My favorite COVERS

Bruno the Bandit pin up....

2012-02-26T17:54:00.003-08:00

Here is a pin up I did for the 3rd volume of The collected strips of The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit. Go to A.I.M. comics and pre order yours today!

Mead school supplies

2012-01-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

Earlier I posted some notebook and school folders that reproduced some DC comics classic covers. Noting that in 1978 when I was in what was then known as GRADE school I had some of these cool MEAD school supplies with classic Marvel covers on them. I myself had the Captain America binder. I loved it I carried until it fell to pieces. I aslo had the Spiderman folder. I still have it too...it's dog eared and beat to hell and the two folded sides are completely separated but I still have it.

I tried to buy the Cap binder on Ebay but the guy wanted too much. I loved the binder and would buy it again at the right price but 45 bucks is just way too much even for a small piece of history like that. I'll keep my eye out and one day...somebody will have it at the right price.

I think from now on for collectors purposes I will look out for items like this every year when it's time to go out and get some school supplies...why just for the fun and nostalgia alone it's worth the trouble. Plus...it prompted me to go look and find these cool images I lifted off the web...Enjoy ...some of my favorite covers...ON school supplies. ps this is going to be my last post for maybe a month or so..I have some projects I need to work on and I have to get the work done. Priorities ya know?

Captain America recreation

2012-01-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

Well more of a test run...I was practicing with my new brush pen set by Faber Castell. So this is not really really really how I would want a really real homage tribute recreation to look...I spent maybe an hour on it...free handing the entire deal...( Obvious from the sloppy lettering job ) But it's getting me used to using the pens...I was a brush guy in college and I was quite comfortable. But I have to compensate for the fact that arthritis takes it's toll on my drawing hand. So I'm learning myself with these new fangled brush pens...SOON very soon I will post an actual factual really real cover recreation to Cap 193...one of MY FAVORITE COVERS.

DC comics Notebooks and school supplies

2012-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I found the ACTION COMICS notebook and folder while wandering around in Target waiting for the Pharmacy to fill a scrip for my son who happens to be sick. While I was there I searched for the other notebooks but found only folders with the Wonder Woman and the Batman covers...I searched really hard for the JLA cover but alas it was a fruitless effort. I will hit another Target and see if I don't have better luck. The folders are only 99 cents and the notebooks are a Dollar 99. I provided scans of the backs of the WW , Batman and Action folders. There were some Green Lantern items there but...I was never really that big of a GL fan. So I passed them up.

I remember as a kid Marvel had the market on Notebooks , folders , binders and school supplies

I had a Spiderman folder a Captain America binder and a Fantastic four notebook all depicting classic marvel comics covers...similar to what this company is doing with the DC comics covers.

While looking for these notebooks and folders I felt like a 12 year old all over again. That's why I do it...that is what all this super hero stuff is all about a simpler more innocent time of my life.

Back then I did not have a child or any other monumentally normal and tedious repsonsibilities like getting up at 5:45 to go to work........EVERY DAY.

So for the sake of temporarily reliving my childhood for even the briefest moment...it's all worth it to me. Enjoy..."Oh BTW the ACTION COMICS number 419 with the Neal Adams/Murphy Anderson cover happens to be one of my favorite comic book covers."

Vampirella

2012-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

A nice collage of Vampi covers...art by Enric ( Enrique Torres )
A big thanks to Joe Jusko for spotting my error and setting me straight. As great as Sanjulian's work is...we must appoint proper credit to the artists for their work.

AVENGERS COVERS

2012-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a montage , collage of a gaggle of cool covers...posted by someone on comicartfans.com

I actually have 2 thirds of the issues the collage features. I wish I had them all. Number 4 would be primo for me to have...but...I don't. Sad face... :(

Marvel visionaries , John Buscema

2011-12-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I treated myself to a book I've always wanted.....that'll put a smile on my face. So...I bought this book. Inside it's filled with the brilliant comic book work of John Buscema the greatest most talented artist Marvel ever had. He had few peers and certainly nobody as talented when it came down to the human figure. His mastery of human anatomy was second to none. He was The Michelangelo of comics. Read here below in the text I lifted from Amazon.com for this book. Then go order yourself one. It's a must have for all the fans who love Big John's work.

Text from Amazon :

The Incredible Hulk, the devastating Dragon Man, the epic end of the gods themselves... none of it was too much for Big John! One of comicdom's most acclaimed creators takes center stage in this genre-spanning gathering of greats! Nick Fury vs. Hydra! Thor vs. the Silver Surfer! The origins of Wolverine and Dracula! The twilight of the Masters of Evil! Includes crime, horror, romance and western work from the pre-Marvel era! Plus: rare Silver Surfer stories unseen for decades! Collects Crime Fighters #4; Western Outlaws & Sheriffs #60; Strange Tales #22 & #150; Tales To Astonish #85-87; Avengers #41-42, #75-76, #277 & Annual #2; Silver Surfer #4; My Love #2; Fantastic Four #111-112; Thor #200; Dracula Lives #3; Marvel Spotlight #30; Epic Illustrated #1; Wolverine #10 and Marvel Shadows & Light #3

My favorite CHRISTMAS cover ...

2011-12-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

...has two versions. My friend ( JEFF BRENNAN , professional cartoonist and fellow JOE KUBERT SCHOOL alumnist ) sent me a Christmas card he doctored up using the image from the cover of Marvel comics...

" GIANT SUPER HERO HOLIDAY GRAB BAG , Marvel treasury special " tabloid sized edition. The original drawn by John Buscema had the heroes flying out of the wreath all with angry scowls on their faces ready to kick some butt. I have the actual treasury edition that this cover appears on. But I never even knew there was another version. Marvel in their infinite wisdom decided to issue a second printing of ye said treasury edition and had JAZZY JOHN ROMITA do some touch ups to the piece. He added smiles...thus...now there are two versions. A fact I did not know until yesterday. So...provided see the images of my friend's card and the two different versions of the cover in question. Enjoy and "MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Marvel Holiday Magazine 2010

2011-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Last year I found this magazine at Walmart...it recycles John Buscema's cover from the Marvel comics GIANT SUPER HERO HOLIDAY GRAB BAG tabloid size treasury edition...inside it reprints Super hero Christmas stories from years ago. I consider myself lucky to have accidentally come across it.

Joe Simon 1913-2011 farewell Joe

2011-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Joe Simon?...Comic book legend , Author , illustrator and creator of many characters and CO-CREATOR ( Who along with partner JACK KIRBY ) created the GREATEST super hero of all CAPTAIN AMERICA? That Joe Simon? NO I did not know him. I never met him. But his passing leaves an open space in my heart and soul. The same open space that I had when Jack Kirby passed away and the same as when John Buscema passed away. I met both Kirby and Buscema when I was a student at the JOE KUBERT school many years ago. Both Kirby and Buscema looked at my work at a convention and had nothing but positive things to say. I had seen them look at the portfolio’s of others and I got a completely different reaction from those others…I heard “ You do some good work , keep it up you’re on your way “ from Kirby and “ Your anatomy is a bit quirky but then again whose isn’t these days , there’s no reason why you should not be working right now keep plugging away , you’ll get there!” From Buscema. ( He was known for his brusque tone and no nonsense honesty )
So I was happy. ( But this is a story for another time )
But…I’m talking about Joe Simon today. I went to a convention once to go see Joe and to get my set of Captain America hard covers signed ( The ones produced by Greg Theakston : Remember they had a phallic symbol drawn onto one of the printed pages that got produced with the entire run and ruined Greg’s rep with Marvel for life ? ) But Joe was not there that day. You see…being a man in his 80’s at the time he was not feeling well and did not attend days 2 and 3 of the con. So I missed him ( Bummer ) I understood and can’t say I blame him he WAS in his 80’s for Pete’s sake. I missed my window to shake hands with a man who helped to create and invent my favorite super hero of all time. Sure there may have been other times where I had a chance but…the day I chose was the only convenient time for me.
I have never been a working professional in the comic book industry but I did study cartoon art and comic books and have collected comic books pretty much my entire life. I read books and bio’s about the business of comic books and art books ( I highly recommend the COMIC BOOK MAKERS by Joe Simon – with Jim Simon. ) I am not in the know and industry pro’s do not know me…but I am learned on the subject of the history of comics and the business of the industry…particularly how to produce the art for comic books and so on.
So yes…Joe Simon dying had an effect on me. Knowing who he was and what he was all about was part of what I would consider a subject I made my business to know. Although I am irrelevant…the knowledge I sought was not. If there was something to know…I read about it and if there was something new to know I wanted to know it. All I can say is… my feelings on the subject of this legend passing away at the respectable old age of 98 years are justified. I have a right to be affected. Not so much in the same way as his own family…being I did not know him or ever even meet him . But His passing marks an important point in the history of Comic books. For he co-created the greatest ( Yes Greater than Superman to me anyway ) super hero in history! I just want to clarify that feeling down about his death is not a bandwagon affectation. I genuinely was moved at hearing the news of his passing. There is no filling in the spaces in my heart but there is a solace…Joe’s work will live on. Captain America will live on.
“ The Simon and Kirby SUPER HEROES “ is a book that has just seen print and it’s chock full of classic stories about Super Heroes Joe and Jack created and it will live on and serve as part of his legacy. I’ll be buying me one and I suggest you all do the same. My imagination has been fueled by the exploits and feats of HEROISM of the HEROES created in part by Joe Simon…most of those images in my head are of Captain America saving the day. I have Joe to thank for that. He may not have known me…but I am glad he was here to liven up and enrich all our lives with his talent. God bless you Joe Simon. Good night Sir.

Argosy Weekly

2011-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

Every now and then ...I get in a mood. I begin to draw and I feel appeased. I was browsing and looking for images to use as inspiration and came across a cover to Argosy weekly March 19 , 1929 so...feeling inspired I whipped it up. I think I'm going to start collecting Pulps...just for the covers...Tarzan , Doc Savage and the Spider! That's reason enough! I hope you like my drawing.

My favorite INVADERS covers!!

2011-12-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

I have always been fascinated with comic books from the original era of the 40's...they were so new and inventive and primitive and exciting all at once. The greatest super heroes came from that era and still to this day leave their indelible mark on the industry. Now...CAPTAIN AMERICA being my favorite HERO of HEROES ( In long underwear anyway ) was always number one on my list of comics I'd love to have from the 40's...sure everyone wants Supes and Bats but I want my CAPS....When Marvel comics released the INVADERS comic book series in the 70's I was ecstatic...these were untold tales of Cap during WWII. The romantic idea of heroic deeds and teamwork with other heroes of the time was not lost on me and my fascination grew. The INVADERS is more than likely one of the best series ever in my opinion. Here are just a few examples of my favorite INVADERS covers by the likes of Frank Robbins , John Romita , Jack Kirby and Alex Schomberg...I'll be buying me that Trade paperback they have out and I'll be reading that puppy from cover to cover...enjoy.

My favorite MONSTERS!!!

2011-11-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

Art by : Gil Kane , John Romita and Tony Dezuniga

Art by Earl Norem

Art by Mike Ploog

Art by Frank Brunner

It's no secret I have always loved comic books. From the time I was 4 years old to now...40 years of comic book collecting and love of the hobby. But superheroes are not my only love...there was also westerns and then there was HORROR comics. ( or is that were the HORROR comics? ) Who cares!!!

The thing about Marvel's horror titles is that they all had the same element to them. The misunderstood monster and his companions or the people who exploited the monster for their own selfish gain and then ..it never ends well for them.

