Posted by Michael Pinto on May 31, 2007 in Comic Books
Shown above is the cover and and interior illustrations by Frank Espinosa for Killing Girl #1. What I love about the artwork here is that it has a fast and sketchy feeling to it, instead the controlled paint within lines quality that most comic books have. Espinosa has brought his illustrations to life by giving them a sense of animation, in fact the style reminds me of the cult classic Stevie and Zoya which was created by Joe Horne for MTV in the 80s. Frank Espinosa’s previous work on Rocketo is also well worth checking out if you have a chance (it was nominated for three Eisner awards), there’s a real sense of whimsy in his artwork which is entertaining.
By the way as much as I’m a fanboy of sequential artwork, the story for Killing Girl which is by Glen Brunswick looks quite grabbing:
“What if the Mafia had their own secret service…? Sara doesn’t remember her real name. What she does know is that she traded away misery as a former prostitute and became a world-class killing machine. When a routine hit goes sour, Sara makes a shocking discovery: Suppressed memories, haunting her since childhood, are in fact TRUE! And her REAL family, presumed dead, may actually still be alive. She begins to wonder about her life that could have been. Is it too late to reclaim her humanity? No one has ever retired from the Cosa Nostra secret service and lived.”
Killing Girl #1 (of 5) will be published by Image and will be at your local comic book store on August 8th.
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 30, 2007 in Comic Books
Shown above is an alternative cover for Elephantmen: War Toys #1 illustrated by José Ladrönn. What I love about this cover is that it has the charm of a Maurice Sendak illustration, but with the loving attention to detail that you might find in the penmanship of David Levine or Murray Tinkelman. Ladrönn is a comic book penciller and inker who’s from Mexico. Most recently he received an Eisner award (Best Painter/Multimedia Artis) for his work with writer and publisher Richard Starkings on Hip Flask: Mystery City, one of a series of Hip Flask one-shots published by Active Images.
Elephantmen: War Toys #1 is the first in a special three-issue mini-series published by Image and will be hitting the comic book stores in August.
“An international manga award to honor foreign authors of Japanese-style comics is due to be established, with an award ceremony planned for July, it was learned Tuesday. The award, being promoted by Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a self-professed manga fan, will be set up by an organizing committee whose members include the Japan Foundation. Aso said he hoped the award would promote Japanese pop culture.
“I want to make the award like the Nobel Prize of manga, to enhance the voice of Japanese pop culture and subculture,” Aso said in comments made after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Candidates for the prize will come from general applications and recommendations by publishers in Japan and overseas. A panel including manga authors Machiko Satonaka, Takashi Yanase and Tetsuya Chiba, and former editors of well-known Japanese comic magazines will select the winning entries on June 22. Top works will be given the “international manga award” and other prizes. The award ceremony is scheduled for July 2, in Tokyo.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 16, 2007 in Comic Books
The above cover illustration is by Skott Young for issue #38 of the New X-Men. What’s wonderful about this cover illustration is how animated it is, every single character is frozen in the middle of an epic struggle with big hairy monsters. The scene has quite a bit of life because Skott isn’t afraid to push the anatomy of his actors to convey motion. I also like the fact that there’s no center of attention, so your eye is allowed to wander through the acrobatic chaos of the scene.
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 15, 2007 in Comic Books
Seen above is the cover illustration of the Blade #9 by Marko Djurdjevic. The plot of the book revolves around Blade going to England regarding his mysterious past, and of course this means that the guest star is Union Jack. I love the graphic approach that Djurdjevic uses on this cover, it’s as much about the typography and layout as it is about the characters. However that said I appreciate the amount of detail that he’s put into the characters, and even the wonderful touch of that Bearskin hat which doesn’t look the slightest bit silly in the scene.
“He suffered a massive stroke in June that left him comatose, relying on a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube to eat. Earlier that year, ceiling problems at the family’s home in the 1700 block of Clay Street displaced them. The house was further damaged during the March 12, 2006, tornadoes, and they stayed at the Quest Inn while they tried to get it repaired.
