Destroyed

Another snapshot of the apartment next door. A neighbor told me that the reason they are taking so long to finish, is that they sell the wooden planks to construction companies in Mexico. There are fewer regulations there. Maybe they will sell the plumbing fixures there as well.

I read this interview with Bob Budiansky and I was blown away. It's been awhile since I've seen him and it was a treat.
Read it!

The Fair was Good!

There were all kinds of books at The West Hollywood Book fair, but as far as I'm concerned, it was all about Tokyopop! It was a hot day and the fair was busy but not crowded. I did my panel under a tent with a good turnout! I wish I could have thanked everyone who showed up. After the panel, the five of us retreated to the Tokyopop/Golden Apple tent. Our Star Trek Manga sold out! Sales were hot as well.
I hung out for Steve, Tricia and their panel! It was cool but they shared the stage with some other chatty creators. I wish they would have talked more.
One cool thing was the transcribing on a monitor next to the stage. The woman typing tried her best to follow everyone talking, but she slipped a few words. Just for the record, the name is Tricia Riley HALE, not ALE.

Golden Apple Wednesday

These signings just keep getting better and better! Wednesday's are usually busy at Golden Apple Comics and last Wednesday was no exception. Not only did the usual gang of Star Trek Panelists show up, we were joined by a bunch of Tokyopop staffers. Mandy W. from artist relations and Rob Tokar the Editor in Chief! GA had been promoting the in-store signing for a while and they made us feel very welcome. By that, I mean they had beer, wine and pizza for us!

Are you reading this blog but not going to the signings? Shame on you! You still have a chance to hang out with us this coming Sunday at the West Hollywood Book Fair! I will give you a big friendly hug!

Sketch of the day!

I did some quick character sketches for a friend. So there!

The Saharan Motor Hotel

TOGA!

It's not October, but I am wearing a costume. I went to a birthday party last night in Bel-Air where the theme was Toga party! If you did not wear a toga, the host would wrap a bedsheet around you. As the party started rocking, more people showed up in street clothes. I guess they ran out of bedsheets. Some people just can't hang. I loved it and had a great time!

Mike Wellman Rules!

As the Head honcho of The Comic bug in Manhattan Beach, Mike can walk into any Comic shop without fear. This past Wednesday at the Star Trek signing at Meltdown Comics, he did exactly that. Then he got a beer. You can meet Mike and myself at Golen Apple Comics Sept 26th @8pm!

The week that was!

I can't describe this past week. Let's just say that I have been on a roll professionally, and personally. A high point was the signing at Meltdown Comics on Wednesday. I left the earlier baggage behind and had a neat time at the signing. I saw a copy of Comiculture Magazine in a display case and thought how cool it was. It was the cover I painted, so I was stoked.
There were cool fans and wine to drink. This was a little better than the previous week and I think next Wednesday will blow up!
Golden Apple Comics, here I come!

Meltdown on Wednesday

Am I being two-faced by appearing at a signing at Meltdown Comics tommorrow? I think maybe so. I justify it by saying that it's just business. When I get pissed at something,(or someone)it's the end. There are times where I have second thoughts about my actions. Maybe I made a mistake and I'm in the wrong. I also realise that I may be the only one with a problem and Meltdown does not know I exist. In this case, I am in the right. Screw Meltdown Comics...save me a seat tommorrow!

Broken Home

These apartments used to be homes for a dozen people. I never lived here, but I'll miss it all the same.

Tear it Down

Ever wonder what it's like to live next to a condemned building? Let me run it down for you.

Neighbors Leave-A year ago I had a conversation with a woman next door. She got a notice that she had six months to move out. When you first hear that you might get nervous, and wonder if you are going to become homeless. You could wonder if you could find another place in the area for the same rent. From next door, I noticed fewer cars parked next door and unopened junk mail at the doors.

Vandals Arrive-The signs start pilling up. Piles of junk mail, Phone books, no cars in the garage. One guy tags a wall with Graffiti and the word get out that a place is empty. By law, a building owner is supposed to board up a apartment scheduled for demolition. But they don't want to spend the money if they are tearing it down. I noticed new graffiti all thru the spring. The garage turned into a try-out canvas for a few B-list artists from the high school next door. On my days off, I would see truants hang out. No big deal. Abandoned apartments may be a cool hide out for kids these days. Until new tenants move in.

