K. Michael Crawford - Dragon

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

Happily Ever Art!
K. Michael Crawford is a children's book illustrator. Her first book was "Timbo and the Butterfly" providing illustrations for a friend's story. A few copies were printed and sold and a career was born...

1991, after working as a graphic designer, Crawford's work in children's books took off, illustrating several picture-books, educational work and product illustrations. She worked for Disney on Pooh and Friends, Warner Brothers Studios on Looney Tunes and Scholastic's Magic School Bus...

Crawford's books include Professor Horton Hogwash's Museum of Ridiculous, The Island of Zadu, Batty Malgoony's Mystic Carnivale, The Mystery of Journey's Crowne, The Munched-Up Flower Garden and others...

Ms. Crawford aded one of her fanciful dragons to a Jurassic Park first day cover... The Jurassic Park stamp was part of the Celebrate the Century 1990's sheet. Jurassic Park was written by Michael Crichton, and Universal Studios purchased the movie rights prior to the 1990 publication. The movie was released in 1993 with Stephen Spielberg directing....

Bill Ellis - Dr. Horrible

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Dr. Horrible - Science and Technology FDC

Bill Ellis writes the web-comic All New Issues with Dani O'Brien, and provides the art as well. The strip looks at relationships, being poor, the comic book industry, gaming through the eyes of a few flawed individuals...

When I got to Bill's table I was thumbing through his sketch cards, when I was struck by his rendition of Dr. Horrible, from Joss Whedon's 2008 web-based Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, featuring Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Captain Hammer and Felicia Day (Buffy) as Penny their shared love-interest. Without hesitation I requested a sketch from Bill...

This drawing was one of those special treats. I didn't have any expectations going in, I was not looking for this and I did not know what to expect... I was not disappointed, an excellent sketch!

When I first discovered Dr. Horrible, I thought it was great. Excellent concept 3-acts each around 15 minutes only available on the internet. It was brilliant, fun and who knew Harris could sing!

2009 - Dark Horse Comics issued a one-shot Dr. Horrible comic, available with 2 variant covers, credited to Zack Whedon, writer, Joelle Jones, pencils, Dan Jackson, colorist, Kristian Donaldson, covers...

Cliff Chiang - Wonder Woman

2011.12.10 Wonder Woman -Uncle Sam FDC

Dewey's Comic City, Madison, NJ

Cliff Chiang is a graduate of Harvard University with a joint degree in English Lit and Visual Arts. Chiang has worked as an editor for Disney Adventures magazine, and as an illustrator for Vertigo and DC Comics pencilling titles such as Human Target, Batman, Dr. Thirteen, Beware the Creeper, Green Arrow & Black Canary, Red Sonja and Swamp Thing.

Chiang also worked on the comic adaptation of Neil Young's Greendale with writer Joshua Dysart...

Chiang is now working on the new Wonder Woman for DC Comics, providing the art and covers for issues 1-4, and the covers for issues 5 and 6...

Sanjit Choudhury - Darth Maul

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

Sanjit Choudhury is a concept and vector artist, you can see his concepts at sanjitchoudhury.weebly.com, his inspirations come from Tim Burton and Gris Grimley. Loves the beauty of nature but has a twisted style whose cute but evil characterizations has big mournful eyes...

Sanjit choose to draw Darth Maul, Sith Lord apprentice of Darth Sidious. Darth Maul first appeared in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  George Lucas' idea for Maul was being a figure from your worst nightmare. The character was originally designed by Ian McCraig. The design was a combination of a flayed flesh face, face painting in African tribes and a Rorschach experiment.
The character of Darth maul was portrayed by Ray Park.

Erica Hesse - Christmas Elf

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Erica Hesse, is an illustrator specializing in pin-up, burlesque style art.

Erica has created several posters and logos for roller derby leagues including The Charm City Rollergirls, Arizona Roller Derby Association and the Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls and for Chaz Royal's Infamous Burlesque Social Club. Erica is a regular contributor to Pin-Up America Magazine.