Artis’ final stroke put a halt to those plans, and the situation quickly spiraled downhill, Kim said. While Artis was hospitalized in intensive care from June to August, someone broke into the house and stole most of their belongings, including many of Artis’ original prints. The theft was a difficult blow to Kim. Not only was the stolen artwork irreplaceable, she realized her husband likely would never draw again. Despite an article in The State Journal-Register about the crime, the pieces were never recovered.”
If you’d like to help here’s a suggestion from the Comics Reporter on how to help:
“Friends of the family have set up an account for the family at a local bank, one of those things where they encourage you to walk in and make a contribution. In other words, it’s not one of those things set up to take advantage of the Internet. But having just talked to the bank, you can also mail a check or money order in.
You can make the check out to:
The Tom TC Artis and Family Memorial Fund
You can send the check to:
Marine Bank
Attn: Gale Krueger
1401 North Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL 62702
Would you please consider doing so? Even just two, three, five bucks. I can’t send much, either, but I’m going to send something. I think there will be a whole lot of cartoonists in the next two decades that will be in need, and maybe there will be some talk between now and then about other, bigger things that can be done, but right now that’s a family that’s been through a lot that has a specific point of need where I think even the tiniest amount could be a help.”
Shown above are cover illustrations from Frangoria Comics which will debut it’s first titles in June. The first illustration is from Mark Kidwell’s Recluse, and the second illustration is from Jeffrey Nodelman’s the Fourth Horseman. It’s also interesting to note that the Fourth Horseman comic book series will be a prequel to an upcoming animated horror film being produced by Fangoria.
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 10, 2007 in Comic Books
The above cover art for Thunderbolts #114 is by illustrator Clayton Crain. The cover art reminds me of an old classic pulp magazine cover or movie poster due to the combination of realism with dramatic action. I love the attention to detail that Crain has put into their costumes, it’s the little touches like the harness buckles and mechanical parts that bring the illustration to life.
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 5, 2007 in Comic Books
So you’re fanboy curious, but the cost of all of those overpriced collectibles have scared you off? Well today is your lucky day to save a buck or two, it’s Free Comic Book Day!
Here’s some vital info on the event:
“As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world are giving away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. Free Comic Book Day will take place on May 5, 2007. Are they really free? Yep!”
So go forth and spread the word to your non-fanboy (and non-fangurl) friends who want to take a test drive on the geek side…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 26, 2007 in Comic Books
In this fan made epic Gotham city looks a tad like suburbia, but what this Batman “film”lacks in budget, script, and acting it makes up with good old fashion charm. And if nothing else you’ll enjoy seeing Batman and the Riddler dance scene at the end of the film…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 22, 2007 in Comic Books
Here’s yet another example how everyone in Hollywood needs to feel “creative” so they need to “improve” things, like the color the Incredible Hulk which will now go from green to gray:
“ust earlier this week the news hit the internet that Edward Norton would be taking on the role of Bruce Banner aka Hulk in the 2008 “redo” titled simply The Incredible Hulk. Some news has been creeping out about the film, which will hopefully be a better comic book adaptation than the 2003 Ang Lee movie, and it deserves to be mention since everything so far sounds like it’s going in the right directon. Marvel ex-CEO Avi Arad, who now heads up production on almost all major Marvel films and is currently out promoting Spider-Man 3 due out in a few weeks (another awesome Marvel adaptation that you should be excited to see), spoke earlier today and hinted that he may not be the same color as we saw previously. Although he wouldn’t confirm officially, the rumor is out that the Hulk may be grey this time.”
…I mean it’s not like the reason the last movie did so poorly had anything to do with the color of the Hulk!
UPDATE: Sorry campers! This internet rumor turned out not to be true, the Hulk stays green…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 21, 2007 in Comic Books
Daredevil #97: Gladiator is on the loose, running for his life, and Daredevil is the only one who can stop him from – on never mind that! Take another look at that great cover art by Marko Djurdjevic (go ahead, click on the image to see it larger in full detail). The upside down composition of that illustration reminds me of an old movie poster or the cover of an old pulp magazine – you can taste the action (and maybe the rainwater too)! Marko Djurdjevic blog and website is also worth taking some time to gawk at some nice artwork (it looks like he has a DVD on the way too).
