Stan Goldberg - Archie

2012.03.31 NY Comic Book Marketplace, NYC

Stan Goldberg has been in the comic industry for over 50 years, starting his career at age 16, in 1949, as a colorist for Timely Comics. Two years later he advanced to color department manager. By 1958 he went freelance, but continued to color all Marvel comics into the mid-1960's, including Spiderman, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hulk...

Goldberg also illustrated horror stories, drew gag cartoons, pop art billboards (No Cal Soda) and drew Marvel titles Patsy Walker, My Girl Patsy, Millie the Model and several humorous animal stories. By 1968 Goldberg left Marvel to freelance, including working for DC titles Debbie, Scooter and Binky, Captain Carrot. Various other illustration jobs included greeting cards, National Lampoon, Redbook magazine...

Goldberg's long time association with Archie Comics, with his art appearing in most of the companies titles has made him an Archie icon. From 1975 to 1980 Goldberg drew the Sunday Archie comic strip, which was honored by the US Postal Service as part of their Sunday Funnies issue. Goldberg also drew the Riverdale characters for the 1994 Archie Meets the Punisher, an Archie-Marvel one-shot crossover...

Stan is still active, in 2010 Schoolism Online released a "Stan Goldberg" instructional video. IDW Publishing released "The Best of Stan Goldberg", DC's Scooby Doo and Bongo Comics The Simpsons...

I have alway hoped I would be lucky enough to meet Mr. Goldberg, and I was not disappointed. Signed FDC has several excellent Stan Goldberg sketches.

Cosmonaut Day - Buzz Lightyear

2011.06.18 Wizard Comic Con, Philadelphia, Pa

Posting a day early to honor all the men and women who were/are involved in space travel...
Another gem from Sara Richard...Buzz Lightyear to Infinity & Beyond!...
April 12, 2012 marks the anniversary of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's flight as the first man into space, April 12, 1961 about the Soviet Union Vostok 1 spacecraft. Gagarin orbited the earth for 1 hour and 48 minutes... Gagarin became a national hero of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc nations...

Gagarin's success pushed the US Space program as Alan Shepard would become the first American in Space on May 5, 1961, with John Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the earth Feb 20, 1962. Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut when he was launch aboard the Shenzhou Spacecraft October 15, 2003.

Other nations have sent representatives through the USSR Intercosmos program or as NASA payload specialists aboard the Shuttle.

Cosmonautics Day celebration started the following year in 1962 and continues in his honor. The United Nations General Assembly on April 7, 2011 adopted a resolution declaring April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight...


The first launch of the US Space Shuttle took place on April 12, 1981...

Jim Calafiore - Batman

2012.03.31 NY Comic Book Marketplace, NYC

Jim Calafiore first broke into comics on Valiant's X-O Manowar and Armorines. Moving on to DC and Marvel to produce quality work on Aquaman, Exiles Gotham Underground, various Batman titles, Secret Six. On his webiste Califiore lists his influences as John Byrne and the X-Men, along with Berni Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith, Richard Corben's work in Creepy and Eerie, Windsor McKay, Maurice Sendak, Bilal, Caza, Drulliet and most important Moebius.

Favorite characters are the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Metal Men

The first day cover honors the 50th anniversary of the motion picture industry in 1944, with the central design of the stamp showing GI's in the South Pacific watching the 3 Musketeers in a native setting. With this cover I had been waiting for the right artist to sketch the Batman as seen in the 1943 Columbia Pictures serial. The Batman had very pointed ears and a longer nose on the cowl. Calafiore depicted the character perfectly, and looks as if it could have been drawn in 1943.

The NY Comic Book Marketplace featured many great guests most notably Stan Lee. My son Matt had the opportunity to obtain Lee's signature on a Fantastic Four book and also obtained a signature from Joe Sinnott. All of the artists and celebrities in attendance were great, and a pleasure to meet. From Henry Winkler to Mark Texeira (his signed Ghost Rider comic is on Matt's Page). An excellent experience and a day to remember...

Marvel Comics - Fantastic Four Lost Adventures, signed by Joe Sinnott and Stan Lee.

We waited close to 1.5 hours for the Stan Lee signature. They kept all the fans at a 2-table distance from Stan, and used an intermediary to hand items back and forth. It was worth it. Through it all Stan kept his sense of humor and was very pleasant.

A quick out of focus photo of Stan Lee and Matt

I was speaking with Don Smith and Spiro Ballas at the Super Mega Show in Whippany in June 2012. When mentioning that Matt met Stan Lee, Don quipped "So he got his 30 seconds of Stan Lee!" Very appropriate. 

updated 2012.06.30

The autograph ticket was excellent, featuring a nice color sketch of Stan. However they collected the tickets as you reached the table and would not let you keep them. They would have made an excellent souvenir of the event.

