Risso Batman Statue

I recommend Eduardo Risso's work every chance I get. Although best known for his art on the monthly crime comic 100 Bullets, Risso has also done outstanding work on Batman, Spider-Man, Cain, and other lesser known comics.

If Risso worked on it, then I say, "give it a look."

See the cool looking Batman statue to the left. Yep, you guessed right. That baby is based on Eduardo Risso's Batman.

It's a limited edition statue which will stand nearly seven inches tall and be painted in a monochromatic black and white style [evoking the best of Risso's work]. This bad boy is going to be the first in a series of Batman statues.

Now want to hear the really cool thing? The retail price is just $45.00! I've already put in an order for mine. Click on the picture and you'll get a larger view of the statue. Then If you're going to want one, let your local comic shop know now!

Scout is coming back!

Man, am I stoked! Tim Truman's character SCOUT is coming back... and in a big way!

Scout was set in the near future and followed the adventures of an Apache, Emanuel Santana, who was on a mission to kill four "monsters" who were in positions of power in the United States. The original series ran for 24 issues.

The next Scout series was set ten years in the future and followed Scout and his two sons as they tried to stay alive on the barren frontier.

Scout was one of my favorite comic series and I can't wait to see everything that's being planned [Scout Collections, Posters, Lithographs, Statues, and Action Figures.]!

"Dr. Strangelove" Frighteningly Realistic

One of my all-time favorite movies is Stanley Kubrick's dark comedy "Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb."

If you love it as much as I do, then you'll be happy to know that a special 40th Anniversary Two Disc set is being released on November 2nd.

And whether you love "Dr. Strangelove" or not, you'll probably be surprised to read just how realistic it was. Read THIS ARTICLE and suddenly the comedy seems even darker.

Thanks to Mark Evanier for posting the link.

Dr. Strangelove rates an A+

Suppose Josey Wales rode into Salem's Lot...

Suppose Josey Wales rode into Salem's Lot... isn't that one of the best tag lines ever?

The Wicked West re-teams Neil Vokes, Todd Livingston and Robert Tinnell [the
guys that brought us The Black Forest] in a story of vampires and the old west.

This graphic novel is going to be a winner. I've already pre-ordered my copy. Check out the Wicked West website and I'll bet you'll soon be doing the same!

Wachowski Brothers' Next Project

The Wachowski brothers, the guys who created The Matrix, are back and I'll bet their next project will surprise you.

It's a comic series called Doc Frankenstein [created by Geof Darrow and Steve Scroce]!

The Wachoski brothers will write and Steve Scroce will draw the bi-monthly series which begins in November from Burlyman Entertainment.

The tagline says: Resurrected from the dead! He is the MESSIAH OF SCIENCE who has returned to Save Our World from the MONSTERS currently running it! Click HERE and you can see a preview of the art.

I'm going to pre-order Doc Frankenstein through my local comic dealer and you should too if you want to be sure to get a copy.

Carlito's Way

One of my favorite Al Pacino movies is Carlito's Way.

If you haven't seen it, you should give it a look, especially if you're a fan of Pacino, Sean Penn, or gangster movies. It's directed by Brian DePalma and is really, good. [I'd place a link to the dvd, but they're coming out with a Special Edition in the near future so you should wait if you'd like a copy for your collection.]

At any rate, Carlito's Way is one of my favorite movies. So you think I'd be excited to hear that a prequel may be in the works, right?

Well, unfortunately what JoBlow is reporting, is that if there is a sequel it doesn't look like Pacino, Penn or DePalma will be involved!

The cool thing is that no matter what happens with the prequel we'll always have the original.

"Carlito's Way" rates an A

"One Busy Horror Writing Machine"

Steve Niles is one of my favorite writers.

Niles writes screenplays, novels and comic books. If that sounds like a lot of writing, it is.

But so far I've enjoyed everything that Niles has written [especially the Cal McDonald novels].

Steve's got a lot more stuff coming out in the next year.

Click HERE and you can get a peek at what he has planned.

Who knows maybe you'll become a fan too!

Liam Sharpe & Conan

Liam Sharp is a really talented artist.

He'd love to draw Conan now that Dark Horse has started publishing new Conan stories.

Click on the picture to the left and get the full effect of Liam's Conan.

After seeing that don't you agree that Liam should get his Conan assignment today?

C'mon, Dark Horse... it's a "no-brainer!"

Tampa Con Report

On Saturday, August 7th my son Mike, John Beatty and I loaded into my "Jack Carter XG350" and headed to Tim Gordon's Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. We try to make it to at least 2 of the three shows Tim puts on each year because they're just_ that _much_ fun. And this show was no exception.

We decided that we'd get a good buffet breakfast before the show opened. As we sat down with our plates, in walked Alex Saviuk who was also in search of some morning nourishment. Alex usually attends Tim's Tampa shows and it's always nice to see him. We finished eating and headed over to the convention. The doors hadn't opened, but there was a huge line waiting. No doubt, the word is getting out about how much fun Tim's cons are.

