tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89154771350635958942024-03-13T07:38:48.039-05:00...nurgh...No! Nerd! Ugh! Argh!Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comBlogger840125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-21743052405505147792022-10-03T03:35:00.002-05:002022-10-03T03:35:29.453-05:002019 Dawn of the Dead Fandemic David Early as Sidney Berman jam by Adrian Nelson <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdF735eLMaiT7P5tFax7VJwCQMdkHlAiFWPXhGvLhl5Tl31sPqfO_t-WMkVGtb1iy8-98Cf8WROF3O52VIwQEmZB-MC_gwERFofU9SDN6SXPeL4PEUUbWgMLJy0U0E1Fo_lFTCTpjFX9DOt8bhqtsdzyNh7X5zPYnqtRwlJKNP_Onw7CfSseis6KA/s1600/2019%20Fandemic%20David%20Early%20as%20Sidney%20Berman%20jam%20by%20Adrian%20Nelson%20.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdF735eLMaiT7P5tFax7VJwCQMdkHlAiFWPXhGvLhl5Tl31sPqfO_t-WMkVGtb1iy8-98Cf8WROF3O52VIwQEmZB-MC_gwERFofU9SDN6SXPeL4PEUUbWgMLJy0U0E1Fo_lFTCTpjFX9DOt8bhqtsdzyNh7X5zPYnqtRwlJKNP_Onw7CfSseis6KA/s1600/2019%20Fandemic%20David%20Early%20as%20Sidney%20Berman%20jam%20by%20Adrian%20Nelson%20.jpg"/></a></div>
Twenty-two years ago, I had the opportunity to attend San Diego Comic Con, which spoiled me for not only conventions, but for life as a comic shop retailer. I had such a blast on my meager personal funds and through the generosity of others that I realized that I didn't want to commit to continued impoverishment. It took a couple years to come out of a depressive state, make that realization, and fully act upon it. I still struggled in the aughts, and certainly had my lows, but I never truly regretted that decision. It was the right call.<br /><br />
In 2010, while visiting a comic shop during a work break on a job where I was making something like twice what I had at the comic shop, I saw a flier for a local convention called Comicpalooza. I wasn't exactly flush, and we only managed to make it to one day of the show, but I picked up several of my first ever art commissions that day. I was so excited by the prospect, and thoroughly hooked. The following year, I giddily pounced on the second full scale Comicpalooza (the very first show in 2009 was a piddly thing outside a mall movie theater, so I don't count it.) I had carefully vetted all the artists announced for the show, and shopped for new art accordingly. Adrian Nelson was not among those who had been advertised, merely sitting at the table of one who was, but I liked his samples and took a shot. The result was my first <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2011/08/2011-bloodwynd-comicpalooza-commission.html" target="_blank">Bloodwynd</a> piece.<br /><br />
<a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2011/08/2011-bloodwynd-comicpalooza-commission.html" target="_blank">Click To Enlarge<br />
<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sn_Tj5Kzi70/Xgz6jiJZ6zI/AAAAAAAADFM/kaWdwxICs-Q-suu-BxnIKcQpI_jPCILOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2011%2BBloodwynd%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BAdrian%2BNelson.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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The following year worked out much the same, with my stumbling upon Nelson as he sat with the Austin collective CCP Comics at the ill-fated Space City Con. This show yielded <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2013/03/2012-malefic-space-city-con-commission.html" target="_blank">Malefic</a>, and I felt bad by messing him over by showing up a day early to pick up his intended color sample of <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2013/03/2012-maalefaak-space-city-con_20.html" target="_blank">Ma'alefa'ak</a>. Sorry, Adrian.<br /><br />
I think Nelson dropped out of shows for a couple years to work on some commercial art projects and try to develop his own comic for publication. When he turned up at Amazing Houston Comic Con in 2015, I made sure to include him in a friends of Martian Manhunter jam featuring <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2016/09/2015-glenn-gammeron-amazing-houston.html" target="_blank">Glenn Gammeron</a>. That turned out swell, and when I needed someone to pull together the <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2016/02/2015-jonzz-family-portrait-artist-jam.html" target="_blank">J'Onzz Family Portrait Artist Jam</a>, he came through for me again on the Martian deity H'ronmeer. The next year, I was singularly focused on gathering pieces for the Aliens 30th Anniversary reunion at Comicpalooza. I had intentionally avoided artists from whom I'd previously acquired commissions for this project, but with the deadline looming, a reached out to Nelson on Twitter as someone I knew I could rely on to deliver a home run <a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-ricco-ross.html" target="_blank">Private Ricco Frost</a>. We met up at a McDonald's parking lot, and chatted for a bit. He wasn't doing shows that year either, as I recall working on something of a vanity project for a well-heeled foreign patron. Not sure if anything substantial ever came of that, but I sincerely wished him the best.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sa-xfWcVpwLfPAtImkgHC2xIjpzIZX5Vs84hVhEfqJPfcUjkd5T9hBErGAQvxQgM4Ttj0mvpl6PB2lRsbC4O2ETZJRJCK833LHEovbgtPwxPAeFlFaWB_wFP2VYVyNJ_hyKxm56suPfHmm9kv5NqyqRlzalLhM0ebnjILwow7VCPS0EbmEZlfuAU/s1600/2B3-Rfpl.jpg" target="_blank">Work In Progress Sketch<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sa-xfWcVpwLfPAtImkgHC2xIjpzIZX5Vs84hVhEfqJPfcUjkd5T9hBErGAQvxQgM4Ttj0mvpl6PB2lRsbC4O2ETZJRJCK833LHEovbgtPwxPAeFlFaWB_wFP2VYVyNJ_hyKxm56suPfHmm9kv5NqyqRlzalLhM0ebnjILwow7VCPS0EbmEZlfuAU/s1600/2B3-Rfpl.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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In 2017, I reached out to him again for a project via Twitter, this time a banner for the <a href="https://rolledspine.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Rolled Spine Podcasts</a> blog. I don't recall if Mac had designed our logo yet after a couple of misses soliciting letterers, including one I still bear ill will toward when I see him credited. I had a complicated idea for the banner, and I think it may have overwhelmed Nelson, but he also had a lot going on in life. I don't know which con we met at in 2018, but I finally decided to get a piece of the super-obscure Martian Manhunter villain <a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2022/10/2019-osprey-color-commission-by-adrian.html" target="_blank">The Osprey</a>. Like the Ricco Ross piece, this was a take-home, something I generally avoid. I knew Nelson would make it worthwhile though, and I really liked his initial sketch. <br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddpRBBblhB7UlRnQ7r83zlVyHp0ZQ7bCZ30GRsQu4kQDTwK3Y3ggBlhVhMAnDXbm2pfQ2895Bb9hsm9yoxwwJHuHUzapXuRUa943jZxcPTJFHUbPxSY3nIkKQBU5gKotrnY8-wXAux7-o96Qx70QV9A3Ll03lh31lsTuP-Dn3xsV9KCrUpbuIvhl3/s1600/anJY8pJu.jpg" target="_blank">Click To Enlarge<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddpRBBblhB7UlRnQ7r83zlVyHp0ZQ7bCZ30GRsQu4kQDTwK3Y3ggBlhVhMAnDXbm2pfQ2895Bb9hsm9yoxwwJHuHUzapXuRUa943jZxcPTJFHUbPxSY3nIkKQBU5gKotrnY8-wXAux7-o96Qx70QV9A3Ll03lh31lsTuP-Dn3xsV9KCrUpbuIvhl3/s1600/anJY8pJu.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Nelson disagreed though, and halted work partway through. He said "Sorry, man. I've been making sure I give each commission a bit more because I feel like I'm turning a corner in my style and the pressure of wanting to "wow" people is really in my head." He started again, and sent me the work in progress. "I want to change what I originally put down. I sat with it and then it stopped working for me. Also, I finished the second issue and that was another reason. I'll scan it once I have it at a stage I think you can really see what I'm doing."<br /><br />
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I didn't hear from Nelson again that year, but I saw him for the last time in 2019 at Fandemic. That year, I had begun work on a series of piece related to <b>George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead</b>, with the intent to have the pieces signed by the actors that portrayed the characters. There were also a variety of technical people available, so I thought I might do a jam piece of actors that were no longer with us and include them there. David Early had portrayed the talk show host Sidney Berman in 1977, and appeared in many other genre favorites before his death in 2013. Nelson offered him a memorial rendition. Later that year, Nelson reached out to me on Twitter with another work in progress...<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotA-RR1JO5n4SuzEsO0XQfa80-tHaZ0r4irFA2P7axH7czmfBnUignysgO01Pb_lvL_Ctcr3HZvoLehLZsWwE55Mejz9ooSyEDxXVZt2618B0CMDh07KJwNoMubEAosiYJPjH28FCrDJPM8RwVZU3ki9_pf2MYFVIPv6kj7T61G_ch5DtWLiPle1L/s1600/nhxJkTge.jpg%20large.jpg" target="_blank">Click To Enlarge<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotA-RR1JO5n4SuzEsO0XQfa80-tHaZ0r4irFA2P7axH7czmfBnUignysgO01Pb_lvL_Ctcr3HZvoLehLZsWwE55Mejz9ooSyEDxXVZt2618B0CMDh07KJwNoMubEAosiYJPjH28FCrDJPM8RwVZU3ki9_pf2MYFVIPv6kj7T61G_ch5DtWLiPle1L/s1600/nhxJkTge.jpg%20large.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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"I decided to do a new one again since I didn't like what came before. I've gotten a bit more comfortable with my traditional stuff now. it's almost done, I just wanted to update you and find out when you want to meet up to get it." Unfortunately, my car was totaled in a flood, so I wasn't meeting anyone for the immediate future. Once I had that sorted, he was without a car while his wife was helping her mom recover from surgery. Early the following year, we went on vacation to the U.K., and then I was busy attending my final convention of 2020 in February. That was the same month as Nelson's final tweet, related to a Paypal plea. "I've recently fell ill and could use help paying for some of the now weekly trips for treatment. Any amount will help. Thank you!" I think we all remember how things went that March, and I was pretty disconnected from everyone but my most immediate circle for quite some time. I never considered Nelson's absence, even though we occasionally liked and retweeted one another. I was doing research for a podcast today when I stumbled upon a tweet from Antarctic Press in 2021. "We published 1 issue of B.A.D.A.S.S. by writer/artist Adrian Nelson who died after the first issue went to print. He was an amazingly talented creator and a good friend to all who knew him. R.I.P." That was actually a reprint of his original small press edition, which I bought a copy of at Bedrock City. I don't remember if I ever told him that. Adrian Nelson was obviously one of my favorite and most frequently engaged local artists, and I always hoped that I'd get to be that wealthy patron having him draw a comic for me someday.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb7S9RArRQa-hfostlh0ZP9VE0pydJJu8JyOi-akK-tKmQVsfDVj8kVIH1AFmTiCBQz4Yj9U1FY0v1w48LToaIxV8TCUnNCkcBl7ZJKYdGb_WerC8OIQVeKtprR4a5OnjUaPm-xYyQElYOBDzrYeG_U0EnenDViRiEqtpGPUQ4Jaz8igcwD3Ifunf/s1600/T9G-Rk_5.jpg%20small.jpg" target="_blank">Click To Enlarge<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb7S9RArRQa-hfostlh0ZP9VE0pydJJu8JyOi-akK-tKmQVsfDVj8kVIH1AFmTiCBQz4Yj9U1FY0v1w48LToaIxV8TCUnNCkcBl7ZJKYdGb_WerC8OIQVeKtprR4a5OnjUaPm-xYyQElYOBDzrYeG_U0EnenDViRiEqtpGPUQ4Jaz8igcwD3Ifunf/s1600/T9G-Rk_5.jpg%20small.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-28546173271936154002022-05-25T01:00:00.002-05:002022-05-25T01:01:20.170-05:002019 Dawn of the Dead John Amplas as Rico Comicpalooza Commission by Mark Nasso<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnKXQ9earVnsocCEvBmIQE72rKTBxi9n0-bW3RbLVDrBKH7jwRwF0JykXJM3JFoac-QHVbkxK3Glzp62KGfvzjnu8XslxYi_af3kjtF3g1iRYBgocaJoJ9tzXRWYnEfWkwG6Bq1ZTDe-nfGK8lV4ZXVHp3d-o7eundtD1wKARY1P9BEb06Y1XlddG/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20John%20Amplas%20as%20Rico%20Comicpalooza%20Commission%20by%20Mark%20Nasso.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnKXQ9earVnsocCEvBmIQE72rKTBxi9n0-bW3RbLVDrBKH7jwRwF0JykXJM3JFoac-QHVbkxK3Glzp62KGfvzjnu8XslxYi_af3kjtF3g1iRYBgocaJoJ9tzXRWYnEfWkwG6Bq1ZTDe-nfGK8lV4ZXVHp3d-o7eundtD1wKARY1P9BEb06Y1XlddG/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20John%20Amplas%20as%20Rico%20Comicpalooza%20Commission%20by%20Mark%20Nasso.jpg" /></a></div>Sorry for the awkward trim, but I think I had to cut the better part of an inch for the scan.<br><br>
<u><b>Mark Nasso</b></u>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.behance.net/marknasso" target="_blank">Behance</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/marknasso/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theundergroundforest.com/" target="_blank">The Underground Forest</a></li>