Brian Buniak - Dinosaur

2011.10.08 Garden State Comic Con, Cherry Hill, NJ

"Oh Man -- I hate when this happens!"

Brian Buniak was an artist of the underground comix scene of the 1970s. He cooperated on several publications by the Mood Publishing Empire (Amazing Adult Fantasies, New Paltz Comix).

He is the creator of the Spirit parody 'The Sprite', 1974 New Paltz Comix. In the 1980s he illustrated Thunder Bunny for Blue Ribbon Comics, created by Marty Greim...(for publishers - Charlton, Archie, Warp Graphics and Red Circle)...

Buniak is also a skilled celebrity character artist providing art for Mad Magazine, the Daily News, Dark Horse Presents....which have included Sschwarenegger as Conan the Barbarian, William Shatner as Capt. Kirk, Jackie Gleason, Elvis Presley, Ted Kennedy and many Television and movie parodies...

After looking through the assortment of FDCs I carry with me Buniak choose the Pterodactyl Dinosaur FDc and draw the wonderful comic of the cave woman being carried away...

McGruff the Crime Dog

2011.04.03 -  Bobby Timony - Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Twin Comics produces The Night Owls, written by Peter Timony, art by Bobby Timony. Set in the 1920s NYC, Professor Ernest Baxter, Mindy Markus, flapper and Roscoe, a Bonx gargoyle are the Night Owls. together they solve crimes no one else can, the supernatural kind. A Web comic, the Night Owls were Harvey Award nominees 2009 for Best New Series, Best Online Work and Best New Talent, Bobby Timony...

The Night Owls vol 1 collects the Zuda online comic...Roscoe sketch from Vol 1...

When I got home from the show to set up my post, I found Bobby's tweet..First sketch of the day. McGruff the crime dog, with US Postal stamp...awesome!

2011.12.03 Mark Mariano - Superheroes for Hospice

Mark Mariano's HappyLoo characters are for younger readers, with stories that tell tales almost entirely through the artwork. The above cover features HappyLoo character Meatsauce along with McGruff.

Mariano also draws Flabbergast, stories for older children featuring two slackers who stumble across a laboratory that is studying a zombie virus. As expected they set the zombies loose, and with the help of a scientist's daughter they have to save the world.

In the late 1990's Mariano ventured into Webcomics with the O>Matics, a comic strip about his band and their adventures off stage.

"Take A Bite Out of Crime"

McGruff the Crime Dog was created by John Young (Dancer Fitzgerald Sample Ad Agency) for the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for crime awareness among children through Public Service Announcements in TV commercials, songs and books. The McGruff stamp was issued Sep 24, 1984 Washington, DC...

Andre Szymanowicz - Hell Yeah

2012.03.10 Andre Szymanowicz, Dewey's Comic City, Madison, NJ
Ben Day - Hell Yeah

Image Comics release Hell Yeah #1 March 7, 2012.
The Last Generation of Superheroes is Here!
20years ago, the first ever superheroes debuted without warning and forever altered our global culture! Now the generation born in their wake fight to claim their place in a world evolved beyond the!
Written by Joe Keatinge, illustrated by Andre Szymanowicz...

Szymanowicz had previously contributed illustrations for Image's Elephantmen and Popgun...

His website features a lot of great sketches including Supergirl, Audrey Hepburn (excellent!), Elephantmen, the Beatles and the Spirit. It's great seeing the transition of his work from sketch to watercolor, worth a look...

Joe Keatinge has contributed to Negative Burn, the Next Issue Project #1: Fantastic Comics #24, Savage Dragon and as editor of the Harvey award-winning anthology Popgun, with co-editor Mark Andrew Smith...

William Olmo - Casey Jones

2011-Sep-17 Barnabas Health Superheroes for Hospice, Monmouth Mall, Eatontown, NJ

Prior to going to help out at the show I had read on-line that a new fan film about Casey Jones would be released, so I had the idea to get a sketch of Casey and his hockey mask on an Olympic Hockey FDC. The stamp has a devilish look with the blood red background and attacking goalie! A perfect combination...

Casey Jones is a vigilante from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series roaming the streets of New York and befriending the Turtles and April O'Neil. Jones' arsenal includes, baseball bats, golf clubs and hockey sticks..he made his first appearance in Raphael (solo issue) #1 1985...

Shane Moore - The Omens

2011.12.03 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Shane Moore is a self-published writer and artist who has recently formed Electro-Magnetic Press with fellow writer and artistLarry Morgan.

Moore's comic The Omens is on of EMP's first two publications, the other being Morgan's The Believer.

The Omens is a science fiction adventure that follows Maggie Goodwin, a young woman who discovers she is a posthuman, a genetically engineered breed, whose basic capacities radically exceed those of present humans as to no longer be no longer unambiguously human by our current standards.

