Larry Hama - GI Joe

2012.09.29 Asbury Park, NJ

Larry Hama is a writer, editor, artist, actor and musician. His comic book credits include GI Joe: A Real American Hero, Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, Iron Fist, Wulf the Barbarian and Planet of Vampires (Atlas/Seaboard publishing), Ka-Zar, Wonder Woman, Super Friends, Mister Miracle, the Warlord, Elecktra and numerous other titles. Hama's first work was at age 16 in the magazine Castle of Frankenstein

Hama created Bucky O'Hare, published by Continuity Comics, 1978 and appeared as an animated television series in 1991 - Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars...

Hama ha appeared on M*A*S*H and on Broadway in Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.

Steve Becker - FUBAR Desert Storm

2012.12.15 Comic Book Jones, Staten Island, NY

Traveled to Staten Island to meet Steve Becker one of the artists on FUBAR, a zombie version of America at war. As their Fubar Press website states "Another Zombie Comic?" Yes, because people love zombies! And is there any setting better than a war

FUBAR comes from the creative minds of Jeff McComsey, editor in chief of FUBAR, American Terror: Confessions of a Human Smart Bomb, 6 Panel Cinema, Atomic Robo, as well a Games of Thrones illustration on his website...

Steve Becker has worked with White Wolf for the 6th edition of Gamma World, inked Tim Truman's Grimjack, inked Hawken #6, lead background designer on Atomic Robo: Last Stop animated short.

Other artists and writers contributing to this anthology are Stephen Lindsay, Dominic Vivona, Benjamin Truman, Jim McMunn, Jason Meadows, Mike Imboden, James Nguyen, Kyle Kaczmarczyk, Rob Croonenborghs, Jeff McClelland, Jonathan Moore, Helaine Crawford, Shawn Williams, Darrin Stephens, Jorge Vega, and others I am sure I have missed. An enjoyable and macabre series of short stories and a great sketch from Steve Becker...

Currently there are -  

FUBAR: European Theater of the Damned

FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead

FUBAR: American History Z

IDW Hawken variant cover by Jeff McComsey and Steve Becker

FUABR: Summer Special

FUBAR: The Devil's Dance Floor - FCBD

GI Joe - Snake Eyes

2010-Jul-24 Superheroes for Hospice - Livingston NJ

Yo Joe!!!
Superheroes for Hospice is run to raise funds for the Saint Barnabas Hospice, and featured a couple of sketch artists as well as comic books for sale.

Bobby Vala was one of the sketch artists present. Bobby has done art and design for Hasbro and Mattel, specifically for GI Joe, as well as designing Shocker Suit Spiderman. My interest was in GI Joe. I had several first day covers with military themes, so I decided to use the Desert Shield-Desert Storm commemorative from 1991.

I asked Bobby for a GI Joe of his choice, with a gleam in his eye and a small smile he asked "Can I do a Cobra?", Anything you want was my reply. When the cover was done, Bobby had opted for Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes is one of the original members from the GI Joe: A Real American Hero line, which came out in 1982.

The original GI Joe came out in the early 1960's and yes I had one. Most of the boys on my street in Brooklyn did.

You can see more of Bobby's work at www.vala316.deviantart.com