<li><a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2013/05/2012-fernus-burning-space-city-con.html" target="_blank">2012 Fernus the Burning Space City Con Commission by Mark Nasso </a></li>
<li><a href="https://idol-head.blogspot.com/2019/10/2013-korge-last-angry-god-commission-by.html" target="_blank">2013 Korge, the Last Angry God Commission by Mark Nasso</a></li>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-9962846167043533952022-04-24T20:23:00.002-05:002022-04-24T20:23:49.754-05:002019 Dawn of the Dead Joe Shelleby as Martinez commission by tOoNzDAy<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq5TzJ1x1fSV218N16QFkT4-6zrXjfWyKcATYzoHenlYu4fAIKd5E50tSA_jh3r5M82bhoV-5fAPK-yseQGRn76GuE7-R9Oww_b5kqe1BA4DCrDHDtZmYwH2lL4mVJuePLIlTqUa_IFQEWCMxr_GHjbAx9XgDI8AcpurLeWU_JuL0VL7y2EcDA9_c/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20Joe%20Shelleby%20as%20Martinez%20commission%20by%20tOoNzDAy%20%28Jarrod%20L%20Perez%29%20%282%29.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq5TzJ1x1fSV218N16QFkT4-6zrXjfWyKcATYzoHenlYu4fAIKd5E50tSA_jh3r5M82bhoV-5fAPK-yseQGRn76GuE7-R9Oww_b5kqe1BA4DCrDHDtZmYwH2lL4mVJuePLIlTqUa_IFQEWCMxr_GHjbAx9XgDI8AcpurLeWU_JuL0VL7y2EcDA9_c/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20Joe%20Shelleby%20as%20Martinez%20commission%20by%20tOoNzDAy%20%28Jarrod%20L%20Perez%29%20%282%29.jpg"/></a></div>
The 2016 <b>Aliens</b> 30th anniversary reunion commissions were a good experience for me, and a welcome change of pace from the various super-hero comics projects I'd done prior. My next big swing was supposed to be an <a href="https://spawnometer.blogspot.com/search/label/Jam" target="_blank">Image Comics 25th anniversary jam</a>, done entirely at my first (and to date only) trip to Heroes Con in 2017. While planning for that trip, I stumbled upon <a href="https://www.thelivingdeadweekend.com/" target="_blank">Living Dead Weekend</a>, devoted to George A. Romero's Dead pictures. As it happens, <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> is my official answer for favorite movie of all time. It's more competitive than I make it seem, with <b>Aliens</b> having held that position for many years, and <b>Pulp Fiction</b> disqualified on account of the poster being on the wall of every film bro since it came out. That said, I'm pretty sure by this point that I've seen Dawn more than any other picture, and retain my passion for it, which is a rare thing. I desperately wanted to attend the convention, but I think it was (and remains) within a week of HeroesCon, and I can't afford two out-of-state shows in that span of time. Committed to meeting friends in Charlotte, I deferred until 2018.</br></br>
The show celebrated the 40th anniversary of <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> in 2018, which I continue to call bull on, since that was only in Italy (and presumably the inferior <a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2011/10/frank-review-of-dawn-of-dead-european.html" target="_blank">Argento cut</a>). The rest of the world, and perhaps most importantly Pittsburgh, didn't see Romero's vision until 1979, and the filming began in 1977, so there's no strong justification for declaring 2018 as "the" date. Anyway, I waited too long to buy the tickets I wanted, so I decided to wait for the real anniversary in 2019. To that end, I started preparing for the sequel to the <b>Aliens</b> commissions with the sequel to <b>Night of the Living Dead</b>. Well, I guess variety is the spice of life, because that year they decided to focus on another Romero project, <b>Creepshow</b>, which I never cared about. We ended up taking a road trip from Canada to Boston, where we'd reunite with the same friends we'd gone to North Carolina for. Continuing to drift away from <b>Dawn</b> in 2020, the focus of that con was meant to be <b>Return of the Living Dead</b> and <b>Day of the Dead</b>, so I made plans to go to Dragon Con instead for another friendly get-together.</br></br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kmvpM1KKOkjB85NRK2ag0rmjNE_TebVDoLc7K9TPHoMx31iRgmSs9SrrZxSGvLVjDrVk0JL9qIcZYqbc9If2P4kqYjnVcpoeId0vUPxJK8R5cfBIRk1JegDvPPomuQTEmw0QihjvzOUbMSXC9n-AOJNAW8px2c7m2OLDXSrJBkHT1W2hy9rg6dlc/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20Joe%20Shelleby%20as%20Martinez%20commission%20by%20tOoNzDAy%20%28Jarrod%20L%20Perez%29%20%281%29.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kmvpM1KKOkjB85NRK2ag0rmjNE_TebVDoLc7K9TPHoMx31iRgmSs9SrrZxSGvLVjDrVk0JL9qIcZYqbc9If2P4kqYjnVcpoeId0vUPxJK8R5cfBIRk1JegDvPPomuQTEmw0QihjvzOUbMSXC9n-AOJNAW8px2c7m2OLDXSrJBkHT1W2hy9rg6dlc/s1600/2019%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Dead%20Joe%20Shelleby%20as%20Martinez%20commission%20by%20tOoNzDAy%20%28Jarrod%20L%20Perez%29%20%281%29.jpg"/></a></div>
I'm sure you're well aware of how many plans got nixed or deferred in 2020, and when the intended guest list finally held a show, it was the following year. We still weren't traveling then, so I have yet to actually attend a Living Dead Weekend after six years of awareness and expressed desire to do so. The Image jam ended up taking another couple years for the finished linework to be in hand, and then I proceeded to begin having it colored piecemeal. My hope is to finish it this year, the thirtieth anniversary of Image Comics, though comic conventions are still sputtering in the wake of COVID. My work on the Dawn commissions is very ongoing, as I'm headed to a con this very weekend. We'll use these art posts to cover the details, and since I have a few pieces by Jarrod L. Perez, I figured to just let one of them illustrate this introduction. I will say that there are faint background materials lost in the scan, which I tried to capture in a direct scan instead of a resized color Xerox, which also more accurately reflects the piece's colors.</br></br>
<u><b>tOoNzDAy</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.toonzday.com/" target="_blank">The Art & Comics of tOonZdAY</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/toonzday/?hl=en" target="_blank">Señor Buttoneyes on Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/toonzday" target="_blank">tünzar spunkmeyer on Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://toonzday.gumroad.com/" target="_blank">Milqtoast Comics on Gumroad</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-7722869061369658662021-02-18T16:44:00.004-06:002021-02-18T16:44:29.143-06:001983 Original Dokuzetsu Momohei Tsuyoi Ka Yowai Ka!? manga art by Kimura TomoeOn our trip to Japan, I tried to track down ephemera relevant to my childhood experiences with their cultural exports with little success. Aside from a few recent manga collections, the only Golgo 13 item I came back with was a tiny figurine similar to a large Heroclix, but with a suction cup in its back. The only English on the item is "ucc Good Coffee Smile" so I'm guessing-- mug decoration? Aside from that, I finally found a small Gatchaman color print at a legit old school comic shop. There were newsstands with manga all over, and we hit several Mandarake, including the multistory one in Tokyo with an elevator. Still, those were mostly filled with 21st century artifacts, and don't get me started on the malls filled with One Piece/Dragonball/Attack on Titan items. No, we only ever found one really dense & dusty popcult tchotchke dumping ground (it was a claustrophobia-inducing number not quite wide enough for any one fat American walk through) and a single true, terribly humid Android's Dungeon deal. That's where my partner finally found a set of water-damaged Candy Candy volumes, and pretty much the only place with original manga art.</br></br>
So much of the Japanese otaku scene feels prefabricated-- the type of stuff offered every month in the Previews catalog, just flea markets full of stuff you'll see at every domestic con. I've never been big on anime, so my tastes are either for nostalgia for Super Nintendo video games and afternoon cartoons, or just stuff that strikes me as cool. Japan runs on yen, so I had a finite amount of physical currency to last our entire trip. I didn't want to go begging to my girlfriend for toy money, so I was very frugal with my purchases. I mostly bought stuff that I only saw in a particular region to take back as souvenirs for the folks back home. That's why I passed on a ¥3500 Dawn of the Dead movie program, which caused me a bit of non-buyers remorse. Anyway, this one shop had a lot of wicked stuff, including the original art of complete stories in slipcases, like one of those Artifact Editions of the actual artifacts rather than reproductions. Those cost tens of thousands of yen, and in retrospect it would have been totally worth it, but I was still being very conservative. I was also afraid that they might be proofs or something, so I only bought one to take back to the hotel. It was clearly on inspection the original boards, and so we went back for one more, but I should have splurged. It's not like I'm going back to Japan... probably ever, in all honesty. It was a very expensive and fairly arduous trip, and my partner didn't have the best time.
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The two pieces I bought were ¥8000 each, so roughly $150. Both were by the same artist, who was unsurprisingly unfamiliar to me. Knowing that I'd never get anywhere with the kanji on the bag, I asked the shopkeeper to tell me what he could about the pieces. He spoke almost no English, which is still a million times better than my Japanese, so I just jotted down a few cryptic notes on his Dumbo Post-Its. "Published in Young Jump. 1984. Poisonous Tongue. Momohira. Strong or weak. Tomoi. Kimura."
While searching for some specific missing items and reorganizing in general to take advantage of all the power outages here in Texas, I came across the Post-It again and figured I better take advantage of the reunion before I misplace it again. With a bit of online research, the artist appears to be 木村知夫, or Kimura Tomoe (when the names aren't flipped due conflicting Eastern/Western conventions.) The strip seems to be Dokuzetsu Momohei Tsuyoi Ka Yowai Ka!? (毒舌桃平 強いか弱いか!? 全7巻セット), a shōnen manga (targeting teenage boys.) It's about a young couple willing to die in poverty rather than be separated, and ran from 1983-84, producing a seven volume collection. The writer, Kazuo Koike (小池 一夫), studied under Golgo 13's Takao Saito and is best known for Crying Freeman, both in my limited manga wheelhouse.</br></br>
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Tones are my kink, but the other thing that drew me to these specific pieces was the sensuality. Cheesecake and beefcake are common enough, but the delicate intimacy and tasteful nudity here are uncommon in my experience with comics. You have beautiful male and female forms in vulnerable and romantic situations where the sexuality of the characters isn't compromised. But again, the zip tone usage is extensive and exquisite. These are scans of reduced photocopies, so a lot is lost in translation. On the first piece, the top two inches are solid black, Then the wavy tones are adhered, running to either edge of the page so that but for the scotch tape texture on your fingers, it's tough to spot it. The tone is cut around the central figures, who then have horizontal tones hand cut round their forms and the white areas of the eyes and mouths.</br></br>
My understanding is that the second piece was made either for a wall poster or some form of promotional work. This one also has two tones, dot pattern for the water and horizontal lines for figure shading. The cross-stitched sky appears to have been exhaustively created by hand, based on the asymmetry and the physical texture on the page. The Japanese boards are much thinner then western counterparts, so enormous delicacy must have been required. The artist also relies heavily on liquid paper for the sea foam and highlights on the figures. Don't miss the ornate back tattoo on the female, which though covered by the horizontal zip, appears to have been custom drawn dot by dot. There's a large "81" written on the back, and some yellowing/browning from actual tape. This was used to apply a tracing paper overlay with kanji suggesting a first chapter with a circled Arabic "1". I've opted not to throw up that scan.</br></br>
I adorev these pieces, and my only regret is that I didn't grab a third available from the series, this one involving some form of demonic entity and a lot of lumber. Thematically though, this works better as a duology. I want to hang them, but I'm afraid of causing damage, in spite of Japan being about as muggy as Houston and without common use of air conditioning. If they lasted over thirty years under those conditions, many hanging from a thread from a ceiling, how much more harm could I do?