Homes for Homeless-I noticed graffiti outside a second floor balcony and broken glass from a front door window. A few more entered apartments and a call to the police. This part of LA is teeming with homeless persons. Once I heard laughter and a radio coming from a supposedly empty building, I knew that things were worse. Most of the units now had people living there rent free. That went on for 3 weeks.

Tear it Down-Demolition workers move in! Homeless move out. Overgrown trees are chopped down, yellow tape and notices are put up. The sounds of breaking glass and falling wooden beams. Just in time football season. I was told that it would take a week to tear it down in full. I hope to be at work when the heavy equipment shows up.

What Next-I think a developer will put up twice the units in the same space. What else?

Saga Motor Hotel

Yesterdays video was rather pixelated. This one is a bit clearer!

Live from Pasadena

This was the first event promoting the new Star Trek manga! It's the new anthology book from Tokyopop and we a re signing at the Comics Factory in Pasadena! I show up a little early for the event and I have a chance to give the location the once over. It's a great location with a lot of space. Well lit and Clean. There were five of us meeting the fans, Mike Wellman, Christine Boylan, Wil Wheaton, Luis Reyes from Tokyopop and myself. It was a humble turnout to be sure, but we may get some sweet coverage from Star Trek.com. We signed some books for a future promotion.


Two things worth mentioning; I was the only artist there, so I did some quick sketches of the Enterprise with every autograph. Come to the next signing and get a bonus sketch! This was the first time I spent any time hanging with W. Wheaton. Nice guy.
A bunch of us went to an Irish bar he hangs at after the signing. We had some laffs.

I think the next signing will rock the house! I will be at Meltdown comics on Sept. 19th! Come on over and I will tell you why Star Trek rules and why Meltdown Comics sucks!

Today I Sign!

I will be at the Comics Factoryin Pasadena today at 7pm! I will sign copies of the new Star Trek manga out right now! I don't do that many in-store events, so I am looking forward to it. Bring any book you want and I will sign it!

Star Trek Manga

I have blogged about it and now it's here! The newest Star Trek Manga will debut this Wednesday and the west coast signing tour will soon begin. For more info, visitTokyopop.

Sketch of the day!

What is the Sketch of the day? I am trying a Manga-type of style. Different proportions, something new.

A Good Day

Today is my Birthday and I am celebrating with a few friends!
By the way, this image has been retouched...

Then and Now Pt. 2

This is a page from an issue of Power Pack. A MARVEL comicbook about four kids with super powers and they keep it a secret from the parents. I never understood how they would pull that one off. I enjoyed the book and I was able to work on a number of issues in the early 90s. I inked this page and the penciler was Steve Buccellato!

One of the things I noticed was my brush line. I controlled the thickness of the line, but I used too much brush. Steve had an exciting layout, but I may have muscled out Steves style. Sorry man.

Then and Now

I created a book called Forever Amber around 1999. It was my first time writing and drawing and original character and to be honest didn't know if I could pull it off. I gained a lot of experience on the editorial side and with writing as well. I had some positive reviews and if you are interested in reading the entire 4 issue series, The good people at Comiculture.com could help you out. As I look at the book now, I just want to redraw everything. I started drawing it while I had a day job at Sony Animation in Culver City and sharing a studio in Marina Del Rey. I might have been in a rush to finish it.

Anyway, I am posting the cover to issue 3. The character Amber has problems with her boss and she has been double-crossed. I think that shows in the cover. I think the art holds up, but if I had to change anything, I would get rid of the rolodex on the floor. It's supposed to be a near future setting and it is certainly out of place. My friend Steve, who colored it told me just that and he was right. Like I said, I was learning.

Mark Gruenwald

My Good Friend Mark Gruenwald died 11 years ago. He was funny, Creative and very, very talented! I wish he was still here.

Funny Lady

I found this video by Chelsea Perretti!
Watch it!

Work in Progress

I try to layout my fight scenes. They are usually brief, but with a lot of action. It's easy to get lost if you don't have a plan. In this scene, our hero is behind bars. And she is not alone!

Crimestopper!

I had no idea that Law Enforcement officers had computer technology back in 1971! I clipped the ad shown below from a LIFE Magazine and it looks similar to a modern Police cruiser. You could retrieve and send info to a database, but no email. I wonder, did all the cops have this?