Erica has also provided art for 5Finity, Jim Mahfood Mixtape sketch cards, Comic for Cures sketch cards, Treasure Chest of Art sketch cards (Chicagoland Expo), Marvel Masterpieces III sketch cards, the Moon-Rays "Sinister Surf" album and poster art to name a few....

I liked the Christmas cancel used by the Plymouth, Vermont post office ... The elf running with the shopping bag looking for the right present, in this case he's got his eyes on the cute elf in the corner...

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all... this past year has been great, meeting excellent artists, nice people and sharing my joy of comic art. Thanks to all who have left nice comments. Thanks to Jim Anderson for his great Ellie e-card, and the Reed Gunther Christmas post card from Shane and Chris... A Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Howard Bender - Green Lantern

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

Howard Bender is a freelance comics artist and illustrator, having studied at the Arts Students league, Artist Guild and the Ivy School of Professional Art. After contributions to fanzines and lettering jobs at Marvel, in the 1970s, Bender went to work for the big companies in the 1980s, starting at Harvey on Richie Rich. Bender contributed to DC's ghost and superhero titles, including Supergirl, Dial H for Hero, Action Comics, as well as some work for Marvel on Silver Hawks, Spider-Man. With Gladstone Publishing he worked on "Dread of Night" and "Maggots". At First Publishing he worked on "Ghostbusters" and "Munden's Bar". In the 1990s Bender worked for Archie Comics.

1996 drew one of four mini comics for Hanna-Barbera's Johnny Quest, which was packaged with the VHS of the show.

Bender has also created his own original characters and titles  "Mr. Fixitt"(Apple Comics), "Billy & Pop" and "Sherlock Holmes Minute Mysteries"...

Bender also draws caricatures and is often at the Superheroes for Hospice Monmouth comic sale providing caricatures...

Rick Parker - Beavis and Butt-head

2011.12.03 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Beavis and Butt-head is an animated series created by Mike Judge, originally appearing as part of Frog Baseball, 1992. MTV signed Judge to develop the concept airing the first episode on March 8, 1993 until November 28, 1997 (212 episodes). The boys were later seen on Comedy Central and UPN and in a feature film, "Beavis and Butt-head Do America"...

The shows center on two socially awkward teenage delinquents who live in Highland, Texas. Their unsupervised actions sometimes have dire consequences, for which they show little remorse. This has been a controversy for the show, as opponents of the show claim they promote dangerous behavior. However Beavis and Butt-Head proved to be very popular...

From 1994 to 1996 Marvel Comics published 28 Beavis and Butt-Head comics, written by a variety of writers, with each issue being drawn by Rick Parker...

I had met Rick Parker in June of 2010, when he drew Stinky Dead Kid for me. At this show he seemed like just one of many artists meeting fans. At the Superheroes for Hospice show, I saw a different man. He was the center of attnetion. Maybe it was the revival of the Beavis and Butt-Head cartoon, but when the other artists look to get a sketch, you know he is special. Parker's Beavis and Butt-Head drawing reflects the Patriotic Quill Pen stamp in that Beavis is holding the pen and both are wearing stars and stripes shirts.

Parker had a friend with him, who showed me a book of art drawn on matchbooks by Parker. These had been done over a series of time and over a thousand had been done.
This image of Hat was taken from Rick Parker's Art blog, in which he states in his bio...

I do quite a bit of humorous drawing to amuse myself and others, but I feel most fulfilled as an artist creating 3-dimensional objects, incorporating existing or found objects into my work. I believe that art can be a great form of self-expression and through the use of cartooning I endeavor to help people to express themselves and communicate to others their own personal thoughts, feelings and ideas about the world.
Rick Parker Art

Rick Parker has two sites that I have found, one featuring his art the other featuring his photographs, with a truly a strangely wonderful collection of art, well worth the time to look and think! 

Nick Mockoviak - Garfield

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Nick Mockoviak is a comic illustrator drawing all of the usual comic characters, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Joker, Frankenstein, as well as turning convention guests into zombies. He zombified my son Matt a while back, as can be seen on Matt's page.

