Search Results for: cooke

The Most Engrossing Crime Comics in History

Posted on by

Mark Peters at Salon recently posted his choices for The Most Engrossing Crime Comics in History.  Peters’ choices are solid.  Both the article and recommended comics are worth a read.

  Although they didn’t make Peters’ list I would also heartily recommend:

Loose Ends: It’d Be a Crime to Miss Out

Posted on by

Loose Ends by Jason LaTour [writer]. Chris Brunner [pencils & inks] and Rico Renzi [colors] is described as…

  • …a gritty, slow cooked, “southern crime romance”, that follows a winding trail down Tobacco Road, through the war torn streets of Baghdad, and into the bright lights and bloody gutters of South Florida…12-Gauge style.

It’s no secret that I love hardboiled crime stories and great art. Loose Ends is gonna have both.  It’s the one comic that I can’t wait to get my mits on. Loose Ends will be the first comic that I’ll read [Yep, Criminal and Walking Dead will have to wait] when it hits comic shops in July.

Jason has set up a great story and Chris’ art with Rico’s colors are amazing.  Truly.  I think that Loose Ends is going to break big and I’m encouraging everyone who might like it to give Loose Ends a try.

If you like what you see, please order up a couple of dozen copies from your local comic shop. [The copies will make great Christmas and birthday gifts.]  If you don’t like what you see, it’s time to get your eyes checked.

Lee Marvin, Mel Gibson & Jason Statham

Posted on by

Variety reported today that…

  • Jason Statham is in negotiations to star in the thriller “Parker” with Taylor Hackford directing… based on the book series by Donald Westlake [aka RIchard Stark], [and] revolves around a thief who, though at times is forced to be a killer, still lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. His word is his bond, and if he is crossed he will strike back relentlessly.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Richard Stark’s Parker novels as well as the graphic adaptations by Darwyn Cooke.   I also enjoyed Lee [“Point Blank”] Marvin and Mel [“Payback”] Gibson in movies based on the Parker character.  I have little doubt that Taylor Hackford directing Jason Statham will be welcome additions to the Parker legacy.

Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer Returns!

Posted on by

When Dave Stevens passed away last year, many thought that we’d never see another new story featuring his creation The Rocketeer.  IDW has just announced that they will publish a four issue mini-series featuring Stevens’ Rocketeer with new stories and art by some of the most talented people in the industry.  Folks like…

…Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday, Darwyn Cooke, Michael Golden, Gene Ha, Michael Kaluta, Garry Leach, Bruce Timm, Bill Willingham, and… pin-ups by Geoff Darrow, Art Adams, Jeff Campbell, Mike Mignola and others…

For full details click over to CBR.com’s post on the topic!

Chaykin Draws Down on Jonah Hex

Posted on by

What with all the talk lately about James Brolin playing Jonah Hex in the up-coming movie and Darwyn Cooke providing the cover to Jonah Hex 56, I’ve been thinking about my favorite artists who’ve drawn the deformed gunslinger.

This is Howard Chaykin’s prelim for the cover of  Jonah Hex #4 which was cover-dated February 2006.  It’s interesting to note that this appears to be an older Jonah Hex than we normally see and the powerlines in the background would indicate that the story takes place later in Hex’s life.  Chaykin said that…

“My inspiration for the image – and this is based on memory, as opposed to actually looking at the artwork in question – was a cover for a MAX BRAND paperback by an illustrator named Roy Andersen – who did a beautiful series of covers for Warner books back in the seventies or eighties…”

The artwork appeared in Rough Stuff magazine #4 and can be found in back issue bins in most comic shops.

Jonah Hex #50 [Minor Spoilers]

Posted on by

The Pitch: Darwyn Cooke [artist] teams with Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti [writers] for the 50th issue [a double-sized extravaganza] of Jonah Hex.

The Overview: Hex and a female bounty hunter named Tallulah have found that working together has benefits… their relationship has become more than just professional.  After a night spent together celebrating a huge reward, Hex wakes up alone.  Determined to find Tallulah and the reason she left, Hex accepts a bounty mission to bring in 50 criminals.  Fifty bounties is a huge burden, but it’ll be easier than accepting what he learns about Tallulah.

