist, Daws Butler. Daws had a very prolific career working in radio, movies, comedy records, kids records, puppetry and where his talents are known the best, television.
He also had an acting workshop where he taught his trade to up and coming voice artists. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson (and many of the shows other characters) is Butler's most famous student.
First working with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera at MGM, Daws joined Bill and Joe at their newly formed animation studio that made cartoons for television. He was the voice of Reddy the Dog on Hanna-Barbera's first syndicate show, Ruff and Reddy.
With the success of this short run children's series, Bill and Joe produced and made the "Huckleberry Hound Show" for prime time TV. Daws was hired to speak for the shows blue-furred hound dog star, Mr. Jinks and Dixie Mouse of "Pixie and Dixie" and that smarter than average bear, Yogi.
Daws worked for Hanna-Barbera for the rest of his career and many other animation studios including The Jay Ward Studios (most famous for Rocky and Bullwinkle), Walter Lantz (Woody Woodpecker) and making comedy records with Stan Freberg.

Above is a sketch I did that I use as a birthday e-card that I send to my friends online. Seems appropriate to use this drawing to wish a Happy Birthday to the man who gave voice to Huck and Yogi.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAWS!

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T00:32:00.002-05:00

In honor of the brave men and women who have served in all the branches of America's military, I present Sgt. George Bakers classic comic strip soldier, Sad Sack.

Thank You for keeping us safe and preserving Liberty.

The First Cartoon Super Star!

2010-11-09T02:18:00.002-05:00

Before Mickey there was Felix! Felix the Cat made his debut on this date (Nov. 9) back in 1919 in the Pat Sullivan Cartoon "Feline Follies".
Felix was the Silent Era's animation star famous for his imaginative adventures using his tail as anything from a gun to a bicycle and more. His famous walk was imitated by kids all over the world and in England a popular song was written about it.
Sullivan came up with the idea for the little black cat but the man who really breathed life into him was animator/director Otto Messmer. Messmer redesigned Felix to be more attractive and easier to animated using circles and "pipes", something other animations studios would soon adopt. Messmer also drew the Felix the Cat Comic Strip and later Comic Books long after the Felix cartoons were being made.
Felix didn't make it into the sound era of shorts but had a very successful career comeback in the early days of television. Felix's show centered on his adventures with his bag of magic tricks that he had to protect from The Professor, an evil scientist.
Felix the Cat is an animation icon and even though he was over shadowed by the introduction of Mickey Mouse, Felix was there first to pave the way!

Aunt May's Photo Album

2010-11-07T15:36:00.003-05:00

From the Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-man Annual #3 1981, Aunt May Parker (our web-headed hero's ever faithful and loving surrogate mother) shares with us readers her Photo Album.
With a little help from Roger Stern, Marie Severin and John Romita, Aunt May shares her courting pictures with Ben Parker, their wedding day and a baby picture of their new born nephew, Peter (above).

Above are pictures of young Peter after he comes to live with his Aunt and Uncle after the untimely death of his parents.

Here we have pictures of Peter's High School Graduation, the ladies in Pete's life, his motorcycle and the day he moves out on his own.

Above are pictures of birthday parties, weddings and other events in the life of one of comics' most popular supporting characters.

Popeye gets Electric!

2010-11-05T01:05:00.004-04:00

In 1987 "Electric Company Magazine" did a feature piece on our favorite Spinach-Eating Sailor. Published for kids, this magazine does a nice piece on Popeye through the years and features strips by Elzie Segar (of course) and also Bill Zaboly. The cover and activity page are by Bud Sagedorf.
I think it's cool that they centered on Popeye's comic strip career and not his animated career as most magazines do.

Spider-man's Origin in Electric Company Magazine

2010-11-01T15:38:00.004-04:00

Above is a abbreviated version of the Origin of Spider-man that appeared in Electric Company magazine. There are no credits so it's anybody's guess who wrote it but that is definitely Sal Buscema's art work, just not sure if he inked himself. I'm going to venture a guess and say it might be inked by Mike Esposito.
I think it's interesting that they leave the death of Uncle Ben out of the story considering how important that plot point is to the story, but I guess for a children's magazine that might be to "disturbing" for it's intended audience. Hopefully this led the kids to read Spider-man's regular comics and there they could learn the great lesson of "With great power there must be great responsibility".