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-10745793347416247522020-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:002020-05-16T18:03:49.538-05:00James Bond 007 Ultimate Theme Song Countdown 2020<img alt="https://downloads.openimp.com/tid/6a71494a6651801fe175ffaacb28092050fd33d9/fniohye/gehxxgxize/33475934490054.jpeg" src="https://downloads.openimp.com/tid/6a71494a6651801fe175ffaacb28092050fd33d9/fniohye/gehxxgxize/33475934490054.jpeg" /> <br />
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Inspired by <a href="http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/fire-and-water-records-soundtrack-selections-007/" target="_blank">Soundtrack Selections 007</a> and countless broken image codes on this blog, I'm revisiting and expanding my <a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2012/10/james-bond-007-50th-anniversary-movie.html" target="_blank">50th Anniversary</a> ranking to include twice as many tunes. In the 8 years since my first pass, I started <a href="https://rolledspine.wordpress.com/category/b-o-n-d-i-n-g-agents/" target="_blank">B.O.N.D.I.N.G. Agents: The Father & Son Spy-Fi Podcast</a>, so I've marinated in this material a lot more, plus I just plain missed a bunch of notable stuff. I make an attempt to be objective, with songs I personally like sometimes rating very low ("Make It Last All Night" slaps <i>and</i> tickles,) but are not necessarily good James Bond songs (international smash "If You Asked Me To" should not be in a movie where a drug dealer feeds a dude's leg to a shark.) As with the 2012 ranking, I'm excluding instrumentals, but here's an honorary link to <a href="https://youtu.be/dgcV8PrCLcs" target="_blank">"Casino Royale"</a> by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. On the other hand, I refuse to acknowledge <a href="https://youtu.be/MQqBTeRCaT4" target="_blank">Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?</a> by Nina ever happened.<br />
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*) <a href="https://youtu.be/qnHABhlw5-s" target="_blank">"Run James Run" as performed by Brian Wilson</a><br />
Despite the pedigree, I don't like this one in any capacity, and it somehow morphed into <a href="https://youtu.be/TYBlfpCVHBo" target="_blank">"Pet Sounds"</a>? Still better than the terrible Beach Boys medley <a href="https://youtu.be/XtO8ItHrqNM" target="_blank">"California Gold" by Gidea Park</a> from <b>Daylights</b> that I disqualified.<br />
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*) <a href="https://youtu.be/z4B3vplooro" target="_blank">1987's "The Living Daylights" demo for <i>The Living Daylights</i> as performed by Pet Shop Boys</a><br />
A lousy synth submission for Her Majesty's Secret Service that was better served as the basis for 1990's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fU_oMEQ_8" target="_blank">"This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave"</a>.<br />
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54) <a href="https://youtu.be/Fkwp7RSRHeY" target="_blank">1989's "Dirty Love" for <i>Licence to Kill</i> as performed by Tim Feehan</a><br />
Timothy Dalton is the favorite Bond of a small but vocal minority who feel he got a raw deal. Certainly contributing to that was the fact that there were more rotten songs packed into his two films than across most of the rest of the franchise.<br />
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53) <a href="https://youtu.be/NCt4O4gJifQ" target="_blank">1999's "Only Myself to Blame" for <i>The World Is Not Enough</i> as performed by Scott Walker</a><br />
Scrapped end credits song that landed on the soundtrack. I try to be thoughtful, but this just plain sucks, and is totally derivative lounge crap.<br />
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52) <a href="https://youtu.be/KltjoX0VtgQ" target="_blank">1987's "If There Was a Man" for <i>The Living Daylights</i> as performed by The Pretenders</a><br />
Great band. Painful song.<br />
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51) <a href="https://youtu.be/BLsyuMYYb3A" target="_blank">1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" for <i>Tomorrow Never Dies</i> as performed by Saint Etienne</a><br />
There were something like a dozen different versions of this theme song as part of a shitty "spec" process that wasted a bunch of artists' time, effort, and aspirations. Nothing about this particular Cardigans-a-like navel-gazing disco(?) attempt seemed destined for 007, though.<br />
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50) <a href="https://youtu.be/Da-RjeCObyA" target="_blank">1989's "If You Asked Me To" for <i>Licence to Kill</i> as performed by Patti Labelle</a><br />
Another one of those "what is this fluffy adult contemporary hit doing in a movie about a ruthless government assassin" selections. Plus, and I hate to say it, Celine Dion's version was sharper and more emotive.<br />
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49) <a href="https://youtu.be/POLn1jgajkc" target="_blank">1997's "Tomorrow Never Lies" for <i>Tomorrow Never Dies</i> as performed by Pulp</a><br />
Note the "L" in place of a "D." A pretty good number that landed on one of the band's albums. Seems more like a sneering nod toward Bondian inclinations rather than a true theme, though.<br />
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48) <a href="https://youtu.be/fHfqqJoV4cg" target="_blank">1981's "Make It Last All Night" for <i>For Your Eyes Only</i> as performed by Rage</a><br />
Sexually explicit groove that ran in one scene. I could chill with it, but this is really just something for the background, as it was.<br />
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47) <a href="https://youtu.be/HNHH6pf3xyE" target="_blank">1967's "You Only Live Twice" as performed by Julie Rogers</a><br />
The original orientalist version, before the producers reached for a bigger name with a lesser vocal range but a more contemporary (and honestly far more appealing) style. The musical equivalent of Rosie O'Donnell's "ching-chong" moment with would-be Ethel Merman warbling histrionics<br />
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46) <a href="https://youtu.be/D-KvfAh4oZs" target="_blank">2004's "If You're Gonna..." for <i>GoldenEye: Rogue Agent</i> as performed by Natasha Bedingfield</a><br />
I confess that I wasn't expecting a lot from these video game tracks, and figured the "Unwritten" lady was going to skew more Sheena Easton. With the help of Paul Oakenfold, you can at least have a car chase to this one. I'm deeply uncomfortable with ranking this so high with dreadful lines like "Can't sit around couch potato land" and "'cause I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chihuahua."<br /><br />
45) <a href="https://youtu.be/xfYdBrpmldI" target="_blank">2008's "When Nobody Loves You" for <i>Quantum of Solace</i> as performed by Kerli</a><br />
Seriously considered invalidating this one since it's technically a duplicate due to the video game being an adaptation of a movie and because it incorporates the Bond instrumental theme. Since most of these game tracks are sitting at the back though, I guess consider this a subcategory ranking?<br /><br />
44) <a href="https://vimeo.com/188651189" target="_blank">2015's "Spectre" for <i>Spectre</i> as performed by Radiohead</a><br />
Unused (unsolicited?) theme produced after the Bond inspired "<a href="https://youtu.be/DXP1KdZX4io" target="_blank">Man of War</a>" was refused outright(ly) as undesirable. I love many Radiohead songs, but this was the pantsless George Costanza belly-flopping on the floor of wannabe theme salesmen. Somehow wimpier than Sam Smith, and certainly more lethargic.<br />
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43) <a href="https://youtu.be/3ZyRvbdeZHM" target="_blank">1995's "The Experience of Love" for <i>Licence to Kill</i> as performed by Éric Serra</a><br />
I guess we know what a post-Tantric, "Fields of Gold" Sting song would have sounded like. Or "my name is Gabriel; Peter Gabriel." Mocking aside, this track is sort of the demarcation point for "songs that are acceptable to be featured prominently in a Bond movie without inducing head-scratching or embarrassment."<br /><br />
42) <a href="https://youtu.be/LcvjlmlvldY" target="_blank">2002's "Nearly Civilized" for <i>Nightfire</i> as performed by Esthero</a><br />
A perfectly adequate early '90s club song released a decade late that has nothing to do with Bond, but got used in a well-received first-person shooter.<br />
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41) <a href="https://youtu.be/Mwm1H0dxAKY" target="_blank">1983's "Never Say Never Again" for <i>Never Say Never Again</i> as performed by Lani Hall</a><br />
The worst of the Bond films' somnambulantly mellow title tracks. But she's really into it in the video, right? It's like if Kathie Lee Gifford were a Bond Girl.<br />
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40) <a href="https://youtu.be/572gpTARP1M" target="_blank">1962's "Kingston Calypso" for <i>Dr. No</i> as performed by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires</a><br />
Odd little calypso from before they figured out the formula, but with an appropriate foreign exoticism and tinge of menace. I'm excluding and/or bundling "Jump Up!" "Jamaican Rock" and "Under the Mango Tree" as more of the same. In fact, fuck it, I'm tossing Ivory's <a href="https://youtu.be/ZCT-QRtlEvs" target="_blank">"Wedding Party"</a> into the shark tank with them.<br />
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39) <a href="https://youtu.be/aNGxdrdq-wY" target="_blank">1967's "You Only Live Twice" as performed by Lorraine Chandler</a><br />
Might have been a fine period platter, but not a lot here for a spy feature.<br /><br />
38) <a href="https://youtu.be/YnzgdBAKyJo" target="_blank">2006's "You Know My Name" for <i>Casino Royale</i> as performed by Chris Cornell</a><br /> I remember sitting in the theater with a fellow Bond fan buddy during the credit sequence. We turned to each other and wondered how such a bland tune could have been selected. I cannot recall this song from memory, because it's such a nothing trifle without any hooks that it refuses to stick in my brain. The video is about as bad, interspersing film clips with Cornell playing in front of some lights. How much lazier could it have been?<br /><br />
37) <a href="https://youtu.be/lwHCI-HgpFM" target="_blank">2010's "GoldenEye" for <i>GoldenEye 007</i> as performed by Nicole Scherzinger</a><br />
I just want to dig the blind mouse's knife into Cornell's effort one more time with vastly superior songwriting, before stabbing my own eardrums with the cat-screech non-high note here. Scherzinger should have offered her own interpretation instead of drunken karaoke night Tina, but this is still an actual Bond song instead of a random artist's b-side.<br /><br />
36) <a href="https://youtu.be/4jKY2G58c3M" target="_blank">1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" for <i>Tomorrow Never Dies</i> as performed by Swan Lee</a><br />
A decent attempt, but not enough edge, and Pernille Rosendahl sounds less like singing in a second language and more like an off-key girl group. I immediately hated this one, only to be won over with repeated plays, while fully recognizing it's probably just my weakness for Swedish songstresses showing.<br /><br />
35) <a href="http://youtu.be/bFurkDf6WXg" target="_blank">1983's "All Time High" for <i>Octopussy</i> as performed by Rita Coolidge</a><br />
This is one of those instances where you have a good enough song for its day, but it doesn't actually have much of anything to do with James Bond. Based on craft, it's certainly better than some higher ranking tunes, but as part of a 007 countdown, it can't help but be hurt by its lack of fidelity to the franchise. The shoddy video illustrates the divergence well.<br />
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34) <a href="//youtu.be/R500VKA9-Zo" target="_blank">1973's "The Man with the Golden Gun" for <i>The Man with the Golden Gun</i> as performed by Alice Cooper</a><br />
This is a perfect example of a band unable to get out of its own way, or at least an ill-advised choice for a Bond theme in the first place. Too much William Castle horror score. Rough-hewn and American, plus that pitch change is laughable.<br /><br />
33) <a href="https://youtu.be/I-AN5mJF13A" target="_blank">1965's "Thunderball" for <i>Thunderball</i> as performed by Johnny Cash</a><br />
Ummm... but this isn't a western? Another demarcation point, where the song deserves to be a credits theme, but only one of the "bad ones" toward the end of an actor's tenure.<br /><br />
32) <a href="https://youtu.be/M3anh2SV-7s" target="_blank">1981's "For Your Eyes Only" for <i>For Your Eyes Only</i> as performed by Blondie</a><br />Great band that sounds tired and are on the verge of breaking up.<br /><br />
31) <a href="https://youtu.be/MPkp-pCJYCc" target="_blank">1967's "The Look of Love" for <i>Casino Royale</i> as performed by Dusty Springfield</a><br />
I saw Royale once on TV circa 1990 and was mildly amused. I had to double check to make sure this stone classic standard actually originated from that spoof. That said, it's a swanky heavy petting number, not a headliner for any international men of action.<br /><br />
30) <a href="https://youtu.be/kk3ILKFo1Ng" target="_blank">1987's "Where Has Everybody Gone?" for <i>The Living Daylights</i> as performed by The Pretenders</a><br />
God bless her, a near-unrecognizable Chrissie Hynde tries, but she simply is not Shirley Bassey. Sounds like the credit number for a higher end, tongue-in-cheek knock-off, like Austin Powers or Matt Helm.<br />
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29) <a href="https://youtu.be/qbho7E4OtK0" target="_blank">1965's "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" for <i>Thunderball</i> as performed by Dionne Warwick</a><br />
There are two different singers on the same discarded theme song with an awkward name. It's nice that a classy singer like Warwick got a shot at one of these, but hers is the flatter version.<br />
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28) <a href="https://youtu.be/znojaWsYbn4" target="_blank">1989's "Licence to Kill" as performed by Gladys Knight</a><br />
As if he didn't have enough strikes against him, Timothy Dalton was saddled with two of the least memorable songs in the franchise. This is common period overproduced R&B pap with a film title plugged into the chorus. The video is also a rubbish collection of clips and poor superimposition. A major waste of Gladys Knight's talent.<br /><br />
27) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65r86dOSPIY" target="_blank">2004's "Everything or Nothing" for <i>Everything or Nothing</i> as performed by Mýa</a><br />
Performed by the one you don't remember from the 2001 "Lady Marmalade" cover, this one marks a sort of minimum standard for a decent theme song. The game title matches, there are correct thematic elements for a spy-fi villainess, and no part of my body is pained by its presence. Better than "nothing."<br /><br />
26) <a href="https://youtu.be/VlbaJA7aO9M" target="_blank">2002's "Die Another Day" as performed by Madonna</a><br />
On the one hand, this has a strong video that tells its own story, and Mirwais Ahmadzaï insures that it sounds unlike any other Bond tune. On the other hand, the lyrics are nonsense and gratingly repetitive, the music itself trivial dance tripe, and the perseverant idiot vocals are buried under e-IBS distortion. It's the Bond tune voted most likely to induce a headache in listeners.<br /><br />
25) <a href="https://youtu.be/BX1oHZ4BKZc" target="_blank">2002's "The Juvenile" for <i>Goldeneye</i> as performed by Ace of Base</a><br />
Brosnan's first Bond movie had to shake lingering Moore-style cheesy inclinations of the producers, like returning to Sweden for a soft ballad. "The Goldeneye" could have inhabited an a-Ha space, but Jenny Berggren just doesn't have the pipes for this type of gig. The rejected theme turned up on an album seven years removed under a new (frankly more rhythmic) name.<br /><br />
24) <a href="https://youtu.be/hM5UJvnbbuY" target="_blank">2008's "Another Way to Die" for <i>Quantum of Solace</i> as performed by Jack White & Alicia Keys</a><br />
Jack White is the problem here. The crunchy guitar and drums are good, but the lyrics are shit, and the composition is irritatingly discordant. Alicia Keys' vocals and piano are perfect for Bond, and then White shows up to whine all over both. The video is decent, but the kitchen sink approach overall is a hot mess. There's a lot of good bits, so it's frustrating when they're overwhelmed by crap.<br /><br />