There was always something about each and every monster that made him unique. Probably thre most clever monster was SIMON GARTH...the ZOMBIE!!! He sort of kind of had fleeting recollections about who he was and what it was like to have been alive. The stories were always entertaining and like I said...the bad guy always got it in the end...Horribly!

The Mummy was another one of my favorites...he could think and pretty much communicate with his companions. These covers stand out in my mind because I actually remember purchasing them from off the rack.

If it were not for comic books...my childhood would not have been as fun as it was. I would have made do....but comics made it better.

THESE are my favorite MONSTER comic book covers! Coming soon....GOOM and FIN FANG FOOM!

Marvel calendar "classic covers!!!" 2012

2011-11-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

The coolest thing about the turn of a new year is the fact that every year new calendars come out!!!

This year there are several I'd like to add to my Christmas wish list. This here be one of 'em! Why just in this very calendar alone there are 7 of my favorite covers of all time! Can you guess which one they'd be? Hmmm? Hmmmmmmm?

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

2011-11-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

You know…I’ve seen enough disturbing things and I just about had it. Women selling their babies for drugs or money or letting crack heads molest their young daughters for crack or heroin or meth. Then there are the depraved who run around killing and hurting. Then there are the regular sad incidents where people die of natural causes and the family left behind has to move on and deal with the loss of a loved one. Then there is war and terrorism.
Having to accept that this world is so damned messed up and we have to share it with murderers and thieves and people who should be incarcerated for life or even put to death for their heinous crimes is quite enough. PEOPLE have their own free will and we do what we do to move on and learn to live with the facts that it’s a cruel world. So we do…we move on.
But there is another side to the cruel , evil and wicked and that’s what I want to talk about. Cruelty to animals. I have heard news reports about …People tying dogs to trees and lighting them on fire , Cops brutally beating and shooting dogs so paralyzed with fear that all they can do is lay there and take it until they are shot for no apparent reason , People beating their dogs with shovels , Chinese factories where cats and dogs are slaughtered like chickens and cows , Cops putting dogs in trunks of squad cars in 100 degree weather and the result is death by suffocation and a whole list of other cruel acts I do not care to get into……..PEOPLE! I call out to you to stand up and put a stop to this madness.
If you see anyone hurting children or women or kids walking down the street minding their own business or dogs or cats or any other deviant behavior…gang up on the perpetrator like the villagers on Frankenstein and bring these people down , down, down.
Too often I see and hear and read about things and it’s too late. Nothing like this ever happens while I am around and if I ever saw something like the attempted kidnapping of a child…like the Lord from above I will come down like a hammer on that creep and he will be sorry forever.
If I see someone hurting a cat or a dog…guess what? They have a trip to the dentist and I have a new pet. I will not stand for this type of behavior and neither should you.
Gay men being beaten to death while tied to fences , poor men on their way home from work being dragged behind trucks resulting in death.
If I ever…catch somebody being cruel to another human being or a defenseless animal I swear to everything HOLY I will maim them with my bare hands and they will think twice before ever even considering doing it again. There is no room in this world for murderers and rapists and bank robbers and so on. There can never be a Utopia because there are too many evil ones running amok living amongst us.
This is not the bold talk of one man…this is the disgust of one man. If you are disgusted too then do your part and turn in anyone and everyone who fits the category or description of a child abuser. Then remove physically and in force of numbers an animal being tortured or beaten from the previous cruel and unfit owner. Do not wait do not hesitate it will not go away do it right away! Do it now ! Right now if you know someone who has done something vicious and unforgiveable. Then it is your duty to help make the world right. Not doing anything and turning the other way is just as bad a crime. Don’t let it happen put an end and a stop to it now. NOW! THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.

The first 3 issues of CRAZY the comic book...

2011-10-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Only one of the coolest damned comic series ever! ( Say it like Napolean Dynamite ) for a little bit more...read the post below this one. ( Click F 11 for full screen.)

" Has everyone gone CRAZY ? "

2011-10-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

A hand colored recreation by Marie Severin and Herbe Trimpe... the classic cover from CRAZY number 3...
Crazy magazine…What started out in the late 1960’s ( Actually in the 1950's Atlas comics which would later become Marvel already had a MAD style comic book titled CRAZY. A total coincidence ? I think not...) as NOT BRAND ECHH a parody comic book where Marvel in a “MAD , Kurtzman” style satirized the world of movies TV and comics… Marie Severin contributed and helped to create some of the funniest stories with some of the greatest artwork. It was a short lived series…as genius as it was it just did not have the same punch as the serious Super Hero stuff. But they were not done. It the early 1970’s they reprinted some of the ECHH material in a new package and called it CRAZY…some of the coolest covers were on the first 3 issues of that comic. All by Mirthful Marie. But yet..they were not done!!! MAD magazine was still going strong and they reformatted CRAZY into a black and white magazine ready to go head to head with MAD magazine and CRACKED and NATIONAL LAMPOON! It lasted for many years and kept going strong for quite a bit. I loved the idea there were Super Hero parody segments in just about every issue.
A few years ago ( about 6 ) There was a comic book store going out of business…the old man was retiring and moving away to some green pasture somewhere. He was having SICK,MAD CRAZY blowout sales…and during that sale I acquired the first 10 issues of CRAZY magazine for a buck a piece. To me that was like hitting the jackpot. I bought those babies up and went on home to read myself silly! I did….read myself silly. My favorite issue of CRAZY is number 90…with Obnoxio the clown striking the famous Frazetta pose for the issue that parodied CONAN the Barbarian. A funny little story too…I highly recommend to anyone who loves to laugh and loves comics…find these books on e-bay or wherever
Get them read them and be a better person because of it. These are my favorite CRAZY covers!

Original art to cover of KULL # 11

2011-10-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

When I am feeling ambitious...I believe I am going to attempt a recreation of this piece of art by Mike Ploog. It's one of my Favorite covers and he's one of my favorite artists. So It's worth a shot.

Blogging with dignity and class.

2011-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve seen it before on other blogs and I‘ve seen other Blog Authors comment about it but just recently I experienced it myself. On one of the blogs I contribute to I published a blog post. I garnered a lot of traffic and interest with my topic. When I write I generally leave room for someone to question a statement or comment and or theory. I was discussing the hypothetical’s regarding the origin of one particular subject.
Well first one guy chimed in to dispute some of the things I said. I diplomatically reminded him these were just theory and not decisive conclusions and should not be questioned as if they were. He was satisfied with my rebut.
I saw this one fella here and about on the blog following that one posting. I though “ Cool , another follower! “ Well another commenter came in and started verbally berating the other guy and he in turn shot back with more nanny nanny poo poo…like two 1st graders they were.
When we write these blogs it is because we are passionate about something and want to have fun doing it. Some people just blog for the fun of it…with adult themed blogs one needs to answer a consent for and so on and that’s all fine. It is all in the spirit of fun and it’s lighthearted as it should be. But I believe there are some people who just want to cause trouble and grief and start fights…for the fun of it.
There is no real way to block these folks…anonymous comments can be blocked in the settings to prevent drive by’s and hit and runs.
But seriously…childish nonsense? “ I know more than you!” and “ You’re a hypocrite!” and blah blah blah and my word is more credible than yours and so on.
Grow up. It’s like Sheldon Cooper and Howard from BIG BANG THEORY came to the blog and showed us what kind of dweebs they are.
Not to sound cliché but..” Can’t we all just get a long?”
In the world of Robert E Howard’s CONAN….there are several different theories based on when and where the Hyborian age was and people add their usually welcome two cents and that is all well and good. Until they start with trying to preach the facts to you.
I kind of noticed something. It is similar to religion. Like STAR WARS or The Lord of the Rings…Conan has fanatical followers. It’s not just a hobby or an interest or regular old fandom…it’s pretty much a religious devotion.
So I’ll tell the people now what I tell Born again Christians or Jehovah’s witness’ when they come around. “ I understand and recognize your passion and respect that this is the way you live your life and feel you must spread the word. But I saw you coming a mile away and now I must tell you…I believe the way I want to believe and that is my right. To tell me I am wrong…is wrong. You can’t tell me what to think and feel…freedom of choice is my prerogative. So read your book and study all you want…what you interpret on your own is what will drive you. What I interpret is going to be different from what you got out of it. To attempt to bend me one way or the other will only point out that you are a Banana nut muffin.
I understand that. Now you need to understand that. We can agree to disagree without the drama show or the sermon. If one can’t help oneself then at least try. Nobody is your enemy in the beginning so why antagonize and instigate? It’s childish. What you’re doing is showing the world and other people who visit the blog that you are irrational and will write you off as a crack pot.
While your points may have been valid your attitude dictates how you will be perceived. So the main point here is for people to learn how to agree to disagree and everyone will be happy.
But to resort to name calling and broadcasting your connections and how much you know is just as childish as when you were being attacked and berated by the other numbskull who insists on creating a competition out of everything.
It’s not what you know or even who you know…it’s how you conduct yourself. Nes’ pa?
More covers to come...hang in there.

Meanwhile check out this link. xkcd: Duty Calls

" CONAN , DUKE a rope swing and a machete "