Happy Halloween Everybody!

2010-10-31T13:37:00.002-04:00

Alex Anderson R.I.P.

2010-10-23T23:01:00.005-04:00

I'm sad to report that the man who created Rocky and Bullwinkle has passed away. Alex Anderson was working with Jay Ward when they were trying to come up with new ideas for animated series for TV following their success with television's first cartoon show, "Crusader Rabbit". They came up with the concept of "The Frostbite Falls Review", a group of animals running a television station in Canada. Part of the cast was Bullwinkle the French-Canadian Moose and Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Unfortuneitly this show didn't sell.
Anderson also came up with the idea of Dudley Do-Right, the bumbling Canadian Mountie for another series. This idea also failed to sell.
Anderson then parted ways with Jay Ward and went to work in advertising were he spent the rest of his career.
In the late 1950's, Jay Ward teamed up with writer Bill Scott and put together the crew that would create one of TV's best animated shows, "Rocky and his Friends" for ABC. It was here that the world would fall in love with the adventures of the heroic squirrel and his smart goof of a partner, Bullwinkle J. Moose.
In 1961 the show moved to NBC and was retitled "The Bullwinkle Show" and played in prime time. One of the new segments of the show was "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties" the misadventures of the Royal Canadian Mounted's most infamous officers.
Anderson never worked on these shows but in 1996 won an out-of-court settlement with Jay Ward Productions naming him the creator of Rocky, Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right.
Thank you so much Mister Anderson for coming up with two of my all time favorite cartoon characters, Rocky and Bullwinkle. Even though you didn't work on the show, your "children" were in very capable hands and have gone on to be very popular Pop Culture Icons.

The Writer of Steel

2010-10-17T03:05:00.003-04:00

He helped to create a being from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Along with friend and co-creator artist Joe Shuster (above on the left), writer Jerry Siegel created Superman, the World's First Super-Hero.
Siegel was born on this date (October 17) in 1914. Thanks to Siegel and Shuster a new genre of modern age mythological heroes was born.

Siegel and Shuster are heroes in their own right. Heroes to fans around the world who love fantasy and heroes to millions of writers and artists that want to work in the field of Comic Books.

Fantastic Four Art

2010-10-14T23:19:00.005-04:00

Way back in 1977, I picked up my first copy of the Fantastic Four, but it wasn't a comic book. Marvel Comics was publishing a series of paperback books that reprinted the early adventures of their super-heroes. One Sunday afternoon in the fall of '77, I picked up The Fantastic Four collection, reprinting the first six issues. When I got home from B. Dalton's Bookstore in The Monroeville Mall, I grabbed a lawn chair and started to read in my backyard. My intent was to read just the first couple of stories but as I read them I was thoroughly engrossed in the great storytelling by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I'd never read anything like this in my entire life! A group of super-heroes who fought amongst themselves as much as they fought their enemies. And they acted like real people. Just because they had powers didn't mean that they didn't have problems. Needless to say I spent the afternoon reading the adventures of Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), The Invisible Girl (Susan Storm), her younger brother The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) and The Thing (Ben Grimm).
In those six reprinted issues I was introduced to the Mole Man, the shape-shifting alien Skulls, the hypnotic Miracle Man, the return of a Golden Age character The Sub-Mariner, the F.F.'s greatest enemy the diabolical Doctor Doom, and in the six issue, the team of Dr. Doom and The Sub-Mariner against The Fantastic Four.
I also read about the F.F.'s headquarters in The Baxter Building (right in the middle of downtown Manhattan!), The Fantasti-Car - the flying vehicle that looked like a bathtub that separated into four parts for each member of the team. There was also their specially designed uniforms that were made of Unstable Molecules, an invention of Reed's that flamed on with the Torch, turned invisible with Susan and stretched with Mr. Fantastic.
After finishing this book, I was a Fantastic Four Fan for life! Over the years I have been able to read all of the stories either through reprints and the regular monthly series. Of all the collaborations Lee and Kirby worked on together to create the Marvel Universe of characters, The Fantastic Four was the best!

