SGT ROCK vs CAPTAIN AMERICA

In true Elseworlds/WHAT IF style I had this idea for a story where Cap was brainwashed by the Red Skull during WWII and SGT ROCK was given the task of bringing him back "DEAD OR ALIVE"  aside from all the set up involved the final battle breaks down like this.  ROCK chases Cap down and corners him.  Rock anticipates Cap throwing his shield and rolls under the path of the discus projectile and pounces on Cap...Now in a hand to hand stand up battle of fisticuffs the two square off in a titanic tussle of blow for blow toe to toe head to head action.  Given his training and the advantage of the Super soldier serum running through his veins Cap has a big edge and apparently seems to be winning.  But Rock will not stay down and one last ditch attempt swings his big fist landing square on the side of Cap's jaw and knocks him out cold.  When Cap comes to the effects of the brainwashing have worn off and the Patriotic pair team up to take down and foil the Red Skull's plan.  Loaded with a guest starring cameo by Easy company and Bucky   and even SGT FURY and the Howlers!!!  It would be the greatest team up since Superman and the Amazing Spiderman!

Special thanks to Mike Dominic at AIM comics for lending me a hand in producing this mock cover

KING KONG movie posters

Yeah... I love COMIC BOOKS and JUNGLE GIRLS and CONAN and HERCULES but I also have another guilty pleasure.  KING KONG the world of KONG fascinates me.  I always loved the 1933 version and always wathced it whenever it would come on.  Then in 1976 they made a new version of the film.  Not really a remake but more of a revamp.  They changed the whole thing with Jack making a film to Jack being a stowaway on an oil tanker looking for oil on Skull Island.  Turns out Jack is a photographer and then DWAN shows up...( Jessica Lange ) she's a shipwrecked actress and Jack and Dwan fall in love.  But it's a love triangle because KONG loves her too.  I always loved the movie posters and searched them out on the web for this post.  Keep in mind KING KONG was a very successful Gold Key comic book adaptation too.  But I don't need to justify the things I love by relating them to comics...but yeah there were KING KONG comics and why would there not be?  Anyway...I love KING KONG check out the posters I found on the web and share with you today.

I know Frazetta did the book cover adaptation

THE WOLVERINE by John Buscema

John Buscema has always been my favorite comic book artist.  Many years ago when WOLVERINE  the series was coming out John was chosen to do the art for the comic book and he had a great run.  The issues with Al's inks were and probably are some of the greatest line art comic books has ever seen.  ( IMHO )
         With the film coming out seeing Hugh Jackman jacked up looking like a walking talking version of a John Buscema drawing just has the geek in me psyched to no end.  It'll be in 3D so we're really gonna see some claw popping action.  I think it'll be intense.
         But to digress...when the comic book series came out my local comic book shop owner Big Ed ( Rest his soul ) gave me the promo poster and I still have it... although it's just a promo poster it's a king sized piece of history...only next to my Big John HERC sketch it is one of the most prized pieces in my collection based on sentimental value alone.
        With this movie coming out and seeing the sneal peak trailer online it got my memory going and brought me back in time to the awe and joy of when John Buscema rulled the roost as one of the comic book industries greatest working , living legends...
          I love comic books ,I love Wolverine and I love John Buscema........
                                                                                                              -Mike

WHAT IF...

What if Captain America were brainwashed by the Red Skull in WWII.  Who would bring him in?

Well in true elseworlds style the best man for the job would be SGT ROCK. 

The premise is while under the influence of the Red Skull Cap killed Nick Fury and Bucky...so the only logical recourse would be to bring in SGT ROCK.  I was in a mood...felt like drawing so I imagined this scenario.  I cold swiped both images and squared off Cap against Sarge in a battel of the All star Americans.  I'm hoping to do the full mock up on this cover...soon.  I'll keep ya posted

The Thought factory , posters...Memories

I was 11 years of age when these posters came out.  I had the HULK and Captain America...I wanted the Superman and Thor and ( featured in an earlier post on this blog ) so badly but I never did get them.  The Bat Man as well was on my want list.  These posters are all currently on ebay for varying prices.  The posters themselves represent a more innocent time in my life from an era that no longer exists.  You can't go back there is no such thing as a time machine.  ( Unless you're in a jet plane and heading to the west coast...then you're travelling 3 hours into the past )  But...you can think back fondly to childhood and days of daydreams and reading comic books with not a worry in the world.  Adult life is rough...responsibility is rough and just keeping a job these days is rough.  In times like these the last thing a guy needs is a fascist Nazi perfectionist with OCD's pushing his zero tolerance policies on you.  These are tough times and basically...people should be judged on honesty as well as merit.  But thank the lord ...I am breathing.  I have my wife and I have my comics,toys,blogs and can still hold a pencil...Happy blogging folks.

Giant size Man-Thing

Here is a Gallery of some of my favorite Man-Thing comics...the regular series was great but these Giant sized issues hold a special place in my heart.  Mike Ploog, John Buscema,Gil Kane,Frank Brunner put out just some great untouched perfect story telling in these macabre tales of astonishing suspense and fear.  The King of the Macabre for this era was definately Mike Ploog whose work is timeless.  His work goes without saying as the greatest.  He was the man when it came to the macabre.  His work today shows no signs of any change or slowing down. He has a project coming out called GOLIATH...a giant white gorilla story...I can't wait for it to see print. Enjoy...the macabre renderings of THE MAN -THING

There can be only one Nick Fury!

Yeah yeah yeah we've been down this road before "Why did they make Nick a black dude?"