23) <a href="https://youtu.be/j4m9ptFefwo" target="_blank">1965's "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" for <i>Thunderball</i> as performed by Shirley Bassey</a><br />
Not the best tune for the grand dame of MI6, but it's still Bassey and John Barry.<br /><br />
22) <a href="https://youtu.be/JADxDqH_IBw" target="_blank">1981's "For Your Eyes Only" as performed by Sheena Easton</a><br />
Casio powered cornball, not helped by Easton's appearance in the actual credit sequence, but it also featured some of the least brief nudity of the lot. I'll always give a few extra for a simple ode to that good dick over a more on-topic but aggressively bad attempt like Madonna or Jack White's.<br /><br />
21) <a href="http://youtu.be/gt3oQN0cAv0" target="_blank">1979's "Moonraker" as performed by Shirley Bassey</a><br />
Third time appeared to be the curse for Shirley Bassey, as this was the least and last of her accepted themes. It successfully evokes an (astro)nautical feeling, and there's a floor with Bassey that's higher than most ceilings. The vocals, strings, and piano are sound, but the guitar is Velveeta, and the overall tune is a boring easy listening number. I actually had to be reminded that this one existed.<br /><br />
20) <a href="https://youtu.be/GB_S2qFh5lU" target="_blank">2020's "No Time to Die" for <i>No Time to Die</i> as performed by Billie Eilish</a><br /> There's definitely a fatality to the betrayal at the heart of the song, but the tune is very small and intimate in a way that feels deflating against a 007-sized canvas. I'm also very tired of "old sad bastard music" accompanying most of the Daniel Craig films.<br /><br />
19) <a href="https://youtu.be/DfFbiFoAWjM" target="_blank">1987's "The Living Daylights" as performed by a-ha</a><br />
Fucking enunciate. The vocals on this song sound like a Muppet without a tongue, or a barred out Bob Dylan taking hits of helium for the chorus. "Nuh-na-- noo-nuh-nuh-nannoo." Is this thing even in English? The music is little better, as it sounds like period pop from the back end of the top 100 (it never actually charted at all in the U.S.) Let's not even bother discussing what passes for lyrics. The video is a catalog of every cheesy editing effect available at the time. But sonically, you picture skiing down a mountain with uzis cutting down treelimbs until a cliff forms a convenient escape ramp as something explodes.<br /><br />
18) <a href="http://youtu.be/2BxTwJtpGYA" target="_blank">1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" as performed by Sheryl Crow</a><br />
Crow's thin voice can't carry the weight of a Bond theme, and the lyrics are announced as rock dumb and cliché from the first line. However, Mitchell Froom's production is appropriately retro, the video is solid, the chorus is okay, and there's a nice breakdown. To quote Jack Black, very safe, very pussy. It's also impossible to forget that this same year, Shirley Bassey joined the Propellerheads for the vastly superior <a href="http://youtu.be/yzLT6_TQmq8" target="_blank">"History Repeating"</a>.<br />
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17) <a href="https://youtu.be/r5jPuQjNRx4" target="_blank">1983's "Never Say Never Again" for <i>Never Say Never Again</i> as performed by Phyllis Hyman</a><br />
A very pleasant period love song, and certainly better than the one actually used. Also, Phyllis Hyman is a good Bond Girl name. Joking aside, Hyman's story is tragic, and she once expressed that this was her favorite vocal, which plainly shows. Soars and yearns and massages the male ego; an entirely apropos ballad for Bond.<br /><br />
16) <a href="http://youtu.be/zVuL_zgCi4U" target="_blank">1963's "From Russia with Love" as performed by Monty Norman</a><br />
This is a simple, solid song that recalls espionage through its guitars and reference to the Motherland, but is mostly just a ballad. The vocal track wasn't part of the opening theme.<br /><br />
15) <a href="http://youtu.be/TxTCwrIYyZQ" target="_blank">1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun" as performed by Lulu</a><br />
This one has the sort of awesomely ridiculous lyrics designed for campy spy action or musical theater, but it's hard not to feel self-conscious about how ludicrous it sounds. Lulu lacks the pipes of a Shirley Bassey, but then again, who else has them really?<br />
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14) <a href="https://youtu.be/_4gdhsVKTcs" target="_blank">2012's "Skyfall" as performed by Adele</a><br />
Pretty easy to tune out for the first couple of minutes. The callbacks and added punch in the last couple minutes make the song, but it's still boilerplate on both the Bond and pop song ends of the spectrum. It sounds like some homely chick longing for melodrama, instead of a fatalistic sex bomb. Man, I wish Amy Winehouse had lived long enough to do one of these.<br /><br />
13) <a href="http://youtu.be/hcIl_6amBvU" target="_blank">1967's "You Only Live Twice" as performed by Nancy Sinatra</a><br />
While not explicit, a few key lyrics and some of the tone in the music still spells out 007. The very subtle Asiatic qualities are cute, and the vocals are nice. It was a weak title sequence though, and overall a thin, tinny tune.<br /><br />
12) <a href="https://youtu.be/8jzDnsjYv9A" target="_blank">2015's "Writing's On The Wall" for <i>Spectre</i> as performed by Sam Smith</a><br /> The hate directed and this number was immediate and intense... in some quarters. It also won an Acadamy Award and made it to #1 in the U.K. Lyrically, there's not much there, but Smith's falsetto is like nothing ever heard before, and the orchestral sweep is present.<br />
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11) <a href="http://youtu.be/sT0x7QiJI1g" target="_blank">1965's "Thunderball" as performed by Tom Jones</a><br />
Similar to "Golden Gun," but played straighter with more swagger. It sells the silliness better, and the horns are more swanky. Still, it's a bit sluggish. <br /><br />
10) <a href="https://youtu.be/SaV-6qerkqI" target="_blank">1977's "Nobody Does It Better" for <i>The Spy Who Loved Me</i> as performed by Carly Simon</a><br />
This is another pop song that barely qualifies as a Bond tune, but it's a pretty damned good one. Despite lyrics that aren't especially Bond-specific, the exuberant praise of masterful cocksmanship sure smacks of 007. Somehow, despite having no edge whatsoever, name-dropping the movie title and exalting the finest of men makes this the perfect proxy song for women swept up in Bond's charm.
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009) <a href="http://youtu.be/YJeEwkVoUpk" target="_blank">1969's "We Have All the Time in the World" for <i>On Her Majesty's Secret Service</i> as performed by Louis Armstrong</a><br />
A ballad made bittersweet by its usage at the end of the film. This one has a killer bridge with excellent strings, guitar and horns. The lyrics have nothing and everything to do with the story, but it's so affective, I'll allow it.<br /><br />
008) <a href="https://youtu.be/6zIbOL8SSCY" target="_blank">1997's "Surrender" for <i>Tomorrow Never Dies</i> as performed by k.d. lang</a><br />
Look, Crow may be the bigger name and the more likely to be appropriate, but you can't tell me the end credits song isn't a strong contender against the opener.<br /><br />
007) <a href="http://youtu.be/sn8alMYSu44" target="_blank">1973's "Live and Let Die" as performed by Paul McCartney & Wings</a><br />
I realize that this was a hit single twice over two decades apart, and deservedly so. The bridges are exhilarating and the piano gets some refined pounding. Still, the lyrics are overly simplistic, and the reggae-funk breakdown is goofy as hell.<br /><br />
006) <a href="https://youtu.be/MW1VBA1nB1g" target="_blank">2010's "I'll Take It All" for <i>Blood Stone</i> as performed by Joss Stone</a><br />
Beyond the robust vocals and lyrics that actually reflect a Bond story, having Eurythmics' Dave Stewart sharing the mission can't hurt. The game themes got progressively better (and presumably more expensive) until they halted abruptly in 2012, but this was the only one to top most legitimate Eon movie themes. Heavier percussion gives it a greater action thrust that just about any other theme, and while feeling comfortable in their company, this song doesn't feel as indebted to ones that preceded it where many efforts since the '90s have a distinct aftertaste of pastiche.<br /><br />
005) <a href="http://youtu.be/doAy4Ivcidg" target="_blank">1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" as performed by Shirley Bassey</a><br />
Shirley Bassey, John Barry and Don Black bring the classic Bond edge with added funk. This strikes the right balance between recalling 007 and being comically blatant. There's a reason Kanye sampled this instead of "Thunderball," y'know?
<br /><br />
004) <a href="http://youtu.be/Fp4CR2HcHLQ" target="_blank">1985's "A View to a Kill" as performed by Duran Duran</a><br />
The lyrics are developmentally challenged, the music video is laughable, and let's not even start in on the hair styles. Regardless, the tune is snazzy and conveys the proper mood.<br /><br />
003) <a href="https://youtu.be/eI7KxEerCYo" target="_blank">1999's "The World Is Not Enough" as performed by Garbage</a><br />
This one layers strength over strength. Clear and detailed spy thriller tune and lyrics, but not so blatant as to be goofy. Sung by a total vamp, the music combines cool jazz licks and techno beeps that represent the 007 alphabet from M to Q. Shirley Manson as a fembot makes this easily the best Bond music video.<br /><br />
002) <a href="https://youtu.be/6D1nK7q2i8I" target="_blank">1964's "Goldfinger" as performed by Shirley Bassey</a><br />
Horns that could kill a man, vocals with ballistic impact, lyrics that paint the portrait of a monster, and the most rousing finale of any song on this list. It's weaknesses are repetitive lyrics and a hollow quality to the sound, but it still takes some fantastic music to overcome this titan.
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001) <a href="http://youtu.be/bkBYVNrjjIs" target="_blank">1995's "GoldenEye" as performed by Tina Turner</a><br />
Classy without being moldy, slinky and muscular by turns, this is an epic theme about the entire Bond phenomenon. Turner's exotic, raw voice ranges from sensual to conniving to yearning with the skill of a true diva. There's the stealthy cool, the fatal yearning, the impossible notes... Bono and the Edge craft crystalline lyrics and hooks that dig to the bone, comparable with their finest songcraft.<br />
<br />Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-46315050618685724862019-12-29T22:32:00.001-06:002019-12-29T22:32:05.560-06:002017 Aliens 30th Anniversary Lance Henriksen as Bishop commission by Kyra Morphis<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KqzA_iZlK9w/Xgl0jGS6KmI/AAAAAAAADCk/z5UnerhYf2seuFb3D7WBwmukuElOA6ZFACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2017%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BLance%2BHenriksen%2Bas%2BBishop%2Bcommission%2Bby%2BKyra%2BMorphis.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KqzA_iZlK9w/Xgl0jGS6KmI/AAAAAAAADCk/z5UnerhYf2seuFb3D7WBwmukuElOA6ZFACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2017%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BLance%2BHenriksen%2Bas%2BBishop%2Bcommission%2Bby%2BKyra%2BMorphis.jpg" data-original-width="897" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
I was really proud for Houston's biggest and longest lived comic show to score the coup of the majority of the surviving <b>Aliens</b> cast ahead of its thirtieth anniversary... until SDCC did the same thing a few month's later, closer to the actual anniversary, then added James Cameron, Lance Henriksen, and Gale Anne Hurd just for spite. Comicpalooza's never tried anything on that scale again, settling into being a purely regional attraction. Given how much money I spent to get all those autographs, I'm not entirely sorry about that. Still, this was a rewarding effort, and I am building a substantially larger portfolio of commissions to celebrate one of the few movies more beloved to me than this one.<br />
<br />
At least The H's convention bureau made up for the absence of everyone's favorite fully functioning synthetic, the android Bishop. They brought in Lance Henriksen the following year, and at the same show, I tried out a new artist in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JudeMorphis" target="_blank">Kyra Morphis</a>. She was either an art student or recent graduate, and her portfolio had some really interesting stuff in it. I had my copy of the souvenir magazine for reference, and she took it to work on overnight. Wanting to get a better feel for the likeness, she pulled up additional reference online, printed on heavy stock color paper, and did warm-up sketches on one of the pages. She was really nervous when presenting me the final piece, but she needn't have been, as I was very impressed with her take on the late-film bisected android and the clear attention for detail (note the serial number on his inner arm, for instance.) Never underestimate how many cool applications an artist can come up with for White-Out.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0SWVrFp3JUk/Xgl3-b_5vnI/AAAAAAAADC4/Fea2O2xp8GU28wmrzNNxquel2-GNcH39wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2017%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BLance%2BHenriksen%2Bas%2BBishop%2Bwarm-up%2Bsketches%2Bby%2BKyra%2BMorphis.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0SWVrFp3JUk/Xgl3-b_5vnI/AAAAAAAADC4/Fea2O2xp8GU28wmrzNNxquel2-GNcH39wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2017%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BLance%2BHenriksen%2Bas%2BBishop%2Bwarm-up%2Bsketches%2Bby%2BKyra%2BMorphis.jpg" data-original-width="1100" data-original-height="898" /></a><br />
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In my haste to get the finish piece to the actor to sign (he was appropriately gravelly) I forgot my souvenir book, which Morphis held on to for a year before returning it to me at the next Comicpalooza. A class act, and not the first time an artist has gone above and beyond for me in this manner. They're good people. Me, less so, since I'd held out on posting the piece because I'd forgotten her name, and then sat on the post for another year-and-a-half besides out of pure inertia. Since Photobucket bombed out most of the images on my blogs, I had to light a fire in my gut to find and repost all of the Aliens pieces (which probably means no podcasting this week,) and here they all are now. At least I got another piece from Morphis for that other project...<br />
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<u><b>2016-2017 Aliens 30th Anniversary Commissions</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-ripley.html" target="_blank">Ripley & Newt Space City Comic Con Commission by Matt Haley</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-michael-biehn-as-corporal-dwayne.html" target="_blank">Michael Biehn as Corporal Dwayne Hicks Space City Comic Con Commission by Tommy Nguyen</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-bill-paxton-as-private-william.html" target="_blank">Bill Paxton as Private William Hudson Space City Comic Con Commission by Geoff Shaw</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-jenette-goldstein-as-private.html" target="_blank">Jenette Goldstein as Private Jenette Vasquez Space City Comic Con Commission by Liam Sharp</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-ricco-ross.html" target="_blank">Ricco Ross as Private Ricco Frost commission by Adrian Nelson</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-cynthia-scott-as-corporal-cynthia.html" target="_blank">Cynthia Scott as Corporal Cynthia Dietrich Comicpalooza Commission by Chris Beaver</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-daniel-kash-as-private-daniel.html" target="_blank">Daniel Kash as Private Daniel Spunkmeyer Comicpalooza Commission by Toni Shelton</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-mark-rolston-as-private-mark-drake.html" target="_blank">Mark Rolston as Private Mark Drake Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Vo Nguyen</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-mark.html" target="_blank">Private Mark Drake Jam Art by Vo Nguyen & Lance Schibi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-paul-reiser-as-carter-burke-space.html" target="_blank">Paul Reiser as Carter Burke Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Dietrich Smith</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-william-hope-as-lieutenant-scott.html" target="_blank">William Hope as Lieutenant Scott Gorman Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Josef Rubinstein</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-artist-jam.html" target="_blank">Aliens 30th Anniversary Artist Jam featuring Facehugger by Cody Schibi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nurgh.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-aliens-30th-anniversary-xenomorph.html" target="_blank">Xenomorph Queen Comicpalooza Commission by Mark A. Nelson</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-10863742868985233992018-09-01T11:15:00.001-05:002018-09-01T11:17:37.161-05:00DC Comics 1993 Editorial Presentation: The Killing Machine<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i4DVqggS0nw/W4q6jkRiBEI/AAAAAAAAC1c/uNWP3CAd-oMX-86k5oExFkYqrY4aSQa8ACLcBGAs/s1600/DC%2BComics%2B1993%2BEditorial%2BPresentation%2BThe%2BKilling%2BMachine.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i4DVqggS0nw/W4q6jkRiBEI/AAAAAAAAC1c/uNWP3CAd-oMX-86k5oExFkYqrY4aSQa8ACLcBGAs/s1600/DC%2BComics%2B1993%2BEditorial%2BPresentation%2BThe%2BKilling%2BMachine.jpg" /></a>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Adam Cross is a drifter. He takes an almost child-like delight in his life as a manual laborer moving from one job to another...until he is unexpectedly confronted by violence. Then, good-natured Adam Cross <i>explodes</i> with the <b>devastating ferocity</b> of a human time bomb!<br />