Above is a drawing I did of the F.F. based on the art of John Byrne. Byrne worked the the series from issue #232 to issue #293 as writer and artist and had the second best run on the series behind Lee & Kirby's historic run. I didn't get to read those Lee and Kirby stories when they came out but I did with John Byrne and every month I could not wait until the end of the month when the latest issue came out.
I've done a few pieces of art where I have tried to draw like Byrne (I also did the same with Kirby) and above is a sketch I did back in the late 80's.

Below is a drawing I did as an experiment in inking. This drawing of Doctor Doom was penciled by the Great Jack Kirby and printed in the Jack Kirby Collector, a magazine devoted to art and career of the great Comic Book Storyteller.
I inked this sketch using every black pen, marker and technical pen I owned. I used all the different pens to represent the different weight in the lines of the sketch instead of fleshing them out with a brush or crow quill pen. It was something I wanted to try and was happy with the results.

Squirrel Month

2010-10-10T14:15:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, October is "Squirrel Awareness Month". I'm not sure what that means but it gives me an excuse to post a newly colored sketch of the world's most famous squirrel, Rocky.

Vampires

2010-10-08T19:25:00.003-04:00

This is what a REAL Vampire Looks like...

...or This...( art by the great Gene Colon)

...Not This!!! And Vampires can't be out in sunshine! They'll burn up, people!!!

My Favorite Member of The Fantastic Four

2010-10-06T13:03:00.002-04:00

The Idol of Millions, The Thing!

Happy 60th Birthday to Charlie Brown & Peanuts pt1

2010-10-02T04:25:00.004-04:00

Today (October 2nd) is the 60th Anniversary of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the Peanuts Gang.
In 1950 Charles Schulz debuted his comic strip of little people (kids) that acted more like adults than children. Starting only in seven newspapers, "Peanuts" would go on to be the most successful newspaper strip ever printed.

Above are some of the ads used in newspapers to announce the coming of the new comic strip. As you can see they feature Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Shermy, Violet, Patty and Schroeder. Lucy, Linus and Pigpen would be introduced in the next couple of years and Charlie Brown's sister Sally would be "born" before the end of the decade.
Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Franklin would be introduced in the 1960's and Woodstock would debut in 1970.
The strip ended in February of 2000, the day after Schulz passed away, but is still printed today in reruns in as many newspapers as it did when they were brand new.

Happy 60th Birthday to Charlie Brown & Peanuts pt2

2010-10-02T04:13:00.004-04:00

Above is a nice birthday card with a theme that Schulz liked to use, Happiness.

And here are some more ads used to tell the public about the new "Peanuts".

It's Huckleberry Hound Day pt I

2010-10-02T03:29:00.003-04:00

Today is the 62nd Anniversary of "The Huckleberry Hound Show".
In honor of this great occasion, above is the original opening titles to the syndicated show. What's interesting about this is that Huck only show's up in a poster behind Cornelius Rooster of Kellogg's Corn Flakes fame, in fact the whole piece features Cornelius!
Why? Back in the early days of television, usually one sponsor brought rights to have their products featured on a particular show. The sponsor then would help the show find a place on one of the networks or (in the case of The Huckleberry Hound Show) in syndication.
When Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were starting out in television, they made a deal with Kellogg's to sponsor their shows and in turn Huck, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw and other H-B stars would be featured on Kellogg's cereal boxes and premium toys that came in the box or you sent away for.
So sit back, fill up a bowl with some Corn Flakes and enjoy the Huckleberry Hound Theme Song.

It's Huckleberry Hound Day pt II

2010-10-02T03:20:00.004-04:00

And now the original End Titles to The Huckleberry Hound Show. Here (unlike the opening theme) Huck is featured prominently with the Kellogg's cereal characters.
In the closing titles you can see the stars of the Kellogg's Cereal Family. We have Snap,Crackle and Pop of Rice Krispies; Tony the Tiger and Tony Jr. of Frosted Flakes; Smakey the Seal, the original mascot the Sugar (Honey) Smacks; and Sugar Pops Pete, the original mascot for Sugar Pops Cereal.

Mmmm! Mmm! All this writing about cereal is making me hungry!