I'll see you in Court!

I did my duty and sat in the jurors pool. There was a lot of waiting and a few annoying people, but it was pleasent enough. The best part was a short pep talk from a Judge. He spoke about the constitution and trial by jury and why it's important to serve. I agree. I was not selected for a trial, but maybe one day. I mean serve on jury, not as a defendant on trial!

My Back Pages

Anyone who has seen original comic art, may notice more original art behind the front page! I love discovering the unseen sketches. I'm posting some work found on the back of originals. One is by Bret Blevins and he gives a shout out to one of the MARVEL production guys. I don't remember the year, maybe '92 or so. The other is some sketches by John Heebink!

Early Work

Every artist has a really bad early job. This page is one of mine! An 8 page KULL Back-up story in The Savage Sword of Conan. It was normal for Editors back then to pair bad pencilers with excellent inkers and my job was inked by E.R. Cruz. He helped my anatomy and gave depth to my backgronds. I don't have any copies of my pencils, but I think my storytelling holds up well. I hate looking at my old stuff. I keep wanting to re-draw everything.


One more thing, When I started doing BGs for layton he promised that he would ink my first penciling jobs. He never did. The closest he got was this face. I think he got a hold of the story, and for whatever reason, returned it. I guess that's another story.

Tokyopop Rocks

I am posting 3 photos! One has Mike Wellman and myself. Mike wrote a story for Star Trek Manga and I drew a separate story for the book. I'm looking forward to the book signing tour in September! You can see that the convention was hot and I'm a bit sweaty.
I look better with Tricia Hale as I hold her book 'Grand Theft Galaxy'! I should also say that Steve Buccellato has his book out, 'Battle of the Bands'! So many talented people work for Tokypop!

Warm colors!

I found another example of a night scene done in warm colors! It's a photograph but I can see it being reproduced in photoshop. I am trying to color my own work(I haven't gotten past black and white tones yet), but I am keeping an open mind. What do you think?
EDIT_--I should have added this link to an earlier blog posting in April, where I talked about comicbook coloring. color!

Cat Sketch Fever

I am working on a project that involves Cats, Cats and More Cats! This is just a sample.

I can't resist a pretty face!

This is Laura Vandervoort! She will play Supergirl on the next season of 'Smallville'. I don't watch the show because I can't stand seeing Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen and all the other characters they crowbar on the show. Didn't Green Arrow and Aquaman appear on the show? Is Superman even in costume? Will this new Supergirl show up in costume before Clark Kent? Can't stand it!

The Rock is Burning!

I just noticed that movie star and former Pro Wrestler The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), is showing up at media events with burning people. Why are people setting themselves on fire just to meet him?

Westerns are BIG...On Cable TV

I love Westerns! I am still working on the sequel to my GunpowderGirl and the Outlaw Squaw, so I'm aware of the new western movies out there. A film called 3:10 to Yuma will be out in theatres soon. It stars Christian Bale and Russell Crowe and I can't wait to see it! But if I want to catch a new Western movie, all I have to do turn to the nearest Cable station.

Nice blog

I have been digging this blog lately! Check it!

My Favorite Splash

I have done my fair share of splash pages and there have been many artists I admire. This splash page from Web of Spider-Man #94 is a page I can't get over. Penciled by Alex Saviuk, It shows Mary Jane Parker alone in bed and almost falling out of her evening wear. You can see the old-fashioned lettering ON the artwork.

Every time I see Alex, I remember this page. He is the man!

Fan Convention or Job Fair?

Allen Gladfelter posted a comment on yesterday's blog. He wondered if anyone ever actually gets any work after attending a convention. I have a story about that. Archie Goodwin went to a convention, I think it was around Baltimore, and saw some pencil samples that really impressed him. He could not use him, but he recommended the artist to another Editor Carl Potts. The artist was Jim Lee and I remember inking the backgrounds on his first job on Alpha Fight.

My point is that someone with gigantic talent will get noticed, but it's like a lightning strike. These days, there are established pros hitting up the various editors and the newcomers may not get noticed at all. That's why I believe in drawing your own books and becoming a success independently.

