Photos of Sydney!

I have recently returned from a wonderful honeymoon in Australia! It's winter there now, but there was no snow on the ground. My wife and I walked all over Sydney and I carried my camera with me. Here are some snapshots (and maybe some reference photos) for everyone.

My Storm Trooper Comic-Con Video!

For those who enjoy convention videos, check out my video from 2007 at San Diego!
Click Here!

More Attack!

I have not posted anything for a few weeks because of personal stuff and I think it's high time to get back to it! As you may know, the annual trip to San Diego is ahead and I always have something to write about.

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Strange Adventures Page!

I inked a page of art penciled by Denys Cowan a few months ago, just as a sample page. I got a copy of the pencils and light boxed them. It was part of a story featured in 'Strange Adventures' issue 1 and John Lloyd inked the printed version. The book is on the stands now and I'm able to compare my work with Lloyds'.

You Know It's Noir If...

This is another example of storytelling shorthand, and this clipping has been very useful! If you were going to write a crime story, I bet you would include a bunch of the elements in this article:
A guy drinks whisky (straight) in the day. That's great for establishing your world-weary character! A woman smokes, drinks and sings, all at the same time. Now you know who the femme fatale is! A body lies face down in a pool of blood. What's a crime story without the crime? Got it? Now start writing!

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Storyboard Stuff

I am posting some recent storyboard art!

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Madison Square Park

I would always pass through this park on my way from the Subway to the old Marvel offices. The top snapshot is from around '94 or so and the bottom is from early 2010.

I Won!

I got this scratch off ticket from a close friend as a gift and I won 10 bucks!

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Storytelling Shorthand

James McAvoy is a great young actor! I first saw him in the first Narnia movie and he's been doing a lot since then. I've noticed a little something about the roles he's been playing recently. He's seems to play the attractive and intelligent nerd type and he does so with or without a love interest. I've seen two examples where he shows his smarts and likability, posted below. He plays a game of chess with someone.

The first image is from a movie released 5 or so years ago called 'Penelope', and the second is from the new X-men film, due out this summer.
Coincidence? Maybe. Who knows if the directors or the screenwriters were thinking alike about McAvoy or if this is kind of shorthand used for all kinds of actors. I will keep my eyes open!

Jim Shooter has a Blog

I am proud to be the 200th follower of the Jim Shooter BLOG!I knew Jim briefly at Marvel when I was a Romita Raider and I got to know him a bit better when I worked on staff at Valiant. It's been great reading about his life at DC in the 60s and how he became EIC at Marvel. The comic book business is running out of old school pros, so I'm happy to read what Jim is writing.

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Photo of the day

I attended a wedding this weekend and I had a wonderful time! The happy couple exchanged rings at this bright, warm country club/ golf course.

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Wedding on a Ship!

I have never spent any time on a modern cruise ship! I did go to a party on the old, haunted Queen Mary, but this was a different experience. My fiance and I attended a wedding on a cruise liner yesterday and It was a lot of fun. Here's what stuck with me. The brides dress was beautiful, the ceremony and reception was short and to the point because all the guests who did not pay for the actual cruise had to get off the ship. And most importantly, there was tons of food! I wish the happy couple all the luck in he world.

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Western Evening

Another attempt at color! My schedule has recently opened up, so I am back to drawing my own book.

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Drawing of the Day

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Jenna Of The Jungle!

I am returning to my online story 'Jenna of The Jungle'! For those who would like to see the previous episodes, check the label for this post!

Lettering by The Bullpen

This is a post that pays homage to the lost art of lettering by hand. Let's have a moment of silence. Ok! Does anyone know where these Cover balloons are from?

Advertising Art

Here are some more AD layouts. Let's sell some beer!

Robert Fawcett!

My new Robert Fawcett book arrived in the mail today! Do you have yours?

Art by Michael Golden

I bought stock when Marvel first went public. A lot of Marvel employees bought stock because it was a no-brainer. At the time Marvel had 60 percent of the Comic market! As a stock holder, I received the annual report. This is the cover from the 1995 report and it's drawn by M. Golden.
You can see another cool cover drawn by John Romita in a previous POST!