While reading Nick's bio on his Deviant Art page, I noted he was a fan of Garfield. Nick also said Garfield was the reason he went into drawing. With the recent release of the Garfield stamp by the USPS, I thought I would offer Nick the chance to draw Garfield any way he wanted. Nick jumped at the opportunity, and created FrankenGarfield...

Garfield cover sent to Jim Davis, and was returned with his signature...

Garfield, an orange tabby cat, was created by Jim Davis and first appeared on  June 19, 1978, following the lives of Garfield, his owner Jon Arbuckle, and Jon's dog Odie. Garfield has become on e of the most popular comic characters appearing in newspapers, television shows, movies, greeting cards, video games...

Ziggy by Tom Wilson 2011.10.11

Ian Glaubinger - The Munsters

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

I had obtained a halloween day cancel, October 31, 1997, on this cover from the Munster Branch of the Hammond, Indiana post office. I knew Ian would be perfect to provide the artwork on this cover...

Munster, Indiana was settled by Jacob Munster, of Dutch decent, who opened a general store with a post office located within. By 1907 Munster was incorporated into a town, with 76 residents voting yes, 28 voting no...

The Munsters were a 1964 television sitcom featuring a family of monsters. Herman Munster the was Frankenstein-styled head of the house. His wife Lilly (Dracula's daughter) actually ran the house. Their son Eddie, a wolf-boy, Lily's father Grandpa (Dracula) and their pretty niece Marilyn, the mis-fit of the group. The show was originally suggested by animator Bob Clampett as a cartoon series in the 1940s to Universal Studios...

In the 1960s writers Chris Hayward and Allan Burns submitted a similar idea, which was further developed by Norm Liebman and Ed Haas. The show premiered September 24, 1964...

On another channel The Addams Family was premiering on September 18, 1964, bringing to life the characters cartoonist Charles Addams had brought to life in single panel cartoons which ran in The New Yorker magazine from 1938 until Addams' death in 1988.

The Addams' are not evil, they just share macabre interests. Gomez and Morticia remain ever passionate, their children Pugsley (originally Pubert) and Wednesday, who find their classmates to be repulsive. Uncle Fester (Charles Addams' alter-ego), Grandmama and Lurch their butler andThing. In the TV series Fester was Morticia's Uncle, while in the movies he was Gomez's brother. Originally in Addams' cartoons the characters did not have names, these were created for the TV series...

As a fan of the Addams' Family I was surprised, around 1986, to discover that Charles Addams was still drawing for the New Yorker. In 1988 wrote to him and received this wonderful drawing of Uncle Fester. Addams' death a short time later came as a shock to me, as I had just re-discovered his work in the New Yorker. Fortunately several books have been published and the release of the first movie brought about additional publications of Addams' work.

2011.11.12 Lunt Fontanne Theatre, NYC... Went to see the Addams Family play on Broadway with my family as an early Christmas present. It was great!

In an effort to aid Broadway Cares-Equity Fights Aids, the cast was selling cast signed programs as a fund-raising event after the show. Autographs of the stars Roger Rees and Brooke Shields are located under the Playbill title. The cast also auctioned the ring Brooke Shields was wearing during the performance for $1,000.00, which surprised both the cast and the audience!

Paul Benincasa - Astronaut

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Messenger Space Mission FDC

Paul Benincasa is a freelance cartoonist, illustrator. His first comic Transient Tales was published in 2010, an anthology comic with one contributor and with each story featuring a different genre of story-telling: science fiction, spy mystery, horror and superhero...

The science fiction story "5 Minutes More" features a stranded astronaut, running out of oxygen who is forced to leave a friend behind to find help...

The story reminded me of the "Fallen Astronaut", a small statue left on the moon to honor those who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration...

The statuette (8.5cm aluminum) was commissioned by Astronaut David Scott, to feature an astronaut in a spacesuit, with the requirements that the sculpture could not be identifiably male or female, of no specific ethnic group. The statuette was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck.