<br />
In the tradition of DEATHSTROKE, THE TERMINATOR, <i>Robocop</i>, and <i>The Punisher</i>, THE KILLING MACHINE blasts his way onto the scene in this <b>super-hero/spy adventure.</b><br />
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This three-issue miniseries stars a <b>cybernetic hero</b>, Adam Cross, who is part of <b>a government program to create a human defense system</b> in a world where nuclear missiles aren't likely to be used now that the Soviet Union has fallen. Instead, there are smaller "brush fires" to fight around the world. The solution? Implanting human brains in artificial bodies to create <b>a special combat force.</b><br />
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Unfortunately, a glitch in the technology drives the resulting creation mad. The program seems doomed, until a crippled scientist allows his brain to be put in a cybernetic body. He becomes the first to survive, but the government doesn't have much time to celebrate before he rebels against them for trying to use him for more and more corrupt purposes.<br />
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On the run, THE KILLING MACHINE tries to find a peaceful life. The government tries, through assassins and cybernetic controls, to eliminate him, but there's one thing they didn't count on: confronted with extreme violence, <b>THE KILLING MACHINE goes into combat mode and becomes uncontrollable.</b> Faced with his devastating power and expertise, his handlers are driven to the ultimate risk...sending a newer, improved model after Cross.<br />
THE KILLING MACHINE is the first major work created, written, pencilled, and inked by the <b>legendary Gil Kane</b> since his classic His Name is Savage over 25 years ago.</blockquote>
Referenced <a href="http://gilkaneunchained.tumblr.com/post/146893215203/gil-kanes-last-great-creation-in-1993-an" target="_blank">in comics media</a> in the early '90s, this project has unfortunately never seen print. At least you can see a <a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=101870" target="_blank">character sheet</a>.<br />
<br />Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-5991147710758892702016-09-09T04:23:00.002-05:002016-09-09T04:23:08.126-05:00A Frank Review of "Zombie Dearest" (2009)<b>The Short Version?</b> Zombie day laborer endures routine<br />
<b>What Is It?</b> Dramazomedy<br />
<b>Who Is In It?</b> Additional Voice Talent, Saw III & IV<br />
<b>Should I See It?</b> No.<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6OOG6422E58" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />
Gus Lawton (David Kemker) is a failed comic supported the past half-dozen years by his wife, Deborah (Shauna Black.) Gus proves as unsuccessful at adultery as everything else in his life, and winds up forced into servitude at Deborah's rural childhood home in hopes of making amends. Gus inadvertently awakens a buried zombie dubbed Quinto (David Sparrow,) who he uses to do his many chores while he works on a terrible caveman themed stand-up act Gus intends to try out in a barn on the local yokels. Quinto unsurprisingly gets up to flesh eating shenanigans while unsupervised, which complicates the Lawtons plans.<br /><br />
<i>Zombie Dearest</i> is clearly a vanity project for writer-director-star David Kemker, who apparently had enough industry ties to call in favors to match '80s Canadian television production values, pull a strong bluegrass cut for the trailer ("Ain't No Grave" by Crooked Still) and cast a credible co-star. Due to the minimal competence on display, it's difficult to tell whether Kemker intended for his characters to be unlikeable, arrogant left-coasters, or if Gus' act is so wretched because Kemker was afraid rednecks might actually laugh at it if he put even an ounce of effort into the writing. It's probably not a good idea to do bad work on purpose when you're an unknown quantity, since it's so easily mistaken for being of poor quality in itself. It doesn't help that a pseudo-love triangle is resolved off-screen, a major plot point about the town's history with the supernatural is never addressed, and the picture is tone deaf as a whole.<br /><br />
At its core, this is an indie flick about displaced liberals in the sticks and their hubris, but it's played too broadly to offer insight. There appears to be overtures toward this being a comedy, but the film doesn't come within spitting distance of funny at any point. Then there's the zombie element, which is so tacked-on that it's safe to assume its involvement was motivated by mercenary inclinations. The film owes more to W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw" than George Romero, so when the shit hits the fan in the final minutes of the last act, it flies briefly and with a remarkable lack of feces. Just to rub it in, there's a twist ending that's more depressing than most zombie flicks for the exact wrong reason. This could have been a decent enough half-hour entry in an anthology, but as a full length feature it is completely charmless.
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<br />
<a href="http://nurgh.blogspot.com/2008/07/index-of-frank-movie-reviews.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/nurgh/AFrankReviewofMotionPictures.jpg" /></a>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-78703113921825184852016-09-01T04:45:00.000-05:002016-09-01T04:45:51.899-05:00A Frank Review of "Hide and Creep" (2004)<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/knIqv9L-sW8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>The Short Version?</b> Plan 9 from I-59<br />
<b>What Is It?</b> Zomedy<br />
<b>Who Is In It?</b> Rednecks<br />
<b>Should I See It?</b> Maybe<br />
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<br />
<i>Hide and Creep</i> is a mildly amusing entry in the zombie comedy subgenre. It earns good will in the early going through slacker comedy, much of it delivered through a "one of us" sarcastic pop culture geek from out of a Kevin Smith movie. There's also a lot of southerners making fun of southerners (filmed in Alabama by Alabamans,) which is much more fun and legit than when goddamned Yankees try to pull it off. On the other hand, a <i>Dawn of the Dead/King of the Hill</i> mash-up isn't for all tastes, and you will not be surprise to learn these guys were working from a $20,000 budget. The make-up and effects are amateurish, the acting isn't much better, and the direction is so bad at times that even a layperson will question the framing. The first half hour is the sweet spot, as characters and quirky situations are introduced. For instance, the "R" rating isn't just for the full frontal male nudity in the opening scene, but who expected that to be a question in the first place? Both figuratively and literally ballsy. Once the foundation is laid and the initial questions answered though, the lack of variety and depth in the characters wear on the nerves, and there's a strong sense of the screenwriter spitballing for scenarios to keep the crew busy until the arbitrary ending. Enjoyment will to depend on getting your drink on from the top, so your standards can drop off as sharply as the material in the second half.
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<br />
<a href="http://nurgh.blogspot.com/2008/07/index-of-frank-movie-reviews.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/nurgh/AFrankReviewofMotionPictures.jpg" /></a>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-85466414679382864782016-07-18T15:33:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:40:02.359-06:002016 Aliens 30th Anniversary Artist Jam featuring Facehugger by Cody Schibi<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LtmP85tMmpY/Xglxin9uQpI/AAAAAAAADCY/qsGfSp3og0UwaPJaAjWXr5HvmlEc3RCQwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BArtist%2BJam%2Bfeaturing%2BFacehugger%2Bby%2BCody%2BSchibi.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LtmP85tMmpY/Xglxin9uQpI/AAAAAAAADCY/qsGfSp3og0UwaPJaAjWXr5HvmlEc3RCQwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BArtist%2BJam%2Bfeaturing%2BFacehugger%2Bby%2BCody%2BSchibi.jpg" data-original-width="1085" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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Of the <i>Aliens</i> cast, I feel the greatest kinship with Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser, unlikely popcult avatars, and have followed their careers the most closely. So many movies have tried to have their own Carter Burke, but it never works as well because they forget that he was more than a corporate slimeball with a homicidal eye toward the bottom line. Despite being manipulative and having an agenda, Carter Burke seemed like an alright guy that supported Ripley emotionally and in the xenomorph business for better than half of <i>Aliens</i> (especially if you factor in the revelations of the director's cut) before his true nature was revealed. You liked the guy, so the betrayal stung all the more. Those positive qualities led me to Reiser's other contemporaneous movie roles, his stand-up, but most especially one of my all-time favorite TV shows, <i>Mad About You</i>. I relate strongly to Paul Buchman, and appreciate his family and environment. That was one of the only long running shows to end on a high note, and I made a point of telling Reiser so.<br />
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Carter Burke was the second commission in the series that I initiated, when I still thought it would be dominated by jams instead of one-off character spotlights. Given my affection for Reiser, I began to fret that he might take offense at having to share space with other characters when so many of the active fighters in the movie got their own solo works. I nixed adding another character like Spunkmeyer or an alien egg to fill out the page, but the intersect between that character and Burke was close lab encounters with a facehugger, which inspired the idea to use one of those to complete this jam.<br />
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Facehuggers are one of the most memorable and unnerving aspects of the Alien franchise, with a live specimen that tried to "kiss" Burke with its prehensile sphincter stalk from inside a fluid filled tank anticipating his fate (in an unfilmed or undiscovered scene, Ripley found Burke cocooned and impregnated during her search for Newt, and left him with a grenade he could use to kill himself, which was meant to tie into one of those random explosions in the final act.) I loved this piece offering a chance to (literally) showcase the creature, especially as rendered by Cody Schibi, who is excellent at depicting the weird and grotesque (as well as being another of my very favorite regular artists to commission!) I was asking an awful lot of him though, between the complicated organic spider-crab-beastie, the textures of the metal and glass case, and to stroke Reiser's ego just a tad more, his mirror reflection (as reinterpreted by Schibi in direct contrast to an entirely different artist on the same page.) It was a ridiculous demand that I figured Schibi would overlook to preserve his sanity, but instead he gave me every single thing I wanted with panache like the boss he is!<br />
<br />
Sigourney Weaver and Bill Paxton were the top priority signatures, since they were only appearing for one day across less than four total hours between them over roughly simultaneous sittings broken in two between the cast panel. I was lucky enough (and had unwittingly spent enough money beforehand on an extra priority express ticket) to score Weaver's signature during her first hour long signing session, while the girlfriend I was forced to abandon secured me a nice place in line for Paxton. I don't remember if I had Schibi's addition to the jam piece in hand yet, but with all the anxiety and hullabaloo from those first two signings, I wanted to take a break and check on pieces floating around Artists Alley. Also, with Reiser scheduled to be signing for the rest of the weekend, I hoped to eventually catch him during a dry spell and maybe try to milk some extra anecdotes out of him in a b.s. session. However, my girlfriend had kept her eye on Reiser, and didn't think he was enjoying his time stuck at a comic convention in Houston in the summer. To my knowledge, besides Comicpalooza and SDCC, I don't think Reiser really does nerdy conventions. At her urging, I figured I'd go ahead and get the signature just in case, plus standing in line gave me more of an opportunity to mill about near the celebrities, eavesdropping without being creepy.<br />
<br />
When my turn came up, I presented the commission to Reiser, who said "Hey look, it's me with Bill Hope!" I chatted him up a bit, he politely thanked me for my kind words, and that was it. I saw him again at the panel, where he and Paxton stole the show with their lousy one question a piece in a shrimpy 40 minute Q&A involving eleven actors. And I didn't see him again for the rest of the show, so I'm mighty damned glad I got to him when I did!<br /><br />
<u><b>Cody Schibi</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CodySchibiArt/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/codyschibi" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/codyschibi/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.codyschibi.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-84245197770794088162016-07-18T14:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:38:06.338-06:002016 Aliens 30th Anniversary Ricco Ross as Private Ricco Frost commission by Adrian Nelson<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pmImWG6NHCM/XglxFnaMoYI/AAAAAAAADCQ/b99rSgzqZGA8F0vIU895P6WEUP6qA3MlgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BRicco%2BRoss%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BRicco%2BFrost%2Bcommission%2Bby%2BAdrian%2BNelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pmImWG6NHCM/XglxFnaMoYI/AAAAAAAADCQ/b99rSgzqZGA8F0vIU895P6WEUP6qA3MlgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BRicco%2BRoss%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BRicco%2BFrost%2Bcommission%2Bby%2BAdrian%2BNelson.jpg" data-original-width="937" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