The Good: Darwyn Cooke’s art. The story by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti.  Tallulah is a cool character and the perfect love interest for Hex. The reason Tallulah left.  Fifty bounties for the 50th issue was a nice touch.

The Bad: What happens to those hunted by Hex or Tallulah.  Hex’s attitude after Tallulah leaves.  What happens along the way and when Hex finds her.

The Ugly: Jonah Hex.

The Summary: Jonah Hex #50 is a great read.  The story has twists that will surprise even the most jaded comic reader. It’s a double-sized issue and presents a complete story, so even the most casual comic reader can enjoy it. It’s definitely worth searching out.

Get Your [Dominic] Fortune

Posted on by

Earlier this month I posted this Howard Chaykin drawing of his Dominic Fortune character.  I also spoke of how much I loved Chaykin’s work on the Dominic Fortune stories.  The drawing was from nearly thirty years ago, about a little known [at least to the masses] comic book character.

Last night as I was looking through the latest issue of Previews I was surprised to read that Howard Chaykin is bringing back Dominic Fortune in a new story that Chaykin is writing, penciling and inking!   That’s the solicitation art above and here’s what they say about the story:

“The depression’s going strong, so when Dominic Fortune is hired to bodyguard Jock Madison, Vaughn Lorillard and P.T. Oakley, three drunk and disorderly Hollywood stars, he jumps at the chance to pick up what looks like a few easy bucks, and maybe have a few laughs in the bargain. But when the trio of old school hambones and horndogs prove to be a bigger pain than he anticipated — and he accidentally stumbles across a conspiracy headed by mysterious American businessman Malcolm Upshaw and Delatriz Betancourt, the recklessly sexy granddaughter of Confederates who fled Reconstruction for South America — Fortune finds himself in hot water…with the fate of the USA at stake. Explicit Content …$3.99 In stores August 5th“

It’ll be fun to see what Chaykin has cooked up.  Who knows, maybe if I post some drawings of Cody Starbuck and Monark Starstalker, Chaykin will revisit them as well!

If You Love Crime Fiction

Posted on by
Darwyn Cooke has just announced that he’ll be adapting Richard Stark’s “Parker” crime series into graphic novels.

Man-oh-man-oh-man! Talk about great news! How can it get any better than the combination of one of my favorite artists [with a love for the crime genre] adapting one of the most iconic characters in crime fiction?

You can read more about the pairing of Cooke and Parker here and here.

MegaCon

Posted on by
Friday and Saturday I was at MegaCon in Orlando. Florida. I had a good time seeing some old friends and meeting a few new ones. The crowd seemed much larger this year and the number of fans in costumes, especially good costumes was the biggest ever. As you can see Wonder Woman and Superman also made the trip to the show.

 

Dave Johnson signed and sketched in my copy of Drink and Draw. That’s Rev. Dave in the photo above. Darwyn Cooke signed my copy of his classic take on DC Heroes in The New Frontier. I was able to get a few sketches for my Stallone theme collection — Ron Salas did a Rocky and Joe Peaker worked up a Deke from “Nighthawks.” I’ll post photos once I get them scanned. Chris Moreno was finishing up a humorous take on Freddy from “Cop Land” and Jason Walker still needed to add color to his very cool “Rambo” at the close of day two, so my buddy The James is going to pick them up for me today.

I’ll be back later to tell you more about the show.

Superman / Doomsday

Posted on by
I got a chance to watch the Superman / Doomsday animated movie yesterday.While not on par with the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 30’s [not many cartoons are], Superman / Doomsday is an enjoyable tale brought to life by co-writer/co-director, Bruce Timm and a well chosen cast of actors including Adam Baldwin [Superman], Anne Heche [Lois Lane], James Marsters [Lex Luthor], Ray Wise [Perry White] and others.

The bonus features include behind the scenes with the voice actors, the animators, commentary tracks, as well as a sneak peak at The New Frontier [an upcoming animated feature based on Darwyn Cooke’s award-winning series — and I can’t wait to see it].