On August 1 the Fallen Astronaut was placed on the moon by the crew of Apollo 15, (Scott and James Irwin, with Alfred Worden orbiting the moon) and along with a plaque bearing the names of eight American Astronauts: Theodore Freeman, Charles Bassett, Elliott See, Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, Edward White, Edward Givens, Clifton Williams and six Soviet Cosmonauts: Vladimir Komarov, Yuri Gagarin, Pavel Belyayev, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav Volkov...
Scott noted "Sadly, two names are missing from the plaque, those of Valentin Bondarenko and Grigori Nelyubov." At the time secrecy surrounding the Soviet space program did not release news of their deaths.

Paul's art can be seen on his web-site Yeah I Drew It!, which features sketches, works in progress and Paul's finished projects.
 Amy Chace was the model for the cover of Transient Tales issue one.

Bil Keane - Family Circus

Bil Keane, creator of Family Circus comic passed away on Nov 8, 2011 at the age of 89.

The Family Circus, began its run in 1960 and is continued by Keane's son Jeff.

The panel-strip focus' on a family modeled after Keane's own family. The father Bil, wife Thel, kids Billy, Dolly, Jeffy and PJ. The panel is unique in that it is drawn within a circle. The strip was originally called The Family Circle, but had to change due to  objections from the magazine of the same name. Family Circus has also been adapted for several television specials and the panels have been compiled into many books.

Keane started his career when he was published in 1936 on the amateur page of the Philadelphia Daily News. While in the US Army, serving in Australia during World War II, Keane drew for Yank and Stars and Stripes. Keane also created the comic panel Channel Chuckles.

Keane was the recipient of National Cartoonists Society's Award for Best Syndicated Panel - 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974. NCS Cartoonist of the Year and Reuben Award 1982. Elzie Segar Award 1982...

I received the above pencil sketch of Jeffy in 1987, it was the first sketch I ever received, to start my collection.

Keane's oldest son Glen is an animator at Walt Disney Studios working on Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan and Tangled...

Amy Chace - Sweet Baby Fumes

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Baby Breathing Apparatus Using Sweet Baby Fumes to Breathe...Ah Life!

When I attend a comic con, I have some ideas I about what sketches I want to obtain. Other times I come across the unexpected...

Amy Chace was not the artist I expected to find at a comic con. Yes, she has published the comic Foot Fetish, a Love Story, through Spit-Faced Comics, but proclaims herself to be a visual artist working in wood, acrylic, photos creating mixed media artwork..

As Amy looked through my covers she found several she liked. Hot Air Balloons, Olympic Runner and Astronaut Alan Shepard. Amy selected the Olympic Runner, to which I commented on the similarity to the Cosmic Jumper by a shared favorite Peter Max...

Amy's abstract art compliments the ancient Greek runner and told me that the smell of babies was the most wonderful thing to smell and was her inspiration for this piece. Amy included a small mixed media element to the lower left corner as well as drawing on the back flap on the envelope. I never try to critique any art, but I find elements of surrealism similar to Joan Miro in this artwork.

Astronaut by Amy Chace.

Alex Cormack - Edgar Allan Poe

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

Alex Cormack is a comic artist, illustrator and animation director...

South Pole - Animation Director and writer with Ashley Cook, in a story about Kris Kringle's brother Kyle, who hates the holiday after one year misunderstanding his present, an art set, as his parents giving him coal. Now many years later he decides to put an end to the festivities once and for all...

South Pole received The Award for Excellence in Animation, Best Animated Characters and Best Animated Screen Play at the Los Angeles Movie Awards...

South Pole New England Film

Besides animation Cormack has provided comic book art to The Poe Twisted Anthology from Red Stylo Media for the stories Tell Tale Cat and Eldorado with Sherezada Windham-Kent.

The Poe Twisted Anthology takes characters and settings from favorite Poe stories and twists them, and make them something new...