    Yes we also know that Marvel created a story around the introduction to the world as to why there is a black Nick Fury ( See BATTLE SCARS a series put out by Marvel about 3 years ago ) He's actually the real Nick's son and FURY is actually his SHIELD code name.
    This created a new dynamic and yes while it was a good derivitive plot contrivance we still only see Sam playing Nick on the big screen.
     That's not what I want...I want SGT. Nicholas Fury leader of the Howling commandoes!  There is a whole history of Marvel comics being whitewashed over so we can have Samuel L. Jackson as FURY ( who may be losing the job I hear )
     I love Sam...I love PULP FICTION , I love Stretch from Goodfella's I love SNAKES ON A PLANE I love DEEP BLUE SEA!  But I love COMIC BOOKS...and that aint the FURY I know and love.  Just sayin'.   I'm going to watch these Marvel films no matter what!  ;)

One minute later - Cap 153 by Sal Buscema

Who better to do a ONE MINUTE LATER cover than the original guy responsible for the MINUTE BEFORE!!! Our Pal Sal!!!

Absolutely my all time favorite Cap run...Sal's Cap is the picture in my mind when I hear the name Captain America...as is Tarzan to Joe Kubert or Conan to John Buscema and Jim Aparo to Bat Man and Most importantly Curt Swan for Superman. I'm sure most of you can agree.

I love Ernie Chan's INCREDIBLE HULK!!!

The 70's has always been my absolute favorite era in comics.  The art and stories were polished a bit more than the comics of the earlier decade but taking nothing away from the 60's I was only born in February of 67' so the 70's was the era I grew up in and where all my interest was generated.  Of course the 60's comics are a hairsbreadth away from the 70's as far as my favoritisim goes. I'd trade my right arm for a collection of either.  Because I love comic books.

One particular bit of history revolving around my love of comics is the art and the artists who rendered the comic books with style and flair.  Ernie Chan was one of those men whose work graces the pages of many a comic book I know so well and love.  I'm not really certain of the whole Chua era but I do know Chan is the man's real last name.  Ernie has drawn every super hero under the sun you can name.  Bat-Man , Superman , Conan ,Thor you name it he's drawn it.  One of my favorite runs from any era was Ernie's run on the Incredible HULK.  He drew the HULK so powerful and impressive with a technique and style like only he could deliver.  Ernie passed away but his work will live on and I will forever Marvel at his work and admire him.  He was one of the reasons why I myself picked up a pencil and started to draw.  He will always be an inspiration to me and I will forever love Ernie's HULK...here are several covers I lifted from various places on the web.  I do own these comics in my collection...it was just easier for me to save and post this way.  Enjoy...Man these bring back memories.

I love "BLACK LIGHTNING"

A few years back I sold 2/3 of my comic book collection my BLACK LIGHTNING run went along with the package.  So I looked up the lot on ebay and ordered them to replace my lost collection. 11 comics for 14.99 seemed like a fantastic bargain so I bought them right up.

Back when these comics came out I was around 11 years old and one of my favorite comic book characters was Marvel comics' POWERMAN  I was iimediately drawn to BL because of the costume design it jumps right out at you and this costume goes down in my book as one of the greatest costume designs in comic book history.  The idea he was an exploitation character went right over my head.  I was 11 innocent to things like that...he was just a cool Super Hero.  I can't wait to open that package up and re-read all these comic books one more time and pour over the art and enjoy the stories from a more innocent time in my life.  Wiffle ball in the street , Two hand touch , Riding bikes with Baseball cards int the spokes and COMIC BOOKS...I love comic books.

The Final issue of CAP...PERFECT.

I have always been a CAP fan and one of my favorite bits of history revolving around him is the creation of the fiftie's Cap... a man who idolized Steve Rogers so much he went to great lengths to become CAPTAIN AMERICA....The 1970's storyline where they pretty much introduced him in order to explain why there were CAP comics in the 50's was brilliant.
    He popped up in the comic from time to time and the last we heard from him he'd been shot by BUCKY AMERICA and fell off the Hoover dam.  They never recovered his body.  I knew he was still around.
   With the advent of NEW Marvel titles popping up it was decided to end the current run of course.  So they could start all over with a number one. Sure enough in the final issue written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by artistic phenom Steve Epting they wrapped up the last chapter of the Captain America of the 1950's.

I knew right from the start what was going on when I saw Steve Rogers...or someone who looks like him laying in a hospital bed.  Then they continue the story with some action as CAP ( 50's CAP ) foils the plans of some Evil clowns robbing a train.  The moment I saw him land with a crunch on top of that train I knew it was him ( William Burnside )  When it's all over Steve Rogers crashes the party and Burnside runs in a panic right in front of a speeding truck.  Which is why he ends up in the hospital.  What follows is one of the greatest wrap up stories along with a history of CAP depicted in the most entertaining manner.  From Steve's point of view.
   I still hope that with rehabilitation and guidance Burnside can actually become a Shield agent or some other Patriotic hero.  He's too great a character not to use again. 

   Do yourselves a favor an go out and get this issue and read it 12 times in row like I did.  It's a great story.  I love it.

SWAMP THING COVERS I love!!!...Original production art by Ernie Chan

This cover was totally pencilled and inked by Ernie Chan...powerful, POWERFUL composition!!!  The earlier post states in the comment section that Nestor Redondo did this cover....But I was in err...it was ERNIE CHAN...this looks to be a color guide.  I borrowed it from Mike Burkey's comic art auction site ROMITA MAN...      Nevertheless...it is an awesome cover.