Happy 50 Years of The Flintstones

2010-09-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

Before The Simpsons, before Family Guy, there was The Flintstones!
On roll with the success of their two syndicated animated shows Huckleberry Hound (and it's spin-off Yogi Bear) and Quick Draw McGraw, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, seeing that these shows played in primetime in many markets, decided to make a show that would play on one of the major networks.
Settling on a stone age theme, Hanna and Barbera came up with "the Gladstones", the story of two family's that would have modern homes, cars, appliances, etc. made out of stone, wood and (especially funny) pre-historic creatures.
They made a pilot and sold it to ABC, picked up sponsors and the show was ready to air. But a problem arose, the name "Gladstones" was the last name of the comic strip characters "Hi and Lois". Wanting to avoid any legal ramifications, the name was changed to "Flagstones" but that name didn't seem to work. Finally "The Flintstones was chosen and on September 30, 1960, history was made as the first animated series made it's debut.
We were introduced to Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their friends and neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble and each week audiences followed the misadventures of Fred and Barney in a modern stone age era.
The show was very successful and lasted for six seasons on ABC. In a 1967, the reruns played on Saturday Morning TV and shortly after that, week day syndication. "The Flintstones", even though no longer on primetime television, never really left the air.
Above is a sketch I did of Fred and Barney, done especially for the show's 50th Anniversary. Fred and Barney are the first two cartoon characters I remember learning how to draw while watching the reruns every afternoon.

So let's all have a YABBA-DABBA-DOO time and celebrate with the Flintstones!

The History of The Flintstones

2010-09-30T13:05:00.002-04:00

Here's a great History piece of The Flintstones done by Scott Shaw!

Please Remember

2010-09-11T00:48:00.004-04:00

It's a shame Superman is only a fictional character, because if he was real maybe he and his fellow members of the Justice League could have help prevent the tragedy of 9-11.

But in the real world we honor our dead and the brave men and women who came to the call to this horrific act.
Please take time today to remember America's second day of infamy.

God Bless America.

Happy 80 Years of Blondie

2010-09-08T15:19:00.005-04:00

Debuting this day back in 1930, Blondie by Chic Young was the story of a young flighty flapper girl who started to date a wealthy young man Dagwood Bumstead. Dagwood's folks didn't approve of their son's girlfriend and when he announced that he was going to marry Blondie, his parents disowned him. A very funny gag sequence of Dagwood going on a hunger strike followed and on February 17, 1933, Blondie and Dagwood were married.

Blondie has gone on to be one of the most popular and successful comic strips. A popular radio series started in 1939 and was on the air until 1950.
In 1938 Columbia Pictures produced the first of 28 films of Blondie & Dagwood staring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake (pictured above). There was also a couple of sitcoms and numerous animated specials.

Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby!

2010-08-28T01:57:00.001-04:00

He was The King of Comic Books.
'Nuff Said!
'

Krazy Kreator Day

2010-08-22T15:37:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to George Herriman, the man who gave us the wonderfully surreal world of Krazy Kat. He was born on this day in 1880 (August 22).
Above is a beautiful self caricature done by Herriman.

The stars of the strip Ignatz Mouse, Offisa Pupp and Krazy herself.

Eugene and Bernice

2010-08-21T20:22:00.005-04:00

Eugene the Jeep and Bernice the Whiffle Hen - two of the great fantasy characters created by Elzie Segar for his Thimble Theatre comic strip.
Eugene a magical creature that could predict the future and travel through the fourth dimension, was introduced into the strip on April 1, 1936. Segar insisted that that there was no reason for the Jeep to be introduced on the infamous holiday, it was just a coincidence.
Bernice the Whiffle Hen was the reason for Popeye's introduction into the strip. Whiffle Hen's give their owners incredible luck by rubbing the three hairs on it's head. Castor Oyl received Bernice from his uncle and wanted to try the bird's luck on Dice island, a casino resort. He buys a boat with Olive's then boyfriend Ham Gravy and hire Popeye to sail it for them.
In the climax of the story after Castor and crew clean up at the resort, Snork the owner's henchmen shoots Popeye numerous times. Popeye escapes death rubbing Bernice's head through the night and emerges the next morning to knock Snork to kingdom come.
A lot of Popeye fans believe this is the reason for his super strength. Segar established the eating of spinach a few years later but displayed super strength before this.
Which is right? In my opinion they both contribute to the powers of our one-eyed champion.
And thanks to Segar we were introduced to great characters like Jeeps, Whiffle Hens, Goons, Sea Hags and many more to the Popeye Universe.

More Robin

2010-08-18T14:52:00.002-04:00

Ready for Action!