Art by David Mazzuchelli

I'm lucky to have DAREDEVIL pencil copies of D. Mazzuchelli art! When he started on the book way back when, he was inked by Dan Bulandi, a very strong inker. These scans show how tight Mazzuchelli's pencils were.

Mazzuchelli would have a good run on the book and he'd ink himself for about a dozen issues before leaving. He's doing his own graphic novels now, and I think his art is great! But it doesn't look like this anymore.

I Drew It, Then Colored It!

I did a recent drawing of Wolverine. I decided to color it!

Art by Jorge Zaffino

The late Jorge Zaffino drew this page but I don't remember the book. It was for Marvel though. It's a great, dark and moody page. I found a place on the web with dozens of Zaffino scans! Click HERE to see the Picasa gallery!

Dwayne McDuffie

Dwayne died earlier this week and I wish I knew him better. I first met him when he worked in Editorial at Marvel. He did not stay there very long, but I worked with him when he wrote XO Manowar for Acclaim Comics. He wrote so many books and I admired his great talent. I went to the ReggiesWorld launch party at Golden Apple Comics last night. I heard Reg Hudlin and Denys Cowan remember him and how he was taken away too soon. He was a good guy and I wish I knew him better.

Art by Floro Dery

In my early days at Marvel, I had a chance to do some lettering in the Bullpen. I got the opportunity to letter 2 Spider-Man sunday Strips! The regular letterer went on vacation and gave me copies of some earlier Sunday strips. I think I've posted the original Sundays a few years ago, but here is some Spidey art from the artist at the time, Floro Dery!

Art by Garcia-Lopez

This is some Promo art drawn for the second Batman film starring Michael Keaton. It's drawn by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and I think he got the likeness right! I have a bunch more Lopez art I will post in the future!

Art by Alan Davis

These pencils are by Alan Davis! I used to hang around the office that edited 'Excalibur' and I'd get excited when his pencils would come in. He did some his best work on the book! He did even better work on the 'ClanDestine' book from Marvel but I don't have any copies from that stuff.

Does Color Help?

I did the drawing on the left but someone else did the color! I knew that the colorist would work his/her magic but I am wondering why are the windows tinted? The detail inside the taxicab is lost!

Inks by Terry Austin

I'm showing an example of inking! Two different pencillers but one common inker, Terry Austin. When I was just starting out as a penciller I wanted Terry to ink me. He has a powerful style!

Art by Dan Barry

I worked for Valiant Comics in 1990. The top guy, Jim Shooter started publishing books based on Nintendo characters and brought in some establish pros to work on them. That's how I got to meet Dan Barry! He drew a book based on the "Punch out" video game, and we all got to meet him. He brought copies of the daily newspaper strip he worked on, Flash Gordon!

They don't draw strips like this anymore.

Art by John Severin

John Severin is an awesome artist with a long history in comics. When he returned to Marvel in the late 80s, he didn't do a lot of Superhero books. He did a 'Rawhide Kid' issue, a book called 'Semper Fi' and an issue of 'The Nam'.
The art below is from 'The Nam'! The copies show the detail that was lost in the printed comic.

Are you following this?

It's been a slow month for blogging, but I am starting up again in a big way! For those who are new to this blog, let me give you some background.
I'm Don. I am now an Illustrator on the West Coast but in a previous life I worked as an inker in NYC. I had a chance to know some great people and I worked over some wonderful pencils! I was such a fan, I made copies of all the stuff that excited me. I thought that I could be cool to share the stuff I've saved with every one who follows my blog!
Everyone in the world can check it out, but YOU guys can see it first. Starting tomorrow, I will post scans of some art from the 90's and I'll add some commentary. Your comments are welcome as well!
Are you following this?

Advertising Art

When i t comes to Advertising Art, I like to keep things simple. This frame is all about selling beer!