2011-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

CONAN and Duke the rope swing the swamp and a Machete.
Ahhh..youth. when I was a kid growing up in Bay shore NY…I had pretty much the time of my life. We always had a swimming pool and the house we lived in had a huge crooked tree in the back with a giant branch that was overhanging a stream and beyond that stream…a swamp. I recall countless hours pushing off the tree hanging onto the rope and swinging all the way around the tree in a wide at least 30 foot circle…over the stream and landing on the other side of the tree like Tarzan. The property was on a down grade at the back of the yard near the stream so when you left the crooked trunk of the tree you were swinging between 4 and 10 feet off the ground in certain places…I even did it one handed from time to time. My dog Duke used to stay by my side and watch me and wander around our yard and pee here and there but he always stuck right near me and never left my side. Duke was a part Collie part German Sheppard mix and he looked like a Sheppard but had the coloring of a Collie. He was a beautiful mix of a dog….he was a Mutt…but he was Gorgeous. Smart too…just like a dog from the movies…he was that smart.
For ten years I used that rope swing every single day it was joy to me. Absolute joy. But that was not my only way of passing the time. The Swamp…it was a means of escape…a chance to go on adventures…quests and journey’s to long lost lands and ancient cities of gold.
I was 12 years old and I swiped a machete from my Dads tool shed and headed off into the swamp and started hacking away at the sticker bushes and vines and all forms of flora and fauna. I was carving trails. It became a Sunday ritual. During the week I’d play street Hockey or softball with friends but on Sunday’s it was the Swamps. Now the swamps were made up of little islands about 15 to 20 feet wide and practically circular and there were little connecting and intertwining inlets in between the islands and some of them were as much as 3 to four feet across and you either jumped it…or put up planks or built bridges to get from one to the other. Some areas were too mucky to bother with but for the most part this network of streams and mini islands went on for 2 miles behind mine and all my neighbors houses. Funny how it was shaped though. 2 miles long but about 400 yards wide. It was actually on the map as Sampawam's creek.
So Duke and I would go back there and I would play CONAN or TARZAN and I’d hack away at vegetation or some thin tree and imagine I was battling a horde of Demons or battling against the Murderous minions of YILDIZ! Or perhaps I was fighting off a dozen angry sub human ape men.
Either way…I was having a ball. Oh and the tree’s…there were downed tree’s all over the place..it was like something out of HUCK FINN!
It was a perfect playground and I was never more at home than when I was swinging on that rope or off on an adventure with Duke and my Dad’s machete. Of course…being 12….I should not have been running around with a machete. But nobody knew…except Duke. He wasn’t gonna rat me out he’s a dog.
It was not always safe either…one time I pushed over a rotted tree and a swarm of yellow jackets came out and stung me in a couple of dozen places…the dog was ok. I had to go to the hospital for that one. But another time two guard dogs from the neighboring factories came charging me and Duke…I ran calling Duke but the two of them gang attacked him and he got bit on the ear…but then he got a good grip on the neck of one of them and that dog yelped. I didn’t know which dog was crying so I charged at the dog fight ready to whack a dog with my machete if I had to but the other two dogs…ran. As if they were being called. Not because they were scared. I grabbed Dukey’s collar so he would not chase them and we went home. Of course I had to lie about how Duke had a bite on his ear and say the stray dogs came into our yard and attacked him. We never went into that area of the swamp again…to avoid the guard dogs.
Then there was the time I climbed a tilted tree ( just because it was there ) It was about a 50 foot tall tree and it was on a 45 degree angle…so I climbed it. I got pretty much to the top and DOWN IT WENT! Now I had ridden trees to the ground before but this tree DECIDED to swerve for some reason and I fell off and landed flat on my back and got the wind knocked out of me and I passed out. I don’t know how long I was out but I woke up with Duke licking my eyes and face. I guess it helped to revive me. When I got up off the ground I was wobbly but ok. I went right home. That was enough adventure for one day. It was time for CONAN to go home. Shaken and stirred I headed home. This time around when I got home my feet were both muddy as hell. That mud stunk boy…the stinkiest mud ever. I actually threw out my sneakers. I had learned from past experience that once you got your sneakers muddied up with that gunk…they were done. There was no saving them.
A few years later Hurricane Gloria tore through Long Island and knocked my Tarzan tree down…my childhood was gone. I was 18 now and Duke was an old Dog…I came home from work some months later and he was not on the lawn waitng for my arrival as usual. My parents had taken him for the big sleep as chronic arthritis pretty much crippled him and he could not even stand for more than 3 or four minutes before the pain would exhaust him and he’d just lay down. It was time
My heart was broken…I cried like a baby. For weeks I’d go in my back yard and stare at the swamp while visions of past adventures swirled around in my mind. Duke was certainly the best dog ever.
Once that tree was down and my dog was gone…I became an adult. When my grief was passed I was a new man…an official adult and looked at life and the world in a different way.
I turned my attention to my then girlfriend at the time and work and making money so I could buy Conan comics and go to concerts and take her on dates and buy her an Engagement ring…but that……is another story.

HOLY WAR # 1 the cover

2011-10-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

For the first time in about 17 years...HOLY WAR....sees the light of day once again. Originally my concept was simple. It was a big sword wielding Angel who was a composite of Jesus and Saint Michael and God and whoever else you want to throw in there. His name was simply LORD...and he was created to be a religion based fictitious character with no theology anyone can claim to follow...he was for all intents and purposes a composite and that is all. His foe...was likewise a composite of the Devil and I named him Luseff. ( Get it ) The stories would be an anthology style deal where throughout time in different settings modern and in the past they would meet and LORD would always triumph by hacking LUSEFF into bits. That was my concept...so my creations did not intentionally reflect...God and the Devil. They were just my characters based on religious figures found throughout history and in the Bible.
I borrowed heavily from art projects I had done during my stint at the Joe Kubert school. I think I should mention that...the last panel of the story where LORD is flying into the sky that that was not swiped from LED ZEPPELIN but rather...Frank Frazetta's " Against the Gods " painting. Now if you look close ...you'll see it. But at first you're going to think that is Icarus flying towards the sun. ( It's not )...I hope you like my story. Ladies and Gents...I present
HOLY WAR! ( If you press F11 for full screen you'll see a larger picture...then just press F11 again to go back to normal. ) Enjoy

HOLY WAR # 1 ( Part 1 )

2011-10-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

HOLY WAR # 1 ( Part 2 )

2011-10-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jack Kirby's " The Demon "

2011-10-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Jack Kirby's DEMON has to be one of my all time favorite Kirby creations. The origin , the prose and rhyme..." Gone Gone o' form of man , rise the DEMON Etrigan " Wow...just wow.
It's one of the few things that creeped me out that also kept me wanting more. These covers here represent my favorite thing about Kirby's compositions. In one panel you get a whole story...People laud Will Eisner for his masterful and expert sequential storytelling . Jack Kirby was quite the masterful storyteller himself.
Look at the apparitions created by Etrigan on the cover of the DEMON number 13 here. Self explanatory.
Look at the Castle courtyard behind the Inspector and his men on the cover of the DEMON number 2...need I say more. Kirby had a way about him so unique to him alone that was both simplistic yet intricate all at the same time.
Not just anyone can ink Kirby either. You'd need to understand the complex placing of blacks in the shading in relation to the aspect of the figure or buildings being inked.
I've read these comics through and through several times over and still am amazed. Sure the Marvel universe and the FF and the X-men have all been part of Jacks legacy and Dynasty...but the DEMON and the NEW GODS and all of Kirbster's FOURTH WORLD creations are among some of the greatest comic books ever produced and printed in four color dynamic glory.
These are my favorite DEMON covers.

HOLY WAR mock up

2011-10-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Just messing around real quick I whipped up this cut and paste. If only I had a pc back in 95

The cover to my ash can HOLY WAR

2011-10-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

In 1995 a friend of mine and myself decided we were going to print up a comic book, He came up with his character and I...mine. At first I had a Captain America clone. It was a character named "Glory Boy" he was a kid...BUCKY/ROBIN type...but he was the lead in the light hearted almost Archie comics MLJ kind of world I created for him. At the last minute in a stroke of inspiration I decided to change the character and instead whipped up HOLY WAR in a week flat. I drew and inked the story in a week. The actual comic will be posted later...but. This is the ash can. We actually went to a few conventions and handed out free ash cans and drew pictures for anyone who wanted one. I drew Conan and Thor and Wolverine and even a BatMan. In some ways I'd like to have printed up the Glory Boy comics instead but I'm pretty fond of my slapped together hackneyed Ash Can. I am proud of my attempt and even had very nice compliments from a few pro's about my quirky yet oddly appealing style. I was told by one note worthy professional that I was ready and to peddle my stuff around. ( He shall go nameless tro protect his I.D. ) Only one thing bugs me about this though. I certainly could have done a better job on the F'N LOGO! Look...it's pathetic. Anyway...enjoy. :)

" HOLY WAR " Ash can

2011-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

And now ...My humble opinion.

2011-10-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

People who have found God and faith in religion and turned their lives around are better off than they were. Drugs and the inability to control themselves and maintain their composure and not let their bad habits and wants and desires get in the way of progress and success in their daily life was definitely not the way to go. To find something that helps them control their urges and weaknesses like religion is moreover probably the best thing for them. Providing they do not regress and go back to drugs or alcohol.
But their minds are as weak as ever and they begin to preach and judge and think they are right and push their new found faith and beliefs on people who already have it together. God does not discriminate. If a person lives their life while being kind and generous to others then that person is a good person. Just because they follow a different set of beliefs than someone else does not mean they will go to hell because of certain said beliefs.
These addictions that were ruining their lives have now been redirected to controlling their problems through the new found faith in God. So they rattle on passages and phrases from the Bible. They recite scripture and then follow their inane blather up with “ Praise God “ or words to that affect. If a person’s life can turn around due to a renewed faith in God…that is good.
But you can’t tell them that they can’t run off at the mouth to you about God and turning yourself away from sin. They insist it is you who are in denial and need saving. When they themselves don’t realize that it is they themselves who are the one who needed saving. What do you do with people like that. My answer is…be happy in the fact that they are no longer drinking or doing drugs. Take comfort in that. The human mind has a way of coming around and fixing itself. Provided there is no long term chemical imbalances due to their past of drug use. We must patronize and condescend and be an ear for them as they go through their metamorphosis. Eventually their mind will become more clear and their thinking will be more stable and they will begin to exhibit signs of a new sense of rationale. Oh..they will still have faith in God because they are now immersed in the belief system of whatever religion saved them from themselves. But they will also no longer judge everyone who does not believe what they do. They won’t tell you about how you’re going to hell anymore. They will realize about balance and boundaries and which lines must not be crossed as a new awareness envelopes their mind. It takes great patience and an extra degree of tolerance to see it trough until they come to that sense of awareness. One thing that can’t be done in cases like these is argue with the person. They must be chided and affirmed in order to help them along.
Whether or not you believe in God and follow a religion is a choice. We have these choices because we have the freedom to choose. Something nobody can take away. But one thing is for sure. Don’t be pushing your mumbo jumbo on me and then tell me I don’t have a choice!

ERB Reissues -

2011-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was walking around in the bookstore last night just looking over the same material with the same M.O. as I always do and came across these two pretty damned cool new 2011 editions of ERB classics...the first series of Tarzan tales with a new cover by a guy whose name I believe is Mandrake...can't really tell yet. I did not buy the book but intend to for the new fantastic cover. I really don't like the DISNEY inspired dred locks look but the rest of the painting evokes a Frazetta feel.

The John Carter book is also a classic tale wrapped in a new cover. This artist I can't make out as his signiture is a squiggle. But because of the new cover I will buy the book. I can print out the covers right from my pc...but I want to add these to my coolection. If you never read either book. Well now is the time.

all 4 issues of Jungle tales of TARZAN...

2011-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

You learn something new every day. I found out yesterday that these comics were not done with the permission of the ERB estate and they were put out pretty much illegally by Charlton comics...the lawsuit was served when the ERB people saw # 1 and quickly went into action.

BUT Charlton comics kept producing the comic books even while they were in the midst of a lawsuit. Funny though at the time DELL comics who did have the rights to produce TARZAN comics were churning out TARZAN comics with Photo covers of Gordon Scott and Lex Barker and Ron Ely left and right like nobodies business.

But for some reason as much a fan of the films and TARZAN in general I only own a few of the DELL Tarzans.

They just don't have any affect on me. I don't have any wish or desire to get them or own them. I can't say why. I'm thinking it may be the photo covers...I just don't care for photo covers...that is more than likely the reason.

The Charlton's however are freaking awesome I love the art and I love the covers...Whoever Pat Masulli is he's a great artist. I can go on and on about Sam Glanzman everyone knows I love him. These covers have a color and a texture to them that just appeals to me check out the cover of # 4...It looks like the art of recently passed and fantastic artist Dave Hoover. I love the touch of the leopard spotted trunks...a look Joe Kubert kept when he began producing TARZAN comics for DC back in the 1970's. I can't say enough about Kubert either.

The lawsuit was an interesting fun fact that I found to be more of a reason for me to love these comics. They are rare and I suggest any fan of TARZAN or even Charlton should go and find them. These are my favorite Charlton TARZAN comics!

Marvel comics' The Captain America of the 1950's

2011-10-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1970's Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema were the creative team on the Cap book. In that they created a new character. Everyone knows the old Cap ressurection storyline from Avengers #4 right? The plain blew up , Bucky died and Cap was in suspended animation until the Avengers revived him from his icy slumber.