Maggie's strange new abilities cause an abrupt end of her normal suburban life when she is forced to go on the run from both the US Government, strange extraterrestrials and the nefarious Dr. O...

Chandra Free - Princess Leia

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

Princess Leia and Salacious

Chandra Free is the artist and author of The God Machine graphic novel from Archaia. Chandra is also the reative director at BLAM! Ventures, was an artist on Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock comic, Archaia and Sullengrey by Ape Entertainment and contributed two digital panels to the illustrated novel Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes...

Chandra is intensely interested in the incorporation of psychology into her art, focusing on the unconscious and human aspects of her characters. I find her art to be exceptional. ..

The God Machine is a graphic novel about lost love, monsters and crazy gods. It's the story of Guy Salvatore, who after his girlfriend's death, has difficulty making sense of his world. Excellent story, fantastic art.

Whilte looking through some of my first day covers, Chandra was immediately taken by the Princess Leia stamp.  Princess Leia and R2D2 were featured on one of the USPS Star Wars stamps issued in 2007.

Girls Read Comics Too

Bob C Hardin - NASCAR

2011.05.22 Wizard Comic Con, New York

Bob C. Hardin is a creator-illustrator who specializes in humorous action caricature, people, motor-sports...Artist, writer for Petersen Publishing CARtoons Magazine, NASCAR Team Red Bull and editorial illustrator of North Jersey Media Group's EXIT & 201 Magazines...

Hardin also dose a line of illustrations called Slot Car Thrillustrations featuring vintage model car racing action and Slot Head Signs, which has a strong feel of Ed Roth's Rat Fink art...I am sure his school notebooks were lined with drawings just like this...

Hardin is also an instructor with the Kubert School...

Rich C Self - Love

Rich C. Self (2/2)

Just a beautiful example of a hand-painted cachet for the 1985 love stamp.

I received this cover as a trade, sorry, I don't have any information about the artist. Initialed on the front RCS, signed on the back Rich Self.

Block Printed FDCs

Dave Curtis

Offering a chance of pace this week with a post on block printed covers. Wood-block printing is a technique that dates as far back as 4th century throughout East Asia, China and Egypt. Modern print-makers use linoleum as a variant to woodcuts. A design is cut into the linoleum with the raised portion leaving a reversed image. The block is inked and pressed onto paper to leave an impression.

Many famous artists have worked in block-printing, Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (produced unbelievable art with wood-block) Pablo Picasso, MC Escher, Albrecht Durer. The Metropolitan Post Card Club of NY features information about block printed postcards..

Dave and Sabrina Curtis create block printed covers. Both are members of the AFDCS and the Art Cover Exchange (ACE). Their covers are printed by making several color prints by re-cutting the block between prints, to created beautiful designs. Dave started first, with Sabrina adding her artistic talents a few years later. They are currently using a product called "Easy-cut Rubber Block", which is similar to linoleum block, but easier to cut. Dave usually produces one set of covers for each stamp issued, in limited numbers. Sabrina, has what she calls a Monet style, producing covers of her favorite subject, animals...

Wm. Roy Rice

I did a lot of trading with Mr. Rice, from West Virginia, back in the late 1980s to early 1990s. I always appreciated his style and design. Wm. Roy started in 1977, using a 1940 Franklin hand-press, producing a limited number of covers for stamp club invitations to local meetings and for personal use. This is an example of his work featuring a Star Trek design for the "E" Earth stamp FDC from 1988...

Raymond E Robinson

An example of one of the linoleum block prints I did for the Moon Landing Anniversary issue of 1989. This cover is from a set of three, with each cover honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts, Michael Collins (above), Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. I started creating block printed covers in 1977 for the Charles Lindbergh issue...

Chris Notarile - The Protector

2011.12.03 Superheroes for Hospice, Livingston, NJ

Chris .R. Notarile is the writer and creator of "The Protector". A filmmaker by trade, Chris is the driving force behind his New Jersey based film company Blinky Productions Inc., and over the last decade Chris has built a very notable reputation for himself in the superhero comic community through his fan films as well as through his original work.

Chris Notrile is an illustrator whose career has span nearly forty years. Drawing inspiration from the silver age comics of his youth, Chris realized his dream of becoming a comic illustrator, when he created and drew a series of 2-page storylines for Teen Life Magazine, at the age of eighteen. Chris also worked briefly as a freelance artist for Marvel comics, while attending the Parsons School of Design. Chris has also produced artwork for TV Guide. Chris is the co-founder and owner of Outlines Inc, producing comps, storyboards and animated webisodes for the advertising community.

Chris' proudest accomplishment is his illustrations for The Protector, and thanks to his son for reconnecting him with his first love...comics.

The Protector tells the story of a golden age hero, who has virtually out lived his usefulness. Longing for the good old days, this now old hero tries to find his place in a modern world.