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 21, 2007 in Comic Books
Above: Spiderman goes to the disco!
The concept of a Spiderman musical sounds like the plot of a bad Bollywood film, except I’d expect that film to be more interesting to watch than this:
“He’s conquered the big screen and now Spider-Man could be swinging onto a Broadway stage. According to published reports, the popular comic book franchise is being turned into a musical — and there’s word organizers have already assembled a star-studded team behind the scenes.
Bono and The Edge of U2 reportedly would be in charge of the music, while “The Lion King” director Julie Taymor would lead the production. The musical could cost about $15 million to produce. Auditions will begin in July.”
…yup! Nothing like Bono teaming with up some Lion King lamers to get me unexcited about a project.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 20, 2007 in Comic Books
I was looking though a batch of Marvel covers and came across the gem above, illustrated by Ricardo Tercio (click on the image to see it at a larger size). What I love about this cover is the sense of whimsy and drama, along with Tercio’s bold use of contrasting bold with muted color choices. And I admit it, I like seeing a cartoony take on Marvel characters every now and then (it’s a nice contrast to all of the steroid realism that we tend to see all the time). I’d urge you to check out Ricardo Tercio’s website here.
If this new film is good or bad will ride on the script and then the director, but I think Beckinsale has a good shot at making the role her own as long as they try to do something new (i.e. by going back to comic books rather than the film).
My favorite film with Beckinsale is Haunted from 1995, which i think is an under rated gem of a film, and one of the best haunted house movies that I’ve watched in a long time.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 18, 2007 in Comic Books
I’m sad to say that Wizard of Id co-creator Brant Parker has passed away. As a kid growing up in the 70s I always loved his work because it was very approachable, and yet the humor had a nice sophistication to it. Sadly Parker joins his Id co-creator Johnny Hart who passed away recently. Although I think both gentlemen would be pleased to know that their kids have taken up the torch for a shabby beloved medieval kingdom called Id:
“Brant Parker, the co-creator of the comic “The Wizard of Id,” who portrayed medieval kingdom for more than 30 years, died in Lynchburg, Va. He was 86. Parker, who died Sunday of complications from Alzheimer’s disease and a previous stroke, passed away eight days after longtime “Wizard” collaborator Johnny Hart died of a stroke, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday. “Id” and its quirky inhabitants appears in more than 1,000 newspapers worldwide since its launch in 1964.
Hart was drawing the Stone Age strip “B.C.” when he sought out Parker, whom he’d known for several years, to help coax humor from the Middle Ages. The collaboration lasted until 1997, when Parker turned over “Wizard” drawing duties to his son, Jeff.
Creators Syndicate, the strip’s distributor, said “The Wizard of Id” would continue as a collaboration between the Parker and Hart families. Parker said a two-year stint at Walt Disney Studios in the late 1940s was his main cartoon-drawing classroom. He worked on several Donald Duck shorts and the 30-minute “Mickey and the Beanstalk”.”
“Edward Norton has been set by Marvel Studios to play Bruce Banner in “The Incredible Hulk.” The Louis Leterrier-directed drama will be distributed by Universal Pictures, with an opening set for June 13, 2008.
It is a decided return to the mainstream for Norton, who recently has starred in such indies as “Down in the Valley,” “The Painted Veil,” and “The Illusionist.” Pic will shoot this summer in Toronto. Norton takes over a role played in the Ang Lee-directed “Hulk” by Eric Bana. Though that film opened strongly, it didn’t fare as well as other Marvel efforts, including “Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Fantastic Four” and, most recently, “Ghost Rider.”