If you’re a Superman or comic book fan, my guess is that you’ll enjoy it. If you’re not a fan of either then you probably stopped reading this post long ago.

One Mega-Great Day

Posted on by

Usually when I plan to go to a comic convention, I post the news well in advance in case I have friends planning to be there. Much of the fun of cons is hanging with folks you seldom see! I hadn’t planned to attend this weekend’s Orlando MegaCon. Two weekends ago I attended FX and my wallet needed a break. Even though Darwyn Cooke was scheduled for MegaCon [and I really wanted a shot at a Cooke Stallone sketch], I figured to sit this show out.
Imagine my surprise, when at 7:30am Saturday, my good buddy John Highashi called me.  John knew how badly I wanted a Darwyn Cooke Stallone sketch.  Higashi said that Darwyn was sketching, and his prices were very reasonable. Unfortunately, there was no way that I could get over on Saturday since I had plans with my son Chris.
At 11:30pm, Higashi called me again to say Darwyn still had a couple of slots open. If I could get there early Sunday, I might still have a shot! To sweeten the deal, John had come up with two one day passes! [Talk about a true friend!] I spoke with Chris and he wanted to go.

That’s Chris and “The James” Howell looking all gangsterish. Chris and I got up early. I was first in line at Darwyn’s table. Right behind me came Randy Martin who hoped to get a sketch for his Edward Scissorhands collection. A few minutes later and the line behind us was huge! When Darwyn arrived, he said that he had room for just two more sketches. I was in!  As long as Darwyn didn’t run out of time, I’d get my Stallone piece!!

Usually when I hit cons, I have two or three days to hang with friends, set up sketches and look at what the dealers are selling. Since this was the last day of the show, I had to move quickly.  I visited briefly with Cadre and his crew, Alex Saviuk, Joe Pekar and Alberto Ruiz. [That’s Joe and Alberto in the photo above. Alberto’s the one flashing the lettuce!]
Keith and Monica Mallow were there. They joined Chris and I for lunch at the convention center cafe. Chris is pretty reserved the first time he meets someone, so he REALLY didn’t know what to make of Mallow, who’s a joke a minute guy. [Unfortunately his funny jokes only show up every five minutes or so… but I kid…] Keith is planning a one day show in Port St. Lucie, Florida on April 22nd. I’ll post more about that as the date draws near.

After lunch Chris and I hung out with the guys from Tsunami Studios [Gary McKee, Mike Torrance, and Jason Walker]. They’d prepared a studio sketchbook. It was a bargain, especially since they all drew small headshots free with every purchase. I’ll post up mine later this week.

The cool thing about hanging at the table is you get to see the guys working on commission sketches, you get to visit with other artists who stop by, as well as the folks who come to the show in costume.  Although he wasn’t in costume, I was surprised to see Jimmy Sanders III! It had been about 12 years since I last saw him. He’d made a splash in the comic biz as an inker and was going full bore for a while. Then a lot of things happened and he seemed to have dropped off the planet. He said that he’s hoping to back into comics.
As the afternoon wore on, I began to wonder if Darwyn would get to my sketch. He always had a huge line of fans who wanted to shake his hand, get a photo, and have him autograph a stack of comics. Darwyn was always friendly and took the time to make sure each fan left happy. He was making progress on his sketch list, but the clock was ticking. 
Matt Halloub hung at the table for a bit. He picked up some great additions to his collection. Hawaiian Dave visited and shared some of the great pieces that he scored at MegaCon. John Higashi would suddenly teleport in, and then just as quickly be off again. “The James” rounded up all the sketches that he’d set up. I had come to the show hoping to set up one sketch with Darwyn Cooke.
The show was almost over when word got back to me that Darwyn was drawing Sly! I swung by his table and it was ready! I thanked him then made my way back to table Tsunami. After just a few minutes the end of show announcements started. Before we said our goodbyes, Chris snapped a photo of us. That’s Gary looking proud of his pencil, and Jason to our right. I’m behind Gary, and Mike Torrance is behind me. Hawaiian Dave is directly behind “The James” who seems to be putting the Vulcan grip on Jason.

Before I go… let me leave you with a shot of Darwyn and his take on Sly as Jack Carter!