I know that conventions are the only way for most people to have any face to face time with an editor. The only place to get a professional review of their art. But the first con was not a job fair. A bunch of geeky comicbook readers got together in the early 70s in a hotel lobby somewhere and talked about comics and sell some back issues. Maybe some invited guests like an artist or actor would show up.

I bring some samples everytime I show up at a convention because I don't have the face time with the editors that I used to have. Do I hope to get more work? Sure. I don't expect lightning to strike.

Final Notes

I hope that you've enjoyed the videos, but I do have a few quick observations on The San Diego Comic Con.

I went to a few panels and noted that the females who indentified themselves as Librarians, had pink hair!

The most popular items at the Con was the enormous, fake Jabba the Hutt Statue and the Yoda Backpack.

Is anyone hiring pencilers? Inkers? Even with all the money soaking up the place, I'm not sure.

My Final Report from Comic-Con!

It's me and the Stormtroopers! They are corrupt and I confront them!

More from San Diego!

I spoke with Simon Furman, the much-in-demand writer of the Transformers Comic! I cornered him on Friday morning!

My Report from Comic-Con!

I am sure you will read many reports from the convention in San Diego this week, but none have the same hard-hitting investigative style that you will find here! I blow the lid off Comic-Con!

Spectacle

In the film Ben-Hur, There's the chariot scene with a cast of thousands. Comic-Con reminds me of that scene.

My Conan Idea

A few years ago, when Dark Horse Comics started printing Conan, I had an idea for a story that I wanted to pitch on spec. I wanted to do it in Gouache and watercolor! I called my friend Vince, an excellent painter! We have collaborated before on a similar project and I wrote a few sample pages. It didn't work out. I sketched a few pages but then I got distracted by another job. I think it would have been fun.

Sketch of the day!

And what is the sketch of the day?

Shorthand for hands

I worked in animation for a few years and I learned a lot. This scan of hand positions was a cool learning tool. It's like a shorthand to drawing hands!

My little Garden

I have a little garden that I am proud of. it's more like a few pots on a fence. My friend Cat gave me a Strawberry plant that I was able to nurture, and now it's bearing fruit! I love watching things grow.

The Secret Defenders and Me

I came across a blog that talked about Tom Grindberg and his work on an issue of The Secret Defenders. That book was about Dr.Strange and his efforts to gather different heroes to combat evil. It was an early 90's attempt to bring back the old Defenders group, but with a twist! It was a good idea. I was there at the beginning.

Mike Rockwitz was Editor of the book. I was the regular inker of another book he was editing, Nick Fury, Agent of Shield and he wanted me to jump to SD. I was all for doing it, but I wanted to ink the final issue of Shield. I felt that I could do both jobs, but I wasn't given a choice.

When I got the first issue of The Secret Defenders, I was disappointed with the pencils. The penciler was just starting out and I could see that he was using a lot of 'swipe' shots insted of doing the hard work. The figures looked awkward and if you take a look at the 7th issue of the book, you will see some strange Michael Golden swipes. I'm no snob, I believe in photo reference and research and doing as little work as possible. I also believe in quality control.

So anyway, The Secret Defenders sold well in the beginning. But things went south and the penciler fell out of favor. Tom Grindbergs' art had been floating around the office for a little while. I had inked an 8 page Beta Ray Bill story that Tom drew in a "Magnola-esqe" style. He put in some powerful lines and it was different! I inked Tom on a few books. Daredevil, Spidey 2099 and a great looking story about MORG, a herald for Galactus. I remember him changing his art style constantly!
My opinion is he would change to whatever style that would get him work. Not a bad thing per se, but you would see a difference every two issues. From a Neal Adams style to a Mignola style to a mix of both. I think I was able to keep up and I wound up working with him for a while.

My favorite SD story was issue 14. It was the last of a 3 issue story arc that featured 4 villains deceived by Thanos. They were sent to steal a powerful item, then Thanos strands them to take the blame. Nice story by Ron Marz.

The book changed editors. New direction and all that. The new editor wanted me to stay on, but there were other jobs to do. I helped ink half of issue 18, but it was over another new penciller. I did my best to help out. Take a look at the pencils next to the inks.

Check out the above link to read the discussion about The Secret Defenders #9. Someone made a comment about my inking and I thought it was unfair. That guy has no idea.

Changing City

I picked up an old Life magazine and I saw this photo essay on crime in the city. The mag was from November 1971 and the writer spent some time with people living on East 78th in Manhattan. Crime was so bad back then, the residents were afraid to leave the apartment. Things would only get worse.