Ethan Van Scriver was already set up. Ethan is one of the DC comics most popular artists and always shows up for Tim's conventions. The doors hadn't even opened and Ethan was already working on sketches for fans. The guy is ALWAYS busy. John Higashi "turned me on" to Ethan's art a couple of years ago so that's ANOTHER thing I owe to Johnny Star-Warz.

Alex Saviuk was set up. Next to Alex was Mark and Stephanie Heike from AC comics. Although I never get to spend much time with 'em, the Heikes always have something funny to say. Behind the Heikes was Miguel Insignares with a nice "Dawn of the Dead" trailer running on a loop next to the cool DOTD poster. That's Tim Gordon and Miguel in the pic to the left... looking like they just stepped off the set of "Dawn of the Dead!"

Marc Maculay, an actor who has appeared in "Monster," "The Punisher," "Bad Boys" and many other movies was ready for the fans. Some small press artists were set up to our left. Mitch Hyman, creater of the ever-popular Bubba the Redneck Werewolf, Jesse "Cadre" Hansen, Michael "The Ciderview Project" and Austin Janowsky were all having a blast. Dick "Cracked" Kulpa was set up at his usual spot just as you entered the convention room.

Yeah baby, things were looking good.

When the doors opened, the convention room quickly filled. The room is really huge and so even though there were hundreds [and hundreds] of people coming in, there was never that claustrophobic feeling that some convention rooms produce.

Several fans came up to John for autographs or sketches. John has really been doing some cool sketches lately and the fans are definitely digging the tones and colors that he adds to them. I got pictures of some of them, but missed out on a few... one was a really nice Cap that John did for a fan's Captain America themebook.

I had a chance to talk briefly with Randy Martin. Randy collects Edward Scissorhands. In fact it was Randy's Scissorhands sketches that inspired me to start my Stallone sketch theme. Randy's one of the good guys and so it was cool touching base with him.

Miguel Insignares remembered me from Atlanta Con and said that he still wanted to do a Stallone piece for my gallery when he gets some time. That'd be sweet. Miguel has been attached to some really cool projects and you just know that there's more to come!

Marc Maculay [pictured above with Mike and me] noticed my StalloneZone t-shirt and asked me about it. We ended up having a nice conversation about movies, education, etc. Marc's been acting professionally for over twenty years and did it without having to relocate to New York or LA. It was ironic that he played a scene in "Monster" with Charlize Theron that Beatty had been telling me about just a week earlier. John had watched the movie and it really impresed him. The next day he was telling me about this particular scene and sure enough the actor involved was Marc! Now how often do we get to meet actors who've impressed us?

The costume contest was a hoot!

There were two divisions... kids and adults. The three kids that entered all won some convention cash and had a fun time. Then came the adults... I never quite know what to make of costumers at conventions. Sometimes they are so good, they look professional... but other times...

There were several outstanding costumes. I thought that Catwoman would take first or second, Wolverine would get whichever spot Catwoman missed and third place would go to... well, one of the others. I was so surprised when the guy who came in first won, that I didn't even get a picture of him! At any rate, everyone enjoyed the costume contest... and I mean everyone. Even the artists stopped drawing to watch the action.

Then all too quickly it was time to go. The con ended at 4:00 and we still had to drive back to Daytona. We made sure to tell Tim what a great time we had and hit the road.

Tim's next show is November 14th.

As I've said, all of Tim's shows are great, but this one is going to be really special. NOEL NEILL [Paramount Movie Star, Popular Pin-Up for WWII GIs, and best known as Superman's Girl - Lois Lane] will be a guest! Ethan Van Scriver, Jim Fren, and Rob Granito have also already agreed to appear!

Who knows, maybe we'll see YOU there as well!

Tampa, Here I Come!

I'm looking forward to next Sunday!

Why, you ask? Because I'll be attending the Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention!

I really enjoy going to Tampa Con. Tim Gordon, who runs the show, is one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. Although he's in charge of making sure that all of the fans, pros and dealers are happy, and runs tables of his own, Tim always makes time to talk to fans and make sure that everything is going "just right."

Since Tampa Con isn't one of the huge events like in San Diego or Atlanta, there's more time for fans and pros to interact. Guest for next Sunday's show include Ethan Van Scriver [one of DC's rising stars -- he's being compared to Brian Bolland, which is quite a compliment in itself!], Alex Saviuk, John Beatty, Austin Janowsky, Mark and Stephanie Heike, as well as other artists. Marc Macaulay who has had roles in "The Punisher," "Monster," and "2 Fast 2 Furious" will also be on hand. Heck, you'll even be able to get your picture taken with "Robocop" if you want!

If you're within driving distance, come on by. I'll be hanging out at Big Beatty's table trying to keep him in line. And I can use all the help I can get!