One of the ways I regulate my spending and exposure on art commissions is to only get pieces at local shows for cash money, which I tried to do with this Frost piece. I considered having Joe Jusko do the job at Space City, but here was another Colonial Marine I was wishy-washy about whether or not they would take part in a jam, and the clock ran out. Also, I had my heart set on getting a piece by Adrian Nelson, who I could usually rely on to appear somewhere at Space City each year. I reached out to him on Twitter, only to learn that he was skipping all the local shows this year to focus on finishing a graphic novel for Kickstarter and another work-for-hire job besides. I couldn't fault him for that, especially because I feel he's one of the strongest local talents to transition into sequential art publications, and I'm still surprised he hasn't done work for a top publisher. I still really wanted him to be a part of the project though, and broke most of my rules by paying him over the internet for a commission I'd receive by meeting him in a McDonald's parking lot partway across town. It was worth it though, as we had a long chat about his potential in comics and his clear influences from greats like Michael Golden, Jason Pearson and Greg Capullo in no way interfering with his having developed his own distinctive and dynamic style. Nelson wasn't comfortable with doing likenesses, and initially struggled with getting the piece started over concerns about that aspect. Once I let him know that wasn't a big deal to me, Nelson cut loose, focusing on Frost's attitude instead of my reference materials. Despite never having drawn a xenomorph before, Nelson went whole hog, incorporating them into his complex design for the piece. The results were splendid, and while Ricco Ross is too suave a dude to make a scene over it, he sure enough got a good cell phone snap of the piece all the same!<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Adrian Nelson</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/theartofadriannelson/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://adriannelson.com/" target="_blank">Art Gallery</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/badcog" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-12102392265983072902016-07-18T13:13:00.002-05:002019-12-29T21:35:43.220-06:002016 Daniel Kash as Private Daniel Spunkmeyer Comicpalooza Commission by Toni Shelton<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCLL5-GY0QY/Xglwh77sORI/AAAAAAAADCI/be23xj1uA0wQ7fopL9wx6NYZoZfsFGzjwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BDaniel%2BKash%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BDaniel%2BSpunkmeyer%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BToni%2BShelton.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCLL5-GY0QY/Xglwh77sORI/AAAAAAAADCI/be23xj1uA0wQ7fopL9wx6NYZoZfsFGzjwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BDaniel%2BKash%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BDaniel%2BSpunkmeyer%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BToni%2BShelton.jpg" data-original-width="1024" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
Spunkmeyer was a character I didn't know quite what to do with. I thought about adding him to one of the more open Colonial Marine art jams, but he never saw that kind of direct action in the movie. I couldn't put him in a cockpit scene with Corporal Ferro without knowing if I'd ever get to meet Colette Hiller for her autograph. Spunkmeyer was the other person besides Ripley seen using a power loader, but replacing her seemed sacrilegious, and the few artists I spoke with didn't seem keen on drawing that piece of equipment. I considered putting him in with Burke and Gorman as one of the sort of non-combatants, but I felt like it would be too crowded, and I didn't have great reference for his lower half. I then started thinking about obscuring it with something like a xenomorph egg, maybe even having Spunkmeyer squatting to lift a stream of alien ooze off it to reflect his climactic appearance in the bay of the Dropship. I couldn't make up my mind, <a href="http://spacecitycomiccon.com/" target="_blank">Space City Comic Con</a> passed into <a href="http://www.comicpalooza.com/" target="_blank">Comicpalooza</a>, and I was swiftly running out of time.<br />
<br />
The girlfriend and I walked Artist's Alley, going booth to booth, trying to figure out who to choose for this piece. Eventually, we reached Toni Shelton toward the end of our trek, and we were both impressed with her, so she received the nod. It turned out to be a bit nerve wracking, because she was the only artist on the project chosen that late in the game that I'd never had any experience with. It didn't help that she was so young that she'd never even seen an <i>Alien</i> film, or that she was driven to do good work on this at-home project that lasted until Sunday morning. That said, Shelton's sample pieces were tight, I was confident that the Colonial Marines would stick around for the entire weekend as scheduled, and I wanted her to have the time she needed.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, that was the correct course of action. I thought Spunkmeyer was a rather pretty young man with very distinctive features and piercing eyes that Shelton could best capture, and her aim was true. Spunkmeyer was a fairly minor player in the film, and actor Daniel Kash seems to embrace that status, not even taking a proper chair or his own microphone at the furthest end of the table during the cast's panel at the con. When I approached him with the commission explaining that this was the last finished piece and the concluding signature of the project, Kash jumped at the comment as an opportunity for self-deprecation along the lines of "everybody always picks me last." The shame of it is, Toni Shelton drew a leading man, the image of a hero in this narrative that reflected Kash's anecdotes about his self-image while auditioning for the role before Jim Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. I complemented Kash on his straight from the hip, no B.S. interviews and entertainingly surly attitude, but at the same time I felt bad that he didn't seem able to see himself at his best thirty years past, as captured in Shelton's appealing work.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Toni Shelton</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArtByToniShelton/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/tcshelton87" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tcshelton.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-74408672551836405922016-07-18T12:05:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:33:29.676-06:002016 Cynthia Scott as Corporal Cynthia Dietrich Comicpalooza Commission by Chris Beaver<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cF6tqJJjlTk/XglwAjsg8jI/AAAAAAAADCA/q5P7e8eafJw2otdQncPvgLD2AY9z82qyACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BCynthia%2BScott%2Bas%2BCorporal%2BCynthia%2BDietrich%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BChris%2BBeaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cF6tqJJjlTk/XglwAjsg8jI/AAAAAAAADCA/q5P7e8eafJw2otdQncPvgLD2AY9z82qyACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BCynthia%2BScott%2Bas%2BCorporal%2BCynthia%2BDietrich%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BChris%2BBeaver.jpg" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1009" /></a><br />
<br />
Forgive me if this later set of Aliens 30th Anniversary posts are shorter and sloppier, but I piddly-farted around too long and the actual date of release caught up with me. I'm posting these pretty much in real time after working a 14 hour overnight shift and having stayed up 21 hours so far trying to get this done. I got as many of these Colonial Marines commissions finished at Space City Comic Con as I could manage, because I really didn't want to juggle turning around pieces at the same show where I was also trying to get cast signatures. Dietrich was a candidates to join one of the multi-character/artist jam pieces, but that notion didn't pan out, so I needed a solo piece at Comicpalooza. Not wanting to take any chances, I approached Chris Beaver, who has always done good work for me. Here, he thinks outside the box, going for a landscape waist-up action heavy image. I'm fond of the hallway recalling the ruined Hadley's Hope, and how the flamethrower's light bleaches out much of the surrounding area and the xenomorph warrior's midsection (a choice rendering, and) a turnabout on the infamous Mars Attacks trading card <a href="http://www.tkinter.org/Stuff/MarsAttacksCards/images/19.jpg" target="_blank">"Burning Flesh"</a>. Dietrich was the very first marine taken out by the xenomorphs, from behind in an ambush. When I showed it to her actress, Cynthia Scott, I think we were both happy to see Dietrich finally get the chance for some payback!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.daportfolio.com/357429" target="_blank">Portfolio</a></li>
<li><a href="http://animatedbeaver.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Beaver Den blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chrisbeaver.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART gallery</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-5267800094733318552016-07-18T11:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:31:08.925-06:002016 Aliens 30th Anniversary Xenomorph Queen Comicpalooza Commission by Mark A. Nelson<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syEOw9-wgHY/XglvdG5zbSI/AAAAAAAADB4/rTHGRn5z-9oZu8bKZrbjF_y-C-h3jc9UQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BXenomorph%2BQueen%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BMark%2BA.%2BNelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syEOw9-wgHY/XglvdG5zbSI/AAAAAAAADB4/rTHGRn5z-9oZu8bKZrbjF_y-C-h3jc9UQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BXenomorph%2BQueen%2BComicpalooza%2BCommission%2Bby%2BMark%2BA.%2BNelson.jpg" data-original-width="1000" data-original-height="1289" /></a><br />
<br />
As Comicpalooza approached, I began to realize that the convention had booked a number of non-actors associated with <i>Aliens</i> for the show. It occurred to me that I ought to get some sort of catch-all "technical achievement" commission that would create a space for all of these creators to be acknowledged and leave their John Hancocks. For instance, the entire team responsible for the first Dark Horse Comics <i>Aliens</i> mini-series were present, including illustrator Mark A. Nelson. I was familiar with him through his extensive work at Dark Horse, as well as the cool but forgotten Vertigo mini-series <i>Blood & Shadows</i> with Joe R. Lansdale. I approached him about doing an Alien Queen, which he confessed he hadn't drawn in a long time, but we had a shared reference point through Starlog's 1986 <i>The Official ALIENS movie book</i>. He'd used it for years but I'd only recently bought one after being taunted by ads for it going back to my impoverished childhood. Nelson was totally game about the commission, and also a great sport in general and a good conversationalist besides.<br />
<br />
I ended up buying a copy of <i>Aliens 30th Anniversary: The Original Comics Series</i> from him, which is a very nifty oversized hardcover collection of the first mini, covers, plates, anthology stories and other rarities with black metallic ink ringing around the edges of the pages. Nelson drew an Alien Warrior head for me on the inside, while letter Willie Schubert (who I still need to contact about a project we discussed) and writer Mark Verheiden (who I also <a href="http://idol-head.blogspot.com/2016/06/podcast-john-ostrander-mark-verheiden.html" target="_blank">got to interview</a>) also signed the book & the commission. Pretty sweet, no? They were joined on the art piece by Spat Oktan of SpatCave Studios (who had designed costumes for the <i>Aliens: Colonial Marines</i> video game and outfitted a number of cosplayers at the show) and Alec Gillis. The latter had done design and effects work on several Aliens films, and is featured on the commentary track for <i>Alien<sup>3</sup></i>. We had quite a nice chat about the virtues of practical FX and his current project, <i>Annabelle 2</i>, which never would have happened without this commission. Pretty sweet, no?<br /><br />
<u><b>Mark A. Nelson</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.nelson.56" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.grazingdinosaurpress.com/pages/mark/home.html" target="_blank">Site</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mansyc.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-53008303010176929562016-07-18T10:04:00.002-05:002019-12-29T21:27:15.498-06:002016 Bill Paxton as Private William Hudson Space City Comic Con Commission by Geoff Shaw<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-ZbyaQLYJc/XgluhsK34-I/AAAAAAAADBw/OCCgmW7gZUUQWwwrjGKu0ThLz1Xt64ifACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BBill%2BPaxton%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BWilliam%2BHudson%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BGeoff%2BShaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-ZbyaQLYJc/XgluhsK34-I/AAAAAAAADBw/OCCgmW7gZUUQWwwrjGKu0ThLz1Xt64ifACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BBill%2BPaxton%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BWilliam%2BHudson%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BGeoff%2BShaw.jpg" data-original-width="1001" data-original-height="1358" /></a><br />
<br />
Bill Paxton is one of my favorite <i>Aliens</i> cast members, both because of his willingness to put himself out there with difficult characters, and because he's such a Texan. I know the characters he plays in real life, and sometimes I see myself in them. My cousin is basically Hudson + Vince Vaughn's character from <i>Made</i>. It's also why I love Billy Bob Thornton's screenplays, especially <i>One False Move</i>, which starred Paxton as an over-eager small town sheriff in way over his head as vicious murderers bring neo-noir to town on their way to Houston. I can't imagine how hard it is to play a cowardly blowhard like Hudson, over a human hurricane like Dale Dixon, or the dichotomy of a god-fearing serial killer like the father in <i>Frailty</i>. It has to be emotionally draining and often thankless, because Paxton so inhabits these compromised characters that he doesn't get the credit for his acting effort.<br />
<br />
I feel that Hudson is one of the iconic roles in cinema, like Ripley, Vasquez, and Burke, that created an archetype seen in scores of flicks since. I also believe Bill Paxton remains one of the great under recognized character actors, so I wanted to get a really awesome commission to show my appreciation for both the character and performer. I wanted someone who could capture Hudson's more comedic side, but wouldn't drift too far outside the action/horror/sci-fi of the films as reflected by the other commissions. Ahead of the show, I was seriously considering Joseph Michael Linsner, but he cancelled soon after he was announced. For two days, I traveled up and down Artist's Alley, trying to find a replacement that could manage the precarious balance required to nail Hudson.<br />
<br />
After much deliberation, I finally chose Geoff Shaw, an up and coming artist I'd been impressed by through his online galleries (and I'd just gotten a copy of his new Dark Horse Comics trade paperback <i>The Paybacks</i>, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.) We set up the commission late on Saturday, and he wasn't able to get it done Sunday, so we made arrangements for me to pick it up from his hotel lobby the next day shortly before he was to leave for his flight (which is getting to be a habit with me after picking up jobs from Rob Liefeld and Norm Rapmund the same way.) I seriously had no idea what to expect when I showed up, which was great, because I got to be that much more blown away by the reveal of the finished work.<br />
<br />
I'd asked Geoff Shaw to take the character seriously, treating with respect a braggart in an unbelievably terrifying situation who cracks under the strain but still soldiers on (not remotely in those words, but in a scatterbrained approximation with a bunch of other babbling nonsense to muddle through.) As Shaw put it, "he's not a strong man," but he sincerely looked into the soul of Hudson and found at least a semblance of strength in a man who watches everything he had faith in collapse swiftly and brutally under the weight of xenomorph infestation. It's an exceptional likeness, but more than that, Shaw captured the very being of Paxton as Hudson. I was overwhelmed with admiration for the obvious effort, and when I showed the piece to other artists, they were very impressed with the technique (which presumable included cutting out a stencil around the main figure to allow him to be dirtied up with greasy ink splotches in the midst of shuttle wreckage while the surrounding background remained prestine, surely a time intensive but highly satisfying effect.) This gorgeous commission immediately rocketed up to my top favorites.<br />
<br />
A few weeks later, I hopped into Bill Paxton's signature line at Comicpalooza. He met me with a big smile and a boisterous voice, jubilantly scrutinizing the piece and pointing out his wife's name on Hudson's armor. I explained about how this was an original piece of art, the overall project, and also how much I'd enjoyed Paxton's overall career, seeing his directorial offering <i>Frailty</i> with friends during its theatrical run, and I might have even referenced his old band Martini Ranch (as suggested by their fan, Matt Haley.) I'd only asked Paxton to carry on the character name theme from the other actor's signatures, but after my fanboy gushing, Paxton said "Aww right, you're getting a "Game Over, Man!" I don't know if that was some sort of prize, but I certainly dug it, and I think Paxton genuinely did, too.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Geoff Shaw</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.geoff-shaw.com/" target="_blank">Site</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/geoffshaw12" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://imagine1207.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART</a></li>