A perfect foil created and concocted by Stan Lee to introduce a NEW/OLD character

into the then fresh MARVEL universe. But If that happened then why were there Cap comics in the 1950's? Well...introducing the secret origin of Captain America! In the 1950's a Cap worshipper decided to get himself plastic surgery and administer to himself a version of the Super Soldier serum he created himself from a formula he found while doing research while he was in Germany. Thus was born...a new Captain America. Until the Government captured him and his partner ( Bucky , who also took said same Super Soldier serum ) and put them in cryogenic stasis to keep them out of trouble.

But in the 70's they were released from their slumber and then went on a rampage seeking out and trying to destroy the real deal CAP and his partner the Falcon. For all their efforts they failed and once again....the 50's Cap was returned to his slumber.

I feel this character has a lot of depth and can be used to promote a new patriotic hero. If Cap can use the Cosmic cube to wipe away all of Bucky's brainwashing then some similar event can cure Psycho Steve of his madness. Maybe Doctor Strange in some type of Vulcan style mind meld or something along those lines. But this concept is too good to let go. When we last saw this character Cap/Bucky had shot him in the chest and shoulder and he fell off the Hoover dam. I know he's not dead. He survived and he will be back.

I'm thinking that if He is cured of his madness and with his super powers he can make a fine New US AGENT or even take over as an officially appointed Cap while Steve runs around with the Secret Avengers. Think about the amazing storylines this can create.

But one thing is for certain...I love the direction the Cap book has taken with Bucky and Steve and the involvement of Pyscho Steve.
I'm really annoyed at the idea of killing off Bucky after having brought him back after all these years.

Above : Pics swiped from the actual comic books that I found on the web that this story appeared in and a volume of ESSENTIAL: CAPTAIN AMERICA where these comics are reprinted which I must now go find to add to my collection of CAP coolness!

I hope some pro comic writer reads this and a light bulb appears above his head and once again...the 50's Cap is reborn.

TARZAN by CHARLTON comics

2011-09-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I waited for the right time to pounce. I finally saw a copy of TARZAN number one by Charlton comics on E-bay today...I ordered it to add to my coolection of awesomeness! 10 bucks for issues 1 , 2 and 3 !!! art by Sam Glanzman...( However the cover to this one is by someone other than Sam...I'll need to wait until I get the comic so I can read the name more clearly...should be here by Wednesday. WooHoo!

Speaking of TARZAN ...look at this toy I discovered on the web while searching the jungles of the internet. Box art by JACK " KING" KIRBY!

AIM comics " The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit "

2011-09-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Volume two...now on sale...get your copy now! http://http//aimcomics.blogspot.com/2011/09/now-available-brutal-blade-of-bruno.html

p.s. I have a pin up in this comic.

TRIBUTE

2011-09-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday September 11th 2011. There are over 1000 different patriotic comic book covers that one can use as a favorite in recognition of the importance of today. I chose this one by JERRY ORDWAY. It's simple , perfect and beautiful. Never forget.

HERCULES vs

2011-09-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Another of my HERC mash ups. This time using the conflicting styles of Jack Kirby and Sam Glanzman. Special thanks to Mike Dominic for color art and lettering.

PRINCE of POWER Royal slug fest

2011-09-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

HERCULES vs TARZAN

2011-09-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished piece. Thanks to Cromsblood from over at CROM the Ultimate CONAN fan blog for his assistance...looks great Blood thank you!

( The general idea behind this cover and the CONAN cover is that HERC has been stripped of his strength and cast out by his pops into strange unknown lands so a battle with TARZAN or CONAN could mean his demise.)

Another mock cover in the works...

2011-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

this here is the next cover I got going on. Hope your diggin' it...Thanks to CROMSBLOOD from CROM the ultimate CONAN fan blog for color art and text. He's doing a geat job...

CONAN vs HERCULES ~ in COLOR!

2011-09-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

I was inspired recently to whip up an homage to Jack Kirby....being that Charles R. Rutledge from " Singular points " and I were mentioning that Jack Kirby never really had any CONAN material out there. So I pulled a Rich Buckler/Ron Frenz and swiped/borrowed a couple of poses to draw up this HOMAGE to CONAN and KIRBY in honor of his Birthday recently Aug 28.
I was thinking after I drew it...man this needs some color and thought to myself " Hmm I've been working on a side project with Cromsblood...but he has a child on the way and he's very busy as of late. Then I remembered the Rudy Nebres " One minute later " piece from several posts back and how Mike Dominic from AIM comics producers of " The Brutal blade of BRUNO the BANDIT " colored in the artwork the very next day...it was an internet smash and can be found in several places...( Folks that was Mike Dominic who colored that in ) So I asked "DOM" if he would not mind doing this fun little side job for me. Sure enough the very next day VOILA!
I could not be prouder..thank you "DOM" You did a great job coloring and adding text to my piece! You are a great artist! I hope you folks out there like it. I'm very proud.

By the by,,,I do not really like the word SWIPE...I rather prefer REFERENCE.

JACK "KING" KIRBY CONAN GIANT # 5

2011-08-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

It is Jack Kirby's birthday....here is one of my favorite covers with a drawing by JACK albeit a little touched up by John Romita but still...awesome KIRBY dynamics throughout.

Hey...today August 28 is also my Dad's birthday too....and I share a birthday with the ICON Frank Frazetta....Feb 9th...Hmmm...

SGT ROCK ~ SHOWCASE TRADES

2011-08-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well...as we all know on the East coast there is a Hurricane coming through here...so many of the things I was going to do on my vacation are cancelled. Atlantic city , JETS AT GIANTS , JETS FAMILY DAY at HOFSTRA ( It rained for 10 minutes big deal ) Oh I can still go to the game but guess what? I gotta go back to work on the day of the postponed game. SHIT!

Well...as everyone has probably guessed by now I'm a bit pissed off. BUT there was a light at the end of the tunnel. BORDERS BOOKS is going out of business. So...I was there and guess what? I found 3 volumes of SHOWCASE PRESENTS SGT. ROCK! I bought them all at 50% off

30 bucks for three awesome trade collections of one of the greatest comic book icons this side of SUPERMAN , TARZAN and CONAN! I already have 3 volumes of the archives but...they're still sealed....and I do have about 40 issues of OUR ARMY AT WAR....but I don't take them out and handle them for GOD sakes! Now I can pick up the trade and read the most awesome war stories drawn by my former mentor and a man who taught me a lot about sequential comic art.

JOE KUBERT is a true Master a man who can literally draw anything...he served in the BIG ONE and still writes and draws comics. He's a legend and his indelible ink is inked into my mind and life in an indelible fashion...I sometimes look at my work and see tiny little KUBERT -ism's right in the middle of my BUSCEMA - ism's.

If anything good came out of this weekend...it's these 3 books.....I can pick them up and read them at any damned time I want! Go get your own...I recommend it.

JOE JUSKO WARLORD of MARS!

2011-08-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Joe Jusko has been doing superb work with his covers for the John Carter comic books. Each and every cover a serious masterpiece. The particular thrill to seeing Joe doing John Carter comes not only from the fact that he's busting them out so quickly but he's not losing a step in quality in any way shape or form. Like Frazetta , Jones , Boris or any of his other contemporaries or any other fantasy artist Jusko's skill and style are legendary. He already has about 2 dozen John Carter , Dejah Thoris covers in print and on shelves and in collections! I cannot wait for one whole collection of Joes work ( All these covers in one book ) I used to think you can't get any better than those Joe Jusko savage sword covers...each one a stand alone masterpiece...then he goes and blows all our minds with these genius pieces of work. Keep making us HAPPY JOE! We will always be here to enjoy your work! Continue to continuously blow our minds with your skill.

More to come...I want to see if I can cram all his covers on the blog in the days to come!

John Carter WARLORD of MARS

2011-08-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

DO YOU REMEMBER MY HAVING TOLD YOU OF THE MANY TIMES I SPENT IN THE HOSPITAL AS A CHILD DUE TO A SERIOUS KIDNEY DISEASE? Well I may not have explained to you why I was in the hospital but I did say I was there. I told you in several posts that my Mom and Dad used to come and visit me and bring me a stack of comics...sometimes just 1. In this case my Dad picked out the comic book because Tarzan was mentioned on the cover and he knew how much I loved me some Tarzan! Well...as everyone knows John Carter WARLORD of MARS and TARZAN are brothers of a sort...in that their creator EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS was also in essence their Dad.

My Dad probably did not know how much of a thrill giving me JCWOM # 1 was to me...first of all it was a first issue , then the cover was drawn by Gil Kane who I recognized Johnny on the spot from his CONAN contributions. I knew of John Carter from the Tarzan family comics by DC comics a couple of years prior and to see him with Marvel comics drawn by a CONAN artist I was in heaven. I mmediately got lost in the story and eagerly awaited the following issue. I made sure I was down at the candy store every week with my allowance looking for each issue as it came out. I am happy to say that I saw the trailer for the upcoming JOHN CARTER movie and cannot wait. One of the greatest adventure characters of all time is getting the attention he deserves.

B'wana Beast!

2011-08-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

As a kid one of the coolest characters I ever came across was this guy. He had a cool helmet and ran around the jungle like Tarzan and had a Gorilla sidekick...everyone else had a dog or cat or horse of tiger or lion but not almighty B'wana! He had a cool power too. He could meld two animals together and make one big giant super beast. Of course he can communicate with wild animals and all that good stuff. Something about this cool Mike Sekowsky/Joe Giella cover mesmerised me. I always loved the way Mike drew super heroes...he really had a knack for it.
One of the coolest things about this issue was the CAPTAIN ACTION ad ...It looks like Curt Swan's art in the ad...I always wondered just who did draw that. I'd appreciate any input anyone could give me. In the coming weeks I'll see if I can post that ad.

Planet of the apes ( Marvel magazines )

2011-07-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Planet of the apes!!! I have the entire Marvel magazine run and I love every single issue and cover. Just to prove my point....I once traded Detective comics # 92 for the entire series in one shot. Over the next week or so I will show you some of my favorite Planet of the apes covers...

Like this one here by Bob Larkin I believe. More on that trade in the near future

DRACULA - Gene Colan

2011-07-02T09:28:00.001-07:00

Nobody but nobody did a better Drac than Colan...the guy was a phenom. In that he never ever stuck to the prescribed house style of Marvel comics. Instead , using his God given talent to bring figures forth from shadow Gene created the most eerie atmpospheric images and was perfect for this comic book. He is a legend...Like Kirby and Buscema. He will be missed.

The PHANTOM ZONE

2011-06-28T14:20:00.001-07:00

The Phantom zone mini- series by Steve Gerber , Gene Colan and Tony Dezuniga…
Shortly after Superman 2 came out and introduced the world to Zod and his Criminal comrades DC comics brought us the Phantom Zone Mini- series. Penciled by Gene Colan and written by Steve Gerber . I was on y way to Florida to visit my Grand- parents…the wait at the airport was horrible for an antsy 14 year old. I found a newsstand and begged my Father to buy me a couple of comic books….One was a Warlord comic book by Mike Grell and the other..PHANTOM ZONE number one. I read both comics and bought the follow up issues as they came out. All I can say is Genes style was different than I’d seen anyone ever on Superman before. I liked it and thought he did a damned good Supes.
There is something eye catching about the way an artist works out his figures and compositions. Cartooning is in and of itself another art form altogether. Sure portrait artists and illustrators get a photo realistic quality and attention to detail down to perfection….but a cartoonist? A few black and white lines on paper and some well placed spotted black ink blobs and you got a comic book. I’m always going to remember this comic book series and what it meant to me during that period of my life.