I remember playing softball in Central Park in the early 90s. The team would head to the eastside around 86th st. to hang out and get an after game bite. I never felt like the city was on lock down at all. It seems like the city was as grey as the photos in LIFE shows. If there were any bad people on 78th street, I hope the high rents got rid of them.

Harry Potter

Today was a good day. I bought a set of new tires for the car, had a nice brunch in Santa Monica complete with people watching and I saw the latest Harry Potter film. I enjoyed it! No spoilers here, but I will say that it's darker than the previous films. As for darker I noticed something about the actor Daniel Radcliffe.

As he grows up, I see fewer photos of him with the rest of the cast. No more shots of him with a stupid owl. For example, here are two magazine covers. The Entertainment Weekly has Radcliffe in his movie outfit, but with a menacing kind of light above and behind him. The Details Magazine has brighter light, but that facial hair says no good brother-in-law that won't get a job.

I guess Warner Bros. is trying to sell a movie about wizards again. It worked with me!

iTunes

There was a TV show about Les Paul, the Jazz guitarist. After the show I bought some of his music from iTunes. Buying music online is a little too easy.

Underdog Bites

I got something in the mail from Disney. It's just a postcard advertising their latest movie playing at the El Capitan Theatre. It's a great place to see a film for sure, but I have no interest in seeing the next film opening in August.

Underdog opens Aug. 3rd. It's a live action film based on the cartoon series from the 1960s. The cartoon was kinda funny, why they need to make a movie about it, who knows. The hero would fly and fight crime and everything else, but when he would get in a bind or lose his power, he would open a compartment in his ring and pop a special pill to restore his strength!

Pop a pill to restore his strength? It would happen in every show and that's probably why you can find it on TV anymore. It was not so strange for that era in animation when The Flintstones sold cigarettes and Racial stereotypes on Saturday Morning shows were normal.

My beef with the movie is that there won't be any ring on the dogs hand. That's bogus! You would think Disney would show a few cartoons before the movie. Instead, they have some woman and her stunt dog.

Come on Disney!

Online Shopping

I have been buying a lot of stuff online lately. It started with Banana Republic. Once I got used to my slacks arriving 3 days later than promised, it was a cinch. Then it was ITunes. Looking for 'Jeff Becks 'Bolero'? It's only 99 cents! It was easy to buy 'Battle of the Bands' on Amazon. Now I hold in my hands another Amazon purchase. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin!

I must have been a kid when I first saw this flick on a Saturday. Before Cable TV, the local NY station would play Kung-Fu movies all day. When I found out about the restored movie on sale, I had to get it. I won't ruin the ending, but I'll tell you that the good guys win!

Lucky Day

I thought that I might be off of work these last few days. No such luck. I think it's the awkward wednesday holiday. I flirted with the idea of going to Las Vegas this weekend because of the once in a century day this Sat.

7-7-7! Can you believe it? How can anyone not make a bet today? I know that the streets will be clogged with wedding processions, so maybe it's best to stay out of Vegas. Oh boy...I gotta get lucky today!

Burbank Kwik E Mart

Today I visited a Burbank 7-Eleven store that was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart for the day! I love the power that advertising wields, so I waited 10 minutes to enter. They offered Simpsons inspired products like Buzz Cola and Squishee Drinks at a 7-Eleven price! It was a great idea to promote The Simpsons movie and I bought into it! I don't know if there are any such Kwik-E-Mart stores near you, but if you see one, stop in.

Membership

it's been a while since I've worked in Animation. I prefer the creative freedom of drawing comics, but every now and again I'll check the Animation Guild Blog.

Heroes are in Fashion!

These photos are from Paris Fashion Week. The designer, Felipe Olievira Baptista, has been influenced by comics. My question is for the ladies; would you wear this on the street? Am I missing the point to Haute Couture?

Pink Taco

There is a new place to hang out in LA. I remember going to the Pink Taco restaurant in Las Vegas. I caught a quick bite in the Hard Rock Casino inbetween Blackjack games. Now there is a new Pink Taco, located in Century City! It just opened, so I'll visit soon.

I found the concept drawing in a magazine and it's close to the finished bar. Except the finished bar has a lot more pink.