<li><a href="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13697088_521302591394506_603893208540039908_n.jpg?oh=4217a33a1fa4ed0aa0be3f46a407cf9a&oe=58336914" target="_blank">Another Aliens commission</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-55252305793166887072016-07-18T06:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:53:46.130-06:002016 Jenette Goldstein as Private Jenette Vasquez Space City Comic Con Commission by Liam Sharp<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3HKhp4-mm0/Xgl0u0DZztI/AAAAAAAADCo/gS8AdDmhKYos2ilOi3pMeOFIPUyIVSUtQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BJenette%2BGoldstein%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BJenette%2BVasquez%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BLiam%2BSharp.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3HKhp4-mm0/Xgl0u0DZztI/AAAAAAAADCo/gS8AdDmhKYos2ilOi3pMeOFIPUyIVSUtQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BJenette%2BGoldstein%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BJenette%2BVasquez%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BLiam%2BSharp.jpg" data-original-width="969" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
As a minor Marvel U.K. fan, I was on board to preorder <i>Death's Head II</i> for both its solicitations based on my past experience with the cheesier original version of the character and the tiny but rad looking sketch of the new Chromium Age version used in the copy. I was blown away when the mini-series finally came out drawn by an exciting new find, Liam Sharp, who combined the flash of Jim Lee with the sinewy punk rock Frazetta feel of Simon Bisley. I kept up with Sharpe from then on, to Frontier, Verotik, and wherever. When I heard he was coming to town, I knew I had to get a piece, and it seemed obvious he should do the toughest of all the Colonial Marines!<br />
<br />
I liked Vasquez straight away when I saw <i>Aliens</i> thirty years ago, and she's since become a cultural icon. Despite the actress being Jewish, my Mexican girlfriend bought her as one of her own, and dismissed the recent P.C. police murmurings about whitewashing. It would be an issue today, but in 1985 England? Not so much. I had some ideas about how Sharp's take might turn out, maybe emphasizing action and employing her smartgun. I was very happily surprised to see him offer a more pensive Vasquez, staring out from some sort of fence or barrier. The approach emphasized her humanity over being the smack-talking Valkyrie that usually comes to mind, recalling her deep affection for her comrades and her penchant for self-sacrifice in their defense (not to mention her her defiant resignation during the final assault on the marines' stronghold. I have major reservations about the current sword-slinging incarnation of Wonder Woman, whose book Sharp just took over as part of the DC Rebirth initiative. Sharp's thoughtful approach here (and his writing partner Greg Rucka) gives me heart that the Amazing Amazon I love is still being published, and what I've seen of Sharp's work on the book looks to be a career best for both the artist and Princess Diana.<br />
<br />
I took the page up to the actress who played Vasquez, Jenette Goldstein, who expressed the most enjoyment and interest of any of the cast toward these commissions. She asked questions about who the artist was and what the image represented, as well as both admiring his technique. I kept the Sharp in hand for more of both Space City Con & Comicpalooza than most any other piece, and it generated the most comments from the other artists. Also, I brought my girlfriend to meet Goldstein, and she was wearing a souvenir t-shirt from our European vacation a few years ago. Goldstein noted, "You don't look like a Poland," to which the girlfriend swiftly replied "You don't look like a Vasquez," which we all got a chuckle out of (with assurances that no offense was intended, and that the actress' portrayal of a Latino had both of our seals of approval.) Goldstein tried to take a cell phone pick of the art, but I happened to have a xerox of it handy, so it was nice to offer her a souvenir of Houston in reciprocity for signing my stuff. I have to say, my best experience with the <i>Aliens</i> cast was with Jenette Goldstein, and she's still a favorite!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Liam Sharp</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Liam-Sharp-205024849509913/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/LiamRSharp" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://liamsharp.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-17407124962961961112016-07-18T05:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:22:46.010-06:002016 Michael Biehn as Corporal Dwayne Hicks Space City Comic Con Commission by Tommy Nguyen<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zz_Nb7P-t7c/Xglteu-jnCI/AAAAAAAADBk/rTjTadvDukspI7yMimBAx0yVCc2ldM4RQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BMichael%2BBiehn%2Bas%2BCorporal%2BDwayne%2BHicks%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BTommy%2BNguyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zz_Nb7P-t7c/Xglteu-jnCI/AAAAAAAADBk/rTjTadvDukspI7yMimBAx0yVCc2ldM4RQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BMichael%2BBiehn%2Bas%2BCorporal%2BDwayne%2BHicks%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BTommy%2BNguyen.jpg" data-original-width="1001" data-original-height="1594" /></a><br />
<br />
Hicks was a tricky character because I'd planned to have him be in a jam with Ripley and Newt (which ceased to be an option) and drawn by either Eddy Barrows (canceled out of show at the last minute) or Aaron Lopresti (whose commission list filled up so he turned me down.) Now I needed a new artist who could deliver a more expansive single character image for Hicks. I hadn't worked with Tommy Nguyen before, but I liked his art samples and his style seemed to suit Hicks, so I took a chance. Nguyen did a great job on the character, his armor, his on-model pulse rifle, and placing him on a smoldering battlefield atop a mound of Alien corpses. Badass!<br />
<br />
I brought the piece to Kyle Reece himself, who was pleasant. He had an oddly mechanical but metal signature of large intersecting straight lines, and made an interesting showing at the Aliens cast panel, congratulating the director and the lead. You can check out it out for yourself below...<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l1HzUDle5Nk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /><br />
<u><b>Tommy Nguyen</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nguyen.d.tommy" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.tommynguyenart.com/gallery-1/" target="_blank">Site</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tommyknocka211.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">deviantART</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-30184190900378123022016-07-18T04:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:18:02.690-06:002016 Aliens 30th Anniversary Mark Rolston as Private Mark Drake Jam Art by Vo Nguyen & Lance Schibi<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ7V8FEL_IE/XglmZMFZABI/AAAAAAAADAw/jmY-6ifMXXEyUTfAllApx9NXqYoL32QLACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BMark%2BRolston%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BMark%2BDrake%2BJam%2BArt%2Bby%2BVo%2BNguyen%2B%2526%2BLance%2BSchibi.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ7V8FEL_IE/XglmZMFZABI/AAAAAAAADAw/jmY-6ifMXXEyUTfAllApx9NXqYoL32QLACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BMark%2BRolston%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BMark%2BDrake%2BJam%2BArt%2Bby%2BVo%2BNguyen%2B%2526%2BLance%2BSchibi.jpg" data-original-width="1001" data-original-height="1561" /></a><br />
<br />
As previously mentioned, I asked Vo Nguyen to draw Drake at <a href="http://spacecitycomiccon.com/guests.html" target="_blank">Space City Comic Con</a> with the intention of his being the center figure in a multi-character, multi-artist jam. However, the project slowly morphed into being mostly single character, single artist pieces with more background elements and greater latitude for individual interpretation. This piece suffered during that shift, since the black squiggly lines radiating from Drake prevented any other characters from being organically integrated into the piece, but all the negative space left over made the piece look terribly plain compared to others' work. I felt bad about presenting it to the actor who played Drake, Mark Rolston, and got it into my head to return to the jam concept for a background.<br />
<br />
Lance Schibi has started a couple of these jams in the past, and was a really trouper in fleshing out this piece. Because of time constraints, I'd gone ahead and gotten Rolston's signature, and he was very gracious and warm during the process. I'd also handed out all my reference materials, even the 1986 Starlog magazine I'd picked up that spotlighted <i>Aliens</i> and included some pull-out posters. I'd gone to the trouble of putting indexing tabs all over it, but the photos weren't great and I mostly stuck with higher resolution internet printouts. Even still, neither were on hand for the artist. Between whatever he could dig up on his phone and pure imagination, Schibi crafted an appropriately grotesque Giger-organic Alien hive shell around Drake, with squirming maggots and draping tendons for good measure. He took the piece all the way home without leaving <a href="http://www.comicpalooza.com/" target="_blank">Houston's Comicpalooza</a>, and I'm grateful to him for jazzing it up!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Lance Schibi</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.lanceschibi.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/lschibi" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://forthetitle.tumblr.com/page/265" target="_blank">For The Title web comic</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-31690119072308045192016-07-18T03:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:08:56.480-06:002016 William Hope as Lieutenant Scott Gorman Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Josef Rubinstein<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhGWq_pSkwo/XglqQU9B0sI/AAAAAAAADBQ/IZ2XaDrSBsERQ5iDyYf2_qs5CvtawLdtwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BWilliam%2BHope%2Bas%2BLieutenant%2BScott%2BGorman%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BJosef%2BRubinstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhGWq_pSkwo/XglqQU9B0sI/AAAAAAAADBQ/IZ2XaDrSBsERQ5iDyYf2_qs5CvtawLdtwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BWilliam%2BHope%2Bas%2BLieutenant%2BScott%2BGorman%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BJosef%2BRubinstein.jpg" data-original-width="525" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
Joe Rubinstein was one of the few marquee inkers in comics when I was growing up, thanks to his work on <i>The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe</i> and the original <i>Wolverine</i> mini-series. He's been to town once or twice before in recent years, but I always had it in mind to get him to embellish one of my pencil-only commissions, and I never got my stuff together to give that a go. Rubinstein's faces have a quiet nobility to them, and when I was considering artists to render Lt. Gorman, he seemed like a perfect fit. On the surface, Gorman was a handsome, stable commanding officer for the Colonial Marines. It was only after his inexperience came to light and the fit hit the shan that Gorman was revealed to be a less that ideal candidate. After getting Dietrich Smith's Carter Burke back, I thought Gorman could contrast the softness of the murderously ambitious villain with a firmer line and appearance of strength, even though we would still know that neither of these dudes were safe bets in the foxhole. It was great to finally meet Rubinstein, and even though he seemed a bit wary of the potentially negative association ("Why did you think of me" to draw Gorman?) I assured him that it was solely because the quality of his work seemed capable of making this cowardly dude come across as admirable. I think he nailed the likeness (more so in facial shading that was lost in the scanning process,) and when I presented the piece to the actor who played Gorman, he seemed to dig it. William Hope was also gracious and acquitted himself well in the cast panel later in the weekend, so don't assume the fellow has anything in common with Gorman beyond an IMDb credit.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Josef Rubinstein</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/artistjoerubinstein/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theartistschoice.com/rubinstein.htm" target="_blank">Art Sales Site</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-19671659913756094422016-07-18T02:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:05:45.403-06:002016 Paul Reiser as Carter Burke Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Dietrich Smith<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0R_bBs_uho/XglpgEa3qXI/AAAAAAAADBE/wQ-EeQuu6yEa5AG4AVdQf0H5T_pLLH1GgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BPaul%2BReiser%2Bas%2BCarter%2BBurke%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BDietrich%2BSmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0R_bBs_uho/XglpgEa3qXI/AAAAAAAADBE/wQ-EeQuu6yEa5AG4AVdQf0H5T_pLLH1GgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BPaul%2BReiser%2Bas%2BCarter%2BBurke%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BDietrich%2BSmith.jpg" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="1376" /></a><br />
<br />
As I've mentioned in previous posts, my original plan was to do a series of 11" x 17" multi-artist, multi-character jams across several landscape oriented Bristol boards. I already knew Matt Haley was going to do two characters on his own board, but I still thought I might squeeze Hicks into that piece by another artist (not yet realizing Haley would produce a complete image with backgrounds and everything.) My second stop was to Dietrich Smith, who had already contributed to two of my jam projects, including <a href="http://idol-head.blogspot.com/2016/01/2015-khym-jonzz-space-city-comic-con.html" target="_blank">K'hym J'onzz</a>. I knew he could handle that kind of collaboration, plus he was good at likenesses, and I wanted someone with a more delicate touch to handle weaselly corporate man Carter Burke amidst all those rugged Colonial Marines. We decided to flip the orientation to vertical to allow for fewer but larger figures, since the project was going to go across multiple boards anyway, and that would allow for a better modular organization for the project. Smith put a lot of subtle variations in shading and pinstripe detail into the piece that unfortunately doesn't come through in the scan, plus it looks more gray here because upping the contrast would obliterate a lot more of his work. Further, I got the second drawing in the jam done before I could scan this piece, so I crudely took that figure out in Paint for this isolated presentation, further compromising its integrity. It doesn't look bad here, but I guarantee it looks a lot better in my hands than on your screen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Dietrich Smith</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/artofDietrich/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dietrichosmith.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dietrich O Smith Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/dietrichosmith" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-15854249872823146082016-07-18T01:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:03:46.397-06:002016 Aliens 30th Anniversary Ripley & Newt Space City Comic Con Commission by Matt Haley<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H3s7l_Za4o/XglpAtEN7mI/AAAAAAAADA8/SGPHWIqdlfo0p6RqJz9Sidhp1uBINZEfgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BRipley%2B%2526%2BNewt%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BMatt%2BHaley.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H3s7l_Za4o/XglpAtEN7mI/AAAAAAAADA8/SGPHWIqdlfo0p6RqJz9Sidhp1uBINZEfgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BAliens%2B30th%2BAnniversary%2BRipley%2B%2526%2BNewt%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BCommission%2Bby%2BMatt%2BHaley.jpg" data-original-width="1029" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