JAWS 2 - ( with Bob Larkin cover ) Gene Colan art

2011-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

I remember my Mom taking me to see JAWS 2 ..I had no idea it was out. My Dad worked nights as a truck driver and I guess Mom needed to get out so she said c'mon we're going to a Movie....I have to say..Roy Scheider is the man...I met him at an airport about 6 years ago. He was dressed exactly like Chief Brody..."I said Hello Sir..Don't mean to bother you , but I am a big fan and I just want to say Hi! " He looked at me a little puzzled and said " Hi " I said " Have a nice day " and was on my way...at the baggage carousel I minded my own business and so did he. I hope it was not too unpleasant an experience.

The interiors of this comic book were by Gene Colon and Tom Palmer...it is actually refreshingly breathtaking artwork. If you skip on over to DIVERSIONS OF THE GROOVY KIND you can read the entire book. I guess this post is an Homage to the Memory of Mom taking me to a Movie and to Roy...and Gene.

Hopefully if I get to Florida me and Mom will take in another movie. That'll be cool.

Iron Man / Sub-Mariner one shot!

2011-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sparodically during this week I will put up different covers drawn by Gene Colan who recently left this world and went off to the great big Bullpen in the sky. This cover particularly is my favorite Gene cover...it's very dynamic and has two of my favorite super heroes on one titanic cover. Right after this comic book came out Subby and Iron man were given their very own monthly titles. Of which Gene drew the cover of Iron Man number one....I got this comic book at a convention in NYC for 10 bucks....a great deal in my eyes being as I believe it to be in VG condition. Legendary stuff.

More about ME!

2011-06-25T09:31:00.001-07:00

I don't think I've gone on about myself enough yet so I'm going to show you a couple of things that practically saved my life. I wrote that story I showed you the rough breakdowns to in the previous post right? Well here are a couple of inked color studies I did as cover ideas for the story. I think I should mention that working on these two pieces saved my life. I was suicidal at the time and it brought me back to reality and woke my ass up. A long time ago the girl of my dreams , love of my life broke my heart. It sent me into a debilitating catatonic depression for almost 3 years...( 2 years 7 months ) This contributed to my never attending the third year at the KUBERT school...That and Debbie Kubert misplaced my loan applications and they never got submitted to the bank on time. ( Bitch )...But yeah...One day after reading Stephen Kings PET SEMATARY ...I promptly started to draw out that CONAN story and then work on the covers...when I was done , I was back among the living. Hope you enjoyed my little tale and my drawings. These are two of MY OWN favorite covers.

A brief history of a comic artist wannabe...

2011-06-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

This one I drew yesterday...it's a mock up of an imaginary CONAN comic drawn by me.

This one is from today actually 6/22/11...just noodling around with a sharpie....

This I believe is from 1990...from an entire 32 page story I wrote and drew...it's pencil roughs. Conan breaks out of his cell and has to slay a dozen guards.

THIS...I believe is from when I was 15 years old...a little montage of CONAN BADASSEDNESS!!!

This I do believe is a splash page from that story I wrote...The first guy he kills after he breaks out of his cell....

It started when I was maybe 5. I'd take some loose leaf paper and fold it in half and make home made mini comics. By the time I was 15 I thought I was something else and by the time I was 20 I thought I was a superstar...I imagined myself another FRAZETTA ( I share a Birthday with Frazetta , Feb 9th ) , John Buscema or Joe Kubert....I was far away from those Masters...but I did have some..some talent I say. It was there.

I went to the Kubert school and wasted my life and time and savings in my first two years. I was not serious at all. ( I thought I was the shit. ) I was going to be a Superstar...they were going to hear the name "DeStasio" and think...CONAN...I had CONAN on the brain and my class mates all used to mock me and make fun but I was unscathed by their ignorant witty barbs.

( Can you imagine if I'd paid attention in class and did my assignments ) Me neither lol.

Here are some samplings of my work from the time I was 15...to just as recently as yesterday.

I had the time of my life at the Kubert school and mey some of the greatest pro's and had the honor of being taught by modern comic book masters of the time. I met some of the greatest dudes there too....would not change a thing ( Except my ambition ) But I'm not done.

I don't work in comics but I do follow them these days. I like what I see and I love what DARK HORSE is doing with CONAN...I can't wait for CONAN the movie to come out....This is my blog and it's all about me. So...here are a few of my personal favorites

SUPERMAN / CONAN Team UP!!!

2011-06-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

With the ground?....

Or without?....You tell me. Feedback anyone?

Here is an unlikely pairing. I was browsing the web looking for images of SUPERMAN because I have in mind to get a new Tattoo. SUPERMAN.... ( along with a RED SONJA and an AC/DC tattoo. ) I came across this image of Supes by the great and legendary Neal Adams. While looking at it an idea popped into my head. Using the image of CONAN by John Buscema that I have as a tattoo on my right arm...I threw together this little mash up..TEAM UP. "Voila" instant favorite cover. "lol" Now I wish it were in color.

HULK reinterpretations

2011-06-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

While we are on the subject of classic reinterpretations take a look here at cool Wonder Woman piece by Phil Winslade...then onto a NEW rendition of an old ICONIC image by JIM STERANKO. I just love when guys redo covers. When I see obvious nods to classic covers I love it. Especially when it's a reinterpretation of one of my absolute favorite covers of all time.

Check out the original then take a gander at the reinterpretations. I love comic books and comic art and Jim Steranko drew one of My Favorite covers...of all time!!!

Superman and John Byrne.

2011-05-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Every one remembers the great cover to FF 249 right? Well a popular thing with John Byrne has always been to use the same composition but in a different locale. He did a reinterpretation of FF 249 on the cover of SUPERMAN number 8 only the trounced FF were now replaced by the trounced LEGION and GLADIATOR was now replaced by Superman. BUT!!! I guess he did it for posterity or perhaps as a commission he did another reinterpretation of the famous cover only this time with SUPE'S trouncing the FF. John Byrne does beautiful work and I really loved that whole FF storyline. I also really loved BYRNES run on SUPERMAN! Making for some of my favorite comics and my favorite covers!!!

Evel Knievel # 1

2011-05-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

This comic book came with the toy. You had to buy the whole stunt cycle set in order to get the comic. Whenever I got the set there was no comic..DAMN! But I always managed to somehow get what I wanted. A friend of mine in Elementary/Grammar school gave me his. He was not as big into comics as I nor was he as big an Evel fan...nor a big fan of Action figures. So I benefitted by his giving me the comic book. I loved that book and read it until it fell apart. Oh sure over the years I got another one and in fact buy more if I run across them. They are usually pretty cheap...5 bucks 10 bucks nothing too bad.

I also loved the ads on the back of the regular comic books available at newstands. There were about 6 in all but...these two seen here along with the comic book are my favorites

E-man by the great Joe Staton

2011-05-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Art by Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton.

Clip from the KILLJOY back up in E-Man #2 by Steve Ditko

I found this one day on the rack at that little card store I mention a few times here on the blog. Brought it home and read it several times through. I must have been 7 or 8 but I was compelled. It was a first issue and it said collectors item on it. I made sure to hunt out and search out the following issues. The second issue was awesome too it had a little story in the back by Steve Ditko about a character named KILLJOY. He was a little DAREDEVIL and a Little SPIDERMAN but it certainly was all DITKO baby! Those are some great CHARLTON memories...with many more in the works.

Ghostly tales...

2011-05-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I had this one as a kid...like to try and find it again. The scuba diver and the underwater atmosphere combined with the element of the ghost. It used to creep me out as a kid but I could not stop looking at it.

Timothy Truman's " SCOUT "

2011-05-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the editorial section of these comics put out by Eclipse comics throughout the Mid 80's there was mention of the Joe Kubert school..that's what got me going and made me decide Comic art is what I wanted to persue as a career. Now while that did not work out...along with a bazillion other things in my life...I still love comics and I still love LIFE!

#19 contained a little 45 record by Tim's band and I believe the song was called RATTLESNAKE SHAKE...if I remember correctly. Great stuff Tim is a great artist on two different fronts Music and comics. As Indie comics go...these were the best in the HISTORY of Indie comics.

My Favorite SWAMP THING covers

2011-04-23T13:46:00.001-07:00

Batmans appearance in tis issue Solidified Swampy's rep in DC comics..the story was a great one with the dog and the overcoat and the suspense. Just a great story. The cover below for number 9 casts an iconic image as SWAMPS rises from the muck and mire ready to battle evil!

These stories drawn by Tom Yeates where Swampers meets up with Vampires and angry town folk brings us back to the days of yore when Frankenstein was chased by villagers carrying pitch forks and torches. I never missed an issue.
I love this one where he's fighting off a horde of Vampires.

This issue below was one of those comics I got from my folks when I was in the Hospital and I was astounded by Nestor Redondo's art here. I loved how he drew the big Moss man...so powerful and lumpy...
The color scheme really captured my attention...I always loved blue covers...they're Bluetiful.

You really can't go wrong when ya add a big dino to the mix. In the cover below Swamp Thing gets walloped by THRUDVANG and even further down you can't even take a bath these days without some big Gator trying to eat you.

Bernie Wrightson really freaking knows his stuff man...this cover is CREEEEE...PEEEE!

AND YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO..just the idea of mindless robot dogs that just want to shred you alive is a scary thought.

Tom Yeates really has a unique style...he can do beautiful , exciting , suspenseful and tragic all in one amazing drawing. I also love the way he draws ladies. Check out this babe in the yellow.

The Swamp Thing...possibly one of the greatest comic book creations ever. One of the most under rated and one of the characters that has had great success as well. When Bernie Wrightson first drew the character and did the art for the series first volumes he literally blew the roof off the comics industry. His run is one of the classics and is timeless indeed. As time went on Nestor Redondo took over the series and some of my favorite stories were produced during that time and the art to say the least was fantastic. THEN..DC renewed the character and brought him back with EERIE and Macabre stories drawn by Tom Yeates whose work reflected that of Wrightson's. ( Gonna do SWAMPY you gotta have the right guy. ) But...the character evolved still.

John Tottleban and his run raised the stakes on big green and mossie through the stratosphere and once again returned him to an even CREEPIER and more SUPERNATURAL level. These covers do not represent ALL my favorite SWAMP THING covers....because he's one of my favorites. These are more like hilights.

Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT...

2011-04-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

One can talk about Will Eisner's work for hours. Not a lot that is bad can be said about the man as he is a masterful story teller and the art of continuity has been broken down into a science by the man. He has done several stories where there are absolutely no word balloons or captions or even eminata sound effects at all. Here in the examples below are images of issues that I have in my collection. These images are not my scans as I lifted them from the web and off ebay. But I do own these comics. I have the entire WARREN magazine run and the two HARVEY THRILLERS issues and I have several KITCHEN SINK issues and all the archives to date put out by DC comics reprinting so far anything WILL EISNER ever published. I can go on and on about how great he is for days. I can even talk about my favorite stories too. But I want you to see MY FAVORITE SPIRIT COVERS. feel free to peruse and comments are welcome.

UNCLE SAM , Super guy.

2011-04-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

I never had this issue but I do have a poster of this cover safely stowed away for posterity. :) I don't have either of these issues either...but I love the cover on # 16...one day , one day.

I used to collect Crossgen comics and have almost the entire library and this WEIRD homage to Flaggs famous wartime poster...is intriguing. EERIE...but intriguing.

OK...I have this one...

and this one.....

This is the one I mentioned in the text posted below. Yes I have this one.