Saturday Morning Greatness

2010-08-14T12:43:00.006-04:00

Quisp and Quake, the great commercial stars of 1960's and 1970's Saturday Morning Television.
Created by the Jay Ward Studios (creators of some of the BEST animated series for TV, Rocky and Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle) for Quaker Oats, Bill Scott and his writing staff came up with the concept of an pink colored alien versus a caped construction worker that challenged the kids watching their commercials that their cereal was the best. This gave Quaker Oats the opportunity to introduce two new cereals to the public and then get the kids watching the chance to pick which one they liked best.
The best part of these ads is they had the great humor and puns that made the Jay Ward shows so funny, and also so memorable. Along with Capn' Crunch, Quisp and Quake were the best commercials that interrupted our favorite Saturday Morning Shows.
So who was your favorite - Quisp or Quake?

Scrapper

2010-08-12T01:45:00.002-04:00

I love the Kid Gang Comics of the Golden Age and Joe Simon and Jack Kirby did the best of them. Their second gang was for National Publications (you know them as DC Comics today). They were the Newsboy Legion with their Guardian police officer Jim Harper who was really a costumed crime fighter named the Guardian (ironic,huh?). The boys helped the Guardian clean up the streets of Suicide Slum in between selling newspapers and helping the citizens of their neighborhood.
Above is a drawing I inked over an unfinished pencil sketch by Kirby. I finished it, then inked and colored it. This is one of my favorite pieces of inking The King.

"DUCK!"

2010-08-11T12:38:00.003-04:00

More art from my Super Goof and Robin Hood team-up. This is one of the first sketches I did of the Disney duo but put off until now to ink and color.
When you do a sketch like this with all those arrows, you wonder if it is too much or not enough. End result, I'm very happy with it.

Happy 80th Birthday, Betty Boop

2010-08-09T09:48:00.003-04:00

Today is the 80th Anniversary of the first lady of animation, Betty Boop. She made her first appearance in the Fleischer Bros. "Talkartoon", "Dizzy Dishes".
Believe it or not, Betty started out as a dog character but the Fleischers knew they had something special on their hands.
With the help of animator Grim Natwick (who helped define her look), Betty was made a human and had one of the most successful animated series of the 1930's.

Boop - Boop - A - Doop!

Super Goof and Robin Hood

2010-08-07T00:54:00.003-04:00

For the last couple of months I've been writing a story that teams up Disney's animated version of Robin Hood and Super Goof (also owned by Disney of course). Above and below are a few of the sketches I've done so far to tie into the story.

The story involves Disney Comics' villain The Phantom Blot who breaks out of jail and uses a time machine created by inventor Gyro Gearloose that sends the Blot back to the time of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. Gyro sends Super Goof back in time to capture the Blot and with Robin Hood stop the dark clad villain from taking control of England from Prince John.

I have five chapters written and am having a lot fun writing this story teaming up two of my favorite characters from the House of Mouse.

Stay 'tooned!

Yogi Bear Movie Trailer

2010-07-28T23:20:00.002-04:00

Hey! Hey! Hey! Here's the trailer for the live action Yogi Bear movie. The slapstick looks good. The voices are OK. But I can't help but think that the bears look like bad costumes.
What do you folks think?

Plastic Man

2010-07-28T19:58:00.001-04:00

A sketch of Plas striking a familiar pose in his own unique style.

Happy 70th Birthday, Bugs Bunny!

2010-07-27T01:43:00.004-04:00

Whenever anyone asks me who do I think is the greatest cartoon character ever created is, I say without hesitation "Bugs Bunny".
(You all thought I was going to Popeye, didn't ya?)
Bugs is the character we would all like to be, to be able to stand up to anybody that gives us grief and give it back to them in spades.
It was on this date (July 27) back in 1940 that Tex Avery's "A Wild Hare" made it's debut and a widdle gway wabbit took the world by storm. Also starring Elmer Fudd, this short set the stage for all the other Bugs Bunny cartoons to come. Hunters, foxes, hound dogs, pumas, monsters, angry cowpokes, opera singers and many more have all tried to get the best of Bugs only to be beaten back instead when he tells us watching his 'toons, "Of course you realize this means war!"
Some of animations best directors have worked on Bugs' shorts helping to shape his personality. Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Frank Tashlin, Robert McKimson and Chuck Jones along with Tex Avery have worked on these classic animated cartoons.
Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster and Michael Maltese are some of the writers that gave word to some of Bugs' classic lines.
And of course the great Mel Blanc spoke for the rabbit to give us the immortal line, "What's up, Doc?"
He has appeared in movies, on TV, on records and has appeared on everything from lunch boxes to underwear. Toys, dolls and action figures are all highly collectible and so are the many books, comic books and activity books he has appeared in. He even had his own newspaper strip.
Bugs bunny is an animation legend and a true Pop Culture Icon.