As I usually do with commissions, I spent a fair amount of time researching the prospective artists to decide which characters best suited their individual styles. Matt Haley is one of my favorite comics artists, and one of the very few for whom I'll buy a comic for their art alone. This would be my first chance to get a Haley, and he's especially good at drawing women, so it wasn't a hard decision to select him for the main subject, Ripley. When I approached Haley, he confessed to having a soft spot for Sigourney Weaver, and was enthusiastic about the piece. In fact, he was hired to draw her for "comic book" interstitial scenes in the upcoming Walter Hill film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5034474/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2" target="_blank">Tomboy, a Revenger's Tale</a>, but had not gotten to meet her or find out whether she liked his portrayal of her. Star Michelle Rodriguez was more obviously approving, having gotten Haley to paint a portrait of her to keep. Haley really wanted to paint Weaver as well, and I suspect for however much he might have aimed to do good work for me, his efforts were at least partly driven to audition for Weaver, if I could get the piece into her hands.<br />
<br />
I'd originally planned to do another multi-character artist jam along the lines of the <a href="http://idol-head.blogspot.com/2016/02/2015-jonzz-family-portrait-artist-jam.html" target="_blank">J'Onn J'Onzz Family Portrait</a> I had done last year, but Haley effortlessly talked me into allowing him to do a fully inked rendering of both Ripley and Newt that would extend to a "take home" project and a FedEx shipment ahead of <a href="http://www.comicpalooza.com/" target="_blank">Comicpalooza</a> and the arrival of the <i>Aliens</i> cast to Houston. Obviously, Haley was a man of his word, producing an excellent cover quality piece that puts most of Dark Horse's published efforts to shame, complete with a background and a cameo appearance from an Alien warrior. The likenesses are solid and the personalities are dead on. I especially loved the touch of adding Casey, the plastic doll head that was Newt's only toy and "companion" after the massacre of her family at Hadley's Hope. For once, the Kinko's Xerox of the original 11" x 17" shrunk down to letters size to fit on my scanner was reasonably faithful, probably because the ink work is pitch black. In fact, my scan grayed it out some, so I had to contrast it back. The scan loses some of the pencil gray shading, but otherwise what you see is what I got. Usually there's at least one naysayer when I get a commission, but this one has met with only universal praise.<br /><br />
Virtually every square inch of the image space was utilized, so when I brought it to Carrie Henn, the actress who played Rebecca "Newt" Jorden, I asked her to sign the back. She was I think the first autograph I collected, and helped start the pattern of the actors adding the character name below their signature in quotation marks. She was nice and seemed to like the piece, plus I got a certificate of authenticity with her picture and a little hologram sticker on it.<br /><br />
The next day was Saturday, and the only chance to get Sigourney Weaver to sign for her character, Ellen Ripley. The girlfriend and I arrived at least a half hour early, but there was still a long line of people like us with various speed passes that allowed access to the hall before those with regular badges. We made a beeline to Weaver's section, despite it being a bit of a crap shoot, since she was only scheduled to sign for one hour before the <i>Aliens</i> panel and then two more afterward (plus some photo ops somewhere in there.) I didn't realize that as part of my specific admission package, I got to leap frog over a lot of angry people who thought they were already in the maximum speed lane. I felt more than a little bit guilty bypassing them (plus I had to abandon my girlfriend with little warning,) but I also wanted to get this key autograph out of the way. On the plus side, I was through her line with a signed commission by a half hour into the regular floor hours, giving me clear sailing for my next time-sensitive autographs. On the down side, I didn't get any companion certificate, Weaver was doing no personalizations, and her handlers were only allowing about 10-15 seconds of face time with the actress. I used this very narrow window to tell her about how the piece she was signing was by the guy who did the interstitials on the movie she just did and how he'd love to paint her someday and I literally took more time typing this sentence than I was allotted to speak it coherently. I did my best to deliver that message for Matt Haley though, so I can take a measure of pride in coming through even to that marginal degree!<br /><br />
<u><b>Matt Haley</b></u>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.matthaley.com/" target="_blank">Site</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/matthaleyart/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/matthaleyart/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-37410023827748303582016-07-18T00:00:00.000-05:002019-12-29T21:19:36.457-06:002016 Mark Rolston as Private Mark Drake Space City Comic Con Jam Sketch Detail by Vo Nguyen<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vxTb-2sm0ug/Xglso7JR03I/AAAAAAAADBc/LSQUJGVbFeIx36RK8TA5gCAaSowBG7-XgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BMark%2BRolston%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BMark%2BDrake%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BVo%2BNguyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vxTb-2sm0ug/Xglso7JR03I/AAAAAAAADBc/LSQUJGVbFeIx36RK8TA5gCAaSowBG7-XgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2016%2BMark%2BRolston%2Bas%2BPrivate%2BMark%2BDrake%2BSpace%2BCity%2BComic%2BCon%2BJam%2BSketch%2BDetail%2Bby%2BVo%2BNguyen.jpg" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="907" /></a><br /><br />
<i>Aliens</i> was one of my first favorite films, taking the title when I saw it at the movies in the summer of 1986 and holding it for about four years before its first serious challenger. Even still, it shifted in and out of the top spot throughout the '90s, watched tirelessly several times per year until I was given a VHS copy of the director's edition. As much as I appreciated the extra scenes, repeat viewings with the extended running time finally wore out the film's welcome. I took a break from it for a long while, typically watching it only a couple times per decade.<br />
<br />
The realization that this year marked the 30th anniversary of the film and that <a href="http://www.comicpalooza.com/" target="_blank">Houston's Comicpalooza</a> would be hosting a celebratory reunion (announced and even conducted long before San Diego, thank you very much,) reignited my dormant affection for the entire franchise. I finally bought the Alien Anthology Blu-Ray and watched the tetralogy (still working my way through the commentary tracks, though.) I also decided that since I was going to spend many hundreds of dollars to meet most of the cast, I ought to make a project of it. I usually get art commissions done at the local shows, and I decided to have drawings of each cast member done so that I'd have something unique and personally gratifying to get signed, as well as to perhaps serve as a conversation piece.<br />
<br />
Vo Nguyen had done a number of pieces for me a few years ago, and I thought he would be a good fit for Vasquez's hard man partner in crime Drake. I was still thinking we'd be doing multiple artist jam pieces at this point, but that didn't pan out, which explains the negative space I ultimately decided needed to be filled. I've got about half a day's worth of hourly posts lined up to celebrate the exact day of <i>Aliens<sup>30th</sup></i>, July 18, so check back later for those renovations...<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Vo Nguyen</b></u>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://brokenluk.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Deviant Art</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/searchresult.asp?txtsearch=Vo%20Nguyen" target="_blank">Comic Art Fans</a></li>
</ul>
Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-69539488444314716462015-08-17T20:50:00.000-05:002015-08-17T21:41:39.899-05:00The Under Guides Graphic Novel Podcast Vol III<h1>Prison Pit of the Earth-Pig</h1>
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The Under Guides Graphic Novel Podcast - Prison Pit of the Earth-Pig
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<h3>Look for us on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/under-guides-graphic-novel/id959900081?mt=2" target="_blank">iTunes</a> and <a href="//shoutengine.com/TheUnderGuidesGraphicNovelPodcast/" target="_blank">ShoutEngine</a></h3>
The Ill Mac, Mister Joe Fixit and Diabolu Frank return after nearly five months with black & whitesploitation! Fantagraphics Books represent at 0:38 with Johnny Ryan's <i>Prison Pit</i>, an adults-only sci-fi gorehound wrestling original graphic novel series, currently at five volumes with an animated adaptation of the first. Then at 22:17, Frank offers a second installment of our "Swords of Cerebus" ongoing feature, a look at the seminal Canadian barbarian aardvark self-published series that published 300 regular issues between 1977-2004, taken six at a time. Discussing the encroaching craziness of once-revered creator Dave Sim with Mac leads us to a tangent at 28:54 tracing the similar trajectory of Frank Miller from <i>Sin City</i> to <i>Dark Knight Strikes Again, All-Star Batman, Holy Terror</i> and the upcoming <i>The Master Race</i>. 34:29 brings a theme song to our mail segment, which is so heavy with shop talk between Joe & Frank that it takes up most of the back half of the hour.
It is within your power to join the conversation with our hosts:
<ul>
<li>Tweet us as a group <a href="https://twitter.com/rolledspine" target="_blank">@rolledspine</a>, or individually as <a href="https://twitter.com/CommanderBlanx" target="_blank">Diabolu Frank</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Illegal_Machine" target="_blank">Illegal Machine</a>. Fixit don't tweet.</li>
<li>Email us at <a title="rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" href="mailto:rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" target="_blank">rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com</a></li>
<li>If the <a href="https://rolledspine.wordpress.com/category/the-under-guides-graphic-novel-podcast/" target="_blank">Rolled Spine T.U.G. subsection</a> isn't your bag for public commenting, Frank also runs our posts on his old catch-all Blogger spot <a href="http://nurgh.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Under%20Guides%20Graphic%20Novel%20Podcast" target="_blank">...nurgh...</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-27393874391298627462015-03-30T23:05:00.002-05:002015-03-30T23:05:32.337-05:00The Under Guides Graphic Novel Podcast Vol II<h1>Bedlam before the Swords of Cerebus</h1>
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<h3>Look for us on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/under-guides-graphic-novel/id959900081?mt=2" target="_blank">iTunes</a> and <a href="//shoutengine.com/TheUnderGuidesGraphicNovelPodcast/" target="_blank">ShoutEngine</a> or simply <a href="https://ia601505.us.archive.org/24/items/TheUnderGuidesGraphicNovelPodcastVolII/The%20Under%20Guides%20Graphic%20Novel%20Podcast%20Vol%20II.mp3" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD MP3</a></h3>
Mister Joe Fixit and Diabolu Frank (with about fifteen seconds worth of Mac in various cameos) return to pimp four color fixes set off from the roads most traveled. This episode begins with a look primarily at the Image Comics series <i>Bedlam</i> with numerous Nick Spencer-related tangents such as <i>Morning Glories</i> and <i>Superior Foes of Spider-Man</i> beginning at the one minute mark. Brian Apodaca of the small press comic <a href="http://zombieoutlaw.com/?page_id=152" target="_blank">Zombie Outlaw</a> drops by for a very brief plug thirteen minutes in. Then the boys go on an ADHD comics overview rapidly referencing comics from Vertigo, Image, Valiant, Marvel, Dynamite, Avatar, Epic, Dark Horse & Wildstorm, under such writers as Warren Ellis, Brian Michael Bendis, Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Pat Mills, Jim Shooter, David Lapham & Si Spurrier. From ten seconds 'til 23 minutes, we begin our coverage of the earliest issues of Dave Sim's watershed independent comic epic <i>Cerebus</i>, part of a planned ongoing examination of the single longest lasting creator owned series in the history of North American comics. 32:14 brings our readin' & respondin' to y'r writin' on 'r prior podcastin'.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtKKYmw0ccY&w=560&h=315]
As you can tell, we love a fierce conversation and a pretty picture, so why don't you socialize with us, either by leaving a comment on this page or...
<ul>
<li>Tweet us as a group <a href="https://twitter.com/rolledspine" target="_blank">@rolledspine</a>, or individually as <a href="https://twitter.com/CommanderBlanx" target="_blank">Diabolu Frank</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Illegal_Machine" target="_blank">Illegal Machine</a>. Fixit don't tweet.</li>
<li>Email us at <a title="rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" href="mailto:rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" target="_blank">rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com</a></li>
<li>If this blog won't let you comment, we've got a <a href="http://nurgh.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Under%20Guides%20Graphic%20Novel%20Podcast" target="_blank">spare</a></li>
</ul>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8915477135063595894.post-11727147007110012622015-01-20T20:46:00.002-06:002015-01-20T20:56:06.221-06:00The Under Guides Graphic Novel Podcast Vol I<h1>
Buying Image Comics on Minimum Wage</h1>
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The Under Guides Graphic Novel Podcast - Buying Image Comics on Minimum Wage
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I_3I_4D25t8/VL8SrdR_srI/AAAAAAAABq4/bkNKGmg6Dqs/s1600/Minimum_Wage_Book1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I_3I_4D25t8/VL8SrdR_srI/AAAAAAAABq4/bkNKGmg6Dqs/s1600/Minimum_Wage_Book1.jpg" /></a></div>
Three decades long fans offer their views on "indie" comic books, which basically encompasses everything without a Marvel or DC logo. Join Diabolu Frank, Mister Joe Fixit and the Ill Mac "Illegal Machine" as they toss through titles from Image, Valiant, Dark Horse, First, Fantagraphics, IDW, Epic, Pacific, Slave Labor Graphics, Vertigo, Drawn & Quarterly, Avatar... basically everything in the shadow of the so-called "Big Two."<br />
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Kicking it 1990s style for the debut episode as we talk the launch of Image Comics, with an emphasis on early and recent material from Todd McFarlane's <i>Spawn</i>, Rob Liefeld's <i>Youngblood</i>, and Erik Larsen's <i>Savage Dragon</i>. Then, our spotlight original graphic novel is Bob Fingerman's <i>Minimum Wage Book One</i> from 1995 for Fantagraphics Books, recently reprinted in the large Image Comics collection <i>Maximum Minimum Wage</i>. Also, a brief nod toward <i>Love and Rockets</i>.<br />
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<h3>Look for us on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/under-guides-graphic-novel/id959900081?mt=2" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, or <a href="hhttp://shoutengine.com/TheUnderGuidesGraphicNovelPodcast/" target="_blank">elsewhere</a></h3>
As you can tell, we love a fierce conversation and a pretty picture, so why don't you socialize with us, either by leaving a comment on this page or...
<ul>
<li>Tweet us as a group <a href="https://twitter.com/rolledspine" target="_blank">@rolledspine</a>, or individually as <a href="https://twitter.com/CommanderBlanx" target="_blank">Diabolu Frank</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Illegal_Machine" target="_blank">Illegal Machine</a>. Fixit don't tweet.</li>
<li>Email us at <a title="rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" href="mailto:rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com" target="_blank">rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com</a></li>
<li>If this blog won't let you comment, we've got a <a href="https://rolledspine.wordpress.com/category/the-under-guides-graphic-novel-podcast/" target="_blank">spare</a></li>
</ul>
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</center>Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com0