DC comics presents was a great series. They should bring it back.

This is the cover for an old magazine from the 1940's..the title speaks for itself. It is probably the reason they always had UNCLE SAM rolling up his sleeves ready to kick some major ass.

" When I was a wee bit younger I came across an issue of the Justice League of America and saw on the cover the JLA facing off against a bunch of Unknown heroes to me at the time and I was..enthralled. I soon discovered that UNCLE SAM was a comic book character as well as the actual official Macot of the USA. So I became more familiar with him and found that DC was publishing comic books in the 1970's ( The Freedom Fighters ) I have the JLA's and the FF's but the other ones....I searched the web for some of my favorite images of Ol' Sam. I hope you enjoy them."

Superman's girlfriend....Wonder Woman!!!

2011-03-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking that this cover was drawn by Dick Dillin and inked by Vince Colletta....if I'm wrong please tell me and I will give proper credit. :)

Yep...I like's my Lois Lane comics yes I do....I was like 7 or 8 when I got this one. From the Luncheonette across the Highway from where I lived in Roosevelt. " Moe's " Now...I was not supposed to cross the highway but...ut was a Sunday afternoon and there were absolutely no cars...so I ran across really quickly. I got inside and I began to peruse the wall of comics they had. I saw all sorts of cool comics that I would have rather had...but having only 25 cents I had to make a decision. So I picked Lois Lane...it had Supes on the cover and a race car. lol

BUT...after a while I began to examine the art very closely and suddenly Wonder Woman was my main focus. The turn of her hip and the shape of her legs. Yeah...I know it's a drawing but I was 7 so that is the closest I had to a girlie mag. BUT I had no idea at the time why I was attracted. Now it all makes sense. This is one of my favorite covers.

EERIE!!! DAX the Damned

2011-03-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Not only is this one of my favorite covers but it's also one of my favorite posters. There were several EERIE repro posters put out about 25 years ago and I managed to get this particular poster. Being that I love all things BARBARIAN!! I saw it at a place in HUNTINGTON NY called "JUST KIDS NOSTALGIA" maybe 16 years ago. The artwork is by the brilliant SANJULIAN.

My favorite LONE RANGER covers

2011-03-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

# 24

# 95

When I was about 11 my Dad took me out for a hair-cut at a flea market. This place was an old Department store in West Islip NY. It was called HAMPTONS. It was right next to KORVETTES later on that place also went under and then that place became KEY LARGO a night club that had country line dancing and live country music acts like Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson. Then that place became CHEVY'S Bel-air cafe..a dance club that was a highly successful meat market. Like if you ever were in the mood to get laid you can go there and hump my ex-fiance...that sssslut. Anyway....When it was still an indoor Flea market My Dad took me for a hair cut there. Some dude set up a little closed in and very claustrophobic barber shop all the way in the back left rear corner of the Place. That's where I got my HULK poster I mention in an earlier post. As I told you all once before most of the comics here on this blog are moments in time frozen in my mind forever. The Gold Key reprint marked as the LONE RANGER # 24 was in the barber shop among all the magazines. I was captivated by the painted cover and would just stare at it for long periods of time. The hot air balloon the situational action occuring it was certainly a great way to spark a kids imagination. It was a while before I had ever come across another LONE RANGER book and number 95 was it. I love the way this fella painted the Ranger....he looks like Robert Culp ( rest in peace Bob ) I found # 95 at a little comic shop in Deer Park NY called the World of Fantasy ( No it was no a porn store ) They sold comics. It was more than likely my very first 10 cent book added into my collection ever. I still have these comics....and I love them. These two comics are my favorite LONE RANGER comic covers.

If anyone can clue me in to who the artists are I sure would appreciate it.

My favorite HE-MAN covers!!

2011-02-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

George Tuska and Dick Giordano

George Tuska and Klaus Janson

Earl Norem

Artist Unknown

Here is a few pieces of work from the great George Tuska for the MASTERS of the UNIVERSE mini series put out by DC comics in the early 1980's....there was another issue that went with these 2 shown...but it's not my favorite. But I do have all these comics.

Then I had to put up the IMAGE comics MASTERS issue 1 along with a shot of the double page spread by EARL NOREM....then for good measure I stuck in a 1980's tv advert for the cartoon. That's the only one on the web I could find so it has that movie poster blurb across it.

Kinda gets in the way...just sharing with those that never saw it before. I remember seeing it before...just not certain where.

My favorite BLACK PANTHER covers

2011-02-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

Absolutely one of the most intriguing comic book creations has got to be the BLACK PANTHER.

No other character is like him...he is unique. Not so much in looks...cuz he kinda looks like BatMan...but Wakanda...he's a Prince he's a king...he is a mighty and fierce warrior with fighting skills that can not be matched...well it's debatable in my opinion as to whether or not CAPTAIN AMERICA or the PANTHER have one up on each other.

CAP is still my fave.

I don't give a crap about what BLACK super hero this or that...I just love Super Heroes. I hate any distinction that old timey 1970's comics used to throw in there to try and create a super hero using Blaxploitation. I love that these heroes were created....but I hate why.

They created some great heroes and never ever had to even mention color. Some of the greatest comic books revolved around these guys. The PANTHER , POWER MAN , BROTHER VOO DOO...I know the PANTHER came around much sooner than the others but he had a nobility that made him different than anyone else.

The BLACK PANTHER evolved later on in comics...the PANTHER spirit and all that. Made for some great reading...I enjoyed it very much.

I don't care for exploitation at all in any form. Creating a Black Super hero...just to create a Black super hero...insults the reader. But creating a new, different and unique super hero...like the BLACK PANTHER gets people's attention.

Why are these particular covers my favorite PANTHER covers? Well...if you've been following my blog then you know that every comic book on here has something to do with something in my life. I got that Issue with the Dino/T-rex from that candy store up on the corner in ROOSEVELT that I had to walk passed bullies that beat me up because I was a different color than they were. That day...I made it by them with out so much as a shove. One kid actually took the comic book from me and said..." You like this super hero? " I said "Yeah...he's cool"

He shoved the comic back at me in my chest and said "Get goin!" Whew!!!!

The other one...I had already moved to Bay Shore but I still followed the comic series. Something about the subject matter and the way the story went down ignited a spark in me.

I came from a rough neighborhood where there was a lot of racism...towards my family...because we were the hold outs. But...I never hated anyone or held race or color against anyone. I was still a babe that did not yet understand. But I began to learn ABOUT HOW AND WHY things were the way they were. Like any good HERO the PANTHER TRIUMPHED and I could relate.

Jungle Action # 14 -cover by Gil Kane

Jungle Action # 21 -cover by Rich Buckler ( I believe )

" The BLACK KNIGHT "

2011-02-08T08:12:00.001-08:00

The Black knight is a character created in the early 50's created by Stan Lee and Joe Maneeley. He is dude posing as a dude whose secret identity is the BLACK KNIGHT. The twin of a Brave and noble Knight of the round table who dies in battle...our hero steps in and leads everyone to believe that it is truly he who died instead while he masquerades as his own twin brother in order to avenge his name. At the same time...he is the Noble and mysterious HERO of the realm ( ala , the Lone Ranger ) The BLACK KNIGHT.

I purchased Marvel Super Heroes # 17 at that very same flea market that I mention in earlier postings. What a fantastic story....They essentially revive the character and create a story around how the villain becomes a hero. Included in this post is the BLACK KNIGHT one shot Marvel put out retelling the original origin of Sir Percy of Scandia the original BLACK KNIGHT...I love the homage style cover by Ron Frenz and his interiors are no joke either. Ron Frenz is the living breathing embdodiment and amalgamation of styles between John Buscema and Jack Kirby. So...with that kind of talent he can do no wrong.

The cover for Marvel Super Heroes 17 I believe is the great Dan Adkins and possibly John Romita inks ( Let me know would you ? )

and The Black Knight one shot is by Ron Frenz. Hope you enjoy my post...now go get dem comics and enjoy dem like me.

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends - Knights and Demons - part1

2011-02-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

The BLACK KIGHT part 1

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends - Knights and Demons - part2

2011-02-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

The BLACK KNIGHT part 2

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends - Knights and Demons - part3

2011-02-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

The BLACK KNIGHT part 3

the HUMAN TORCH vs the HUMAN TORCH -

2011-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

What? Yeah that's right back in the 70's they gave the HUMAN TORCH his own comic and he had to split the bill...with the HUMAN TORCH..seeing two TORCHES on one cover having a fire ball fight....WOW. I bought this comic off the spinner rack at 7-11 in Amityville NY when I was a kid and went back to my Uncles house and sat on his big old screen porch and sat in a wicker rocking chair slurping on my Grape Slurpee and had the time of my life ..during the best time of my life. My childhood...one that I would not trade or change for all the money in the world if it were possible. Seeing this comic book literally drags me back by force to when I was 9 or 10 and makes me relive my youth. This cover...talk about DYNAMIC ....the building the by-standers below the action..the TORCHES! That is what comics were all about...youth and imagination. You know what? Never in all my years as a comic book reader did I want to light myslef on fire to be like one of my favorite Super Heroes. NEVER and as I recall no one else has ever even done it. 70 years with the HUMAN TORCH in our lives and DISNEY has to go ruin it all with this far fetched idea that kids will try to immolate themselves in order to emulate the TORCH. BULLSHIT I say... DISNEY PEOPLE..you're stupider than stupid if you think kids are that dumb.

Remember back when DAN AKROYD made fun of that on SNL? He did that because the idea of it was stupid and he himself was actually representing DISNEY at the time and he did not know it. A bag of greasy rags and a lighter...please. lol. Trust me...kids are not that dumb. It's a little thing called imagination. You people at DISNEY over there at MOUSESHWITZ really need to get your heads out of your butts. Of all the ridiculous anal retentive nonsense.

With all that being said. I have my memories and I have my childhood. You can't kill that.

This cover I am not really sure who drew it. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it.

I heard it might be Sal Buscema and John Romita inks...from looking at the figure work.

Looking forward to finding out if anyone knows

for sure.

Have fun see you in the funnies, :)

KIRBY , TORCH , SUB-MARINER !!!

2011-02-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

When you try..to define what makes a good or great drawing or cover you have to use your imagination and when you here the word DYNAMIC usually you think of JACK KIRBY...Jack not only helped to make Marvel comics what it is today he also drew almost all the comics being sold by Marvel in the 60's at one time. This guys rate per day was incredible...he was pumping out comic book pages like crazy. One book after the next after the next. No loss of quality or workmanship either. Look at this cover....the tones the poses the action the waves and the flames.....two elemental forces facing one another in the dog fight of the century. Back in the 40's pitting the TORCH and SUBBY against each other was an event. This here match up...no different. It was an event and this classic STRANGE TALES cover just shows you that nobody...but NOBODY can claim the mantle of KING...like Kirby.

Cover by Jack Kirby.

AMAZING 77

2011-02-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

What can be said about good old JAZZY John Romita...the guy came to Marvel too over for Ditko and carried on the book and helped it soar to new heights of popularity. His layouts and compositions were top notch and I have to say he's MY favorite Spidey artist. Sure everyone loves Ditko and sure people clamor for Mcfarlane. But Romita has always been my SPIDEY MAN!!
Look at the situation we have here the TORCH the LIZARD , SPIDEY all on one Dynamic action packed cover. Such ambiance such athmosphere. The dock the water the webs.
Just looking at this cover brings back fond memories. Going to the flea market looking in the bins and pulling out classic gems taking them home and reading them with my PB and J and a glass of chocolate milk.