Marvel Studios, which has a $525 million credit facility obtained through Merrill Lynch, made “The Incredible Hulk” its second film under that arrangement, and seeks to make a sequel that is less self-serious and more in line with the comic series and TV show. Leterrier directed the action-filled “Transporter 2,” and “Unleashed.” The new pic begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 11, 2007 in Comic Books
I recently came across a series of well done DC Comic covers for Rush City (the cover of issue #6 is above) which were simply credited “Cover by Jock”. It took me a bit of creative googling, but it turns out Jock is the pseudonym of British comics artist Mark Simpson, known for his work with Andy Diggle on the science fiction comic book 2000 AD and on The Losers. His website is well worth a visit:
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 9, 2007 in Comic Books
The comic strip B.C. has been running in newspapers since 1958, and the man behind that was Johnny Heart, who has sadly just passed away. I grew up reading B.C. in the Sunday funnies and was always touched by it’s gentle and philosophical humor.
Heart became a born again Christian in 1977, but while his strips sometimes featured religious themes I would never say that they were heavy handed. In fact looking back at many of those strips I’ve always thought that they were poking fun at religion, or perhaps our human take on the subject.
Heart got his start in Stars and Stripes while he was serving in Korea, and then went on to do work for magazines like the Saturday Evening Post when he retured from the war in 1953. It’s also important to note that he co-created The Wizard of Id with Brant Parker in 1964. And being a true cartoonist’s cartoonist he died at his storyboard this past weekend.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 9, 2007 in Comic Books
The animation fanboy in me has always respected Winsor McCay (September 26, 1867 – July 26, 1934) for his ground breaking work on Gertie the Dinosaur back in 1914, however his work on the newspaper comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland is a cornerstone to the world of comic books. What shocks me when I look at his work is that even though he was a pioneer, his comics looks very sophisticated in terms of draftsmanship and sorytelling. Years before the fine art world began to explore themes like surrealism and dadism, McCay’s strips show an ordinary world turned upside down.
So with the above in mind I was pretty happy to read that the Checker Book Publishing Group will be publishing a series of books showing all of McCay’s comics. I have a few examples of his work in a few books on the history of cartoons, but having a full collection of his work will be on the Christmas list this year for many a fanboy like myself. Here’s the full press release:
“Even as British librarians realize that the average child is more interested in Japanese comics featuring androgynous teenage boys ponderously making out with one another than the doily and crumpet adventures of Jane Austen’s Emma, British Publishers Hodder and Stoughton are looking to manga to revive flagging Bible sales. The result? The Manga Bible!
Only two issues have been released so far, but Hodder and Stoughton aren’t playing around. This is the Bible, rawer and more extreme than we’ve ever seen it before! To emphasize the rawness and extremity of Jesus’ ass-kicking adventures through Ancient Jerusalem, the first two volumes of The Manga Bible have the subtitles NT Extreme! and NT Raw!”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 5, 2007 in Comic Books
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland, Cimmeria) is a fictional character often associated with sword & sorcery genre. He is perhaps the most famous fictional barbarian, and indeed one of the best known and most universally recognizable iconic figures in modern popular culture.
Created by Robert E. Howard in 1932 via a series of fantasy pulp stories sold to Weird Tales magazine, Conan has since appeared in books, comics, films, television and video games, contributing to popularity.
Conan the Barbarian is also the name of a Gnome Press collection of stories published in 1954, a comic published by Marvel Comics beginning in 1970, a film and its novelisation in 1982. Conan is a barbarian of the far north. He was born on a battlefield and is the son of a blacksmith. Conan matured quickly as a youth and, by age fifteen, he was already a respected warrior who had participated in the destruction of the Aquilonian outpost of Venarium. After its destruction, he was struck by wanderlust and began his adventures, encountering skulking monsters, evil wizards, tavern wenches and beautiful princesses.
More recently being pulished from Dark Horse Comics with great sucess. Dark Horse started their Conan run by re-printing the now classic issues from Marvel Comics. Right from the beginning Conan was an incredible comic book with such great talent in the comics field working on the title such as Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith (one of my fav’s), Gil Kane, John Buscema, & Neal Adams just to name a few. All the Marvel comics issues are now availble in trade paper back for a reasonable price.