Go watch some of his classic cartoons today and find out why he is the best of the best!

Upcoming Special Anniversarys

2010-07-21T19:09:00.003-04:00

Before this month is up, these two pop icons will be celebrating special birthdays.
Stay tuned to find out what they are.

P.S. The image of Bugs Bunny is from the Chuck Redux Blog, dedicated to the works of the great animation director Chuck Jones. Check it out:
http://blog.chuckjones.com/chuck_redux/

Today in History...

2010-07-09T02:36:00.004-04:00

In 1878 John F. Blondel was awarded a patent for his Corncob Pipe. Blondel was looking for a simpler and inexpensive way to smoke his tobacco so he hollowed out a dried out corncob, attached a small wooden tube and puffed away.
If it wasn't for Blondel and his pipe, the fellow above would look a lot different!

Happy Fourth of July to All!

2010-07-04T15:05:00.001-04:00

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

July 4th pt.10

2010-07-04T15:02:00.001-04:00

How it really happened?

July 4th pt.9

2010-07-03T14:23:00.003-04:00

I WANT YOU....to have a great Fourth of July weekend!

July 4th pt.8

2010-07-03T14:20:00.002-04:00

Sentinels of Liberty

July 4th pt.7

2010-07-02T14:20:00.002-04:00

Popeye with Old Glory

July 4th pt.6

2010-07-01T22:37:00.003-04:00

Yogi & Huck as Stripsey and The Star-Spangled Kid

July 4th pt.5

2010-07-01T14:07:00.002-04:00

July 4th pt.4

2010-06-30T23:13:00.004-04:00

For Truth, Justice and The American Way!

July 4th pt.3

2010-06-30T15:36:00.001-04:00

For Huckleberry Hero Hump-Day, here's Uncle Sam.

July 4th pt.2

2010-06-29T14:37:00.001-04:00

The Fourth is Coming!

2010-06-28T15:53:00.003-04:00

Sunday is the Fourth of July, time to start some flag waving and posting some of my patriotic artwork.

Olive for Sale

2010-06-28T15:48:00.002-04:00

Recent ad put out by King Features Syndicate (owners of Popeye, Olive Oyl and their pals) showing how Olive can be an effective selling tool for various products.
I like it's Art Deco influenced design.

Popeye Funnies

2010-06-28T15:41:00.003-04:00

Some recent Popeye gags in the Funny Papers:
1) Strange Brew by John Deering
2) Moderately Confused by Jeff Stahler

New art, new technique

2010-06-21T19:04:00.003-04:00

Above and below are samples of a new technique I'm experimenting with. Using the Scanner Wizard on the computer, I'm darkening my pencils instead of inking them. Since I like to do full pencil drawings and adding weight to the lines, I'd thought I'd give it a try.
Above is a sketch of Goofy and his nephew Gilbert. Below, trying to capture the style of Carl Barks, is his great character Uncle Scrooge.

I'd like to know what you folks think.

The Human Torch & Toro

2010-06-20T14:38:00.003-04:00

My Tribute to the Timely Torches and their creator, Carl Burgos.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T02:26:00.002-04:00

Take a load off, Pop.

Happy Birthday Stan Laurel

2010-06-16T01:50:00.002-04:00

Today, June 16 is the 120th birthday of the great movie comedian Stan Laurel. He of course is one half of the the great comedy team with Oliver Hardy and if you didn't know was the creative force behind their classic films.
Stan wrote and directed many of their great comedies and with Ollie made movie history.

In honor of this milestone, I drew a new sketch of Stan and Ollie just for the occasion.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STAN!

Al Williamson R.I.P.