This cover is by JOHN ROMITA

MARVEL TEAM UP

2011-02-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

As a young boy of about 9 or 10 I was given an allowance and every week ( 50 whole cents ) I'd go to the store and buy comics. I collected Marvel Team up because I loved to see Spider man along side some other stupendous hero , fighting bad guys.

This particular week When I found this issue of TEAM UP I saw the HUMAN TORCH. Inside was one of the coolest stories I'd ever read. It kind of spooked me a little but that is why I liked it...I was spooked...moved..thrilled. The TORCH was sporting a red costume which I thought was pretty darned cool. I had a smattering of FF comics and in those he wore blue. I later found out that he was in the FF books in his red costume. To me...Johnny Storm was and is one of the best and greatest characters Marvel ever created. Even though the HUMAN TORCH was basically Marvels first character along with KA-ZAR and the SUB-MARINER and they all appeared in MARVEL COMICS # 1 together...Only NAMOR remained as the same incarnation.

KA-ZAR and the TORCH became revamped heroes. But still as great.

This cover is by Gil Kane.

ESSENTIALS

2011-02-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

The HUMAN TORCH...any true fan of comics the FF or specifically the TORCH need to go out and get this reprint compilation. It's bascially an OMNIBUS. The reason I chose this as one of my favorites is because of that classic Kirby drawing of the TORCH soaring through the air in all his heavenly mighty glory.

Inside is a treasure trove of adventure that can only be decribed but telling you to go get one for yourself!!!!

cover by JACK KIRBY

CAPTAIN AMERICA # 216

2011-02-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Cap 216 is a reprint of STRANGE TALES # 114 where the HUMAN TORCH squares off against CAPTAIN AMERICA in a classic tale by JACK KIRBY who also did the cover for ST 114.
The story is a classic one shot short tale where everything is wrapped up neatly in one story.
Johnny is reading an old Cap comic book and later on has to confront Cap who is out robbing armored cars. As it turns out it's not really Cap but a villain named the ACROBAT and Johnny captures him and turns him in to the Police.
But to see Cap swinging around was a thrill I am sure to people reading this comic book when it originally came out.
This cover by Gil Kane and Ernie Chan showed us what action is all about. I used to love reprint fill in issues because we got an education. Soon after I sought out ST 114 and added it to my coolection....but I could stare at CAP 216 for a long time and the entire story runs through my mind vividly
STRANGE TALES - 114 was drawn by JACK KING KIRBY
and CAPTAIN AMERICA - 216 was drawn by Gil Kane and Ernie Chan.

My favorite HUMAN TORCH covers.

2011-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

I chose to do this in several parts because I would like to write a little about each and every cover and give it the attnetion it deserves. I can post the whole bunch in one shot but it will take away from the importance of each cover to me. I want to expound.

FF # 252 - the Whole book was sideways....Why? I dunno but it was clever. Because it seems that every page had all this detail crammed into it and the splash pages came out extra nice in a wider scope. John Byrne is one of those classic MASTER cartoonists who can relay to you his work in sequential art without having any words or blurbs in a story. In order to even be a comic book artist this skill is important and Byrne is absolutely a master. Not to mention his figure work.

This cover exemplifies the FF in their glory it's a classic TEAM shot and each character seems as important as the next. There is no central character to focus on. Which is all part of good story telling. I think Byrnes run is one of the best FF runs in history and there have been a lot.

It's tough to say who has the best run ever...Guess we have to give that to Lee and Kirby for getting it going. But I stopped reading FF after Walter Simonson left and have not really gone back since. Oh sure bought a few issues here and there for specific story arcs. But lost interest around the year 2000...can't say why. But the FANTASTIC FOUR are the worlds greatest!!!

The cover for this one here is done by JOHN BYRNE. Dig it!!

My favorite LUKE CAGE ~ POWERMAN covers

2011-01-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

He started out as a Hero for hire then worked his way into his own title then he became a member of the FANTASTIC FOUR and to this day is among my pantheon of Heroes from the 1970's....Check out these cool..favorite covers from his early days before he became just CAGE...a guy with jeans and a t-shirt. One of the best super hero creations ever and he wore a pretty cool costume too. A combination of street clothes and super hero duds..the chain the head band the gauntlet cuffs the boots....the flipped up collared shirt. COME ON MAN!!! That was a cool design.

But...they changed it and ruined an otherwise very cool character with a distinctive look.

Anyway...I took these pics from around the web...because once again. I don't own a scanner and am not bringing my comics to work to scan them they'll get ruined. But I do own copies of these and I treat my comics with care.

The first issue 's cover was drawn by John Romita and # 17 was by Gil Kane and I do believe the artist on the covers for the other issues are done by the series early issues interior artist and another legendary icon of the 1970's

Billy Graham... No not the preacher and the not the SUPERSTAR pro wrestler.

a man of the same name and of equal historical importance in my eyes. ENJOY!!!

My favorite 4 color comics covers.

2011-01-23T06:55:00.000-08:00

Super heroes....we know who they are. The entire list we can run down it and name dozens of super heroes right off the bat. But when your favorite movies as a kid have comic book adaptations...well that makes them an even more treasured item. Such as the case with these particular comic books here.

I got SPARTACUS maybe 24 years ago and read it and looked at the mighty art of John Buscema on the interiors and was taken right back to the movie. SPARTACUS also happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Great Stuff.

HERCULES came next...ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO I was hanging out in my local comic book store ( LONG ISLAND COMICS ) just rummaging through boxes and came across it and the owner of the store sold it to me for a really fair price considering the condition. Now I had seen these comics at conventions but was never able to afford the inflated prices of these swap meet style comic cons. WAY too much money. You go to those things to find good deals...not over pay.

Well I needed them all. Luckily for me we have Ebay. I then added HERCULES unchained , The VIKINGS and SINBAD to my collection all within the last 2 years. All the images here are taken from EBAY. These particular comics are not mine. But I do have nice quality copies of each of them. Hope you enjoy. :)

CONAN vs TARZAN

2011-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Another noodling around practice job. I wanted to give it that British reprint look that you used to see in those old B/W mags from merry old England. I was looking for the perfect images to put together and I came up with the idea that I wanted an old fashioned look. KUBERT? BUSCEMA? BARRY SMITH? I chose a BUSCEMA Tarzan image and The SMITH images because I had a composition in mind and they seemed to fit. The dimension and size of TARZAN was perfect ( TO ME ) for a flying through the air and just a few feet away from CONAN who will barely have time to swing his sword before TARZAN pounces on him. Creates a scenario in your imagination don't it? Well..this will be my last Paste up mock cover that I will share for a while.

Gotta post my favorite covers...ya know?

CONAN / KULL

2011-01-18T14:35:00.001-08:00

One of the most iconic images in the entire run for CONAN when he was being published @ Marvel comics. Add King Kull to the mix and you get a double dose of babrbaric imagery.

Many times as a kid I'd buy comics only if the cover looked cool. Not because the story ran in consecutive order. I bought the comics originally for the art. At one time I did not know that KULL was also created by REH so when Marvel started publishing KULL the Conqueror I thought it was stupid. But at some point I realized he was also a creation of Robert E. Howards so I then had to go out and seek the first bunch of issues and boy was I feeling stupid.

KULL offered up the same excitement and suspense CONAN did. Before I knew it I had the first 15 issues of KULL and then sought out any other KULL stories I could find. " Creatures on the loose " " Monsters on the prowl " " Marvel Preview " and so on. As much as I love CONAN...KULL came first. There were even adaptations Roy Thomas made in the comics. He transposed KULL stories into CONAN stories.

Then later on those same stories saw print in their original form as KULL tales.

I love comics. This is one of my favorite covers.

Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan.

CONAN vs BATMAN

2011-01-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Don't get confused this is not going to be another style of blog where I post mock up covers I created myself by pasting art together on my PC.

I am noodling around and teaching myself and I came up with another Cover. I'm getting a bit better. Now I need to work on resolution. Hope you like it.

The art for this one is by John Buscema , Ernie Chan and MW. Kaluta. and it's a straight up mock up just for fun. I am not selling it nor am I making any money by posting it here. Just sharing my progress with my PC's paint program...and I need to upgrade.

The Team up that will never be....

2011-01-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

I created this cover by pasting art together from different comic book covers and then playing with the digital paintbrush on my PC.

You may from time to time catch some of my own work or maybe an homage or two and yes even a wonderful recreation. But so far out of all the paste up / slapped together bogus and dummy covers I've created. This one is my favorite. The figures are by none other than Big John Buscema. The art is not mine...it is a mish mash mock up of a WHAT IF style TEAM UP cover and it was strictly for my personal enjoyment. Hope you dig it. More to come on Favorite covers in the near future. :)

X-Men # 45 ( original art )

2011-01-12T09:13:00.001-08:00

This scan of the original art for the cover of X-Mem 45 provided by fellow John Buscema fan. Michael Maikowsky. It's as glorious in B/W as it is in color....I like all the little paste up bits for the title and so on too. Gives it that real original feel and gives you a good idea about how they did things in those days. Now it's so much easier. They scan the art and then using a program slap on the logos and blurbs.

Cover art by John Buscema.

CYCLOPS vs QUICKSILVER

2011-01-11T14:18:00.001-08:00

When I was just an itty bitty boy...I saw "Marvel Triple Action" on the rack and immediately noticed that the figure work was awfully familiar. JOHN BUSCEMA my favorite artist draws X-Men too? I snatched that bitch right off the rack plopped down my quarter and dime and got home as fast as I could. I found that the comic was actually a reprint of an original X-Men book from several years before. But that did not stop me from staring at the art and the cover and the poses and the fists and the machinery and the wicked ass color scheme. I could not get enough of it and wished that it was gigantic....SO...I got hold of some poster board a teacher at school let me bring home to draw on and did my best to try to copy the drawing and recreate the simply amazing art. GUESS WHAT?...yeah it didn't work. ( I flipped over the poster board and drew one of my big giant typical CONAN with a axe drawing in marker and put bodies and vultures and blood on his axe and amazed myself...I thought it was pretty good. I put it on the outside of my bedroom door.) I never did get a big picture of that X-Men cover...but I put a tack right through the top of the comic and stuck on my wall near my bed. ( Ruining the comic ) lol.

I didn't care. I was happy. I looked at it every day. Definately one of my favorite covers.

( Whatever became of my CONAN poster? )...My brother ruined it. He went over my drawing

with a thicker marker to fatten up the line work and colored in area's that should not be colored in. I was 12 or so. He was 19. So I could not kick his ass.

I ripped it down and threw it away. He ruined it. Lot's of stuff gets ruined when you're young. :)

Art by John Buscema

SUPERMAN?

2011-01-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about covers while doing my data entry clerical work at my place of employment today. Covers that stand out in my mind.....hmmmm....covers that hold up after many years. Covers that create an extension to you imagination. A cover so stupendous it's unbelievable. GOT IT!!! FF 249 !! GLADIATOR comes to earth he can't speak our language and he kicks the living spit out of the FF. He lifts the BAXTER BUILDING off the foundation and shakes it like a cracker box!!!! It all leads into another plot with a twist and an interesting story arc involving SKRULLS and the X-men.....This here is FANTASTIC FOUR # 249...and it is one of MY FAVORITE COVERS - Art by John Byrne.

