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Archive for December, 2009
The December of Despero
Dec 31st
Frank Lee Delano, keeper of The Idol-Head of Diabolu blog, chronicling the affairs of J’onn J’onzz the Martian Manhunter, has been running a month long article and image fest on the villain Despero. Frank was a big inspiration last year when we ran the campaign to save J’onn J’onzz from the death-grip of DC editorial plans. He’s also run a hefty amount of reviews of my Manhunter series from 1976, along with other mentions.
So, a moment before the end of the year, while still in December, here’s a quick Despero sketch for the Idol-Head, and a Happy New Year shoutout to Frank, and all the friends in his healthy and happy circle of bloggers.
WAVE Preview
Dec 27th
WAVE is a new ongoing comics project. A graphic novel planned for more than 150 pages. The epic weaves historical influences, contemporary events, emerging sciences & science-fiction, social upheaval and heroic fantasy in an end of the world scenario.
WAVE is my first comics project in more than 20 years and the first full graphic novel I’ve started.
Click image for full screen navigation with image scaling and scrolling, courtesy of ISSUU.
Updates will follow as pages are produced.
To download PDF file of WAVE Preview, go here and click download in the menu..
Happy 41st Birthday, Tom Spurgeon!
Dec 16th
If everyone whom Tom wishes a happy birthday to, were to post a birthday wish for him today…
…they might just break the internet.
Comics journalism and commentary at its very best.
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Comic Treadmill on Challengers #82
Dec 16th
Comic Treadmill is a long running blog discussion platform launched in 2003 by Mag and H. It was inspired by a series of email exchanges where H commented on comics from his collection in the process of his long overdue indexing of same. The commentary was engaging to the degree that it gave birth to one of the more well known sources for information and discussion in the comics blogoshpere.
H posted a commentary last weekend on Challengers of the Unknown #82 from 1977, which I penciled in 1976 (still Mike Nasser). It was inked by Josef Rubinstein and written by Gerry Conway. The issue also sports a one panel Swamp Thing appearance that was inked by Berni Wrightson – and a one page bio replacing the letters in that issue, indicating that DC was beginning to take note of my art. It was the second and only Challengers book I drew after issue # 81 that was inked by Bob Wiacek.
Barely 21 years old when I drew it, Challengers #82 was one of several turning points in my early career. The few books I’d previously penciled for DC were early training ground, while this issue took a sharp turn towards looking more like an exciting and professional comic book. It was the first time Neal Adams looked through one of my books and said: “This is a good comic book!”
In the post at Comic Treadmill, H recalls that Gerry Conway was not one of his favorite writers but that upon re-reading this book now while indexing it, he may have not have given the book its fair due in the past and that it was a good enjoyable story. H also comments on the art:
And I have always liked the art of Mike Nasser, who does the pencils with Joe Rubenstein inking. Sure, Nasser’s style owed more than a little to Neal Adams, but I like Neal Adams art and I like Nasser’s Adams-like style. The art demands the eye’s attention. Here are three good examples.
In a comment on the post, Keith adds:
The Challengers of the Unknown have never thrilled me, either. I DO love Mike Nasser’s artwork, though. Had I known of his involvement with this series, I would have picked it up years ago. Nasser’s an artist I never felt really got his due. I consider him one of the heavy-hitters of the 70′s, but I seem to hold the minority opinion. Thanks for shedding light on this forgotten series. I imagine that if I can find it, it won’t be terribly expensive to pick up. I’m sure you get this a lot, but I love your site. Quite happy I stumbled across it.
Kind gratitude, H and Keith, for the very nice words.
Supergod at Bleeding Cool
Dec 6th
Rich Johnston, reporter extraordinaire and Bleeding Cool proprietary, sent out a memo to his contacts before Thanksgiving, asking for news bits about upcoming projects that haven’t yet received much comics press. He ran the items throughout the holiday, one every hour, transcending East to West U.S. time zones (34 items and not getting any sleep in the process).
Though I don’t have a new comics projects to promote right now, I did send Rich a few images and words that relate to Warren Ellis’ new series SUPERGOD, published by Avatar Press, which Rich advertises and reports on at Bleeding Cool. Suffice it to say that because the item wasn’t quite about an upcoming project, it didn’t make it into the Thanksgiving marathon. And so, that was that.
To my surprise, Rich ran the piece today as an independent Bleeding Cool item.
Supergod: The Other Version by Mike Netzer.
There’s nothing really in common, other than the name, between Warren’s series and my strip from 1978. Warren’s SUPERGOD is an apocalyptic journey into the dark side of fabricated-to-order saviors, while my strip was a more innocent look at superhero godhood trying to cheer up some people in a psychiatric ward who seemed to need a little positive encouragement in their homemade newsletter. But they carry the same name, which perhaps reveals that dark and light motifs, polarized as they appear to be, can share a commonality.
Warren Ellis is producer/writer of some of the more prolific ideas and titles in comics. He reaches deep into readers’ hopes and fears to stimulate and entertain, while clearly having something to say along the way. His cultural sensibilities, telling volumes about the man behind the writer, are elegantly laid out in his perpetually morphing web expanse. From his groundbreaking Transmetropolitan series for DC Helix to his recent surge of titles at Avatar Press that include Black Summer, Doktor Sleepless, FreakAngels and Ignition City, Warren Ellis’ contribution to comics is perhaps of the most expressive of divergent states that readers of the graphic story form thirst for.
The same name for two diverging ideas nearly 30 years apart. Bloody bleeding cool.
Around the Neighborhood
Dec 4th
Legion Movie
New film from Screen Gems, directed by Scott Stewart. January 22nd, 2010. Looks good.
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Patri and Ilan
Two artists I worked with in 2004 at DPSI, 3D animation studio in Israel which began producing the last film that Christopher Reeve directed, before his untimely passing away. Click each image to view their marvelous portfolios.
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Growing Earth Ranks High at Discovery
Growing Earth Theory recently received the number 2 spot for science conspiracy theories at Discovery. A very favorable review, actually, of the type which are snowballing in popular media. Click the image below to see the video.
Happy Birthday Michelle!
Dec 2nd
Since Michelle left Israel nearly 2 years ago, she’s been busy as vocalist for deep funk and soul classicist band, Third Coast Kings. So busy, in fact, that it’s become difficult to keep track of the enormous success the band is having and the prolific opportunities unfolding before Michelle.
It’s now another full circle since that birthday trip to Ein Gedi. A new birthday to the background of a marvelous realization of a life dream to perform and inspire.
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May your star shine till the ends of eternity, your wonderful talent continue to enrich and enlighten everyone you touch… and may it be the happiest birthday yet.
— From all the family in Ofra