2010-06-15T01:27:00.002-04:00

Sad news today as it has been reported that master illustrator Al Williamson has passed away at age 79.
Williamson was a brilliant artist who had a photo-realistic style that brought aliens and their worlds to life. Williamson started in the 1950's and quickly made a mark on the comic book industry. He was hired by Bill Gaines of EC Comics to work on their science fiction titles (mostly) and made a reputation for himself working in this genre. Williamson has been compared to artist Alex Raymond (creator of "Flash Gordon") one of his heroes and in the 60's he worked the Gordon comic book for King Comics.
He went on to work for other comic book publishers and in the 1960's started working on newspaper strips. He took over Secret Agent X-9 and Secret Agent Corrigan, two strips started by Raymond, once again following his heroes work.
In the 1970's Williamson adapted the first "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back" for Marvel Comics and because of this took over the "Star Wars" newspaper strip shortly afterward. It has been reported that "Star Wars" creator George Lucas was a big fan of Williamson's sci-fi work and wanted him to begin the strip but couldn't due to prior commitments.
It was through his work on "Star Wars" that I first encountered the art of Al Williamson. I love his illustrated style and his commitment to detail. Hearing of his death deeply saddens me. It's a dirty shame that we will never see him draw another action shot of Flash or a ship or creature that belongs in the Star Wars universe.

We lost a great one today. May he Rest in Peace.

Below are the original strips that Williamson drew as an audition for the "Star Wars" strip. As you can see it adapts the original film.

Flag Day

2010-06-14T12:11:00.002-04:00

Fly Old Glory tall and proud today - Like Plas!

Two Ages of Popeye

2010-05-08T14:29:00.003-04:00

The above sketch was done for a story I wrote for The Popeye Fan Club. Popeye is lost in time and encounters his younger self.
The Popeye on the left is modeled after his first appearance and the one on the right is modeled after Segar's version toward the end of his run on the strip. Two ages of Popeye based on the art of E.C. Segar.

Some Thimble Theatre Sketches

2010-05-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

Here are some sketches of Popeye's friends and enemies that I have done over the years.
Above Wimpy chases down Big Boy to get his burger prize. This is probably the most exercise the moocher has ever gotten.

The Sea Hag stirs up some trouble for Popeye.

Wimpy is buried in "Hamburger Heaven" as Popeye and Olive look on in disgust.

I'll never forget what my friend Wayne and fellow artist said when I showed him this sketch, "You're insane for drawing that many burgers!"

Hey, we have to suffer for our art!

Huckleberry Hero Hump-Day Special

2010-05-05T19:36:00.004-04:00

He is known as "The Ghost who walks", and as "The man who can not die". For over 400 years he has fought against piracy and those who would do evil and injustice in the jungles of Bangalla.

In reality he is comics first masked crime fighter. The Phantom made his first appearance in the comic pages of American newspapers in 1936. The brainchild of Lee Falk, The Phantom is actually the 22nd descendant of the Walker family line to take up the fight against the Singh Dynasty and it's reign of piracy.
Before Superman and Batman, Kit Walker was the first to put on a suit of "tights", a black domino mask and the sign of the skull on his ring and belt to fight evil-doers.

This week in honor the great comic strip hero, Huck enters The Phantom's secret Skull Cave and takes the mantle upon the Skull Throne and strikes a familiar pose of the crime fighter.

I'm posting the original pencils of this sketch because I'm really happy the way this drawing turned out. I thought I captured the mood very well. I'll eventually post this in color.

Cinco De Mayo

2010-05-05T19:31:00.002-04:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all!

What time is it?

2010-05-03T21:51:00.001-04:00

IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!

Popeye and Superman

2010-05-02T03:10:00.003-04:00

The above sketch of The Man of Steel and The Spinach Powered Sailor is one of those pieces that took many drawings to get it just right.
I had Superman's pose pretty much set from the start, only a few minor changes were needed from the initial drawing. But Popeye, that's a different matter. I did five different poses of Popeye with his arms crossed to be able to stand back to back with Superman. It was only when I realized that I had to arch his back that the pose was right.
This is the main promotional piece I did for my "Popeye vs Superman" story,
it had to be "special"!

LET'S GO PENS!

2010-04-30T23:02:00.003-04:00

Here's to the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the first game of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadians.
Here's hoping that they bring the Cup back home to da 'Burgh!

LET'S GO PENS!!!