Recreation ~ CONAN # 115

2010-12-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows I made friends with Michael Maikowsky the artist who does the quality repro's of John Buscema art. He also does original pieces in the style of John as well. You can check out my earlier post on how you can obtain an original recreation from Michael by checking out my older posts. You'll see an entire post dedicated to him.

I got my reinterpretation/cover repro from Michael and I'd like to share it with you here on my favorite covers blog. Once again THANK YOU Michael.

art by Michael Maikowsky ( after John Buscema and Ernie Chan )

CONAN # 115

2010-12-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

The iconic image of Marvel comics' " CONAN the BARBARIAN " as only John Buscema and Ernie Chan can provide.

The cover blurbs and toys r us logo's and stuff ruin the classic feel. But nothing can take away the art. Nothing.

Below see my paste up version of my Interpretation of every ones favorite Barbarian. I call my guy BLOD ( Norweigian for BLOOD ) the Red VIKING. Coming soon. Don't worry the art will be original...no swiping. That's bad.

Cover art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan.

CHRISTMAS COMIC COVERS

2010-12-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

" Blasting through the snow through the mistletoe coming to save the day "

Ahh nothing like a bunch of Super guys to brighten up the HOLIDAYS.

Cover by John Buscema

a Bizarre CHRISTMAS

2010-12-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

A spooky skeletal Santa clanking down the chimney with a bag full of broken toys and rotten eggs and meat. Yeah that's what I want in my stocking.
Cover by Joe Jusko

CHRISTMAS COMIC COVERS

2010-12-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

I think Marvels Santa would kick DC's Santa's butt...DC made him out to be a regular ol' jolly fat guy
But Marvel made him look huge and robust.
This cover was lifted from Ebay. I can't find this particular comic for my collection and have been trying to find it.
Cover by Curt Swan

CHRISTMAS COMIC COVERS

2010-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Christmas with the mighty AVENGERS would have to rank among ones all time favorite Holiday memories.

Now I don't know about you but I think BEN makes an awesome Santa.

art by Gil Kane and John Romita

CHRISTMAS COMIC COVERS

2010-12-18T08:53:00.000-08:00

Art by Nick Cardy

CHRISTMAS COMIC COVERS

2010-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like a good old SUPER HERO CHRISTMAS anthology. I used to get a kick out of the covers with SUPER HEROES decorating the tree and having fun sitting around like normal folk.

Art by JOHN ROMITA

the BRAVE and the BOLD # 118

2010-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

WILDCAT was always.... to me an awesome character. I love Jimmy Aparo's work on these comics. He's got dozens and dozens of awesome BAT covers lending to his legend.

Everyone has a favorite BAT artist. JIM APARO is mine. This issue has my favorite cover and one of my favorite plots.....

"In Sparta Prison, Batman and Commissioner Gordon try to talk a prisoner named Dubek into talking about his former employer the Joker or risk staying in solitary confinement, to which Dubek refuses. The Joker, knowing that eventually his former stooge may crack, decides to put a plan in motion to silence him.When Ted Grant puts on a boxing match for the prison, Dubek is picked to be the best prisoner fight the fight (in spite of Gordon's express instructions not to let them out) This allows the Joker to slip in rare tropical disease into Dubek's water bucket. This also succeeds in infecting all the other prisoners, and a doctor gives them 72 hours to live. Thankfully, there is a dog named Spot which they have used to make enough vaccine to cure everyone.However, when they try to transport the special dog to the prison to extract the vaccine and cure the inmates, the Joker is there to attack. Although the Joker fails in capturing the priceless pooch, the dog manages to get away and run off into Gotham City. Batman and Ted Grant (reprising his identity of Wildcat) scour the city to try and find the dog. Spot is ultimately captured by the dog pound. With time running out, they put an APB out for the dog and learn that it was taken to the Gotham pound.However they arrive too late and find that the Joker beat them to collecting the dog. The Joker then contacts Batman and tells him that he'll turn over the dog to the police if he and Wildcat agree to a fight to the death. Both men agreeing they go to Gotham's Jefferson Square Garden for the fight. The Joker makes them wear the Cestus boxing gloves of ancient Rome. When the two men begin to weaken in battle, the Joker admits to them that he coated the Cestus' with the virus and that he intends to watch them both die. When the dog bites the Joker, he orders his goon to go throw the dog in the nearby river.Batman bluffs the Joker, telling him that the dog may have infected him with the virus with it's bite, forcing the Joker to save the dog in order to save himself, which leaves for an easy capture. When Wildcat asks Batman if it was true that the Joker got infected, Batman admits he doesn't know, but he was hoping the Joker wouldn't want to risk it one way or the other. "

Cover by Jim Aparo

JOE JUSKO SAVAGE SWORD COVERS. .part 1

2010-12-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

Ok so one of them aint a SAVAGE SWORD cover..it was used for the cover of a TWO MORROWS publication. It's an homage to an old SAVAGE SWORD house ad MARVEL ran in the 1970's by JOHN BUSCEMA....it's beautiful right?

art by JOE JUSKO

JOE JUSKO SAVAGE SWORD COVERS. .part 2

2010-12-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

This was kind of a tough one. Joe has done dozens of Savage Sword covers and choosing a top 10 was not easy. The covers I chose were due to some aspect of the composition or perhaps a facial expression or a pose or maybe it reminded me in some ways of someone elses work...Like FRAZETTA or JOHN BUSCEMA. Nevertheless I have chosen 10 covers solely for your entertainment. Joe Jusko's work is a brilliant display of talent and imagination. After all how many times can one paint CONAN? He's on a horse or he's swinging an axe or he's grabbing a girl or he's hurling some lout or he's just posing with a sword. Joe found a way each and every time to make his painting brilliant in some form or fashion.

I met Joe at a convention in NYC in 1991. He was just hanging out standing near a wall with his arms folded and I asked him to sign my SILVER SURFER graphic novel by John Buscema...Joe Painted the cover ( The one where each and every page was a splash page ) He said " If I sign it the book is going to be devalued. " I said " Sir...you signing the book is worth more to me " He smiled and signed the book. I shook his hand thrilled and ecstatic and went on my merry way to convene with my KUBERT school Pals

The dude is cool. He's just a nice guy....who the hell would care if my book was devalued?

I still have that book and all the other sketches and signed comics I got from all the artists who attended the CON that day.

After these favorite JUSKO SS covers I will move on to my top 10 OTHER THAN CONAN JUSKO covers.

But each and every time I look at a CONAN cover painted by JOE....I can Imagine what he'd look like if he were a real life flesh and blood person. I can also see what it may have looked like if JOE were painting over a BIG JOHN drawing.

People...you look at these covers and enjoy. Finding quality copies on line to swipe was tough.

But I was not hauling my SAVAGE SWORD collection into work just to scan some comics for a blog. I think maybe it's time I got a scanner at home...lol

art by JOE JUSKO

The art of Michael Maikowsky

2010-11-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

In case you aint convinced of Mike's skill....lookie here at deese babies....impressive right?

Cover recreations by Michael Maikowsky

2010-11-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to speak a little about an artist whose inspirations and tastes reflect my own.

While I am not on the skill level this fella is we both share a love for the same HERO...a man who really existed. A man whose face should be on the COMIC BOOK ART Equivalent of MOUNT RUSHMORE. Just exactly who should be on this monument with him would be tough to determine , Other than KIRBY. But JOHN BUSCEMA is in my estimation the GREATEST comic book artist/illustrator who ever lived. While I do love the art of COMICS and many artists are masters...I and Mr. Michael Maikowsky share the same feelings toward Mr. Buscema.

Here in this post you will find some highly skilled and very true renderings of famous illustrations created by John Buscema. Michael Maikowsky's perfect execution of Big John's CONAN , Ka-Zar and THOR kind of inspired me to post this today.

I have seen his work over the last couple of years and not only was I impressed but I was inspired as well. Mike inspired me to pick up the pencil once again and draw. I did not draw for years. Sure I doodled and made little scribble cartoons here and there but...I never really REALLY drew anything. Not for a long time.

After contacting Michael he allowed me to post some of his works here on my COVERS blog.

I would like to share with you...just in a case you may want an expertly crafted recreation OR original in the style of Big John Buscema. You can contact Michael Maikowsky through the info provided. In the copy below...taken from Comic art fans.com you'll find the links to contact Mr. Maikowsky yourself.

See below.....

" Michael is bringing us comic art fans a gift. Everything he does is inspired by John Buscema, a truly loved man and artist. Although Big John can no longer create new images or recreate old ones, through Michael, Mr. Buscema's magic can still grace the page. Please check out his whole gallery here on CAF or go to: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=7456 If you would like to commission Michael his rates are as follows: 11 by 17 single figure with no background: $150. 11 by 17 recreation or reinterpretation: $300. All prices include shipping. A note from Michael: Fellow CAF member Michel Maillot triggered my interest for those John Buscema recreations. Michel saw my tribute portrait of Big John in issue # 21 of TwoMorrows ´Comic Book Artist Magazine´ and asked me for a copy of my drawing which I sent him along with a cover recreation I had finished just for fun. As a result of that, Michel ordered some more recreations in exchange for photocopies of his huge J.B. original art collection (the ´French Collection´, as I use to call it). Inspired by Michel's compliments, I got hooked and developed the nutty idea to recreate every one of Johnny B.´s penciled and inked covers, which I guess was my desperate expression of how much I miss the Big Man and his exceptional artistry. A big thank you goes out to artist supreme Joe Jusko who encouraged, promoted and honored me by presenting some of my artwork in his breathtaking gallery. As you can see, I definitely enjoy reproducing those magic images of John Buscema. It's something I find very inspirational and a valuable learning experience! It taught me more about anatomy, composition, dynamics, lighting, spotting of blacks, etc. than any how-to art book out there. (Btw, my recreations are 11x17 and done on quality two ply bristol board, solely inked with a brush. The title logos are hand lettered. No stats, no whiteout. To prevent confusion and misunderstandings, the artwork is signed with the usual "...after J. Buscema" remark.) Hope I can share some of the love I feel for Big John. I miss him terribly. Nuff said! Best, Michael "

" And here is the cut and paste of my correspondance with Mike. "

Michael MaikowskyNovember 30, 2010 at 3:42am
Re: info
Hey Michael, wow, I feel flattered and honored getting featured on your "Favorite Cover Blog", thanks, mate! Basically, some infos about me and my hobby can be found on the Comicartfans Gallery Room of my art rep Kirk Dilbeck: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccVJOyVTuMXrDrS6H7YMeiQw;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=76312Also, our mutual friend Joe Jusko was instrumental in getting some attention for me and my stuff. Here´s Joe´s gallery featuring some of my recreations: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccsWZa98stIBz14-eDEyHfLg;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?Order=Date&Page=1&GSub=54837If you still need additional info, don´t hesitate to ask.Best,Michael

THE BIG 3 ....

2010-11-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

CAP , SUBBY and the TORCH!!! 3 of Marvel's very first characters were back in a comic book series set in the time of the WW II.

I of course at the time had no idea that these guys were in comics together in the 1940's until I bought the comic and read on.

Seeing them puching out Nazi bad guys and fly through the air together created an awe and thrill that can't be beat. I bought this comic right off the rack at 7-11...because it had CAP on the cover. Anything that had CAPTAIN AMERICA in it was on my must read list as CAP is my first and foremost favorite comic book super hero.

This JOHN ROMITA cover captured the essense of how a super team ripped through the enemy for a flawless victory everytime!

Cover by JOHN ROMITA